We’ve recently purchased our first house and will be moving in over the next couple of months. After years of apartment-renting, it’s a blessing to have a place to call our own and I’m VERY grateful. However, instead of unleashing my inner interior designer, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m not very good with “blank canvases” and I don’t know where to start….What paint colour should I use? What furniture should I buy? Which pictures should I hang on the wall? Do I need curtains?
I’m good at looking at a finished room and saying “I love this”…I’m not very good at assembling beautiful pieces into a cohesive whole. Furthermore, although we love our new home already…we only see ourselves living there for the next 3-5 years (it’s in the ideal location, but as our children grow up, we’ll need more space). So I don’t want to invest in furniture pieces that may not translate into our next home.
As with most big projects, I’ve tried to break this move into “babysteps”. There are only 3 rooms that will start from scratch (children’s room, living room and furnished basement). I have furniture for the other rooms, and will just have to focus on arranging them in the best way, along with any other required finishing touches. My first step was to make a binder with photographs and floorplans of every room. I used colouring pencils to sketch in furniture placement, and added notes at the bottom. Here’s a peek at my Master bedroom plan:
The next step is visiting design websites (here are a few favourites: House & Home, Style at Home, House to Home) I’ve always saved decor inspiration pics, but I’m doing targeted searches now that my needs are more specific.
In terms of design style, I used to be into Shabby Chic and French Country – and while I still enjoy elements of those styles, I’m also drawn to sleek and modern pieces. Sadly, the best way to define my current style is “Hotel” (!!!)… I love how 5-star hotels are so restful and elegant, with concealed storage for most items. Now I know that it doesn’t really count as a design style – but it is something I’d like to aspire to as I decorate my house.
As I progress with my move, I hope to share some of my projects on this blog – and hopefully get some feedback and ideas from my readers 🙂
What type of decor do you like? Do you have any home decorating tips to share?
I love the pictures you have chosen. They are all so beautiful and elegant. I think your idea of "hotel" style would fit you well. I think it would certaily help you to get started and give you a bit more to work with. The bedroom pics you chose all look like nice hotel rooms anyway and the bathroom reminds me of a cottage one would rent for a seaside vacation. 😀
Congratulations on buying a new home! I'll be buying this Summer for the 1st time so I know how you feel. I love decor blogs the best & old copies of Domino Magazine. Also, that blue bedroom is gorgeous!
Thanks Lindy May – now I just have to figure out what a "hotel" living room would look like LOL…It's funny, because I always take pictures of the decor at hotels and bed and breakfast places we visit …I'm thinking of decorating the guest room in the style of our favourite B&B in England.Monica – thanks – you must be sooo busy with wedding planning and house buying! Such an exciting time for you 🙂 I'm going cross-eyed looking for inspiration pics on the internet, so I'm going to be leaving through all my decor magazines today. I love Domino magazine too!
type…"leafing" not "leaving"….I need my morning coffee!
This is so exciting, congratulations Ella! I would freak out (in a good way) if I got to start from scratch-yippee!! I love an eclectic mix, comfy not too modern. I find great pieces at Ballard Desgins.Can't wait to see more!
Congratulations! A blank canvas is my dream. My husband was a homeowner when we met and I have been trying to de-ugly the house ever since. Note to MIL- free pom-poms from UT games are not room decor. LOL! I especially love your bath pictures. So elegant and uplifting.
Oh my goodness – decorating with pom poms – that's too funny! I am SO grateful to have a blank canvases…but I have SUCH a problem narrowing down what I want when the options are endless 🙂
Congratulations Ella! (By the way…love your name…just named my newborn daughter Ella Elizabeth).What fun to be able to start with a blank canvas! My best piece of advice would be to start with neutral color walls and furniture. Bright wall colors look fabulous, but then it becomes a problem/project when you get sick of the color. I painted my bedroom walls Clay Beige- Ben Moore, and with such a neutral color, I'm able to put basically any comforter set, drapes and decorations with it. Every season I get the itch to re-do my room and now it's easy…I just run to the store and pick out new bedding, a few matching decorating pieces, and viola! A whole new room!Good luck…looking forward to see pics!Ashley
Ashley – congratulations on the birth of Ella Elizabeth 🙂 Thank you so much for the specific advice…part of my "daze" is fear of commitment – having the soft furnishings as the colourful aspect would allow me the flexibility to make changes.I was looking for a good Benjamin Moore paint colour for my bedroom – I'm TOTALLY checking out Clay Beige – it sounds perfect.
yayyyyy!!! Congrats! I can't wait to see it unfold 🙂
Thanks Nuha – as time is going by, I'm getting more ideas and inspiration. Now I'm less dazed and more excited 🙂
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