A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO DECORATING YOUR HOME

i’ve always thought i had an eye for interior design. now i by no means think i’m joanna gaines, but i can put together a mean mood board. i often get questions about home decor and styling so i thought i’d share my simple process for designing or updating a space. a beginner’s guide to decorating your home!

i’m so excited to start sharing real home content on the blog with you.

make sure to read all the way to the bottom for a list of my favorite places to shop for all things home!

detail shot of vase and flowers coffee table

DEFINE YOUR STYLE

my style, for example, i would define as a mix of contemporary, traditional and a LITTLE bit of farmhouse. aka TRANSITIONAL. i love the sleek, minimal look of modern design, but still want the cozy, homey vibes that traditional and farmhouse bring to the table.

not sure what your style is? PINTEREST IS YOUR FRIEND. search “home decor styles” and go wild.

if we have the same taste in style, check out my “get homey” board for tons of inspiration.

DECIDE ON A COLOR SCHEME

not every room in your home has to be the same color palette, but keep the vibe cohesive throughout. once you’ve nailed down your style, this gets easier! if you’re like me and lean more towards a neutral color palette, decorating cohesively is pretty easy.

need help finding complementary colors? check out Coolors.co! it’s a free color scheme generator that allows you to shuffle through endless options, lock down colors you like and adjust the ones you don’t.

PICK YOUR FOCAL POINT PIECES FIRST

couch, coffee table, dining table and/or barstools, bed, dresser – these will almost immediately help set the tone of the room. but remember, these are the investment pieces so find what you really want.

now if you’re like me and you’re in an apartment or something a little more temporary, maybe don’t splurge crazy amounts on these pieces. inside secret: all my living room furniture is from facebook marketplace or craigslist. NO JOKE i got my couch for $60 and my coffee table for $75.

i know i won’t want this set up forever and will have a bigger space to fill at some point, so i’d rather splurge on furniture for a HOUSE…not my apartment.

SELECTING DECORATIVE PIECES

a little bit of advice on this: there are things to splurge a little bit more on, and there on things to save on. pieces like classic coffee table books, floor/wall mirrors and rugs are all things to maybe spend a little bit more on. vases, throw pillows and little knick knacky pieces? save on these kinds of things. you’ll end up wanting to switch them out every once and a while more than likely.

read all the way to the bottom for a list of my favorite place to shop for home decor.

a side note about shopping for decorative pieces:

let’s say you’re strolling through target/home goods/tj maxx/hobby lobby (idk pick your poison), and you see what you think might be the perfect tray for your coffee table. it’s totally in your budget, but you’re not 100% sure if it will look right. JUST BUY IT. take it home and try it out. if it’s not exactly what you’re wanting, return it and keep looking!

to some of you this may be obvious, but it’s something i’ve had to tell myself more than once. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve seen something i liked, not bought it, decided two weeks later that it was what i wanted & returned only to find it’s sold out. LOL