I have heard a lot of decorating tips over the years. I love the kind of advice that saves you money, makes your home look pretty and is really easy to follow. Helpful and practical advice that normal everyday people can actually use!
A lot of people now realize that your home doesn’t have to be perfect, you can create a home you love and you don’t have to follow the rules. I agree, that is very true! But how do you achieve the look you want? It doesn’t always just happen! That is where having some great decorating advice and basic guidelines can really help get you started.
With the right know-how, you can avoid spending too much money, wasting too much time wondering what went wrong and spend more time loving living your home.
Here are just a few favorite pieces of advice that I think really work …
“Every room could use a touch of black.”
“Avoid hanging pictures too high, keep them at eye level (unless you are going to cover a large expanse of wall top to bottom).”
“Start with one inspiration piece (maybe a rug or a pillow) and build your room and color scheme around it.”
“Choose your paint color last to complement everything else in the room.”
“It doesn’t have to MATCH, it just has to “go”…”
“Add a touch of whimsy and the unexpected.”
“Pull the furniture out from all the walls.”
“Mix things up.”
What are the best tips and pieces of decorating advice YOU
have received and followed over the years?
Let’s share more advice in the comments! I’d love to have your wisdom and inspiration here all in one place!
For more ideas, check out Apartment Therapy’s post on their favorite decorating advice and all the great comments from readers! I was inspired and you will be too!
photo inspiration via Apartment Therapy from Metropolitan Home/Point Click Home
Great advice- may I add one more- Go with the flow- sometimes a little give and take with your design plan is a good thing- I find that if I let things happen instead of making it happen- I always like the end results better- {not sure if I made any since there- =)
Thanks for your help
Have a great day
teresas inspiring blog post..
Actually I think one of the worse pieces of advice that anyone can get when decorating is “hang your art at eye level”. I see that in magazines and it drives me crazy!
I design and decorate people’s homes for a living and there is A RULE for hanging art. Melissa, you are correct that people hang their art way too high. (I swear people can get vertigo having to look up at art!)
THE RULE is to hang art based on a ROOM’S FUNCTION. If you hang art at “eye level” what happens when you have a husband who is 6’7″ and a wife who is 5’1″ (which happens to be the situation for a client of mine). Whose eye level are we hanging the art for? And what happens when we have people over – they are all different sizes.
So, FUNCTION RULES ;o) If the function of a room is where people sit (living room, dining room, sun room, game room, etc.) the rule is to hang the art at 54″ inches from floor TO CENTER of the ART.
If the function of the room is primarily standing/walking (hallway, foyer, kitchen, bathroom) the rule is to hang your art 60″ from floor to center.
Lastly, if you are hanging art above a table, sideboard, sofa, mantel, etc. the rule is to hang it so that the bottom is just 4-6″ from the surface of that item. This anchors the artwork to the larger piece of furniture so that it’s not out there just floating in space with no relationship to the item it’s hanging above.
I give my clients these rules so that when they have DIY projects, they can make sure to get it right the first time. It’s amazing how hanging your art at the correct level transforms the way a room feels!
Diana@TheDevineHome.coms inspiring blog post..Devine Designs On A Dime!
I agree! Yes, thanks for clarifying…I agree the “eye level” guide (which I am always careful to say “close” to eye level for this very reason) can be difficult to interpret unless you understand some of the nuances of what goes it to that phrase. You defined the nuances of it well.
I am an “eye-baller” so I don’t like to get out a measuring tape and feel like there are too many variables in a room and even the type of art (is it bold or does it have fine details?) that make me choose different heights for hanging, so I just look and get a feel for what works. Your measurements will be of help to anyone who want a more exact guide, so thank you!
Melissa,
I just read the Magic Brush’s comment about paint and your response. I side WITH YOU on this one and not our paint store owner.
You ABSOLUTELY CHOOSE PAINT LAST! There are approximately 16 MILLION colors to choose from when decorating our homes. Carpet, furniture, fabrics . . . ah, not so much selection of color. Color consults are my #1 call for help – people want color but are afraid of making a mistake. Like you, I can’t tell you how many “pink” beiges I have seen!
Paint is the great unifying element that can pull all our hand me downs, ups and overs GO together!
Another piece of bad advise I have heard is to have your painter select your wall colors. The professional painters I work with run into this all the time (and one of them is color blind!) Just because someone is a painter does not mean they are a COLOR expert.
The best piece of decorating advise I can give people when it comes to color is to HAVE A PROFESSIONAL designer/decorator help you select the color. We work with it 24/7/365 and understand the nuance of color. The fee you will pay for a color expert to help you select your colors will save you time/money & headaches!
Diana@TheDevineHomes inspiring blog post..Devine Designs On A Dime!
If you LOVE something, find a place for it. You should always surround yourself with things that make you feel wonderful!
Great advice, Melissa! I do hope that life is going great, dear one.
Love,
Debbie
DebbieWs inspiring blog post..Out of the Mouths of Teenagers
“Hire a professional” … via my mother
Adrienne @ Susan Palmer Designss inspiring blog post..Before & After Photos … The “After” Pictures are Here!
Great advice from all! The best decorating tip I could add would to not be so matchy, matchy! The best bargains are the ones you find at yardsales, consignment shops and antique/peddler malls. Window treatments and paint make the world of a difference in a room and it doesnt have to be expensive! Check out my blog!
Holly Blockers inspiring blog post..Summer-time Honey Chicken Salad!!!
love all your advice melissa…i just shared it on facebook, twitter and digg it…hugs, rebecca
Cre8Tiva/Rebecca E. Parsonss inspiring blog post..along comes David Neagle’s newsletter…
Thanks Rebecca! {hugs!}
You guys are giving great, helpful and DETAILED advice! I love it! Thank you for contributing!
Don’t stop now, surely you have more?
I’m not a designer but a design consumer. The best, most authentic, and most charming art in our house is by our 3 children. Our designer sought it out, “Let’s look at your childrens’ art?” We searched old boxes, lockers, and under beds.
Once you’ve paid for the children, their art projects are pretty much free.
Terry Kearnss inspiring blog post..We do Atlanta’s Buckhead Gallery Walk, June 4, 2009
Great post! My favorite piece of advice is “decorate with your heart, not with your brain”. When I try to “plan” out a room too much it feels overdone. If I just go with what makes my heart skip a beat I end up loving it oh-so-much more!
♥ Jen
jens inspiring blog post..☼ Summer Reading ☼
Our advice is to define the function of the room and let the design flow from it.
When we lived in OH, we designed a comfortable, casual, yet elegant living room. It had a slate coffee table, a beautiful fireplace screen, and an amazing stone fireplace as a focal point. Since our basement wasn’t finished, this was the main hang out room. Every night, we’d settle in to watch TV or entertain friends.
When we moved to KS with our 7 month old, we could no longer decorate our living room this way. Our armoire and another ottoman became toy and video storage, while our furniture was aligned in a more open arrangement to allow our son to run around without getting hurt.
Still, clean everything up at bedtime and the adults could relax and enjoy TV, reading or board games. Form followed function.
Melissa, your tips are awesome! Keep up the great work.
ToddandJens inspiring blog post..Jun 6, Framed Wall Art: Refine Your Style
I didn’t see this on the list, but in our house, we live by the mantra, “Less is more!” The walls and shelves don’t have to be packed full to look finished. Clean and simple can be refreshing and energizing!
I’ve heard that “pull everything out from the walls” advice before: someday I shall employ it!
desiree fawns inspiring blog post..happy sunday.
What’s inspired me a lot lately is looking for ways to improve upon what you already have rather than going out to buy new OR finding something used to re-purpose in some way. It brings out your creativity and you appreciate your home even more because you’ve had a hand in creating it to some extent.
Heidis inspiring blog post..Lighten Up
I’ve noticed that a lot of people tend to decorate conservatively, “for resale” they say…putting neutral colors everywhere and using color only on easily changeables, like accessories. Who cares about the next folks? If you don’t love it, it’s not home! I have color EVERYwhere, on the walls, the furniture, the accessories, you name it. And it’s home.
Kristis inspiring blog post..To Blog, or not to Blog?
The best advice I’ve gotten was if you love the pieces in the room, you’ll love the room.
Renees inspiring blog post..
I had never heard of the paint color last – but it is brilliant!
Besos!
Susans inspiring blog post..T-2 plus 6?
A room is never truly “done.” People change, tastes change, why wouldn’t our spaces?
Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottages inspiring blog post..Turn it around
Great advice! This is how I decorate in my home and others. Another thing I always stand by, “Only buy what you love”! You should feel happy everytime you see it. So don’t settle, sometimes you have to wait patiently for the just right piece to come along!
Hugs to you,
~Victoria~
I have a question…my husband wants to wallpaper all 4 walls of a room with the same pattern wallpaper. I think it will be too busy or make the room feel closed in. Are there any rules of wallpapering like painting a room? Should you have matching patterns or painted walls in conjunction with a focal wall…is it ok to paper the whole room in the same pattern?
I am moving into a rental, so I don’t want to spend a lot of money decorating. I have red-burgundy leather couches, and don’t know what colors to use or how to even decorate around it. What should I do?
I recently stripped wallpaper from my mother’s bathroom which had very large 80′s yellow flowers on it. I am trying to find a scheme for the bathroom that will somehow go with a very yellow marble-esque double sink countertop and white cabinets. We need to know how to play down this countertop and make the place look a better for sale in the future. I would greatly appreciate any adive for what color to paint the walls and get for a shower curtain.
Thanks!!!