From our childhood bedroom to our dorm room, our first apartment to our first home, and even our family home to our retirement space, our life circumstances dictate where we live and vice versa. At Corken + Company we have been fortunate enough to stand alongside you during many of these life transitions and the real estate transactions that demarcate them. But, while you’re getting settled and enjoying this particular stage of life (whatever that may be), we encourage you to make your home your very own – in many cases, that means furnishing and decorating!
Decorating your new home, whether it is for the first or fifth time, can be daunting. Maybe the furniture and decor you’ve had for years don’t work as well as they did in your last home. Maybe there’s just simply not enough, or, on the contrary, way too much. Whatever the case may be, we are hoping these pro tips from HGTV give you the confidence you need to take decorating head-on and create a home you and your family love to spend time in.
Tip #1 Start before you have even left your old place behind.
The great purge! We promise you’ll feel better starting fresh. Packing is a great opportunity to thoroughly take stock of your belongings and decide what does and does not serve you or your family. It doesn’t hurt that the more you sell or donate, the less you have to physically transport to your new home.
Tip #2 Start with the rooms you use most frequently.
In most cases, this probably means the bedroom. In fact, HGTV recommends specifically starting with the bedroom but we do think the living room and dining room are also good places to begin. Anywhere you will be on the daily should be a priority. Your bedroom is a very important room in the house and having that sanctuary just the way you want it, will help you get through the rest of moving and decorating. It can always be a retreat to return to when the rest of the house is feeling a little overwhelmed.
Tip #3 Don’t rush it.
It can be difficult to resist but don’t just start making purchases. While it is nice to check things off your list, furnishing and decorating a home is a bit of a process, especially when it is done right. Take at least a month if not two to witness exactly how your family lives in and uses your home. Your predictions when you first walked the home and fell in love might need some adjusting. Patience is a virtue in both homebuying and decorating.
Tip #4 Fight the urge to match.
Sometimes the easiest route is not always the best. Buying living room and bedroom sets that match in a furniture showroom can leave your home feeling stale and bland much like a furniture showroom. Source from multiple places, get creative, and let your personality shine through. Maybe shop vintage or refinish an antique. Your home is a reflection of you.
On the other hand, you should also consider cohesion and balance in a given space. Furniture items and decor don’t have to match but they should complement each other. Similarly, they should complement the home in style and scale. Large items in a small space can quickly make you feel cramped while small items in a large space can feel dinky and cold. Keep in mind, if it’s not coming together or you don’t want to personally take the time and energy to make it come together, Corken + Company can always refer you to one of our professional design service partners.
Tip #5 Unify with color.
The perfect balance between variety and cohesion can come with the use of color. Working within a certain palette or hue can help tie a room and even an entire home together, familiarizing new pieces, and giving new energy to older pieces you’ve had for a while. For a fun challenge, juxtapose color with complementary textures, patterns, and materials to add even more interest while still unifying.
Tip #6 Get the biggest bang for your buck.
This doesn’t necessarily mean spending a whole bunch of money on all of the renovations you want to do right away. In fact, quite the opposite. Consider taking on home decorating and renovating in phases. Be sure the changes you want to make are worth the commitment of time, energy, and money. You might be surprised how big of an impact simple and inexpensive upgrades can have. Painting kitchen cabinets, swapping hardware, updating light fixtures, and installing dimmer switches are just some of the affordable ways to instantly take your home from drab to fab.
For more design questions or professional design help, please contact Corken & Company. We promise Real Estate Solutions without Limits and that promise stands long after we turn over the keys to your new home. Homeownership is a lifelong commitment and so is our commitment to you!
