Interior Decorating Tips

Avoid the embarrassment of a poorly decorated home. With just a few simple tips and nudges in the right direction, you can take your home’s interior from drab to fabulous.

sallywheatinteriors.com gathered some of the best interior decorating tips to inspire you when updating or completely redoing the look and feel of your home.

Interior Decorating Planning

Before the first can of paint is opened, there are a few things to consider as you get ready to breathe new life into your home:

Figure Out Your Floor Plan – One of the most important things you can do before any decorating project is plan. By designing your living space with as much information and detail as possible, you can avoid buying furniture or accessories that don’t fit your floor plan. The following free programs can be used to create a 3D representation of the room(s) you want to redecorate:

Interior decorating requires you to be familiar with floorplans

Planner 5D is an advanced and easy-to-use 2D/3D home design tool. Visit planner5d.com to get started.
Roomstyler 3D Home Planner is a straightforward drag-n-drop program that gives you a 3D snapshot of your floor plan as you create it. Visit roomstyler.com/3dplanner to build your room(s).
Homestyler is a program that leaves you in total control when designing your room(s) and the countless furniture options that can inspire your decorating choices. This program also allows you to preview your work as a virtual “walk through.” Go to homestyler.com to start the fun.

Tip: When you start a decorating project, determine your maximum budget, and get the items and furniture you like. If you are planning on decorating multiple spaces in your home, start with one space and finish it before moving to the next.

Define Your Color Scheme – What colors make you smile? When you decide on the colors you want to use in your space, head to your local home improvement store’s paint station/aisle and start comparing color swatches to develop a color scheme.

There are millions of colors known to exist, and there are color systems used to help bring order to them while offering a way of seeing relationships between them. The Munsell Color Tree and Prang systems are most commonly used by artists and designers.

When painting a room, use the 50/150 Rule. Once you decide on your base color, mix one batch 50% lighter than the base, and another batch 150% darker than the base. This variation of color is the perfect way to stripe a wall, highlight the trim of a wall, or paint contrasting walls.

If you’re looking for a decorating color scheme that makes a bold statement, try a high contrast color palette:

White and black
Black and yellow
Yellow and purple
Blue and orange
Red and green

The furniture, artwork, and rugs you use to decorate can complement or contrast the color(s) you’ve selected. Remember, the room(s) you are decorating should reflect your personality and result in a space you enjoy being in.

Adjust Your Lighting – The lighting in your space is as important as the furniture you have in it. Consider the following when decorating:

Interior decorating relies heavily on lighting size and shape

Natural lighting through windows, sliding glass doors, and/or skylights is always a plus and should be maximized in your space. The fact that it is free is an added benefit.

Light switches and fixtures can be updated to compliment the “feel” of your space while directing light to where it is most needed:

Spotlights are easy to direct and highlight featured areas
Pendant lights are a great way to highlight a countertop
Chandelier fixtures continue to be favored over dining areas
Wall sconce lighting fixtures can add a touch of modern to your decor
Indirect soffit box lighting adds a unique ambiance to your ceiling and room

Note: Sunlight entering a room may be reflected from a nearby surface, like a red-stained fence or the exterior walls of the house next door, changing the hue and tone of your space. Ambient night lighting can make a significant change in color, as well. For example, white fluorescent gives a bluish cast while incandescent bulbs radiate a golden glow.

Tip: Multiple light sources will allow you to create a visually eclectic ambiance.

Decorating with Plants

Plants can be the perfect living accessory. They can quietly occupy a corner, breathe new life into a room, add bursts of color in your space, and improve air quality. The versatility of plants allows you to:

Hang them from the ceiling
Grow them from the floor up
Decorate shelves and counter space
Use wall mounted planters
Top off a pedestal
Liven up a windowsill

When looking for plants to decorate with, consider the following when selecting species:

Is the plant intended for indoor or outdoor growth
Does the plant require minimal, medium, or intense light
How often will the plant need to be repotted
What are the plant’s watering requirements
Is the species disease resistant
Don’t rule out succulents, orchids, and air plants
Lavender, thyme, and rosemary are great aromatic plants

The more you know about the plants you use in your decor, the better you can care for them, and the longer they will live and thrive.

Note: If your bathroom(s) do not have ample natural light to sustain your plant’s growth, consider using artificial plants or none at all.

Tip: For plants that occupy a corner, go big. Use a tall species when it is placed on the floor, and use a long species when hung from the ceiling.

Decorating Your Home

Once you have settled on how to decorate your space, dive into your project, and consider the following:

Don’t force a color or concept you dislike
Be free to change your mind and trust your intuition
Experiment while decorating

When your decorating project is complete, you are the one that has to live with it. Enjoy the creative process, the decorating, and basque in the results of your work.

Tip: Be receptive to your family and friends giving their views of your work. They may see something you didn’t, or they may want to use something you did and need help.