Home Decor

A home is a person's retreat from all the madness and chaos of the modern world. Whether it is big, small, in the city or country, a home is a place that gives people peace and solitude. Every house should reflect an individual’s personality and that is what makes a house a home. This is where home décor comes in. It is very necessary to know how to decorate your home and what type of home décor best suits your home and you. You have to know what kind of ‘look’ to give your home to make it your haven.

It is very easy to start changing your home décor without planning it out first. Midway through the project and then you realize that you are in way over your head. This leads to the project being abandoned halfway and you end up with a big mess. Ever found yourself in this situation? Well, here are some home décor ideas to help you decorate your home in a proper manner:

Envision the 'look': This is the first process in successful planning of home décor. Decide the kind of feel you want for your house. Be it a traditional look, a rustic feel, a vintage look, or a sleek and modern look that you are looking for; the key is to stick close to your chosen theme in every room and part of your home. Matching styles in each room will give your home a well-balanced look. Too many differing patterns and your home could end up looking like a circus.

Create with color: Select a few of your favorite colors and use them throughout your home. You could use certain colors to paint the walls and different colors for your fabrics and furnishings. Do not paint an entire wall at one time. Paint a little corner and see if you like its finish. Colors convey different moods; so use yellow to get a happy look, white for soothing, red for vibrancy etc. Also remember that every color comes in different shades. You could also choose to use lighter, darker, warmer or clearer hues of the same color. Avoid using more than 3-4 different colors as this will give your home a cut off look.

Furniture: An entire room can be decorated around an important piece of furniture especially if it is an antique. Even otherwise, furniture plays a vital role in home décor and usually takes up a major part of your decorating budget. This is why furniture has to be chosen wisely. It is always better to go for quality furniture even if it is more expensive. You want your major pieces of furniture to last and this will not happen if you buy cheap furniture. Placement of furniture is also very important. See that all your pieces are not lined up against the wall. Putting it in small groups in the center of rooms gives it a better appearance. Also take care to see that furniture is not placed where it will be in the way. Don’t buy furniture that will be too big or too small for your home.

Lighting: You can literally create magic with the proper lighting. The first rule of lighting; dark colors absorb light, light colors reflect light. Select colors according to the kind of natural lighting you want. Mirrors also help to light up a room naturally. Artificial lights can be used to give a room the desired look. You can choose to have smaller lights throughout the room instead of bigger ones that illuminate the entire area. ‘Uplighters’ give light that won’t shine on your face but will point towards the ceiling and reflect back into the room. You can enhance the focal point of a room such as a beautiful statue or a choice painting by having special lights around it or focusing light onto it. Rooms on the top floor can have a skylight, which is wonderful to look out of.

The wonder of windows: A home has many windows of various sizes and shapes. A nice window treatment can do wonders for any room. Do you have a spectacular view that you want to enhance or an unsightly one that you wish to hide? Whatever the case, windows can be treated either way. An unnecessary window or one with a bad view can be covered or made smaller. You could even make a new window in places where there isn’t one. Choose from curtains or blinds for the window as per your personal preferences. Curtains are good for bedrooms and blinds can be put in a study or kitchen.

Concentrate on quality: Even if you are decorating on a tight budget, you should always go for quality. It is better to buy less, quality items than more of cheaper ones. Quality will always hold in good stead over the long run.

Play the numbers game: Some accessories pack a greater punch when they are more in number that just one. Five smaller pillows make a bed look more inviting than two big ones. Two small potted plants on either side of the windowsill or your mantle provide better symmetry than just one. A cluster of photo frames is a better idea than just one or two. But in this quest for more numbers, remember not to clutter your home.

Make a list: Lastly (or should it have been firstly), don’t forget to make a list of all that you want to do to decorate your home. It is very easy to get carried away while in the middle of the process. So keep a list handy and STICK to it.