Home décor guide for your new home

Moving into a new home can be a hectic process, but it can also be really rewarding. Being able to set up and decorate a new home gives you the opportunity to spread your wings and turn your new house into a home. Particularly if you’ve moved somewhere with more space, giving you the room to really flex those designer muscles. Whatever your style, there are plenty of ways to make a space your own.

If you’re still early on in moving, we’ve got a moving guide on what you need to do to prepare for a move, but once you’re all moved in there’s the next and arguably more enjoyable step – making yourself at home.

It depends on whether you own or rent as to what you can do when you’re choosing your home décor, in particular whether you want to paint, hang things up or add any permanent fixtures.

Probably the most important step to choosing décor is having an idea of how much space you have, so that you don’t get invested in a piece of furniture only to find out it won’t fit where you imagined it. Whether you’re looking to do one room or the entire place, a good idea is to take measurements and create a floor plan with those measurements. This will let you look at how the space works, as well as where the doors and windows are, so you can see how furniture can be arranged in each room while still giving you the room to move. If you want to take it a step further, you can always mark the pieces of furniture out on the floors so you can really get a physical sense of how the room will feel.

Finding inspiration is also an important part of the plan, and while wandering around stores waiting for inspiration to strike can be fun, it’s much easier to have an idea in mind before you go looking. Pinterest or Instagram are great to get your inspiration flowing, while Houzz has plenty of ideas for each room from professionals.

First impressions are important, and the entry way gives your guests their first impression of the interior of your house. Nailing the balance of welcoming and memorable is a challenge, and this is the first place to work to flex your vision for the house.

On top of delivering the right vibe and setting the tone to your home, the entry way should also leave enough room for people to congregate as they enter or leave your home, as well as have options for leaving shoes, umbrellas, or coats. Having furniture options for storage is a good idea if you don’t have a mud room or entry closet.

Picking a colour scheme may not be something that’s particularly in your wheelhouse, but it’s not as intimidating as it sounds and can really help at tying rooms together. Sure, technically, colour schemes have a primary, secondary and tertiary colour, but even picking just one colour and putting splashes of it here and there with art, pillows or a rug, can go a long way to tying a room together.

You can also use the same colour scheme throughout the house or opt for different ones per room. It’s one of those things where you can go with as hard or light a touch as you want, and there are plenty of guides on how to create interior colour schemes online. Really all you need is to look at the colours of things and decide if you like how they look together or not. At the end of the day, it’s your home and your opinion is the most important one.

Comfort and style aren’t mutually exclusive, and when it comes to a couch or bed, you’ll be glad to have something that feels comfortable. It’s important to test these out before you buy, you don’t want to be saddled with something that looks good but makes your body hurt when you spend too long on it. While there are a growing number of online furniture brands, they do sometimes offer locations where you can test their furniture in person, which is always recommended, especially with mattresses.

Once you’ve got everything in your home, it’s important to check that things are flowing right. Sometimes things work differently in practice than they do in theory, so being flexible about where things go is important. This could be by placing your living room furniture to avoid stubbing your toe or giving yourself enough space around your bed so that you don’t get a rude awakening with a bruise to your shin.

Whether you rent or own your home, accessories are a great way to bring some personality and life into your space. They can also help refresh a space without too much cost or effort. A fresh set of vibrantly coloured towels, a few well-placed pillows or throws, or a soft, generously sized rug can bring an element of elegance and warmth to a room.

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