Maybe you’ve bought a house with the intent to flip it, or your current place could use some major upgrades. Either way, the excitement around transforming the entire space to a beautiful and welcoming home speaks to you on countless levels. But while you know you’ll need to hire professionals for a lot of the work, including contractors, roofers, plumbers and/or electricians, you’d really like to tackle the interior design yourself.
The only slight issue is that you don’t really have a ton of experience in this department. Sure, you’ve painted a few rooms before, but you’re definitely a DIY newbie in the world of interior design.
Fortunately, it’s more than possible for an intrepid DIY’er like you to create a warm and inviting home that will attract buyers or be a wonderful place for you and your family to live. With that in mind, here are a handful of interior design tips for a DIY newbie like you.
Step 1: Decide on a Style
Before you go out and buy paint, furniture or anything else for the home, experts suggest selecting a unique style that speaks to you for the overall interior. This will be the deciding factor in selecting the right and appropriate pieces for the different rooms. You can choose a general style like formal, casual or traditional, or you can be more specific by opting for a more shabby chic, Southwestern or country look.
Step 2: Consider Colors
Once you know what overall style you want for the home, it’s time to start choosing colors. Technically, you could choose a different shade for each room and paint a rainbow of colors throughout the home. But overall, the home will feel more pulled together if the colors complement each other and/or are from the same group.
For example, you could choose an overall color scheme of gray and white and select slightly darker shades of gray for certain rooms of the home. To add in some variety in the color palette, focus on choosing accessories that are different shades but still complement the overall theme.
Case in point: In the living room, you could add touches of red with pillows and furniture and in the bedrooms aqua blue and green bedding. Additionally, an accent wall would go nicely with the neutral gray and white background.
Step 3: Determine the Focal Point
As HGTV notes, oftentimes rooms have a natural focal point that your eye naturally notices when you walk into the space. Good examples include a fireplace, a built-in bookcase or a large sliding door. If a room doesn’t have an inherent focal point, you can simply create one. Some examples include an indoor water feature, a beautiful painting or wall of photographs, or a colorful area rug.
Step 4: Decide on Furniture and Arrange it Around the Focal Point
Now it’s time to choose the furniture for each room. Of course, you may be able and choose to use pieces you already own, but if certain items don’t fit in with the overall style — for instance, you chose a modern theme and you have some French provincial pieces — you should probably spring for some new furniture.
Prior to your shopping trip, draw each room on graph paper and note where the windows, doors and electrical outlets are located. Measure the existing furniture you plan to keep and note where it can go on the paper plan, arranging many of the pieces around or near the focal point.
If you determine your current sofa is too small and need a new, larger one for the living room, there are plenty of retailers, including Jerome’s Furniture, that offer not only a wide selection of colors and styles but also complete measurements of the pieces they sell on their website. This way, you can determine ahead of time by visiting their website what couches — and other pieces of needed furniture — will fit the rooms.
Step 5: Pat Yourself on the Back—You Did It!
Because you’ll be spending enough money as it is on your home renovation, you definitely don’t have to shell out more moolah for an interior decorator. By following this step-by-step approach, you’ll have a beautiful home that you can successfully flip or live in and enjoy for years to come.
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