I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for cute. I cannot tell you how many “cute” things I’ve purchased, gotten them home, and sent them to Goodwill a year later because they didn’t work with anything else I had. I’ve gotten better at passing up “cute” by having a specific style in mind. Here is how to determine your decorating style.
1. Look at what you have.
Take a look at the items in your home. Which ones do you love? Which would you put out at the curb in an instant if a replacement came along? Why? What do the things you love have in common — a color, shape, a feeling that it evokes?
2. Create a wish list.
I don’t know about you, but I can come up with a 10-page wish list in 5 minutes. If you would like grown-up furniture or a whole IKEA set up, write it down by room. Want more throw pillows? Vases? A new fireplace? Storage? Write it down!
3. Consider colors.
Think about the color scheme you would like, preferably independent of your paint color. This will help guide a future accessory purchases. For instance, my kitchen colors are pink & aqua. I try not to buy anything not in those colors and when I find something in those colors, I buy it! I love those colors and so no matter where we are living, they will make me happy, even if it’s a bland white rental :).
4. Find inspiration.
The best source for decorating inspiration is Pinterest. I have boards for each room in my house — dream bedroom, dream kitchen, etc. In my bedroom, for example, I picked a pale blue/pale yellow scheme years ago. I still like that, but want it to feel more South Pacific in my main furniture pieces. I’ve been pinning bedrooms from Bora Bora resorts, accessories I’ve found, anything to give me a good idea of what I really like. After a while, you will notice several similarities that will help you know when something you want to thrift or makeover will fit in your vision.
5. Save & Shop!
Save up some money and go shopping. We are entering prime yard sale season & thrift stores are usually bursting at the seams. Craigslist is also easier in summer since you can haul big pieces in open trailers. Flea markets, estate sales & auctions are good places to try, too.
If your list is unique, don’t be afraid to scour consignment shops or even actual furniture stores. Your perfect piece may be in a large metro area a day’s drive away so don’t discount eBay or CL with local pickup either if you are willing to drive.
Having a vision for your home can really help save you money. By only buying what fits the bigger picture, you can buy things that will stick around long term. It also will also enable you to buy a dream item or two — like a teak canopy bed. A girl can dream, right?
Do you have a vision for your home decorating? I’d love to hear about it!
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I am SO the same way! I love “cute” things even if it doesn’t fit with my current decor!! lol…I get things that don’t match (especially if it is on sale!) and then don’t use it! Thanks for the tips 🙂
I’m SO glad I’m not the only one who does this! Thanks for commenting :).
I must have a split personality, I love cute frilly deco and I love masculine minimal design. Our house is split between the 2 lol. My kitchen has never been remodeled and I have the cutest 60’s tiles and cupboards, everything in baby blue and pink and in excellent condition, our bedroom is all pink and white, with lots of lace. I decided to keep my childhood room key pieces and added a few bedspreads and throws from Ikea to make it look more contemporary. I’m proudly using the same wonderful pearly shell pink Shantung silk curtain for almost 30 years! I would never want to part with it.
In dire contrast the rest of the house is mostly black & white furniture (a mixed selection of hand me downs from my parents, husband’s old furniture and Ikea), a lot of leather, steel and glass without too many decorations. I paint so I have my own art work on the walls and adds to the modernist style. I like clean surfaces, they make it a breeze to clean, rarely get cluttered and never go out of fashion imho.
I’m not a big spender when it comes to decorating, I have zero pride to hand me downs. I love re-purposing furniture, an old bookcase with doors is now our shoe rack at the entrance and saved us from the embarrassing sight of too many pairs of shoes without a a home.
The secret is to stick with a palette (for me now is mostly crisp white, and sometimes pink) and not fall a victim of trends.
I don’t have wish lists, because I have a wild imagination… To keep myself from overspending I just replace things that are beyond repair one at a time. My next replacement is a new mattress.
You are absolutely right about sticking to a color palette! I’ve made a list of colors/rooms in my phone to keep me on task when thrifting/shopping!
I’m not affiliated with them in any way (don’t I WISH!), but I ADORE!!!!! my Tempurpedic. Hubby and I have completely different firmness needs and it’s almost 10 years old and still feels great on both our backs. Good luck with the new bed; it’ll feel great when you get there!