Where to start when decorating is overwhelming
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You hate the paint color and the furniture is shabby, none of this working and it's embarrassing. You want to have a beautiful, clutter-free space perfect for entertaining at a moment's notice but you don't know where to start. Do you make a Pinterest board? Do you declutter? What if you throw out something you need? Do you have enough money and time to do all of this?
Decorating can be overwhelming if you don't know where to begin but I've got you covered in four easy steps.
"If you don't know where you're going how will you know when you get there?"
The trick to starting a successful decorating project is to create an intention for the space. What is your end game for the space? When you know this it becomes easier to go back and fill in the gaps with the perfect paint color, furniture layout, and accessories. You may think this is easy, I mean, it's a Dining Room shouldn't the finished product be a beautiful place to eat?! Maybe. Maybe not. Let's get started...
How do you plan to use the space? Be realistic here. Is your dining room exclusively for meals or will the space double as a home office? If you find yourself using this space to work on your laptop, pay bills or do homework plan for it so you're not constantly cleaning off stacks of paperwork to sit down to a family meal.
Who will be using the space? Is this a grown-up space or will the kids be invited to hang out here? This is a big one if you have a growing family or pets. Its just not practical to have all those cute breakable collections out on a low shelf if the kids are wrestling feet away in the middle of the Living Room.
How do you want the space to feel? Is this a formal space? Do you want to relax here? That traditional rectangular table with high-back chairs might be what you're used to but a round table with upholstered seats might be a better fit for those relaxed, 3 hour dinner parties you host every month.
What isn't working? Is the furniture broken or threadbare? Are you in need of new windows or flooring? If there are already problems we want to make resolving them a priority during the design process because cute accessories can't hide a hole in the drywall.
Taking time to set a clear intention for the space is a critical step on the path to your perfect design. It may not seem like it matters much but trust me, it's going to help expedite the rest of the process and in the end you'll be glad you did it.
If you're still feeling overwhelmed I'm happy to help walk you through to process. You can snag an hour chat with me and ask me any and all of your Interior Design questions.
