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Become a Bargain Hunter and Stretch Your Interior Decorating Budget to the Max

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:43:06 +0000

When you step into your front door, does it feel like you’ve blasted back to the 1970s? It is probably time to modernize your interior decor. A remake of your home’s interior can become expensive. If you’re struggling with stretching your dollar, then becoming a bargain hunter is your next step. You will need a bit of patience and will need to spend a bit of time in the process, but there are some excellent deals out there that will help you give your home interior a makeover at an affordable price.
When you are hunting for bargains, be sure that you buy items that have some value instead of frivolous purchases that you will regret later. For instance, you might come across a great piece of antique furniture that you think will look elegant once you’ve reupholstered it, only to find several years later that it is still sitting in your garage and on your husband’s “honey do” list.
Favorite interior design haunts for bargain hunters include second hand furniture stores and discount stores. If you spend a bit of time at these stores, you might discover some fantastic discounts on furniture, linens, accessories, and the like. You can even find bargains on household electronics such as wide screen televisions and stereo systems. If you are buying discounted household electronics, make sure that they are in usable condition. Ask the store owner to let you plug the appliance in and test it out. If not, the reason the item is so cheap might be because it does not work. The last thing any of us wants is junk and clutter in our homes, so buy your bargains with care.
Another favorite destination of seasoned bargain hunters are yard sales, flea markets, auctions, and estate (probate) sales that are usually run by private individuals instead of commercial businesses. Sometimes these sales offer nothing but obsolete junk, but with persistence, you can find some real gems. Estate (or probate) sales sometimes have the best offerings, particularly if it is a well-to-do person who passed away and the heirs are eager to sell things off. You can find nice artwork, furniture, linens and more at these types of sales.
New items can also be found at discount sales … and some of them are a source of affordable interior decor items at their regular retail cost. For instance, if you want to update your furniture today and want the ability to change it without having to spend a small fortune in the near future, futons are an excellent deal. Not only are they space savers because they can be used as either couches or chairs by day and beds at night, but there are hundreds of cover styles available at affordable prices. For example, if you create a floral design with your futon today, you can easily change it into a solid color with colorful throw pillows tomorrow, next month or next year. This offers a lot of versatility when it comes to interior decor.
One aspect of interior design work that bargain hunters may forget to consider is the cost of labor. Labor can include services such as painting, knocking out walls, installing light fixtures, carpet cleaning, and the like. Except for furniture and flooring, the cost of labor may be the highest factor in your home decor plans. Bargain hunting for labor is a bit different from bargain hunting for actual physical items. You might think you can save some money by hiring your best friend’s cousin who will work for $7 an hour, an illegal immigrant or some other person offering to do the work at a fraction of the cost, but unskilled workers may end up costing you more money in the long run because of mistakes or poor quality in workmanship. Not only can they help you in avoiding costly mistakes, but the more experienced or skilled worker may end up costing you less in labor than the “bargain workers.” This is because they have enough experience to finish the job at a faster pace then the unskilled worker, so you are paying for less hours of work.
If you are ready to jump on your interior decor upgrades, set a limit on how much you will spend. Sticking with your budget is a form of self-discipline that should be exercised throughout the interior design process.

Interior Design and Interior Decorating – Some Definitions

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:49:18 +0000

Interior Decoration and Interior Design, although related disciplines, are different in terms of their application. Interior Decoration is the process of decorating a house with regards to finishes (for example wallpaper and paint, choice of furnishings and fixtures as well as adding finishing touches and decorations such as paintings and objets d’art. All of this provide a certain “feel” to a house but essentially the underlying structure of the house is not changed.

Interior decoration is normally professionally done by Interior Decorators although recently there is a movement for people towards learning about Interior Decorating through various courses or books and then apply the techniques themselves – usually on a shoestring budget. The whole objective of Interior Decoration is to make a house aesthetically pleasing and at the same time, unique, since it should reflect the owner’s specific personality and tastes.

Interior design on the other hand is more integrated with the architecture of a building and a professional Interior Designer will work closely with architects and builders to make choices regarding the integral design of the whole house or building. This includes looking at choices with regards to room layout, choice of cabinets and tiles and a whole host of other design factors. While previously the Interior Design budget for new developments was minimal, it is recognized these days that incorporating Interior Design into the project means the difference between a mediocre development and one that contributes to the branding and life-style image of the project. The money spent on Interior Design is therefore seen as a worthwhile investment in the whole property development process.

Homeowners are spending more and more to improve their homes. Since it is relatively easy to change the whole look of a house by changing the finishings, furnishings and fixtures a large portion of this money goes into Interior Decorating. The growing popularity in do-it-yourself Interior Decorating has meant that a whole industry around Interior Decorating books, TV Shows and courses have also sprung up, and it has become a popular hobby for married couples. Innovative Interior Decoration ideas, which cost less but at the same time giving the impression of style and class, are in vogue.

Young entrepreneurs have also seen the gap and there is a growing demand for information and courses on how to break into the Interior Design and Interior Decorating Industry. This has also given the home interior decoration industry a boost.

Although the trend recently is for people to tackle the exciting task of transforming a house themselves, it has to be recognized that this falls more in the area of Interior Decorating. Interior Design still requires study of the context of Interior Design, the theory of good design, knowledge of the technical advances in the engineering industry for both residential as well as commercial buildings and knowledge of the latest trends and advances in the Interior Design industry.

In short, an Interior Design project in which all the elements of design are pulled together is still the ambit of the professional designer who should be able to deliver on projects that extend beyond the boundaries of a hobby pastime.

Interior Decorating Tips

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:52:13 +0000

Functional actually means that the room should serve a purpose and be comfortable to perform that function inside the room. Keep this function in mind while decorating a functional room like a living room.

When you are into redecorating and making your home look nice, you probably love to change your living room interior decorating theme often. Here we are going to look at a feature that can be a stunning focal point of any living room, that’s inexpensive, can relax, and calm you as well as lift your mood. Flowers spot lit on a table are a quick and easy way of decorating a bare wall or corner as well as adding freshness color and texture there is also the advantage of perfume to the room.

Native American Indian art as home decor helps bring in an atmosphere of nature in the overall interior decorating of a room. But because people nowadays are becoming more and more aware and involved in the interior decorating aspects of their homes, there are many homeowners that are forced into adopting their own interior decorating techniques and processes. Home or interior decorating, as wrongly perceived by people ages ago, need not be expensive and need not requiring degrees and diplomas in the discipline.

If your office is a home-based one, then you need to select the suitable area and plan the interior decorating accordingly. As far as home interior decorating is concerned, every nook and corner has to be studied so that the available space is utilized to the maximum. Another interior decorating tip is to capture the beauty of naturally aged wood in custom designed furniture.

Whatever interior decorating scheme you choose, you need to allocate enough room for movement and accommodation of all the necessary equipment and furniture. Your home will feel warm with the proper interior Christmas decorating scheme. While track lighting and chandeliers can’t be changed easily, you can change out your lighting to go with your living room interior-decorating plan.

The first thought should be the scale of work, if the remodeling project involves more than cosmetic fixture replacements or surface interior decorating, it may be time to call in an plumber to assess you in your plumbing and pipe replacement. What better time than during the hurricane while you are in your home to decide how best to redesign and decorate your interior. When interior decorating your home, don’t just go from room to room.

Many More Ideas

You need to let loose your imagination, aesthetic sense, and intelligence and pull out as many ideas as possible. Broadly speaking, interior-decorating Ideas can be obtained from catalogs, brochures or promotional advertisements released by interior decorators or designers. Another great ideas for sofas and chairs is to buy slipcovers – you can actually buy furniture that is meant to be slip covered, then simply get new slipcovers to go with whatever decorating plan you have in mind for the season.

Buy one items you truly love and build your ideas around that one item. For an office, starting from the entry point to the cafeteria lounge, interior-decorating ideas must be chosen carefully. In big factories, interior-decorating ideas can be followed to reduce manual labor.

Click here to see more Interior decorating and home décor ideas from him and experts. Some ideas include vacation shots, weddings, birthdays, children etc. Original ideas can make a significant difference in your Interior Decorating plans.

Not only will they have terrific ideas for ways to incorporate recyclable materials into your home interior decorating plans.

Christmas Time Decorating

There are many different ideas for interior Christmas decorating. There are a variety of decorating ideas on the market today, but the best way to complete your interior Christmas decorating is to make the items yourself or with your family. Lose all the leftover Christmas decorations and any unsightly items that seem out of place.

Create bows from Christmas print ribbon and putting them in various places around your house including your curtains. Pottery and decorative plants are also a welcome addition in home interior decorating. Original ideas can make a significant difference in your Interior Decorating plans.

Discover free home decorating ideas for all rooms of your home. Visit my website for more free articles on decorating from A-Z. The third of these three elements of successful interior decorating is harmony.

A second hand store, yard sale, or even the attic is a great place to find other items that can be refurbished or simply cleaned up a bit, to compliment your interior room décor. If you’re too busy to shop around, want to make some major changes or if you simply feel like you need some advice, there are a number of interior professionals who can help you get the results you’re after.

Finally, give your home your own personal touch. Effective space planning and interior design requires that you plan in three dimensions – so start thinking about the space above your head and higher up on the walls. If you start to think vertical in you interior space planning you can be on your way to doubling your useable interior floor space in your home.

Interior Decorating on a Budget

admin — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:11:25 +0000

When it comes to interior decorating on a budget there are a lot of ideas that are both simple and inexpensive that will liven up a room without breaking the bank. Many couples have a desire to decorate their home so that it looks antique, modern, and beautiful. However, they are surprised to find enormously high prices on the items that they would like to have. It is possible to go cheap and without looking cheap.
Even if you are completely redesigning a room or house, interior decorating on a budget is not only possible but is easily done as used house parts will save you a lot of money. Many times all you have to do is ask a local contractor for the ideal place to locate these items. A high quality door, windows, used sinks and other items bought secondhand are much cheaper and will provide a more efficient match the period of the home. There are plenty of antique and discount stores that offer a lot of good products on items that you may want to try to incorporate into your home. Most of the time their prices are an absolute steal!
When interior decorating on a budget the flea markets, auctions, yard sales and online retailers such as eBay, offer the perfect opportunity to find quality used home furnishings. Many of us have a home filled with a few family heirlooms, flea market or tag sale finds, and possibly one or two treasures from a quick dumpster dive. In these cases you have to figure out how to combine high and low design pieces to create a unified and polished look for your home.
When buying used furniture, finding a matched set can sometimes be difficult. Just remember to try and balance color and scale, while at the same time sticking to a theme. One of the first thing that you will want to do is identify a color theme. Then think about fabrics, candles, flowers, pictures. You may want to see what is available for you in accessories before you try and tackle the color scheme. In addition, you can easily mix and match colors, patterns, and items.
Buying products secondhand is a key component of interior decorating on a budget. You might be surprised to learn that mismatched items can actually enhance a room’s decor. Mirrors, candles, and photo frames are all cheap items and can make any home look lovely. Drive through your neighborhood or online and you will find a variety of unique decorating options.

Whenever there is a budget, imagination is the key to success. Always look for detail pieces or find new uses for traditional items.
You can save much more money by doing it yourself decorating and it can be both enjoyable and rewarding. Try to think about all the things that you would like to see in your decorating and then identify those things that you can make yourself. There is a lot of things that you could do to help lower the costs of your decorating bills, but use the tricks that everyone uses so as not to re-invent the wheel.

Feng Shui and Interior Decorating

admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:48:15 +0000

It’s easy to see why many people would consider Feng Shui to be a form of interior decorating; after all, it does involve moving objects around, painting the walls and creating a relaxing environment. However, what you need to understand is that the two are not related and Feng Shui has a much deeper meaning behind it. Although, it does make the place look good once applied.

The Differences between Feng Shui and Interior Decorating

Interior decorating is designed to improve the appearance of a home. Whilst it can have a positive impact on your mind and well-being, its purpose is purely visual. Feng Shui is a Chinese practice that aims to bring balance, good luck and good energy into your life. Using the five elements of nature, it is possible to improve every aspect of your life by simply following Feng Shui arrangements.

For instance, an interior decorator might put a mirrored closet facing your bed and a wall fountain in the sitting area of your bedroom. But a Feng Shui practitioner would say that both these items would not allow you to have a restful sleep. Both water and mirrors move the energy in the area they’re located and what you need in the bedroom is a restful environment.

Overhead and exposed beams, although very fashionable and chic, should be avoided in a Feng Shui home. They are considered to bring oppressive chi and breed distrust and dishonesty.

The position of the bed can be tricky in Feng Shui. Your bed should be placed where you can easily see the entrance to the room, but never face the door directly. So you have to think outside the box in ways to position your bed for maximum Feng Shui effectiveness, and not only because it looks good.

Some decorators might position the bed under a window, but Feng Shui says you should have a solid wall behind you.

The main principle of Feng Shui is that every single thing in the world has an energy field. This energy can be positive or negative, but absolutely everything has energy. By arranging various objects that contain positive energy, we start to reap the benefits. The practice itself is followed using different methods.

When Feng Shui practitioners work on a home, they are basically aiming to get a good balance of energy throughout the space they are working on. They will usually try to balance the five different elements (water, fire, wood, earth, and metal) to give you the best results. Each element relates to a separate part of your life.

Feng Shui can be used not just at home but at work too. In fact, there are many major companies that incorporate Feng Shui into their working environments to improve the productiveness of their employees. These companies include Coca Cola, Proctor and Gamble and Ford Motors. Now you begin to understand why Feng Shui is completely different from interior decorating and they cannot be mixed up. Interior decorating can have a positive effect on your life but there is no deeper meaning behind it. There are also no limits as to what you can place in a room or where you should place it. With Feng Shui, the objects in your room will be arranged according to which aspect of your life you would like to improve.

Whether you consider Feng Shui a superstition or you believe it’s true meaning, give it a try. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. And although it is not considered Interior Decorating, it aims to find harmony in your space and the results can be beautiful. If you want to decorate your home and have no idea of where to start, you don’t need to pay a fortune to an interior decorator. Feng Shui can help you decide on colors and placement of objects, and you will find that the results are relaxing, energizing and all in all, harmonious.

Use Flower Arrangements To Improve Your Interior Decorating

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:11:06 +0000

Flower arrangements can really brighten up a home and improve the interior decorating. There are hundreds of flowers to choose from and you can either create an arrangement yourself or choose a professional florist to do it for you.

If you are looking to make your home look a little more homely yet you are unsure how to do it, why not think about flower arrangements? They add color, Vibrance and they can really help to make a house feel more like a home. There are plenty of different arrangements to choose from or you could even try and create one yourself. Either way, you should find that flower arrangements really help to add that little finishing touch that you have been looking for!

Where to Find Flower Arrangements

The most common place that springs to mind when thinking of buying flower arrangements is a florist. A florist has specialist knowledge of all plants and flowers and they will be able to create some beautiful arrangements for the home. Visiting a florist is by far the easiest way of creating a flower arrangement for the home, but it is not really the cheapest.

If you are on a budget then a florist may be off limits to you and in that case you could try and create one yourself. All you need to do is visit your local supermarket where you should find quite a few bunches of different flowers. Now unless you want to go on an actual course to learn how to properly arrange flowers, it is all going to be a case of experimentation. Try pinks and whites and whites and yellows together as they seem to compliment each other quite well.

So, now you know where to find flowers how can you tell which flowers will go best in your home?

Finding Flowers to Match Your Interior Decorating

Finding the right flowers could take some time if you are not going to get a florists opinion. You need to figure out exactly which colors will go with what and which colors will best suit the color of your room.

It is important to match the flowers with the theme of the room. For example, a living room could give a cozy feel to it and flowers such as carnations could go well. However, a kitchen gives a brighter, morning feel to it and for that kind of theme tulips might go nicely. Finally for a bedroom as it is more intimate, a vase full of roses may go best.

There are literally hundreds of different types of flowers which you can use in an arrangement to suit your needs. The problem is finding them! Experimenting yourself will take a lot of time and money so in fact it could actually be cheaper to get an expert opinion and pay the higher price to get it right, rather than spending a fortune on getting it wrong!

Interior Decorating Book – Make your interiors lively

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:20:25 +0000

Interior Decorating Book is one of the best references for decorating the interior in your house. With the help of this book anyone can decorate the interior of his house. If you are intending decorating your children’s room, your kitchen, garden or your drawing room, this book provides you with different techniques of decorating. It is a well-informed book that contains some of the best tips for interior decorating.

Interior Decorating Book: Advantage

• It is a guide, which helps you to get the best interior design for your house.
• It is well formatted with interior decorating tips, step by step decorating instructions as well as basic interior decorating tips.
• The language used in this book is simple to understand and inculcate. To add up to its value these books also provide you with attractive pictures which make things easy to understand. This book is simple, easy and contains many illustrated examples. It contains many essential tips to paint ceilings and walls of your house. In other words, it is a complete Home Decorating Book.

Interior Decorating Book: Content
It contains step by step chapters on how to use wallpapers, how to arrange or remodel the furniture, how to paint ceilings, wall, doorstep, doors, tips to decorate the room for youngsters, children and aged, and much more.

Everyone wants to decorate his home in a unique manner. What better way can you find other than using an appropriate interior designing book. Today one can find number of outlets selling such decorating books online. These outlets provide you with different varieties of decorating books as per your requirements.

Interior Decorating Business Opportunity

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:13:42 +0000

Customers can come from both the business world and in private homes. Locating these customers is a matter of your company’s reputation, advertising and being in the right place at the right time. This is a skill business that can be studied and learned in a formal setting like a college. Some people have a better eye for the business, but a smart business owner can hire great talent if they are good at bringing customers through the door. Getting started can be as simple as doing it out of your home or buying an existing firm. You will need the foundation of some education in the field. A degree in the field will give you creditability and prior jobs will allow you show a portfolio. Another way to get started in the business is to work for a successful firm and learn from the talented people in the firm.

How to get started on your own

Once you have the education and some experience, you can start your own business or buy an existing one. The problem with buying an existing firm is the business may be a captive of one talented owner. If the customers are seeking out the company due to the owner, then the reputation may not be transferable to a new owner. This is always the problem when buying a business that depends on creative talent in order to make sales. If you have a successful history, you may be able to pull it off, but if you are that well known, you may be better off to just start your own company. This decision should be studied very carefully. What will you gain by going down either path? The other problem with buying an existing company is all you are buying is the reputation and maybe some open doors to corporate clients. This is not like a retail business where you are buying customer traffic. If you really have the talent to deliver creative jobs, then the way to go may be to just start your own company from the start. A firm with several talented employees may be worth the gamble if they will stay with a new owner. As you can see this is not an easy problem to solve and each situation must be looked at on its own merits.

It takes money to start or buy a business

If you have a solid amount of money, you can either start a business or buy a business. If you have little money, but a lot of talent, you can start a business out of your home. This is a much slower process to build a business, but for some potential interior decorators this would be the only way they can get a start in the business. The point of this section is that there is no way around the fact that a person will have to take the hard way to own a business if they do not have the funds. If they do have the funds they can probably do either course to owning a business. The caveat is that when buying an existing business in this industry the company may be closely tied to the current owner who has a reputation in this industry. The buyer must be sure that buying the name is worth the price and can be used to continue the business. If it is a larger company with a staff, the chances of continuing will be easier as the staff could continue to turn out the work and maintain the standards that made the company a viable purchase.

Starting a business after gaining the knowledge and the experience either formally or by working in the industry is the way most new owners get involved. The small start from home is the way many get into this business and begin to build a reputation. Word of mouth referrals seem to be the best way to get new clients in this industry. Advertising is a possibility, but trade shows may be a better way to get your message out to the business community. Home shows would be a way to get the message out to homeowners

Trade experience versus formal education

Formal education at a school with a great reputation is a good start in this business. Learning the business by working in it is another way to learn the trade. Both will work, but having them both will add to your creditability. Knowing what works and how visual and technical problems have been resolved is invaluable experience. Developing the eye for the business and the creativity that is needed to build a reputation can be partially learned, but it is an innate talent with many of the more successful interior decorators. If you are in this category, then dreaming of owning a business may be a lot easier for you than it would be for someone who is less talented.

Conclusions

Interior decorating is a business that comes with an eye for style and class. Businesses are willing to spend good money to put the right image out to their clients. Moneyed homeowners are also willing to spend to get the right feel for their home. Some homeowners have no idea of colors or furniture style and really do need help. Professional help can make a difference in the impression a business makes on clients when they visit the office. Style and quality carry the feel of competence to the visitor to the business. No coordination makes for a jumbled appearance and a scattered mind. This may not be true, but people due follow their impressions when doing business. The biggest factors in this business are knowledge, experience and talent. Formal training will help any one that wants to make this their life’s work On the job knowledge will provide a basis for doing the work, but the formal training allows for better use of innate talent. This is a unique business that will attract a special and creative person.

Home Interior Decorating – Anyone Can Do It

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:22:33 +0000

As with anything the process of decorating your home in order to make it look nice becomes much easier especially when it complements the fabric and architecture of the house. In relation to home interior decorating by applying certain wallpapers, or painting the walls, or selecting furnishings and fittings (lights etc) and by including small accent decorations to the rooms (paintings or prints) it will provide the house with a certain feel.
There are many interior designers/decorators as well as some architects around who can provide a professional interior decoration service and you will soon see the difference between a home interior decoration and interior design.
With respect to home interior decoration this specifically focuses on the finishing touches such as wall paper, window coverings (curtains, blinds etc.,), furnishings and paint, whilst interior design is more involved with the architecture as well as room layout and other design parameters (cabinet making) that go into making a house a home.
The idea of home interior decoration first found its place in late 18th Century Paris and London and the more modern home interior decoration was began by Jeanselme from Paris, Lenygon and Morant from London and Ogden Codman who was based in New York. Over the last few years the idea of home interior decoration has gone through many phases and trends and certainly the most current trend is for trying to find ways to decorate a home on a budget.
With any home interior decoration scheme the whole idea is to improve the functionality of the home as well as reflect the owners taste and personality.
In 2003 homeowners had spent about $175 billion to improve their homes and about 65% of this was actually spent on the interior decoration of the home. Certainly the latest trend when carrying out any home interior decoration is for people to spend money on expanding their kitchens and livening up their outdated bathrooms. Also more emphasis is being placed on people creating a room for a specific purpose (family room, child’s play room) as well as on areas for individual members of a family (child’s bedroom, master bedroom).
As with respect to colour schemes these seem to be undergoing a change also with more and more people looking towards more earthy tones and turning away from the vibrant colours of the past. More and more people seem to prefer blue and grey colours in all different shades against the dull reds and dark blues of previous years.
Certainly the more innovative home interior decorating ideas around that do not cost much but give the same impression as a more expensive and ornate scheme are the latest trend for new career professionals and young married couples.
Often you will find that the focus relating to home interior decorating has changed from the more unique look of the 1980’s to a much more functional and harmonized look.
Over the last 15 years there have been some dramatic changes where home interior decoration is concerned and therefore for any good interior decorator keeping track of the latest trends is essential in much the same way that a computer geek will keep track of the latest hardware and software that has hit the market.

Christmas Interior Decorating: a 3 Simple Step Guide on How to Find Your Inner Creative Inspiration That Will Impress Even Santa Claus!

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:31:39 +0000

So Santa Claus will be visiting soon and you have not finished (or started) decorating your home for your guests or for your enjoyment. Or perhaps you look around your home and feel as if there is something missing in your decoration.

Don’t panic!

Don’t hide in the closet!

Don’t try to wrap yourself in a box to avoid decorating!

Don’t grab the scissors and stare at the tangled Christmas lights!

Don’t put an extra something in the eggnog to try to calm your nerves!

Don’t eye the ornaments and imagine your family as targets!

Follow these 3 simple steps, practiced by elves at the North Pole in charge of interior decorating, in order to find your creative inspiration for decorating the interior of your home.

1st step

Remember your goal. The goal is to decorate so you LOVE walking into your home and inviting people to visit. Not just admiring the outside Christmas lights, but the heart of the home (the inside!!) … so you can FEEL that Christmas is near … so people can talk about how wonderful your home looks (hey, there is nothing wrong with having fans admire your creative unique interior decorations). You make your home special every time you decorate because no matter how many ideas an interior decorator may give you; it is ultimately your personality (as an individual or a family) that chooses the ultimate Christmas decorating design. No home can ever be decorated the same because we all have different personalities, styles, and tastes that inspire our creative heart to reach our desired goal.

2nd step

Narrow down a mood. The second step to finding your inner Christmas decorating inspiration is to narrow down a mood that you want to feel in the room. What emotion do you want to portray in the room? Do you prefer informal or formal. March of the Wooden Soldiers with Laurel & Hardy movie or White Christmas with Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney movie. Making your own gingerbread house or buying one already made.

Now remember, there is nothing wrong with combining two moods and styles as long as there is harmony. How do you go about doing that? Simple: pick your primary mood preference then throw “decor sprinkles” of your secondary preference. You prevent two moods from clashing when the secondary preference is introduced into the room in small amounts – which I call “decor sprinkles”. For example, say you want to decorate your home to reflect an elegant white Christmas look (the main mood preference is relaxed elegance) but you don’t want it to look too fancy (the second preference is a decor sprinkle of fun!).

You can:

Decorate your home with wreaths sprayed with snow and have white elegant fabric bows, with silver bells. Place white felt fabric on all tables to resemble snow. Decorate your tree with clear Christmas lights, different shades of white & silver round ornaments, fresh cut white roses, beautiful soft doll angels with white feathered wings; and place under your tree presents wrapped in silver with white ribbons and bows. These are all primary mood preferences of elegance.

Then, add your décor sprinkles of fun! Add to your Christmas tree adorable snowmen figurine ornaments with red scarves and red roses that pick up the color of the red scarf on the snowmen; add mistletoe and red berry branches to the center of doorways; and insert small red & white stripped candy canes within your snow covered wreaths. The red color is your little SPLASH of fun! Be careful not to overwhelm the sprinkle of your secondary preference – the holiday magic word is “subtle”. These are all secondary mood preferences of fun.

Remember, narrowing down what mood you and your family prefer for the current Christmas will inspire you and your family to start visualizing designs in your imagination that bring comfort and joy.

3rd STEP

Organize a decorating plan. Knowing the first two steps gives you a guide (a design blueprint!). So now you know your goal (1st step), and you know the direction of the mood you wish to use for your interior decoration (2nd step). The next step is to organize a decorating plan (3rd step).

How?

Look within yourself … or much easier (less meditation!) … look within the boxes that contain last year’s Christmas decorations in order to organize your decorating plan. If you have a limited amount of decorations, then go window-shopping to sort through store decorations.

Take out all the decorations you have and sort out what you like and what you do not like. As soon as you start to sort, you will receive inspirational decorating thoughts that will guide you to pick this year’s Christmas decoration design plan that will impress even Santa Claus.

Search and sort by:

Mood. Sort the decorations by moods (which are fancy, elegant, relaxing, whimsical, funky, playful, etc).

Theme. Organize by theme (nutcrackers, snowmen, a Christmas village, indoor animations, reindeers, etc.)

Color. Separate each ornament or decoration with the color that stands out the most. This goes for Christmas lights as well – separate the multicolor Christmas lights from the single color Christmas lights.

Taking the time to search and sort through your Christmas decorations will:

keep you from wanting to use every single décor you own and inspire you to save them for other Christmases to come.

help you pick out what matches or doesn’t for your (a) comfort (1st step – goal) and (b) preference (2nd step – mood).

help you plan a design that harmonizes with your personality and furniture. Just because you have a red bow does not mean you have to use it. A red bow attached to a red lampshade will not stand out; whereas a white bow would be a noticeable contrast.

make planning future Christmas decorating easy since you already went through the process of sorting and stored decorations by mood/theme/color.

save you money since now you purchase with a plan in mind that match your goal and the mood that you want to portray in your current Christmas theme, instead of just grabbing any (or all) adorable Christmas decorations.

Perhaps you do not like an ornament that was given to you by a relative, but you feel obligated to have it as part of your Christmas interior décor. REMEMBER, it is your home … your comfort … your creative Christmas décor. Do not let past gifts bully you into feeling that you “have to” display the item(s). Choose decorations that “YOU” want to represent in your home.

Extra Tip: if you have a guest that gave you a unique décor and he/she is planning to stay over for the holiday, then surprise them by decorating the guest room with the unique gift. They will wholeheartedly appreciate the thought you gave into displaying the gift, and feel happier during the happy holidays.