When you move into a new home you want to make it your own.  It can be a daunting prospect starting from scratch, but it need not be as difficult as you may think. One of the things you do need to always remember is that it is your home and your family that will be living in it. Do not let anyone talk you into doing something that you do not want.

Decide On A Style First

Once you have decided on a style you are half way to having the home you want. Some people work to the styles of the exterior of their home so that everything blends together, but that is not essential by any means. There are four styles that seem to be the most popular, although there are many others to choose from.

A transitional style is a mixture of modern and traditional features. It can be the perfect way to update older homes such as Victorian or colonial ones. It also works well in homes that are newly constructed. This style involves the use of dark woods, stone and neutral colors with earthy reds and green to give an accent. Furniture is usually streamlined but perhaps a bit more ornamental than you might expect. Renovated furniture often fits in with this style and things such as reclaimed wood table tops are ideal. As are polished stone coffee tables and marble tiles.

A modern theme is generally well tailored and has lots of clean lines. Earth tones are often used to give the lines a softer feel. Furniture from the mid-century is popular with this style, which works best in homes constructed after 1950.

Homes that are decorated in a contemporary fashion tend to be minimalistic and to use metals and glass rather than wood. This is a great way to decorate if you are working with small spaces or want to highlight some special features of your home. The colors used tend to be greys, beiges, white and black with maybe an accent color in small amounts. It is a great way to show off some special windows or other architectural feature.

For those that want a cozy and practical home them a farmhouse style is the best. To decorate from scratch in this way, opt for furniture that is low maintenance, and sofas that are overstuffed. A lot of big cushions to snuggle into and drapes rather than blinds. Items such as tables should be casual and the whole style should have a bit of an antique feel about it.

Whatever style you opt for, keeping your new home uncluttered will help to make it look bigger and easier to keep clean. Incorporate plenty of storage in the décor and that will help you to achieve this aim.

Create A Plan For Each Room

It can be a bit overwhelming to try and think about the décor for the whole house and to simplify this process you should create a plan for each room. Start with the rooms that are the most important and deal with just one at a time. Take measurements to be certain you do not buy anything that will be too large, and these will also help to make your plan simpler to do.

There is no rule that says all the rooms in your house have to be designed in the same way. You may well want a transitional bathroom but a modern living room and contemporary bedrooms with a farmhouse kitchen. That is fine, it is your home and it should be decorated in the way that suits you and your family. It does help is something similar, such as a color, is used to unify the rooms, but other than that you should decorate each room the way you want.

Start With The Biggest Piece Of Furniture

Each room will have a piece of furniture that is the most important, For instance, in bedrooms, it is the bed, in the dining room it is the table and in the living room it is the couch. Get the biggest piece into the room before anything else, and work around that. You do not want to have lots of smaller pieces in your living room, for example, and then find there is so much that your sofa will not fit or it is difficult to get to.

Being the largest piece does not always mean it is the focal point as in some rooms that could be a TV or fireplace. Combing the two in some way will help with whatever design you have. A comfy sofa in front of a fire, just as an example, will be very relaxing for all concerned.

Use Experts For Advice

You do not have to struggle with designs yourself. Many stores offer either free or very low-cost design services and they may well come up with ideas that you had not thought of. The advice they give could save you a lot of time and money and prevent you from making a mistake.

The people have been trained in design and of course, they are hoping you will buy something from them, but you are not under any obligation to do so.

Painting Your New Home

One of the simplest ways to transform your new home is with some paint for the walls. You can change the whole look of a room just by altering the color, and the best of it is, if you decide you do not like the color you have chosen it is easy enough to paint the walls again.

Mocha’s and greys can look better than white, which can feel a bit stark. It is a popular trend at the moment to have one wall in a much bolder color and then to blend this in by introducing more of the color with cushions and drapes.

Don’t Forget The Windows

Dressing the windows is usually one of the last things people do and yet the window dressing can change the whole look and feel of a room. Decide whether you want drapes or blinds and what type of them you want. Both of these options can be quite expensive so give them plenty of thought before you spend any money.

These are often best fitted by professionals, as then they will hang just as they should.

Accessories

Any accessories should match with the décor of the rest of the room. For instance, you should not put ultra-modern lamps in a living room that has a farmhouse feel and you should not have lots of ornaments in a contemporary room. They should be used to add some color, texture, and interest but should still be in keeping with the overall style of the room.

Mirrors are one accessory every room should have. They will reflect light so make the room brighter and look bigger. They are even more effective if they can be placed on a wall opposite a window.

Take Your Time

Decorating your new home should not be something you do in a mad rush. This will result in you not being satisfied with something and you will end up changing things very quickly. Live in the new home for a while first and then work through the house a room at a time. Having resided in it for a while you may well see things differently from the day you moved in. Think in terms of it as a marathon rather than a sprint run and then you will not be disappointed when it takes a while to get it just how you want.