6 Décor Tips for Furnishing Your New Home

Purchasing a new home is both exciting and gratifying. But now that you have crossed this bridge, you know it’s time for the fun part – making your new house a home. It’s important to know that there is not only a lot of organizing and shopping involved, but also an art and a somewhat large project that will take place.

Have you ever wondered why Ikea is always so painfully packed with eager customers? Well, because people are there to spend their hard earned money on furniture and home décor of course. But why? Wouldn’t it just be smarter to save the money and use it on that trip to the Caribbean you always wanted to go on? Actually-no! Science tells us that the color, patterns, and style of a room can have major effects on our moods – even our sleep!

In fact, the visuals and ambience of your home is so important that they have developed an art for this event in the ancient Chinese culture. It’s called the art of Feng Shui, of which you’ve most likely heard of. It’s really all about balance; the right amount of light in a room and the energy certain objects and reflections bring to our spaces.

If you’re finding yourself ready to start furnishing your new home, consider reading on. We have 6 great tips on how to furnish your home for the first time.

1. Choose a theme

Before you purchase any art, décor, or rugs – you’re going to want to first establish your theme for each room (or for the entire house.) This will create a sense of unity and will help you achieve an overall ambience.

The important thing to consider while contemplating your theme is your personality. Ask yourself what your preferences are, and what your individuality reflects. The art of Feng Shui suggests that personality is an extremely important factor while picking a theme for your home. For example, if you’re a quiet and reserved person—you’re most likely most associated with the water element and will feel most comfortable with a dark colored theme with the implement of water fountains and the color blue.

Furthermore, there is quite a lot of terminology in decorating and the use of themes. Let’s look at a few of them to give you a sense of direction:

1. Contemporary-This theme implicated a fluid style that focuses on form, shape, lines, and suggests neutral shades.
2. Tuscan-Mainly this theme focuses on earthy tones, woods, and stone. One might think of Terracotta.
3. Rustic Farmhouse-A fluid mix of rustic wood and metal to create an earthy and organic feel.

2. Draw a blueprint

We know what some of you might be thinking – ‘Me? Draw a blueprint?’ But it’s not that intimidating at all. In fact, it’s easy and we will get to that in a moment.

First, let’s discuss why it’s important to start your furnishing project with this step. Creating a floor plan is crucial in the beginning so you can not only visualize your end goal, but so you can assure everything will fit in each space properly.

Many people decide to ‘wing it’ and they end up having to make quite a lot of returns for some of the furniture or rugs they purchased due to poorly executed planning. It may seem tempting, but it’s important not to eye your measurements.
Now that you know the importance of your new blueprint, let’s lay out the steps on how to properly draw it:

What you’ll need

• Graph paper
• Pencil with a good eraser
• Measuring tape

Steps to create your blueprint

• Measure the length and width of your room.
• Add the boundaries of your room to your chart.
• Add in your walls, doors, windows, etc. in your graph.
• Make sure to space out (by inches) walking space on your chart.
• Add in your furniture drawings (get dimensions from online or in store.)

Note: You can also use green painters’ tape to visualize the furniture dimensions on your actual flooring.

3. Look for deals before spending big

It may seem tempting to take a trip down to that designer furniture store downtown—after all it’s okay to splurge sometimes right? We wouldn’t advise it firsthand. There are plenty of great alternatives to buying your furniture at full price.

The first thing you’re going to want to do is prioritize and do some research. If you’re a fan of craftsmanship and quality furniture—that’s okay. There are plenty of ways to keep away from the cheap and flimsy furniture while also saving money. See below for some tips on how to research and find quality made furniture.

•  Search for estate sales – People everywhere are moving, redecorating, and cleaning out their inventory. What better way to save on that rose wood console than buying it from your neighbor for possibly under half the retail price?
• Compare prices online – Say it with me— the internet is your friend. You have the power to compare prices at your fingertips and there are quite a lot of daily deals and free shipping available.
• Fixer uppers – What better way to save hundreds of dollars than by refinishing a solid piece of designer furniture you found at the thrift store or that someone gave you for free. A little stain can go a long way.

4. Stay organized

As you’re getting things unboxed, getting out the décor, and finding a place to put everything—you might be tempted to throw everything in a pile to deal with later. It’s better to put things away as you go, one step at a time, while making sure everything has an ideal spot.

Don’t let organizers, boxes, shelving, and storage units go overlooked while furnishing your home. The truth is, even if you have lovely furniture and décor—if there are items out of place and a lot of clutter—chances are you are not going to be happy with how everything is coming together.

Make sure you have a spot for everything and don’t be afraid to throw away or donate certain items that are not being used.

5. Lighting is everything

Have you ever sat in your living room, feeling a little dull and unmotivated—only to realize that no light was coming into the room? You might have thought of taking a trip down to the lamp store and getting some new lighting to lift your mood.

It’s true—lighting is a very important element of Feng Shui. According to this art, lighting is essential for bringing harmony and balance to a room. Achieving good lighting is crucial to your mood, so let’s look at some tips to attain this goal:

• Purchase soft lamp shades – These are great for “softening” the light to create that soft and delicate lighting.
• Add mirrors – Mirrors will reflect light and will also aid in creating the illusion of a bigger space.
• Use different color bulbs – By using different bulb colors, you can change the room’s overall vibe and mood.

6. Add a pop of color

When you’re in the process of decorating and purchasing furniture—chances are you are going to be sticking to neutral colors, natural woods, and simple properties. Introducing a pop of color to your space will make a statement and bring attention to that color.

Adding color is a great way to add that certain energy we have talked about. Consider these color properties in the art of Feng Shui;

GREEN-Freshness, healing and regeneration

RED- Happiness, romance, and passion.

YELLOW- Welcoming, uplifting energy, and coziness.

PURPLE- Healing, meditation, and noble.

PINK- Soothing, gentle energy, and softness.

ORANGE-Optimism, social energy, and warmth.

BLUE- Peace, calmness, and oceanic energy.

Like many things in life—furnishing and decorating your home is a journey and an experience. It can tell us a lot about ourselves and bring out the best in us. Everything in life, including furnishing your new home, is all about balance. Finding your voice through your interior design should be an empowering and fun experience. Good luck on your journey!

Written by Samantha Leon