I’m a study in paradoxes. I could easily (eaaaaasily) do nothing all day. I am really, really good at doing nothing. But doing nothing isn’t good for me. My brain can go to very dark places when it isn’t occupied. To prevent brain slipping and extreme procrastination, I try to always have an ongoing project. The project has to be A) something fun to me, a good motivator, C) something I can work on in dribs and drabs.
Party planning is perfect for this….when I actually have a party to plan. I won’t be heavy into the details of James’ first birthday for a few more months (and I keep the themes simple for first birthdays), so I’ve been looking for something else to be my new project. And I think that project needs to be actually decorating this house of ours.
We moved in two and a half years ago, and in that time we’ve decorated…um…the hallway. And James’ room. That’s it. Well, Annie has purple walls, but there’s nothing else going on in there. The rest of the house is full of boring beige walls with no character. I’d like for our house to look like we’ve actually been living here for two years, not two weeks. But, I have no idea how.
I took a quiz, What Design Aesthetic Are You. I thought it might help me figure out my style and perhaps offer a good jumping off point. I was all happy as I clicked on the quiz answers…and then it was determined I have the aesthetic void of a college dorm room. A DORM ROOM, YOU GUYS. And it’s only funny because it’s kind of true! I mean, I stop short of taping stuff to the walls (Annabel has that covered), but yeah. I might as well buy some wall hangings from Sanrio and call it a day.
I know you’re going to tell me to check Pinterest and start pinning the ideas I like, but let me stop you right there. I love me some Pinterest, but when it comes to home decor I find it all really overwhelming. I think partly because it’s so pricey, and partly because I feel out of my depth. I can do “cute,” like James’ room. But cozy, comfortable, and grown up? I have no experience with that.
I’m going to show you some pictures, and you should know that these were taken in October 2011 and everything looks the same. That tells you the story right there. In our family room, I’m intimidated by the vaulted ceiling:
The ceiling above the couch is about 25-30 feet high.
Our bedroom has the same problem, with the vaulted ceiling sloping toward the bed.
And our office is pretty plain, too (we’ve since added a couch, filing cabinet, and all of my craft and sewing supplies):
So dull and uninspiring! Aaaaah I don’t know what to do!!! I’m bored just looking at all that beige.
I really feel like we owe Annabel a decorated room first. She watched me put together James’ nursery and didn’t complain at all over her simple (read: plain, undecorated) bedroom. Maybe her room will be a good place for me to dip in my decorating toe, because Annabel always knows what she wants. Putting it together should be easy (in theory, of course).
Or I can just forgo the whole “Grownup Hous”e idea, because soon, Annabel will have constructed a giant sheet of wallpaper from her drawings and 87 rolls of scotch tape. I’m going to put that on Pinterest.
Lori Moore says:
I never have advice, but this time, I do. Yay! I do budget (shoestring) decorating as a fun sahm gig/passion and this is what I can give you to work with:
1. Thrift shops. Use them. New stuff is boring. Look at items with spray paint in your heart and a brush in your hand. Frames, baskets, accent furniture, fabrics, etc.
2. Pinterest. No, not for overwhelming whole rooms, but for fun, over-scale DIY wall art ideas. Like engineering prints, string art, etc. I made a humongous decoupaged antique map, a la restoration hardware, for like eight bucks. No joke. (http://instagram.com/p/XDz_g6IiWr/)
3. Online estate sales are great places to get wicked fun stuff cheeeeeap. Lamps, framed art, furniture. Bonus – bidding in your jammies.
4. I bet you have a friend who kicks ass at this stuff. Use her too. Trade her mad skills for party planning, babysitting, or just your undying L-U-V.
5. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful! And that’s about as deep as I get. (Oh, and ignore your monster ceilings! Nothing need go up there. Draw an imaginary line at your shortest ceiling height and pretend you’re working with rectangles. Everything gets hung at eye level anyway.)
Hope this was more encouraging than bossy! Have fun
S says:
I think I need to follow you on Pinterest. Those were awesome ideas and suggestions!
Heather says:
Okay, that map is amazing! And your #5 tip is SUCH a good one. The reason my ceilings intimidate me is because they create so much wall space. Drawing an imaginary line is a great idea!
Melissa says:
Take a look at photo shelves on Pinterest. We did them in our formal living room and they turned out great. Plus you can easily change out photos when you want something new.
Lesley says:
You can always give Annie a magnetic chalk wall. I think Disney has some cool coloured chalk paints (and a magnetic undercoat), so it wouldn’t be a boring black. That way she could use magnets to put her drawings up!
GingerB says:
I want to say that if your house is that tidy you are am-aaaaaaazing. My house is never, ever put together looking due to the kids’ toys and ongoing projects. The one thing I can say I did and am glad is that I had a designer friend help me pick a few colors that I really love and I painted my kitchen a wine color and brought that color out as an accent to the living areas that have also a complimentary green and that makes the other neutral rooms seem much less blah with beige. So I say start with paint, and then go crazy, but I definitely needed help just to know what I liked.
Heather says:
Oh no, no, no. There’s a reason why I posted pictures from 2 1/2 years ago and not pictures that I took like…yesterday. Baby stuff and toys evvvvvvvvverywhere!
Caroline says:
I’d say Rigby is perfectly happy with the decor in the office:). I agree with the suggestion on enlisting a friend for help. You have a friend whose home is decorated beautifully, we all do. I have a friend and every time I walk into her home I think, “why can’t I come up with this stuff?” Start with suggestions on paint. Then have them shop with you. I think most people who have a knack for this like helping. Plus it’s a great way to get some one on one time with a friend. Do Annie’s room first though. I felt the same way when we decorated my sons nursery before he was born and she had beige walls. We fixed up her room first. She deserved it, and so does Annie????
Caroline says:
Why??? Why did my smiley face turn into ????? Annie deserves it!!!!!!!!!!!
Heather says:
LOL! She DOES deserve it, and I think I am definitely going to start there!
Lee Cockrum says:
For some reason my tablet won’t let me paste right now, so I can’t give you the URL, but search “young house love”. It is a cool blog (by some people whose last name is young!) They do a lot of cool decorating that they do themselves. They have a daughter, maybe a bit younger than Annie, so there are some cute kids things too. Good luck:)
Kristen says:
Dude, their last name definitely isn’t Young. It’s Petersik.
Lee Cockrum says:
Oops! I did know that, just lost my mind for a moment:) And I’m actually not a dude;)
Kristen says:
Oh, I didn’t write that because I thought you were a guy. I wrote that because I start 90% of my sentences with the word “dude.” Ha!
Heather says:
They have a great site! I will spend some time exploring it, thanks for the tip!
Kristen says:
Heather, I have the same problem. We call our living room “khaki explosion” because I was trying to go for “layered neutrals” and failed miserably. We have pretty much nothing hung on our walls because I’m intimidated by all the options, and large-scale art is so costly. I’m looking forward to seeing what advice people give you!
Heather says:
LOL at least you tried!!!
Jamie says:
I love Hobby Lobby. Not sure if they have them in California but most of the time you can get great pieces that are super inexpensive. They really help you out too by grouping things together in themes!
Lori says:
I’m not the best at room design, at all. But, here’s my tips for decorations -I like our decorations to have meaning, so we started buying nice souvenirs from our vacations. We only go on one or two real trips per year, but when we’re away, we always pick out something nice for the house – a pretty vase, or piece of artwork that isn’t too pricey. That way our home has nice things, but the nice things have meaning. Starting a collection is also an easy way to add to a room. For example, I collect antique plates, which look really nice on our dining room wall – my rule is to never spend more than $10 per plate.
TamaraL says:
I have absolutely NO advice because I am the same way. Not only do I have no inspiration, I do not like change. We lived in our last house for 19 years…about three years before we moved I FINALLY put color on the walls other than white. We enjoyed it for those three years and then we moved. Back to no color. One day I will paint again.
Lisa Maxwell says:
Color helps. Figure out the pallet you like (pastel, earthy tones)–or just pick one color you’d love to see on a wall and then build the rest of the colors from there. Our first house had this really warm pallet (that my in laws joked reminded them of a Panera bread) and even though we didn’t have much else (grad school budget), it *felt* homey and relaxing and finished. I started with this sagey green I loved for the bedroom and then picked the rest based on that color family. Warm colors and not being afraid of color–that’s the cheapest way in my book. Because paint is pretty cheap. If you hate it, you can change it for about $30.
Heather says:
That’s true! Mike is afraid of color but I should remind him that if it’s awful, we can always change the color.
Julie says:
Color is the easiest way to decorate — I know it can be overwhelming. My partner was from the “off white” color and I was anything but. Our home together has a bright blue kitchen, pale yellow living room, purple bedroom, blue office etc. Bedrooms should be soothing / cool colors to make it a restful place. Start small — one room at a time. You don’t have to paint the entire room the same color — you can do an accent wall to bring focus to an area. Wish I lived on the west coast so I could come help! Kathy lives in fear that I’ll want to start re-decorating our place.
Heather says:
Mike is like Kathy! He is Mr. White Walls. I would love color but just…can’t decide. I wish you could help me, too!
Aubrey says:
I would start simple in your room. Get a comforter/duvet set you like. And go from there. Also they have those stick on phrases at Walmart pretty cheap. I love those things! In your family room and even bedroom paint your ceiling a couple shades darker and it will not feel so huge. Or lighter to make it feel taller. It is always easier for me to pickn1 thing I like and work around that than planning a whole room.
Melissa says:
I could have written this post! We moved into our new house in May and the only rooms we have done are the kids rooms! Mind you, the house had been newly painted and carpeted before we moved in (and the kitchen completely renovated). Of course, their rooms are *fabulous* and my son’s in particular is Pinterest-worthy, if I do say so myself! — but, like you are saying about your casa, the rest of our house just looks blah — also with neutral walls and our bedroom and the guest room are stark ick white. This is for two reasons. 1) I was pregnant when we moved in so there wasn’t a lot of painting opportunities (except the weekend I went home to NJ to see family when hubs painted kids’ rooms) and 2) I wanted to wait til we got a nice bedroom set (which we did, in Dec.) Now we need new bedding. I have lots of ideas for decorating, but now with two kids in daycare (i.e., another mortgage payment), we don’t have the funds we would have had to splurge on decorating so I think I’ll attack it one room at a time. Good luck and great idea starting with Annie’s room. I let Maya (3) pick out her wall color and she chose this ridiculous lime green but with her hot pink curtains and the multi-colored owl bedding it actually looks really, really cute. Bright as hell, but cute for a little girl’s room. I’m sure Annie will be a tremendous help! You’re inspiring me to tackle our bedroom next
Heather says:
Maya’s room sounds so cute! Annie loves her purple walls, but she has big ideas for everything else!
Melissa says:
Thanks! bedding courtesy of target.com — love it Aw, I bet she will be a huge help!
MNMom says:
I agree with Julie. Paint is the cheapest decorating tool. The walls need color and fortunately, picking out color chips is fun! I would start there. Paint the walls, and be consistent in your palette (don’t do blue, red, green, yellow). It is easy to paint (relatively, it can be a DIY project), and it is easy to change. Pick colors that resonate with you, that make you happy, calm and relaxed. Once you pick a color, Google images that color with the room you are painting like Soft brown living room. You will get a ton of visual ideas. Then, pick out accents with pillows, rugs, runners. Take your time, make sure you like what you are doing. When I redecorated my dining room I was determined to make it fun and not formal. Instead of diplaying crystal and china, I got two glass curio cabinets (from IKEA, super cute) and displayed only fun, sentimental stuff – baby shoes, favorite childhood bedtime book, ceramic hand prints, my husband’s baby pictures, art projects the kids did in school, anything silly and precious. I painted the formal table black, and got a fun, colorful rug as well (out with the oriental). I redid the chairs in a funky paterrn filled with color and hung pedestal lighting from pottery barn on sale. The result is a room I now love, love to use and is inviting, not intimidating. Have fun!
Heather says:
Your dining room sounds awesome! Googling stuff like, “soft brown living room” is a great idea, I never would have thought of that!
Maris says:
I bought my house 2 yrs ago and it was like yours. Then the hurricane flooded it and after it was gutted and fixed, I decided to stop being afraid. I researched online for months. Houzz is a GREAT site. Then I went for it (thank Goodness for insurance $). I even bought an extremely expensive painting that I would’ve totally been afraid to commit to before but im so glad I did bc I love it. Zgallerie has lots of great things also. Best of luck.
Adria says:
Two words: Shauna Glenn.
Heather says:
Dude seriously. I keep trying to get her to come out and decorate!
Brenda says:
I suggest adding color. It adds a lot of personality to a home even if you keep the walls bare. I think a picture collage would look great in your family room above the couch. I love making alphabet photography and I think having your last name spelled out in photographs would look great surrounded by family pictures. My favorite wall in our house has our girl’s artwork displayed. We bought a bunch of black frames and had each of our four girls pick their favorite pieces of art to display. We also had them each paint a small 6″ square canvas and added some small typography art about love. It turned out really cute and it is the first thing people see when they walk in our front door. It is also easy to swap out the current pieces for new ones.
Heather says:
A kid artwork wall sounds so cute and easy!
Leah says:
I’m no decorating expert–our decorating scheme is basically old furniture from our parents’ houses with a dash of Ikea, plus books everywhere, more books, and books stacked on top of books. However, I did a mural in the kids’ room that I’m very pleased with. Simple, semi-abstract landscape, took me a couple of hours to design and exactly four hours to paint (all solid colors, no shading or stippling or anything like that). Cheap and big payoff.
Leah says:
One more thing! We also have a lot of rock posters, which is a great way to collect art that doesn’t break the bank. They are not really “rock” specific for the most part, just an opportunity for artists/graphic designers to be creative. Check out http://omgposters.com/.
Heather says:
Wow, that’s amazing! I definitely do NOT have that talent as I cannot even draw a circle.
Debbie says:
I am definitely no expert at decorating!! However, pictures on the walls make a WORLD of difference. You have a beautiful place and just need some pictures on the wall
Heather says:
I definitely want pictures up…but this is where my indecisiveness kicks in!
arianne says:
check out epbot.com. It’s a personal blog written by Jen Yates, the woman who does cakewrecks.com. She has the most amazing house decor I have seen, and she does it one crafty project at a time – she gives tutorials on how she does stuff, and it’s exactly the sort of thing to keep you occupied, pick up and put down, and end up with something amazing. (she’s also wonderfully quirky and amazing, so good to read aside from the projects).
Heather says:
Oh this is great, thank you! I will bookmark her blog!
Kendra says:
Wow, we are exactly the same in the decor department! Only, I’ve been in my house for more than 7 years! The only things I have decorated are my son’s room and the guest bathroom. I can work easily (sort of) with small spaces, and a bathroom is perfect. Pick and theme and go with it. But, the rest of the house…white, bare walls (mostly). The only walls that have color are ones the previous owners painted. Oh, I guess we made one room into a playroom and painted/decorated that too. Our whole main floor is basically one big room, with vaulted ceiling and is way intimidating to try to decorate!
Heather says:
That’s how my house feels – like one big room! And paint is scary because that one wall is sooooooo big!!! I should make James and Annie’s shared bathroom my second room, because I think that would be pretty easy to decorate.
noelle says:
My house is much smaller than yours but we do have vaulted ceilings. I was terrified to pick a paint color, so I had a friend pick it for me. She picked a neutral shade but it’s amazing how lovely and warm it is, and how it totally changed the feel of the room! For your bedroom, I suggest finding a bedding set you love, and then head over to Hobby Lobby for an interesting metalwork or wood accent piece to mount over the bed. Looks just as good as a headboard and soooooo much cheaper! Plus you can easily change it out if you change your mind and with their weekly 40% off coupons you’re sure to catch a bargain!
Heather says:
I think the closest Hobby Lobby is over 50 miles away! I will try looking for other accent pieces. We used to have a candle swirly thing over our bed in our condo and it looked pretty, I should dig it out of our garage!
Karen says:
It depends what your candle swirly thing is made of, but you could always spray paint it a different color to make it pop. Also, I always overlooked the picture section at Target, but recently got 2 pics at different times on sale & get so many compliments. Look at their pics with a different light!
Joelle says:
my advice to get you started…I think it’s great to start with one room, and a room you’re passionate about. I would ask Annie what she’d like, or even show her some comforters or duvets online to try to get a color scheme or somewhat of a theme. AND…you could even ask for everyone’s help. post a couple pics of her room, on your blog and people (not me, i’m don’t know how!) can put do “mock-ups” for you to get you started. I saw someone mention YHL, and they do that sometimes. it’s fun to see the ideas, and even if you don’t use exactly what people put, it will get you started.
Shanna says:
Start with color. What helped me is the Behr paint website. Even if you don’t use their product, they have a virtual room designer, and you can see what colors of paint look great in certain spaces. You can even upload pictures of your rooms and play with different wall colors.
Heather says:
Wow, that sounds like the most amazing time suck! Hahahaha!
Marie says:
I agree with the suggestion from Lori Moore. Unless you are rich no one can afford to buy everything new. Thrift stores are a great place to browse. But I have a few suggestions. First, you need to put drapes over that big wall of windows in your family room. They buy some pillows for the couch in a red or orange punch of color and coordinate something on the mantel in that same color palette. It doesn’t take a lot of things to make it look homey. Secondly, buy a headboard for your bedroom and a new quilt/comforter. Take down those curtains and put up drapes and voila, you have a new bedroom. Also a couple of throws will help warm up your space. One for the bed and one for the couch.
I love thrift stores and salvage stores. You can paint anything you find there with a simple can of spray paint to match anything new you buy. Baskets, candle holders, vases. There’s a new show on H&G, starring Nicole from Minneapolis, MN. She renovates homes she buys and always uses second hand things. It’s called Rehab Addict and it’s a wonderful show to get ideas. Try to find it and watch a few times.
Good luck
Hugs from Minnesota,
Marie
P.S. Also most of my “art” is from KMart lol. They have stuff!!
Heather says:
I don’t have drapes up over the wall of windows because they actually lead to the play room! We definitely need a headboard, though, and I will look for the show on my DVR!
Jen says:
At the risk of sounding like a total snob, do what I did and hire an interior decorator. We moved into a very big fancy grown up house and i have no clue, knack or idea how to decorate and was seriously stressing about it. I did some googling and there are TONS of decorators to choose from, but what i did was looked for ‘one man/woman shows’ that wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg (i am way cheap). I actually ended up hiring someone thru our realtor that does home staging. She is awesome and super reasonably priced ($50 an hour! totally worth it!). Just a thought…
Good luck!!!
Heather says:
Oh wow, that’s MUCH cheaper than I expected! I automatically ruled out a pro because I figured one would be way too expensive.
christine says:
Look into it! It is what I did as well and I am so pleased with how it turned out. I think in the end it ended up saving me money – since I have no talent in this area I tend to buy stuff and then not like it – so I keep starting over. If nothing else it will give you some ideas – bring in a few people – see what they have to say and go from there.
Effie says:
That’s a great idea! A lot of decorators will come to your home for a flat rate of $100, work with what you already have, and then make suggestions/game plan from there. Keep us posted!
Emily says:
Art.com is amazing and cheap if you don’t order stuff framed. You can search for something and then narrow by layout (portrait, landscape, square), size, price and color scheme. You can also look by movement (impressionist, modern, pop art, etc.). You definitely need either some big art on the walls, or a gallery wall. Gallery walls add so much personality. You could have art, photos of the kids, mementos in shadow boxes, mirrors, etc, and it looks eclectic and takes up a TON of space!
T says:
My biggest suggestion is to find an “inspiration piece” for each room. Basically, find a piece of furniture or a rug or a piece of art that you love, and work around it. I personally like to go neutral for walls and choose décor pieces that add pops of color. That way, it’s easy to change things up if/when you get tired of what you have.
You have a lot of great wall space. Have you considered working on a gallery wall, maybe above your couch or bed? You can do personal photographs, but I prefer prints (or an original work or two, if you can swing it). It’s nice because it A.) Adds color and interest and B.) Is an ongoing project that doesn’t need to be done at once. Etsy and Society6 are great places to start to look for art. Having your kids do some art and framing it would look great, too.
I also recommend getting some decorative pillows for your bed. They can be a hassle to remove before bed, but they add a lot aesthetically.
Heather says:
Our entire hallway (it’s really long) is a huge gallery wall, but I think one over our bed would be nice. I feel like one wouldn’t fit over the couch because the wall is SO big.
alimartell says:
I know this girl named Meghan…
Heather says:
Maybe if she ever left Santa Barbara….
missy says:
I think it takes time to know your space before deciding how to decorate. Don’t beat yourself up. Second, the cute little white furball in the floor makes a gorgeous accent piece.
Tricia says:
You are not alone! We lived in our last house for FIVE years before we painted a room or even hung up more than one or two picture frames. I am so so bad at decorating, thank god our new house had a lot of stuff done to it but it’s been a few months and we have empty frames on the wall…husband thought that would inspire me to put pictures in them. It’s like he doesn’t even know me. I pin stuff and then wish it would magically happen in my house. I am so confused and overwhelmed!! Bella and Luke’s rooms are done and that’s about it. Good luck!
Heather says:
LOL I’m pretty sure the only reason I finally put pictures in our hanging frames is because we were having a party!
Lanie says:
I am right there with you – I always need to be busy or my mind goes to dark places. I need to start with decluttering (which you have mastered very impressively!). If I was starting with decorating I would take some of the advice from above – start with 1 room or a part of a room and try to find an inexpensive decorator. Sometimes decorators have access to big discounts on furniture, paint, carpets, etc so it might end saving you money in some areas. Good luck! xo
Heather says:
Oh, don’t get me started on clutter. These pictures are old. If I showed you a current pic of my office, you’d feel MUCH better (and slightly horrified).
Susan says:
You have gotten great advice above =) I’m so with adding color (cheap) and thrift shopping/estate sales. I have a small home but it is full of color. And I have founds interesting wall ideas on pinterest which also turned into a productive project. Good luck. Your home looks beautiful.
Skye says:
Don’t be intimidated by Pinterest! Look at interior design images you like and figure out WHY you like them: wall color, accessories, type/placement of art, photo arrangement, furniture arrangement, plants, shapes, lighting, little touches, etc. Then figure out what you could do in your own space with the aspects you like. You’re creative and could DIY a lot of things. I’m excited to see your evolving space! Here are some sites I love for interior design inspiration and awesome home DIYs:
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/diy-decor/
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/decorate.html
Rosemary says:
I think Skye’s suggestion is an excellent way to start. You have to figure out what you like…what makes you feel a home is warm and cozy first. Then it will evolve but it will take time. By the way, for Annie, select blinds has character shades for her room if you are interested.
Heather says:
That’s a MUCH better way to look at pinterest! Thanks for that idea!
Andrea says:
Oh my goodness, stay off Pinterest it can be so overwhelming! (Lets be honest, it tends to make most of us feel bad we can’t reach Pinterest perfection!)
The best way to start to get a feel for what you like, what inspires you to decorate, is to get out there and go window shopping. Home Goods, TJMAXX, ROSS, Marshalls are good places to start. They are full of a wide variety of home decor items (and a range of prices), that can pull together a room for a bargain price.
Another way to go is used, thrift stores, furniture consignment stores, Craigslist, or garage sales are a fun and inexpensive way to begin the decorating process.
Have fun decorating!
yams says:
For your bedroom: The immediate things that would perk it up are, in order of importance:
1) Get rid of the rug, it is hiding those gorgeous floors! If you want a rug there, do something in warm tones, and smaller.
2) The bed spread/bed skirt. Target has cute, affordable stuff. I bought my Target spread 7 years ago and it is still going strong.
3) Above the bed, hang a landscape picture. Purchase a photo from a desert/so cal photographer and have it sized for your needs.
4) Curtains. Those are unacceptable, but you can find/sew (I recommend sewing – you are so crafty!) Something simple and attractive.
You have such a great eye. Don’t be intimidated. You can do this!
Heather says:
LOL the bed spread and skirt are from Anthropologie, we bought them when we moved in and they weren’t cheap, so they aren’t getting replaced any time soon! I will start looking into curtain tutorials…I actually think that would be a fairly easy thing to sew, but I need to see some examples!
Christina says:
Some suggestions:
Find a color palette you like. You can use pinterest to search color palettes (I know you said you’re overwhelmed but just looking for colors might be easier). My color palette board: http://www.pinterest.com/tinaamber/color-palettes/
Find a piece (or pieces) of artwork you like and use that as your inspiration. You’ll coordinate other artwork, knick-knacks, rugs, drapes, etc. around that theme/style/color palette.
With just 1 photo or piece of artwork you like, you can create your own color palette. I LOOOOOVE Adobe’s. Go to https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/. Click on the camera icon towards the top, right. Upload an image and it give you a palette with options for a brighter, darker, more muted one, etc. You can even drag the icons around to create your own palette. The “Explore” option on this site also lets you browse palettes.
With these color palette’s I’m talking about, you can take them to your local paint store and have some colors matched for accent walls, to paint picture frames or furniture, hand paint pillows… I painted solid colors on canvas to create my own artwork in my office (ie. http://www.osnatfineart.com/paintings/10-10/10-10-multi-panel-canvas-solid-colors_P1.jpg).
If you have a blanket, rug, fabric (or whatever) that you like, take a photo of it and upload that into the Adobe website to pull the colors from it.
Use art.com to search for artwork for your walls but don’t always buy from there. Search Amazon and eBay, etc. for better prices once you find what you like. Art.come will often offer you the better quality prints (colors can be off from other sites because they use copies of copies) but you can often tell from the reviews or the image posted.
Buy posters and then buy your own frames at http://www.frameusa.com/. I have bought about 45 frames from them and I have NEVER been disappointed. Sometimes you have to strand your own wire to hang the frame but that’s no biggie for the cost savings.
I even buy my own matte board and cut it with a matte board cutter I borrow from an artist friend.
Here’s 1 wall I did by myself with a coral, yellows and greens color palette – art.com, Amazon and Etsy artwork – frames from framesusa.com – and cutting my own matte board: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4887571269688&set=a.4265751084572.2180359.1309888076&type=3&theater.
I don’t know if ANY of this is up your alley but maybe a couple of these ideas could be helpful. I did consult a friend for all of my choices… a friend with an art degree and background as a graphic designer so she’s awesome with colors (and she SHOULD charge for her time but lucky for me she doesn’t yet). That was extremely helpful. I also found Benjamin Moore’s site to be helpful. You pick a color you like and it suggests coordinating colors.
Heather says:
OH MY GOSH, these links are SO helpful. Thank you so much!!
Rosemary says:
I agree with checking out Young House Love…besides being an awesome site for ideas and how to dos they are a fun couple. Your daughters are around the same age and they are having a baby boy soon. It can be some intimidating to start…been there!
Rosemary says:
Here is the link:
http://www.younghouselove.com/
Annalisa says:
What’s wrong with dorm room decor? No, seriously. I haven’t gotten the decorating gene from my mother (my answer to “wanna redo the curtains in your room?” as a child? “No”).
The most decorating I do is a picture here, an accent there. I hate the idea of painting entire walls, not to mention I would never make it unless the husband and kids took off for a weekend. Even with the few sparse decorating touches (bookcases, photo frames, etc), I start resenting them as clutter generating things more than anything. You could say I’m a minimalist.
Jody M says:
My favorite decorating blog:
http://theletteredcottage.net
Heather says:
I will check them out, thanks!
Effie says:
Okay! You need to check out Young House Love. They have a blog and an awesome book! I love decorating books so here are my suggested reading materials:
1. Young House Love- http://www.younghouselove.com
http://www.amazon.com/Young-House-Love-Paint-Update/dp/1579654789/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392839078&sr=8-1&keywords=young+house+love
2. Domino!
http://www.amazon.com/Domino-Decorating-Room—Room-Creating/dp/1416575464/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1392839098&sr=8-2&keywords=young+house+love
3.Design Sponge
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Sponge-Home-Grace-Bonney/dp/1579654312/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1392839098&sr=8-3&keywords=young+house+love
4. The Imperfectly Perfect Home
http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfectly-Imperfect-Home-Decorate/dp/0307720136/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1392839098&sr=8-4&keywords=young+house+love
5. Good Bones Great Pieces
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Bones-Great-Pieces-Essential/dp/1584799579/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392839271&sr=1-1&keywords=good+bones
Heather says:
These are wonderful, thank you so much!!
Rah says:
This is more common than you think, Heather. If you can afford it, make an appointment for a one-time consultation with an interior designer, and of course you ask what that will cost. They could probably walk you through some questions to help you define a style, or to know that your style is eclectic. Then, if you decide to go forward with his/her assistance, you can contract for a room at a time.
If that’s above your means, you can contact a local college that has an interior design program and ask if they ever have student interns who could work with you. Sometimes they do internships for no pay, in turn for getting to use your house to prepare their design boards for grading, and to give them some “real world” experience. Alternatively, you could talk to a faculty member and ask them if there is a student they would recommend for some informal advice. Students are always fresh and new, and usually acutely aware of budgetary constraints. Several friends have done this and had outstanding results.
Also, for what it’s worth, I have studied interior design and I took one of those online tests and it couldn’t have been more off the mark for me, even though I answered the questions honestly.
lpb says:
Have you looked at an online decorating service? I had a similar dilemma a couple of years ago for our “entertainment room” (aka cavernous basement with a TV, couch and pool table). I happened upon a blogger from TX who creates a mood board and suggested products based on photos, room dimensions, preferences, uses, etc. I’m still working on … only bought a two pieces of furniture and a rug … but that’s the beauty of it, I can do what I want when I want. http://www.hollymathisinteriors.com/
Heather says:
I will check this out, I haven’t looked at anything like this before!
Jeanie says:
Are you familiar with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality? She’s been able to help several people with decorating quandries and has decorated her own new home with very reasonably priced items. She’s available for consultations. Here’s her Website: http://southernhospitalityblog.com/
Paula says:
I have to say this: I love your house. I love the non – clutter, the walls are open and inviting. I am a plain jane, keep it simple, person. I have no advice. I love it how it is.
Heather says:
thank you!!
Ranie says:
Get your hands on some HGTV magazines, they have great ideas and easy projects.
Carolyn says:
Not to toot my own horn terribly, but I’d be happy to help! I’m a event designer by trade, but dabble in interiors. Here is my daughter’s nursery that was featured on SMP Living last month
http://www.stylemepretty.com/living/2014/01/10/a-bright-beautiful-nursery/
Happy decorating!
Heather says:
Her room is BEAUTIFUL!
KaraB says:
I know EXACTLY how you feel! It took me 7 years to figure out that I wanted to paint my bathroom green. 7 years!!
Caroline says:
First room I’d start in is the master bedroom. You need to purchase a head board for your bed. A king size bed can handle a tall head board, and it’ll help fill the big wall behind your bed. Once you have a head board, hang a horizontal piece of art work above it. We have this in our bedroom and it’s gorgeous. Second thing is new lamps, preferably not with white lamp shades. The most important change you can make is getting a new duvet and bed skirt. Once that is chosen, change the curtains to coordinate. Think warm, soothing colors. And a smaller rug for the foot of the bed, and possibly a bench too at the foot of the bed. And of course, paint on the walls.
Heather says:
We definitely need a headboard. Mike pointed out that we’ve actually added my grandmother’s cedar chest to the foot of the bed, which I forgot to mention. We’re not going to get a new duvet or bed skirt as those are both from Anthropologie and we picked them out together when we moved in. I think maybe I’ll start with the headboard and then see where that leads me!
Michelle says:
Gah, this is SO me right now, too. I just want those property brothers from HGTV to come over and redo and decorate my WHOLE HOUSE, but for free.
I finally painted/decorated my boys’ room and went with the pirate/map theme (bedding and decor from Target) and even painted clouds on their ceiling and stuff, made their bunkbed a pirate ship, etc. They LOVE it. But I’m stuck there. My poor daughters are waiting for their rooms to be decorated, too but I just suck at this stuff.
The best is that I’m a photographer for a living, yet I have NO PHOTOGRAPHS hanging in our home because I’m so intimidated with how to frame/hang them here (we have super high ceilings, too.)
So… I have no advice but I’m totally in the same boat. Tired of my boring plain house, but lost as to how to remedy that. lol
Amy B. says:
First time commenter but this struck a chord! We’ve also lived in our home for 2 1/2 years and the ONLY reason I’m not jn the exact same boat, is because ours was the builders model before it was ours. So before they moved all of their fabulous things out, I took pictures of EVERYTHING. This way I could, at my own pace and my own asthetic, decorate our home. My advice would be to seek out the “model” version of your home and go look around! Hope this is helpful!
Shelly says:
I’m laughing at this post b/c I’ve followed your blog for years and have wondered the same thing…Heather throws the most amazing parties (how DOES she think of all those details?) yet her house seems to have bare walls. Our daughter is 14 and her room has always been my favorite one to decorate. Getting ready to redo for the 4th time for her birthday in April. I get the Pottery Barn Kids (now Pottery Barn Teens) magazine and we start with ideas from it. I don’t buy the stuff from PB (too expensive!) but can always find similar things at Target or online. Don’t be afraid of color. I would be happy to send you some pics of the different colors in my house (kelly green in Bailey’s room, pale blue in ours, yellow in kitchen, red in dining room.) I have received so many comments thru the years “this looks professionally done.” Nope…just me!
Gina says:
Download the app Houzz- it will change your life! Also, an easy addition to your room would be an upholstered headboard. All you need is fabric, plywood, batting, and a staple gun and voila! Email me and I can send you photos of my headboard along with more tips.