 | If a man’s (and woman’s) home is his castle, then you’re going to want to create indoor décor fit for royalty, by using common sense, your own preferences, and a variety of home decorations that fit each particular room.
When you’ve bought a new home, or are just moving in to your first house, the thought of decorating can be overwhelming. And quite simply, this may not be the time to do it, because there is so much else going on, including packing, moving, changes to schools and other stressful things. In that case, take what you have, put it in the new house, and get yourself settled, so that when it comes to considering home decoration schemes, you’ll not only have the time but the energy to put into getting what you really want, instead of just accomplishing something in a hurry, that may not turn out the way you want.
Of course, if you have the time prior to a move, that’s great. But if you don’t, just go through the house and consider what you want to do, room by room.
Many people like to carry a color or decorating scheme throughout the entire house, or just in the “public” rooms like a living room, kitchen, den, and dining room. But sometimes the rooms don’t lend themselves to what you would like to have in the way of furniture. When it’s a case of a room that is too small, there are a number of tricks to use that will accomplish the same goals, so you end up with your theme intact.
For example, if the room is small, and tends to a square shape, you trick the eye into seeing the dimension in a different way, by painting the longest opposite walls in a light color, and the two end walls in a darker shade, or else papering them. This gives an illusion of more space than you really have, but it also will make your limited amount of furnishings look better. If this is a sitting room, or living room and you had hoped to have a conversational grouping of couches and chairs, plus coffee tables, bookcases and other pieces, you might want to cut back to a couch and matching chairs grouped around an oriental rug. In the center place your coffee table with a beautiful slate table top fountain. There will be room on the walls for curio shelves, on which you can feature your collection of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil monkeys. Framed black and white ink drawings look great on the plain walls, with a side table set underneath where you can arrange a set of red Hong Tze figurines.
Kitchens are another room in which the family spends a lot of time, especially the cook! You can have a lot of fun here, and still make the room warm and inviting for everyone.
If you have sleepyheads in the morning, what better way to greet them than a room full of sunshine and light? Many kitchen décor schemes utilize shades of yellow in the paint or wallpaper to brighten the room. Add white, or pastel curtains at the windows, and you have a “palette” ready for whatever home decorations you choose to add. Country themes are still very big business, as they were more than 20 years ago. But there is so much more that you can get today to complete a particular “look”. If chickens are your “thing”, you can start with matching placemats, serviettes, canisters, letter racks, and cookie jars. Then for a dash of color, add a few roosters with their brilliant feathers and red combs. A set of rooster figurines on the window brings out the color against the woodwork and curtains. And if you’re someone with a talent for sewing, you can pick up rooster-patterned material from which to make your own sets of tablecloths, dishtowels, chair cushions, aprons, and more.
While bathrooms by their nature are a utilitarian room, it doesn’t mean they have to be dull. You can achieve a delicate, feminine look with pastels in the paint or wallpaper, complemented by matching curtains at the window and on the shower. Add some Shabby Chic accessories such as towel racks, wall shelves, and even a magazine rack, and you’ve got a beautiful room on a budget. Or you can go with a theme, such as fishing, or underwater life, by painting the walls blue, and adding shower curtains, toilet seats, towel racks, wall plates and other fixtures that are decorated with or shaped like shells and fish.
Bedrooms tend to be a highly individual room, decorated more often to suit the taste of those who use them, than a home theme. This is where your personal things are kept, and because it is an intimate atmosphere, the “homey” touches are often the most important. Whatever color harmonies you have chosen for the paint or wallpaper and bed linens, you can match or strike a contrast to the basic tones, with brightly colored decorative cushions piled against the headboard. Another favorite touch is to fold a quilt over the foot of the bed, or lay it over a chest where you store blankets. Picture frames are also a home decoration that can be bought in materials or styles to suit the person or the décor. Whether you choose a china frame painted with the same rose pattern as your bedspread, or prefer the quiet elegance of filigree pewter frames, family pictures on the dresser or bedside table, keep loved ones where you can see them, even when they’re far away.
No matter whether you have chosen one theme for the whole house, or individual schemes in each room, it’s the small touches added by carefully chosen home decorations that make the overall look, complete. So don’t forget the little extras like decorative clocks, side tables in the hallway, silk flower swags, decorative candles, vases, and collectible figurines. Your home is what you make it, and you can make it a real home, when you choose the décor that says it belongs to you and your family.
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