Decorating Your Home: Pretty And Practical

To say that decorating is my passion would be accurate, but it’s also my obsession. And admittedly, my addiction.

I absolutely love researching and learning about new, old and upcoming styles of decorating. Kind of weird, I know. On a nearly weekly basis you can find me walking around our home moving items from room to room, repositioning and swapping out decor pieces. I’ll even get off the couch in the middle of a show to execute a decorating idea I randomly thought of. To which my husband responds, “You just couldn’t wait, could you?” He says it with the slightest smirk because he knows that, no, I couldn’t wait. That’s just me.

Our oldest loves coming home from school after I’ve redecorated. He attempts to point out the changes as if our home is a life size look-and-find book. The “household” section of a store (every store) is my kryptonite. I don’t even necessarily need to purchase anything. Simply browsing for ideas and inspiration is, for me, as good as that first sip of coffee on the mondayest Monday morning.

But decorating is about so much more than filling your house with pretty things or transforming it into a magazine cover-worthy setting. Your home and the furnishings inside it should, first and foremost, work with your family. From the furniture you choose, down to the storage solutions you use, each piece should make your life seem less hectic and more organized. Simply put, if you’re spending money on it, make sure it works for your family’s specific needs.

From the furniture you choose, down to the storage solutions you use, each piece should make your life seem less hectic and more organized.

Our first house was small, but it will forever be one of my favorites. It felt like home from day one. However, I didn’t have much room to spread my wings as far as decorating was concerned.

Our second house had more space for me to put my own touch on and inflict with my style and ideas. Unfortunately, I had no idea what my style was. And being a bit overwhelmed by the amount of space, compared to our first home, made me feel rushed to fill it with anything. Any style. Any decor. I, like a lot of people, thought that if our house was filled with furniture and knick knacks then it would magically feel like a home. I was wrong. What we ended up with was a mix of several different decorating styles throughout the entire house.. and even within each room itself. Oh it was filled alright. But something always felt off. It never quite felt like home.

Our current house is nothing we ever expected we’d want in a home but as it turns out, it’s perfect for our family. You know that whole “we plan, God laughs” thing? Yeah, it’s like that.

Here’s what the walls looked like when we moved in…

Now, it’s difficult to accurately depict how it feels to be surrounded all day by this orange-ish color on the walls, as well as the tongue and groove ceiling in the front room and loft. I’d imagine it’s somewhat like being engulfed in a mob of ooompa-loompas. Not pleasant.

So, now I had two issues:

1. Orange is not pleasant to look at and becomes overwhelming after a few months.

2. Have you ever tried decorating orange walls? It’s a nightmare.

This leads me to the first decorating tip I want to share with you:

Start with a clean slate.

If your walls are already the color of your choosing then you get to skip this step. [Yay you! Just know the rest of us are looking on in envy…] The solution I came up with for our house was to paint the log walls. I know, I know. But look at what a difference it made in this space…

I wanted to lose the orange but keep the natural curves of the logs because they truly are lovely and add an undeniable warmth to the room (both literally and visually). To achieve this, once the paint had cured, I went back over each log one-by-one and hand-sanded them. I tried an electric sander first but the effect was too harsh for the look I wanted to create. I’ll be the first to admit that it could have been operator error. Regardless, that’s a project I will never do again for as long as I live. But to this day, the one I’m most glad I did!

I settled on white because the contrast with the curves of the logs peeking through in their subtle, natural wood color is aesthetically pleasing. This space instantly felt bigger and brighter. Plus, it gave me that clean slate I needed.

*Pro Tip: the use of accent walls, although once a beautiful way to add color and/or pattern to a room, is no longer “in”. Instead, I suggest adding color and texture through your decor. And if you’re wanting that focal point aspect that an accent wall once accomplished, try a large wall hanging that meshes well with your decorating style.

My next tip is, by far, the most important but you’ll need to do a little bit of homework:

Determine your decorating style.

The best way to do this is to use your resources. Ah, the internet! A quick search for ‘interior decorating styles’ will display results like:

Shabby Chic

Minimalist

Mid-century modern

Art Deco

Farmhouse – there are several different varieties to choose from including modern, cottage and French.

Industrial

Vintage

Coastal (Nautical)

The list goes on and on. The key is not to get overwhelmed. Easier said than done, I know. But you may already have an idea of certain styles that catch your eye, without even realizing it.

– Are you drawn to nautical trinkets such as anchors, shells and sea creatures, accented with hues of blue and white? Coastal might be your style.

– Do you prefer furniture and decorations with clean lines and colors that exude feelings of warmth and simplicity? Are natural textures and materials like wood and galvanized steel your preference? Give Modern farmhouse a go.

– Perhaps unique finds from decades past are more your style. Maybe you’re an antique shopper and you’d enjoy a more nostalgic vibe? Try Vintage.

There’s a decorating style for everyone. Once you find yours, you’re ready for the next step!

Up next:

Use what you’ve got.

Armed with your style, start looking at the decorations and furniture you already have. Chances are, at least some of it will fit perfectly into your home’s new look. And remember, just because a piece of furniture doesn’t seem to mesh with your new style at first glance, doesn’t mean you need to get rid of it. Can it be repurposed in some way? Maybe painted? That would make a great weekend project!

You can even paint things like picture frames, vases, cabinet handles, doorknobs, air vents and mirrors to give them new life. An inexpensive can of spray paint can do wonders for freshening up decor. I also updated our 20 year old kitchen cabinets with a fresh coat of paint (that I had from a previous project).

One of my favorite repurposed pieces is this sewing table (below). It’s no longer used for sewing so I removed the fold-out table from the side (just a few screws, nothing extravagant) and transformed it into a coffee station. The small cabinet on the right has extra coffee mugs, travel mugs and coffee filters. The larger cabinet (left two sections) is where we store our dog food, their treats and my candles/wax melts.

Remember, you want the pieces you choose for your home to work with your family’s life.

For instance, we needed a desk for our boys to sit at while working on homework and me to use for blogging. A little space dedicated strictly to those tasks. We had a very small area to work with and the desk needed to be either easily mobile or able to fold up in some way. It also needed to be reasonably priced and sturdy, as we have two young boys and two large dogs who tend to bump into everything while playing. I searched for months, to no avail. Feeling discouraged, I finally decided I could probably design the exact desk I had in mind. And possibly build it myself? I had never attempted a project like that before. Nothing even remotely close.

I drew up my idea and nervously chose two decent looking (FREE) pallets. After prying off some boards, I started sanding.. and sanding. Then measuring.. and measuring some more. My husband helped me hang the desk (it’s a beast!) and attach the fold-out desktop. In the end, the only supplies we had to purchase was a box of wood screws and the desktop hardware.

The biggest takeaway from this tip is that redecorating your home doesn’t mean you need to go out and purchase all new decor and furniture. Before you toss something to the wayside, take a good long look at it and imagine it with a fresh coat of paint, in a color that fits your chosen style. It might surprise you!

Next up:

Plan your attack. Room by room.

If you’re like me, when you decide to embark on a new journey, you’re immediately overcome with the urge to dive in headfirst and take on every wave at once. That’s a great example of what not to do. I know this because it’s the approach I took with our second house. I can tell you from experience that it will overwhelm you, not to mention it’s a huge undertaking, mentally and financially, to try and redecorate an entire house at once. For this step you need to practice patience.

The easiest route I’ve found is to determine which room you’d like to start with and map out what you want it to look like in the end. Draw everything from the furniture, down to the decor on the tables and shelves. And no, you don’t need to be an artist, or even remotely good at drawing. No one will see the draft except you and if you draw a tv stand underneath a tv, you’ll know exactly what it is when you look at it.

If you find yourself stumped during the process of choosing pieces for a room, for instance tabletop decorations for your end table or wall decor for that bare space you keep staring at, remember to use your resources! You can walk around the household section or a home decor shop like I do for inspiration or you can browse the internet for images found under your specific decorating style. The latter will also help if you find it difficult to style your pieces within the room, on a shelf, table, tv stand, etc. Simply type in your search term and then click “images”.

*Pro Tip: although there’s still something about a well done gallery wall that gets me every time, the start of this new decade closed the door on that trend. When choosing wall decor for a single wall, opt for the “less is more” policy.

The key is to attack one room at a time. I chose to start with the room my family spends most of our time in.. the family room/play area. This was a challenging area since its one large space that had to meet the needs of two very different functions at once.

One side of this room is a cozy nook for our family to enjoy time together. And the other side, a play area complete with toy storage displayed in a pretty and practical way.

When working with a situation like this (a large, multipurpose space) it’s extremely important to make sure your color palette blends well between the two areas. The internet is a great place to find a handful of colors that correspond well with your style. “Modern farmhouse* color palette” is a great search phrase (*substitute with your decorating style). You’ll want these colors to flow throughout each room in your home. This helps tie everything together nicely and shows that you put thought into your design. Choose a neutral color for your walls and then you can work in some of the other colors and textures through your furniture and decor.. rugs, pillow covers, wall hangings, knick knacks, plants, towels, etc..

*Pro Tip: pillow covers are a simple, inexpensive way to add splashes of color and fun patterns to a room. I like to swap ours out seasonally for a new look.

Next on the agenda:

Start shopping.

There will inevitably be some pieces you’ll need to purchase for each room. This is where the previous tip really comes into play. Focus on only one room at a time.

We all want to have our home exactly the way we want it ASAP, but this takes time. Remember, you’re decorating your home, not staging one. The pieces inside it need to make sense for your family’s needs.

So, with your {beautiful} room drawing in hand, make a list of the items you need to purchase to complete the room. Remember that your furniture should be practical, not just pretty. It should serve a purpose and fulfill a need for your family. Look for items that will fit well in the room, too. Measure and measure again. You don’t want to end up with furniture, rugs, wall hangings or decor that are too large or too small for the space you’re working with. Measure and record the room size, including height under windows if you’re planning on having furniture (ie. a bench) below them. When measuring furniture remember to measure the length, width, height and depth. And if you find it difficult to visualize the size of furniture or a rug in your home, grab some painters tape and measure it out on the floor!

*Pro Tip: when measuring for a rug underneath your kitchen/dining table, scoot the chairs out to the location they’ll be in when someone is sitting there. Then measure that footprint. This prevents the back legs of your chairs from hanging over the rug when they’re being used.

Remember that your furniture should be practical, not just pretty.

When determining what I wanted to put in the entryway of our home, I opted for this bench (below). It’s a cozy, welcoming sight for visitors when they first walk into our home, but it also houses our boys’ shoes! And did you notice the decorative basket to the left, filled with sports balls? And the galvanized steel milk jug on the right is perfect for guests to stash their umbrella in while visiting. Pretty and practical.

Once you find an item you have your heart set on, I recommend browsing the internet for the best price. Always. Always. Always do this. There’s even a “shopping” tab you can click on. It’s a great tool when you’re wanting to compare multiple prices from a variety of retailers at once.

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I hope this list helps you get started or continue creating a home for your family. Remember that it doesn’t happen overnight.

We’ve lived in our home for three years and I’ve yet to even touch the first floor bathroom, our boys’ bedrooms or the basement. I typically recommend starting with the rooms you and your guests spend the most time in. The spaces you see most often.

This guideline is meant to be a helpful resource to use when transforming your house into your home. It’s a process that will take time. Be patient with yourself.

Have fun with the process! Take your time. And remember… pretty and practical.

Have you recently done some redecorating of your own? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a comment below and tell me how it went.