Hey everyone! Looking for any interior decorator aficionados out there. For as long as I can remember I’ve never been able to decorate spaces where I live and would love some advice!
I’ve been at my current home a few years and my living room is painted, but the walls are empty. We have some furniture (couch, entertainment center, key ring holder) and our TV but you really wouldn’t be able to tell who lives there or what type of people we are. This is the case for all of our rooms.
Does anyone have or know of any guides/tips/suggestions for making a space feel more “lived-in” or “home-y”? I’m not sure where to start aside from family pictures, but then get stressed about messing up our walls or something “looking wrong” and having to redo/undo it all. Any way to get past that mindset as well is definitely welcome!
Any help is appreciated, thanks everyone!
The very first thing I do whenever I move into a new place is get things on the wall. Floating shelves and framed pictures especially. I usually just buy cheap frames that I think look good.
Without exception, people normally comment that the place looks lived in despite there being boxes all over the place. The trick, as I’ve found, is to make your home look the way you want. It’s your space, and if it’s your space you can decorate it how you like and it can’t be “wrong”. The decorating style speaks to your style and your own flairs and personality will come through. Do what’s pleasing to your eye.
Personally, knick-knacks and some books, old DVDs of favorite movies, travel (or other) mementos, and small plants on the shelves seal the deal for me. For pictures and other framed pieces, my aesthetic leans towards semi-chaos looking. No neat rows and columns on the wall. I just throw things up and move them around as I see fit.
Don’t sweat the details, there is no “wrong” when it comes to personal preference for your living space. Make some tiny holes in the wall for your “pieces of flair” and don’t worry, they can be fixed or filled in as needed.
If that’s all still too much, get some houseplants and spread them around your home.
Tons of great info here! Yeah like I think pictures + shelves for the walls are the way to go. It seems like for us it’s a matter of just putting something up to get started then that’ll jumpstart the rest. Love the idea of “semi-chaos.” I feel like my friends places have some more refined style but maybe ours just doesn’t work that way. It’s nice to know people embrace a less pristine style.
Something I read online ages ago that kind of struck a chord with me…it was something to the effect of “treat your home like a playground and not a museum”. And you know what, it’s true! I enjoy it when people in my home feel comfortable picking up a knick-knack that looks interesting to them, especially so if I see a kid eyeing something and the look on their face when I hand it to them! Within reason of course :)
Happy to share a few pictures of what I’ve got going on over here, especially if it’ll help inspire you to put that first nail in the wall!