How To Decorate Like a Boss

There are literally hundreds of shades, textures, styles, and inspo to find relating to decoration. Instagram alone is filled with so many cute decoration ideas you could probably spend half your life on that app… oh wait. While you are trying to decorate your first dorm, apartment or house, keep some of the following ideas in mind to help you narrow down the many choices.

Find Your Style

Hopefully your Pinterest boards already have a fairly distinct theme running through them. Modern, contemporary, traditional, eclectic, minimalist, mid-century, and boho are all extremely popular décor trends that are liked by enough people they have become the main ways to identify styles. If you don’t fit into one of these perfectly manicured styles, don’t sweat it, your ideas are probably cooler anyway. Having some inspiration and ideas is very helpful before dealing with the whole overwhelm of moving out and moving in. Brainstorm some things you really want to have in your new place a focus on that. Not everything has to get done at once.

Color Is Life

If you don’t have a favorite color picked out by know I honestly don’t know what you have done with your life. The easiest way to find colors you really like together is through Pinterest. Research color palettes to find colors that you really like together. Pick out neutrals as well as bright and bold colors that make you feel happy, excited, or calm. Also picking out colors that feel homey to you is a great place to start. While picking color visualize the space you will be occupying. This could just be a bedroom or living room or perhaps you want the colors to coordinate throughout the house. Either way, think about your space before picking the color.

Creating a Story

While this sounds a bit far-fetched, creating a story when you decorate is something worthwhile to consider. This is your space after all it might as well mean something. Perhaps you are an artist, and you choose to have painting decorating nearly an entire wall. These could be pieces of yours or artists you look up to. When someone else walks into your space, they likely recognize that there is a strong artistic presence within you based on the space they just entered. When you decorate, consider the space you want to live in. Does it have elements of your family heritage, or things you love. Does it have your essence built into it. While you might think this is kind of a lot, you might be grateful to walk into a place that feels authentically yours one day.

Harmonizing Textures

If you have previous furniture you want to keep or you’re buying all new pieces, consider the texture you are bringing in to decorate with. Furniture often holds a significant amount of texture and detail. Think of how these textures will play off one another. For instance, if you have a leather couch with less texture and a neutral color, perhaps you want a pop of color and texture in the coffee table or side table. Picking out a piece of wood that is heavily textures such as driftwood might be a good option. After adding that element into the space perhaps you want a dark contrasting fur to rest on the couch. Choosing something that’s a darker brown, gray, or black might also be a good option.

Another great place to analyze texture as well as color is in your kitchen. Picking a neutral counter or granite is a simple way to make your dish sets pop. Consider a contrasting color from your granite to decorate with. If you want a light dish on a light granite, break up the color with a wood charger or chalkboard charger. Not only does this add a significant amount  of depth and interest in your dish set, but also gives you lots of diversity to decorate with in the future.

While on the topic of dishware and for those of you that enjoy a cocktail every once in a while, cocktail glasses or wine glasses are a great way to shift up that décor look. If you have traditional taste but like to diversify with some modern looks, glasses are the place to do it. Find a shape of a glass you love and utilize that to spice up your style. Better yet, pick a few out to change looks regularly.

See Also

8 Graduation Gifts For A College Grad’s First Apartment

Mix It Up

There are lots of ways you can change rooms within your space. Your bedroom is a great place to do this as you will be the one to spend the most time there. Sometimes people hesitate to change a theme within a space but this is an outdated idea. If you have an obsession with neon pink and want that as the accent wall in your room, by all means. Creating consistent harmony in your space isn’t always the way to go so don’t be afraid to stand out a little with the looks you are going for. To decorate with some imagination is honestly more unique than keeping all the neutral colors together. Go crazy with some patterned tile in the bathroom or spice up the living room with that heavily patterned rug. While wallpaper was once considered outdated, its has been making a serious comeback and is quite a bit easier to remove now. Think about throwing in unique style, color, and textures in a space. If this unique look spreads to the rest of your space, it was probably meant to be.

Accent Pieces

While the main elements of decoration should be the focal point of your attention, don’t forget to add in those accent pieces later. If you prefer more neutral tones, throwing some color through art, pillows, mirrors, plants and so on, can change the look of a neutral space to a bright space in seconds. Don’t leave accents to the very end as they might just bring the entire thing together.  

What are your proudest decoration examples? How did you create a story in your space?