When designing your new home, incorporating your personal style, tastes and life experiences is important to think about. Once you have your design, you then want your décor to pop right? But you’d be surprised at how hard decorating a new home can be. At Perth Townies, we offer you a free interior design consult as a part of our process, but here are a few hints to get you started.
Plan it out
Go in with a plan that clearly prioritises which things you want to get done straight away, and which things can wait. It’s ok to tackle decorating your new home piece by piece, and starting with the items and the rooms you’ll use the most is probably your best plan.
Also have a think about the things you definitely need and how much its’s going to cost you for things like a couch or window treatments, pendant lights and event prints. Spread out buying of your higher priced items so that you’re not going all in at once, and settle for cheaper alternatives in the meantime (more on that in tip #3). It will all get done eventually.
Repurpose
You don’t need to buy everything brand new, in fact you’re probably silly to think you should (but no judgement…ok maybe a little). You probably already have a fair chunk of things that will work just as well in your new home, maybe some things that need a bit of TLC, leaving the things you don’t have to spend your money on. Don’t be afraid to DIY to turn old items into new treasures. Something as simple as painting an old hand-me-down dresser can make it a perfect fit for your style without requiring that you spend a lot of money.
Start cheap and work your way up
There’s no reason that you have to have the best of the best right away. If you need to decorate a new home on a budget, consider buying the big ticket items on the cheap through second hand stores and budget-friendly retailers like IKEA and Kmart, and then update as you can. This is ideal for super expensive items like couches and dining room tables, and gives you the freedom and flexibility to really save and do your research.
Make the most of antiques and estate sales
Antique stores and estate sales are both excellent places to find things like art, vases, frames, and kitchenware. To simplify the process and increase your chances of going home with a good haul, head in with a list of things you need and want—it can be overwhelming to be faced with so many options if you’re not exactly sure what you’re looking for.
A little bit of paint goes a long way
A coat or two of paint can completely transform a room with very little expense. Whether you prefer neutrals or bright and bold statement hues, painting is an opportunity for you to infuse your style into your new home and form a backdrop that you can decorate around.
Go for green
Plants are one of the most cost effective ways there is to decorate a new home. A little (or a lot!) of green instantly brightens up a space and makes it seem more put together, and as an added bonus, having plants around is also good for your health and happiness. And if you’re not the green thumb type and struggle to keep plants alive, lucky for you faux plants are in style too, so even those who are lacking a green thumb can embrace a plant-friendly decorating scheme.
Don’t buy it just because…
Keeping up with the Jones’ or the Smiths’ or whoever it is, is never a good thing! Go with the flow of your own taste and style, and remember that you’re the only one who has to love the look of your new home. Not only will it save you money, it will also help ensure you’re happy with the end result of your decorating efforts.
In need of more advice for decorating a home, be sure to take up our free interior design consultation when you build you new home dream with Perth Townies.
