4 Easy Home Decorating Ideas That Cost Nothing

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Four Simple Steps for Home Decorating

Home decorating is one of the most challenging parts of homemaking. It can also be the most exciting. Creating the perfect home for your family is a great adventure, it challenges you to use your love, enthusiasm and vision. It will also demand a great deal of time skill and thought.

Anyone with money can go out and purchase expensive furnishings, but this does not guarantee that what you purchase will work for your family. On the contrary, your home could easily end up being boring.

Home decorating that defines good taste is almost impossible. But in the most general terms it is basically a combination of suitability, balance, integration, planning, clarity and skillful use of color. Remember a room should suit the personalities of the people who are going to be using it.

What makes a room successful?

Four thing are of equal importance in home decorating. They are character (or personality), comfort, function and atmosphere.

Character

Many components go into giving a room character: imaginative use of unusual color schemes that are entirely your own; strategic placing of furniture; clever use of paintings, sculpture, books, collections, and the truly individual touches that stamp your personality on the room.

For instance, if you like books, don't scatter them in bookshelves throughout the home. Bring them together in one massive library arrangement. You can add shelves from floor to ceiling, on two walls if possible, leaving space among the books for pictures, a plant, a piece of pottery, or a sculpture.

If you have picked up native handicraft or collectors' items on your travels, arrange them on glass shelves on a wall or in a corner made to feature them.

Comfort

Perhaps your family prefers a casual way of living; ensure their comfort by consulting with them to make sure that your home decorating schemes suit them too.

Seating and lighting play an important part in your home decorating plans, particularly to a home-loving family who enjoy reading, listening to music, watching tv or entertaining friends and family.

If you have only one family/living room make sure that there are "personal" corners where different members of your family can pursue their activities and hobbies, seating arrangements should be well-placed for easy conversation; and lights are strategically placed and positioned;. Test a sofa or chair before buying them, make sure they are comfortable and relaxing.

Function:

For a home to succeed it must function properly for all family members.

Do you have to cater to:

1. Teenagers who want their own room for entertaining their friends?

2. Younger children who need a playroom, where they can be "messy"?

3. A home office?

All these factors are important when planning your home and will play an integral part of your decorating theme.

As soon as you recognize your needs, your home decorating plans will clarify themselves, and you will be able to provide for all the activities your family enjoys.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere in your home is largely created by the combination of function, character and comfort.

Color is extremely important in the creation of atmosphere. For instance, the more vivid, darker colors can create a feeling of peace; pastels and softer shades always seem to create a feeling of serenity .

Textures are also an important factor. The fabrics you choose for furniture and for drapes should blend with each other and the rest of the room.

Lighting kept soft, subdued and well placed is the third vital home decorating ingredient in creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Paintings, flowers and books also add atmosphere to any room.

One of the most basic things to remember is that the way you decorate is a reflection of you. A carefully planned home is a creative way to express some of your interests and tastes, as well as those of your family.

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