Your Decorating Hotline

Wednesdays are all about our readers – it’s an opportunity for us to share your questions, your solutions, and your inspirations – anything of interest to you. Please feel free to email us anything you’d like to contribute. If you’re knowledgeable in plant care, we’d love to hear it. A wall painting tip, technique, or short cut, please share. Have you got an opinion on a particular decor style, a specific designer, a room photo, or a product? Do tell all! We want this day to become a forum for us all to share our ideas.

House Makeover

Reader Amy wrote, “I’ve been having a great time perusing your blog for tips and ideas. I’m about to begin the process of redecorating my home. I live in southern California with my husband and three young children. We have a modest home, built in the mid 1930’s, 1,750 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths.

My dilemma about this redecorating project is this: Where in the heck do I start? I have this overwhelming urge to just do it all at once! My taste has changed significantly since we first moved into our home, so a lot of my accessories and even some of my furniture will not “make the cut”. How can I create a cohesive whole-house theme and transition through it?

I’m about to stand in the middle of my house, spin around until I’m dizzy, and when I open my eyes, that’s where I’ll begin. I’m guessing that there is a better method than that madness, though! Thanks in advance for any direction you can give me.”

Where to Begin with a Makeover

I responded: How lucky for you to be able to tackle your whole house, but it definitely can be overwhelming! You need to break the house into bite-sized tasks so you can see progress in a controlled way. If you do a chair in one room, art in another, paint a wall in another, you won’t feel like you’re making a difference. You can tackle it in one of three ways: pick the room you like the least & begin there OR pick the room you use the most or is the most ‘public’ and begin there (usually a family/living room) OR pick the room that you have enough money to complete. After the first room is at least 80% complete, you could move into the next adjoining room.

Since you know you’re going to eventually redecorate most of the house, working from an overall color scheme or plan will simplify the project as well as keep you on track so you aren’t distracted by random “pretty things”. I’ve written a couple of articles about this which you can read here:

http://yourdecoratinghotline.com/you-can-develop-a-color-scheme/

http://yourdecoratinghotline.com/helpful-color-tips/

Photo via Color Schemes.com

For all of you thinking of redoing more than one room, the best course of action is to work from a single inspiration piece (art, rug, fabric, etc.) to select a group of colors you like. Then sit down and plan a progression of color from one room to another.

Create an inspiration board/folder/notebook that you can take with you when you shop to help keep you focused. Include measurements of windows, furniture, shelving, room sizes, etc. so if you find a really great table, you’ll know if the size and finish are right without having to go home to check. Then, pick one room, one area and begin. It’s definitely easier to see progress and feel a sense of accomplishment if you complete one room at a time.

Decorating Makeovers

Makeovers can be so rewarding when they’re completed and you’re more likely to be pleased with result if you work with a plan. Luckily home decorating plans are easily adaptable as you go along. If you’ve started on the family room but find a beautiful sleigh bed for the master bedroom on sale, it would be foolish to pass up the opportunity. Even though it’s natural to want to finish the bedroom then, don’t get distracted; return to the family room and finish that room before moving on.

What’s your experience with multiple room makeovers? What techniques have worked for you? Did you work from an inspiration photo or notebook or just ‘wing it’? We’d love to hear about your experience.