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By Design: Where to start with decorating your home
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Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Decorating your home should be a rewarding experience. However, many of us lack the confidence and tools to know just where to begin. With so many options out there, it's no wonder we get confused. 

Well, folks, feel the fear and do it anyway…(or, contract with a designer for assistance.) Remember, good taste doesn't depend on the size of one's checking account, but rather how you express your sense of personal style.

A secret of design success is knowing when to stop: resist the impulse to over-decorate. The road to design success is marked with many tempting parking spaces –– it doesn't mean you have to park! You don't have to fill every square inch of available space with stuff! (Well, some of us don't…)

Your home is your own slice of paradise and needs to be aesthetically and functionally pleasing. Study each room you are planning to redesign: the light, the architecture, the view. Then make the decision as to which of these elements you wish to play up or which to minimize. If you have a passion for a particular look you would like to achieve, then follow your dream –– wisely and slowly.

As each room has it's own character, think about adding your furnishings a little at a time. To decorate an entire room in haste may not be wise, nor is it kind to your pocketbook. Each addition to your decorating scheme needs time to "settle in" and allow you to determine what other furnishings may be required. Develop each space to function according to your family's needs. If you need to turn an extra bedroom into an office or den, then knock yourself out. Rules are made to be broken. And after all, whose home is it, anyway?

Last, but certainly not least, is accessorizing –– the most personal and intimate part of interior design and decorating. Nothing adds more charm to a room and says more about your character than objects that you cherish. And, although an accessory's compatibility to your environment is important, accessories should be selected for their pleasing appeal to you and your family. Neither the style nor the motif of accessories has to match, however, they should be equally formal or informal. Also, keep in mind that furniture and accessory sizes should be in proportion to one another and to the total room environment as a whole.

Shopping for accessories, whether at boutiques, in your own attic, or a flea market will be fun and challenging and puts your very own signature on your home's interior!

Need design or decorating assistance? Contact Beladagio at 832-8288 or stop by Beladagio, located in the Stockdale Fashion Plaza behind Outback Steakhouse.

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