Your home doesn’t look the way you want it to. Maybe you have an idea of the look you want, but you don’t know how to achieve it. Maybe you aren’t even sure how you want it to look. What do you do when home design matters to you but you don’t have an eye for home design and you can’t afford to hire someone to do it for you? The tips below can help. Even if you ultimately find out there’s room in your budget to get some professional help, you’ll feel more confident about what you want after going through the steps below.
Use the Internet
It’s never been easier to look at a nearly endless number of pictures and ways to arrange the rooms in your home. Go online, and start searching. There are social media sites and apps that can help you organize the photos of what you like into virtual boards. To start with, you may find yourself saving images of clashing styles. For now, don’t worry about it. You’ll eventually settle on something fairly consistent that you like, and if you don’t, there’s no law saying you can’t have a mid-century modern living room, a Victorian bedroom and a contemporary kitchen.
Figure Out Your Budget
You’ll need to know how much you can spend before you know how much you can do. Look for ways to reduce your expenses so that you’ll have more money to spend on your home. Don’t be afraid to get creative. You might have already thought about forgoing some of your meals out or shopping sprees, but what about taking extra steps like trying to refinance your student loans with a private lender? Use a student loan refinance calculator to compare to your current payment situation and see if you would save money.
Take it Slow
If you’re not feeling confident about your home decorating skills, it’s a good idea to ease into it. Buy a lamp or a rug. Taking it slow is also great if you’re on a budget because it means you won’t have to come up with a lot of cash at once. Going one room at a time is also a good way to keep from becoming overwhelmed.
Follow Your Heart
Trust your instincts and your likes, and don’t worry about what anyone says you should do unless it is something along the lines of “you cannot remove that wall because it is load-bearing.” Ultimately, your home decor is all about pleasing you, so if your cousin thinks your curtains clash with the color of your walls or your best friends tells you you’re still decorating your place like a college student, what does it matter? If you are happy with it, this is all that matters.
Get Free or Inexpensive Help
There is help even if you don’t have much money. Online forums are a good place to start. You can also talk to people at home goods and design stores about the look you’re after and your space, and they can give you suggestions on what to try. In addition, look for apps that use augmented reality to help you visualize how certain choices of color and furniture will look in your home.
