Last month, I admitted that I have an insatiable urge to throw everything away and, quite literally, clean house once the holidays are over. In turn, this leads to my constant need to redecorate and freshen up my entire living space (it’s a vicious circle, I tell ya!) Luckily, Kacey from The Drifter Collective has some great ideas to help spruce things up by focusing on the most important things in each room.
These Are the Most Important Things in Each Room
These are the Most Important Things in Each Room
You already know the basics of décor: the bed goes in the bedroom, the living room needs a sofa, and the bathroom wouldn’t be complete without a cozy rug to step on after your shower. But, beyond the obvious, there are a few things that every room in your house should have.
These elements can be functional, but, most importantly, they’re decorative — and, with every little piece you add, you show off a bit of your personality. Ready to infuse your home with a whole lot of you? Here are five of the best things to have to complete the picture.
1. Your Favorite Color(s)
There are so many supposed rules when it comes to painting your home — dark colors shrink a space, light colors make it feel larger, and neutrals help you re-sell your home later on. With all these design tenets in your head, you might have a hard time choosing a color for the masses. That’s why you should ignore them.
Instead, choose a color that speaks specifically to you. If you’re scared to make such a bold statement, start by painting an accent wall. One of the top tips for doing so is to make sure the color you choose is a bright, bold one. Painting that hue on one wall might be just enough to make a statement – or, if it feels like the room needs more, grab another can and brush it onto the rest of your space.
2. Art, as Curated By You
Anyone can tell you what type of art is in, what type of art is outdated and which type of art will go best with your home’s architectural style. But, you’re not curating a museum: you’re putting together a home that represents who you are. So, choose art that you like, with colors and images that inspire you — you won’t regret following your heart when you look at your painting, or photo, or sculpture each day and still love it.
3. Layered Fabrics
You can also add a pop of personality with the fabrics you choose in each of your rooms. Chances are, you already have the neutral backdrop you need to set off the patterns and shades you like. A beige sofa or a bed covered in white linens is just begging for a bit of your personality to make it shine.
Layering fabrics doesn’t start and end with throw pillows, although that’s a great place to start. You can add throw blanket(s) to the foot of your bed, or pile them at the edge of your sofa. Don’t forget about your feet: a patterned rug is also a type of fabric that can center a space, especially one your building as part of an open floor plan.
Finish up with curtains chosen to fit the room of your house you’re trying to decorate. If you already have brightly patterned pillows, for example, you might go for a subtler curtain fabric to support your show-stopping textiles. On the other hand, a more eye-catching print can enliven an otherwise neutral area.
4. Family Heirlooms
Who says you have to ditch your hand-me-downs for a perfectly matching set of furniture? Your family heirlooms are what make your home feel like a home. They connect you to your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles — whoever gave you the furniture in the first place. And, if you love the way they look, it doesn’t matter if they’re a perfect match to the rest of the pieces in your home.
Of course, you can also spend a weekend sprucing up old furniture so that it feels fresher and newer, if that’s holding you back from truly loving your hand-me-downs. Wood furniture, for example, can easily be updated with paint and a new set of hardware; you can tackle this simple DIY project on your own, too.
5. Personalized Accessories
In a similar vein, you can make your home feel like it’s yours by displaying personalized accessories that show off who you are, where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished. The easiest way to do it? Print out, frame and display your most favorite photos. They can be images of your family tree, your travels around the world or your craziest parties with your friends: so long as they’re pictures that mean something to you, they’re worth showing off.
The same goes for souvenirs you’ve gathered while traveling around the world. If you’ve failed to gather mementos on your previous trips, make a point to do so in the future and add them to your décor scheme. Again, the memories of your trip will flood back every time you see your souvenirs — and there aren’t many feelings better than that one.
Finally, you can personalize a room by displaying items you’ve collected over time. From stamps, to coins, to old cameras, to antique figurines, your collection is a representation of your interests and will add so much character to any room in your home.
Make It Yours
As you’ve probably gathered, the most important element to decorating each room in your house is you. So, let your instincts guide you as you decorate, and you won’t go wrong: in the end, it’ll be a place that’s uniquely, entirely yours, and you’re sure to love it.
