So, you’re finally ready to start looking for your own home? With a good real estate company behind you, the hardest part of this process should be choosing your new place and signing the relevant mortgage paperwork. Everything else? That’s where your creativity can really shine!
There are so many stresses involved with buying a new home, ranging from affordability, seeking out good neighbors and good schools, and the exhausting moving process itself. Decorating should be the most fun you’ll have with the whole house buying process, and a good decorating job can truly turn an unfamiliar new house into a cozy home in a matter of weeks. If you signed a mortgage to pay for the whole house, don’t be afraid to decorate and enjoy every nook and cranny of the whole house.
Start Small
Whether you are decorating a home intended for a single person or an entire family, always remember to start small. It will take time to decorate multiple rooms in your new home, and it may even take multiple days to decorate one room in your new home. Make a plan, budget yourself more time than you may think you need to finish, and don’t feel too bothered if
- Don’t get too paralyzed to start a decorating project, either. Anything you do to decorate your home is sure to look great. There’s no need to be nervous!
The 60-30-10 Decorating Rule
According to the 60-30-10 rule of home decorating, you can select a great color palette for a space by making 60% of the room a dominant color, 30% should be a secondary color, and the remaining 10% should be an accent color. Keeping this simple decorating rule in mind will help you focus your decorating abilities so you can bring out the most of your space. You can also add texture into the decorating rule, such as wood, rock, or leather elements (though we suggest you don’t add more than 30% of a single texture into one small space).
- Keep this decorating rule in mind a source of advice, but always remember that your home is yours. If you have a design in mind that won’t easily fit in this rule, then don’t worry about ignoring the rule altogether!
Low Budget Home Decorating
Decorating a home can quickly become expensive, so it’s always wise to make a budget for yourself before you begin planning any major design changes. In fact, giving each room its own budget can help you effectively anticipate the needs of each part of the space (You should probably budget more money for the bedroom than the bathroom, for example).
Use Your Halls
Decorating your main hallways can add a lot of life to your house in a simple and affordable way. If you have a dull hallway, have some of your favorite family photos printed and hung on the walls. You can also print photos of your favorite places, such as a lake or mountain you’ve enjoyed visiting in the past. Have the photos printed at different sizes and hang them at slightly different positions in the hallway to create a gallery wall that is easy and fun for the eye to follow.
Add Decorative Plants
You don’t need a green thumb to keep false plants alive, and there are many false plants that are both affordable and great to look at. Consider adding a small plant on top of a desk, side table, or counter that you think could benefit from a splash of green.
- Looking at plants daily can improve your mental health. In this day and age where so many of us are shut inside either of our own volition or to work from home, a daily dose of plants can be great for the soul
Clutter? Find an Alternative Spot and Stick to It
Do you often come inside after a long day and drop the mail on the counter? Do you leave plastic grocery bags out? What about pencils, keys, or coins? Most of us clutter our counters very quickly, and even a small amount of clutter can bring down the look of a room. Consider buying a few desk organizers to add a little more structure to a space. For example, if you keep a mail organizer in the kitchen near the toaster, you’re less likely to leave bills or other papers strewn across tables or couches in the rooms you might host guests.
- You can even place a decorative plant in the spot where you used to drop the mail as a reminder to yourself that you shouldn’t clutter the space with mail because the plant is already in the way
Rearrange Your Furniture
For the ultimate way to freshen up your space while staying on a budget, move your furniture around in a room. You might want to ask for an extra pair of hands if you are moving large furniture items such as sofas or crowded bookshelves, but you may be surprised at how different you can make a room feel simply by changing your existing layout. Best of all, you can always put it back if you change your mind later, which isn’t always the case for rooms that you’ve re-wallpapered or bought entirely new furniture for.
Much like bringing home your first car, sending a child off to elementary school, or signing your first mortgage, moving to a new home is one of those life events that hundreds of thousands of people have experienced at one point or another. Fortunately, that means you can find plenty of tips online about choosing homes, opting for moving companies, and decorating your new place to your liking. Even if you worry you aren’t “creative enough” to decorate your home, you can browse online for great ideas that can help you.
Contact Us Today With Any Questions!
Still looking for your next home? Not sure how to take out your first home loan? Questions about utilities? The Lindley Team is here to help and answer any questions you may have about getting mortgage assistance in Oregon. We have three decades of experience working in real estate and finances, and we look forward to helping you find the new home that’s just right for you. Apply for a Portland mortgage today and contact us with any questions you may have.
