Hey everyone! Looking for any interior decorator aficionados out there. For as long as I can remember I’ve never been able to decorate spaces where I live and would love some advice!
I’ve been at my current home a few years and my living room is painted, but the walls are empty. We have some furniture (couch, entertainment center, key ring holder) and our TV but you really wouldn’t be able to tell who lives there or what type of people we are. This is the case for all of our rooms.
Does anyone have or know of any guides/tips/suggestions for making a space feel more “lived-in” or “home-y”? I’m not sure where to start aside from family pictures, but then get stressed about messing up our walls or something “looking wrong” and having to redo/undo it all. Any way to get past that mindset as well is definitely welcome!
Any help is appreciated, thanks everyone!
The very first thing I do whenever I move into a new place is get things on the wall. Floating shelves and framed pictures especially. I usually just buy cheap frames that I think look good.
Without exception, people normally comment that the place looks lived in despite there being boxes all over the place. The trick, as I’ve found, is to make your home look the way you want. It’s your space, and if it’s your space you can decorate it how you like and it can’t be “wrong”. The decorating style speaks to your style and your own flairs and personality will come through. Do what’s pleasing to your eye.
Personally, knick-knacks and some books, old DVDs of favorite movies, travel (or other) mementos, and small plants on the shelves seal the deal for me. For pictures and other framed pieces, my aesthetic leans towards semi-chaos looking. No neat rows and columns on the wall. I just throw things up and move them around as I see fit.
Don’t sweat the details, there is no “wrong” when it comes to personal preference for your living space. Make some tiny holes in the wall for your “pieces of flair” and don’t worry, they can be fixed or filled in as needed.
If that’s all still too much, get some houseplants and spread them around your home.
Tons of great info here! Yeah like I think pictures + shelves for the walls are the way to go. It seems like for us it’s a matter of just putting something up to get started then that’ll jumpstart the rest. Love the idea of “semi-chaos.” I feel like my friends places have some more refined style but maybe ours just doesn’t work that way. It’s nice to know people embrace a less pristine style.
Something I read online ages ago that kind of struck a chord with me…it was something to the effect of “treat your home like a playground and not a museum”. And you know what, it’s true! I enjoy it when people in my home feel comfortable picking up a knick-knack that looks interesting to them, especially so if I see a kid eyeing something and the look on their face when I hand it to them! Within reason of course :)
Happy to share a few pictures of what I’ve got going on over here, especially if it’ll help inspire you to put that first nail in the wall!
Go start appreciating art. I don’t mean pay thousands for paintings. I mean go to poster shops, art galleries, craft fairs, etc. if you find something that you really like, you can probably find a print that is a decent price.
Or just start looking for pictures online of places you went to vacation. Flickr was good for this, if that’s still a thing. Yes, you could print big versions of your own photos - but why when there’s someone out there that probably took a better picture with a much nicer camera. Just get that photo printed on a metal frame or canvas sheet and hang it on the wall.
Just to add onto this, I managed to get a print from a famous artist for around $25 and frame it simply for around $35.
This was pre-pandemic, mind you, so it may not be that inexpensive now, but look around and ask for a framing quote at a Michael’s or better, local frame or photo shop, if you have one nearby.
Also thrift stores have cool art sometimes!
Yeah we’ve picked up some pieces from craft fairs and sadly they’ve just been gathering dust because we could never decide where they “fit” best. I like more moody/atmospheric art so it’s not always the aesthetic we want in like the living room for example. Will definitely look into this more!
Or you can always become the person with the nicer camera taking better pictures.
There’s something really satisfying about seeing your own pictures hanging on your wall. Ones you’re really proud of though, not just any old picture. I have 4 printed so far and plan to add another few next year.
But that’s really beside the point. I second your art though. Support local artists and find something you really like. It won’t be something mass produced, and quite possibly is one of a kind
throw blankets! a basket of blankets or a couple nice ones draped over the back of your couch can look nice or great for just whenever you need a blanket.
Really surprised nobody mentioned plants
Add a few bookshelves and fill them. House isn’t a home without books.
Bookshelves don’t have to just be for books, either! Ours is a mixed setup with a few plants, books, of course, some video games since it’s near the TV and boardgames. We also put a few eye-catching objects on it to add some color and inspire conversations.
Edit: BookS, plural! Though, I bet it could be striking if you put one single book on the shelf and filled the rest of it with other objects.
Definitely a board game family so getting some shelving units has become a necessity!
We did just get some bookshelves to put in our basement! We have more space down there so it’s helpful for getting stuff stored, but doesn’t add to our spaces where we stay the most. I think it’s really wall decorations that stress me out and makes the room feel barren.
Maybe get a shelf and put just your very favorites en it. Those you just can’t help but return to. Rotate them once in a while if that choice is too hard. Books are pretty, there’s a reason rich people buy false books by the meter just for decoration.
I usually leave dirty socks, t-shirts and briefings on the floor. This along with a well-placed bowl of soggy cereals, one or two almost empty wine glasses and the usual opened envelopes make it a very homely place for me and random people who visit from time to time
I also take some used needles and a singular crack pipe and orderly lay them on the cigarette-burned rug. My family would say they really tie the basement together.
I have a Home Decoration Guide - Whiterun that I’d let you take off my hands if you want. Definitely recommend filling up trophy cases, weapon and shield racks as well as bookshelves from your favorite plot lines, arcanery or narratives. Have something cooking. And or course, don’t forget the furniture and wall decor.
I’ll have to look that up! Would definitely love a guide for extra info/tips and inspiration. I think wall decor is our largest hurdle, along with making sure to keep clutter to a minimum. Having a toddler makes it difficult sometimes.
Try not to be afraid of “messing things up”. Fixing small holes is a great thing to learn if you own a home. A little bit of mud, sand, and paint for a nail hole really doesn’t take very long and can be learned very easily through youtube videos. And if you still dont want to deal with that, you can get some command strips which are easily removable.
Hang up artwork that represents things you care about - family, travel, movies, nature. Basically, anything you look at that will make you smile when you walk in the room. Put a few indoor plants around, have coffee table books or figurines. Definitely put curtains, and have a rug is nice if you have hardwood. Anything you put up can always be removed if you decide you don’t like it!
We have done some home renovation here and there so that’s always fine, except my spackle jobs aren’t always perfect! I think the hardest part for us is actually deciding which parts we care about the most. Obviously our family will take up part of it, but then we aren’t entirely sure about the rest. I think getting some plants is a great idea a lot of people are recommending. May need to do fake ones but still would be nice to add some color!
I always enjoy going to art fairs and stores that have local artists’ work to look for things to put up. But if you’re not into art, you can also look for “wall decor” or "wall hangings " on etsy or other home furnishing sites and just look for items that will fit the vibe and color scheme of the room.
If you have a lot of space, you can also fill it with things you’ll actually use. Some examples - a bar or snack cart, a nice accent chair/side table/cabinet /ottoman, a musical instrument, small fridge for drinks, an indoor firepit, shoe/coat rack
Happy decorating :)
Get a couple cats (only if you can commit). I would never choose to live somewhere without having my strike-crew I started at the bottom with
We do have our older kitty, buutt may be looking into getting another! I do feel like getting 2 together is the way to go so it’s definitely something my wife and I are thinking through!
Please do! It worked out so well for us that we even got another via blast from the past 😹 11/10 goddamn solid-ass crew
Edit: seriously, get two young’uns so they have each other as a foundation and will be reasonably ok when the older passes. Sad to think about but you gotta be the adult in the room for them and cats should always come in no less than pairs
Yeah I agree with everything you’ve said! I’m super cautious before adopting any new pets. The only time I’d just get one is if I’m maybe adopting from a shelter to give an older cat a new home. My main concern is how they’d interact with our old lady cat because she can be a bit feisty!
I have my own miracle in terms of that. As long as everyone has everything they need and you use treats strategically, I catch them all the time laying down with like a couple inches between butts, which would have been unthinkable to me previously.
Cats are far more trainable than people know or are willing to give them credit for. I literally train them >= the amount they train me ;)
I make a place look lived in by living in it. I might leave some small stuff lying around until I get to it. No biggie. Or I get tired of it where it is. Not tidying a whole lot … just enough to be orderly. A magazine or two here or there, half read, waiting. Coordinated furniture? RU kidding? A pet plant (named) that needs water. Some of souvenirs here and there. Pix on the fridge.
Curtains. Even if you have blinds, curtains really helps dress up the place. They don’t have to be super expensive. Just something that looks nice from your local home goods store.
Hanging pictures is super easy. As long as they’re not huge, you can nail the picture hangers right into the drywall/plaster and it will hold up just fine.
If you want to spend a little more money, you can have large prints made of pictures and have them framed. The framing is the expensive part. I have a handful of pictures I’ve taken over the years, mostly of nature, that turned out really, really good. I had some of them framed and they are hanging throughout our house. I like them because I feel like it adds a personal touch.
Lighting. You want your overhead or main lights to be bright enough to see clearly, but low enough so as to not be overpowering.
Also, discreet points of light distributed around REALLY amps things up. Use some gentle light to highlight a photo or painting, put a lamp on a table, a tchotchke on a shelf that is lighted or hides a small light to add a soft glow to the shelf it’s on… these kinds of light add warmth and character to a space easily and cheaply, and if you can manage to have them all accessible via your favorite digital assistant, power and dimming can be convenient as well.
Plants. I have one pothos plant that I manage to keep alive and I’m amazed how this one plant warms up the living room.
I have a cabinet with some sentimental items. My first knife (knives are my hobby), a candle from my sister’s and I birthday, and ESPECIALLY gifts from others, despite how insignificant it might seem. Birthday cards, handmade flowers, a tiny origami crane and other handmade trinkets. All really miniscule items but they all make me happy. I also have a tiny swedish flag from ikea. Oh and some cat chopstick holders I have on my shelf.
A stupid little quote that’s proven itself true time and time again is “small joy and big joy, all the same”. Because all these little, seemingly insignificant, items on display have often made me happier more often than other “more significant stuff”. Stuff like a new fancy office chair, expensive gaming PC and gaming set up, nice coffee maker, expensive speakers and other luxury items. It really is the simple things.
If you want to add personality then start buying stuff or collecting things from where you enjoy going.
Upstairs One wall is dedicated to pictures of family. Son’s bedroom is tractor themed and has one wall in John Deere green, another wall has a large laser cut tractor cling on it. Daughter’s bedroom is horse themed with a mural that a friend’s daughter painted, opposite wall is purple. Laundry room is clothing themed, kidding ;). Master bedroom and bath is beach themed with pictures from Hawaii and our favorite OBX beach and bed wall is teal. Loft is music themed with a piano and flute + things.
Main Floor Other walls in the house have bamboo cutting boards of the states we have family in, our state flag on wood, a large picture of our a bunch of doors in our hometown that our friend took and we framed, flags hanging vertically in my office (it has high ceilings), a wood laser cutting of my wife’s profession, a painting my father made in our dining room. Opposite wall has a massive picture of one of our favorite places . Entryway has a 4 shelf unit that has beer steins, Lladro sculptures, a piece of wood from the log home my father in law built (and we helped with), a large heart shaped price of granite rock from a friend’s property in the Rockies, lots of Tinkerbell stuff (wife’s mother loved her), lots of Hawaiian themed things (we love Kauai).
Basement Movie themed. Wife’s craft room is Harry Potter themed. Theater has movie posters and a large Disney castle picture over the couch. We also have a movie popcorn maker on an electric fireplace which is a lot of fun. Son’s bedroom is space themed since he loves that.
All of that took us ~20 years to collect. My wife looks at Pinterest and other places for ideas others have done and then incorporates what we like. Don’t worry about what other people will think of what you do. They want to see your personality, that’s the fun part!
Thank you so much for the breakdown of all the different rooms! Really helps set some perspective for the variety of examples and how that can work! We definitely have some stuff we’ve accumulated but could never decide where they should go. I think I’ll have to take a weekend and just start putting stuff up here and there and see how we like it. The worst thing we’ve done so far is really not attempt anything so we don’t even know if we’d like something.
