Everyone dreams of designing their ideal, cozy, and beautiful home but not everyone can afford an interior designer, and when it comes time to DIY-ing it, it can be hard to know where to start. But, not to worry! With our tips, we’ll get you on the way to styling your space all by yourself and make it look like it was designed by an expert. Let’s get into it.

01. Make a mood board

The first thing to do is to have a concrete idea of what you want your space to look like. If you have ideas in mind already, you can expand on it but if not, there are research resources like Pinterest where you can get different ideas. 

Pin different colours, textures, furniture styles, and inspiration images together. Once you’ve pinned a few, have a look at your board and highlight the commonly recurring elements. For example, if you see a lot of warm timber furniture in your pins, add that to your shopping list. Notice a lot of brass/chrome accents? Keep an eye out for a trendy copper-toned lamp or decor pieces on your next shopping trip!

If you’re designing your space with roommates, a partner, or the whole family, be sure to take the time to sit down with them and show them your ideas, and let them voice their own. 

02. Pick colours for your space

After piecing together your ideas and getting a rough idea of what you want your space to look like, the next thing to consider is the colour scheme you plan on using. 

Picking the right colour scheme is crucial as it can completely change a room. Keep in mind how much light you have in the space, what the room will be used for, and what mood you’d like to evoke. Want a nice and cozy bedroom? Stick to warmer, deeper tones. Want an airy, tranquil living room? Stick to neutrals and off-white tones!

To achieve a perfect colour scheme, we recommend you go for a combination of three dominant colors. One base colour for furniture; one accent colour for your decor items, throw blankets, a feature wall, and to add depth; and then a nice neutral colour to help balance out your space.

Check out how we’ve designed our Santa Fe bedroom package below. We’ve used the deep warm browns from the furniture as our base colour. We’ve also used green as a trendy accent colour for the bedspread, greenery, and feature wall. And then we’ve used a nice white textured wall and beige accent pieces to balance these two colours out!

03. Time to put the ‘decor’ in ‘home decorating pro’

Once you have all of your base colours and furniture items in place, it’s time to add depth and dimension with decor, artwork, and little accents! Finding affordable and beautiful decor pieces is easy, the tricky part is making sure they will work in your space.

Before scanning that new throw pillow at the checkout, ask yourself if it fits within your colour scheme and overall “vibe” of your space. It may be a beautiful pillow, but if it doesn’t work within your space, it’ll just stick out like a sore thumb!

Another brilliant way to add a ‘lived-in’ feel to your space is by adding artwork! You can find affordable artwork and prints online, frame them and arrange them as you like. Or better yet, keep an eye out for local art shows and pick up a locally made masterpiece to create an interesting talking point for your room.

04. Add some greenery!

This might seem like a relatively easy tip but it can really make all the difference in your space. Putting flowers, plants in your room can instantly add life to your space. 

On top of helping clear the air and giving you a new horticulture hobby, plants help to break up spaces and add focal points to otherwise empty parts of your room.

Not quite a green thumb? Don’t worry. Faux and artificial plants are sold just about everywhere right now and are a great option for people who don’t have the time or energy to maintain a finicky houseplant. We won’t tell if you don’t.

05. Get the set!

You know when you’re flipping through a catalogue, and you see a picture of a room that you just love? Well, a lot of the time you can replicate that exact look in your space by purchasing an entire package.

Packages are created by furniture retailers’ grouping together products from the same range, or similar styles, and selling them for discounted rates. 

Packages are an awesome way to ensure that all your furniture will match each other, and thanks to the package discount, you’ll usually save some big bucks in the process. 

You could makeover your bedroom in seconds with a little bedroom package like this: