The Home Series: Designing

Source: The Every Girl

When you walk through the front door you're instantly overcome by the sweet scent of cinnamon, apple and spices, with Hiatus Kaiyote softly playing in the background. As you leave your shoes at the door, your feet hit the lush, blush carpet and you enter a room filled with strategically placed greenery, faux sheepskin rugs, antique gold mirrors and abstract art. You instantly feel at home and at peace...Welcome to my home.

I recently moved into my new apartment about a month ago and it's been amazing. I've learned a lot how to maintain my own place, having a cleaning and cooking schedule and not spending my whole pay check on home decor. Coming from having room mates to living alone was a huge change but I am adjusting wonderfully. 

Everything I knew about designing a home went out the window when it came down to it. I planned months in advance my colors, signature pieces and the vibe I wanted my home to exert. So I thought what better way to design my home than to have it be a representation of me. So I have a few tips on designing your new or existing home.

The Creative Process

Like many people, I knew I was going to move months in advance so I had time to plan. Take advantage of the time before your move to plan your design strategy. Of course I stalked Pinterest for the latest trends in home decor but at the end of the day I wanted something different and unique. I want people to walk into a piece of art when then walked into my home. So during this process I discovered I wanted my home to reflect different aspects of me: chic & stylish, creative, organized and minimal. That was the start of it all and from then I narrowed it down to colors and specific pieces of furniture I wanted to center my rooms around. I wanted my home to be homey and inviting. And when I have guest over they always say "it feels so homey here" and I get excited every time. 

So I sat down and wrote down all of my ideas until things started to click and I just added and added until I got something concrete for me to grasp. And of course designing a home is continuous because our taste and style change but having a great foundation is necessary. 

The Vision Process 

I am a visual person, I need to see things to be able to grasp the concept. I can envision something in my head but then I need to sketch it out or see a picture to really SEE it. So I printed the floor plan of my apartment and envisioned where I wanted things to be and that really helped with my design process. Although I ended up totally switching things around when I moved in, but it happens thats all part of designing.

The Budget Process

Although I didn't set a budget and pretty much just spent, spent,  and spent, I would not recommend that. I really recommend setting a budget for your home decor and sticking to it. You don't want to look at your bank account and find that most of your spending came from Marshalls and Target. Write down the different rooms in your home that need to be furnished and start with the necessities first! Then we can move on to the wants. Also take advantage of thrift stores and flea markets, I've found some pretty awesome home decor pieces ( 2, $100 ideas chairs or $10 each)! So write down your list, pray over it, ask God to give you favor to find the things you need and want at good prices. 

The Design Process

Now the fun begins! This is move in day or week, I did most of my designing in one day because I'm crazy like that. But take your time and have fun! Use the items you already have, you will find that even that old book shelf can be turned into a beautiful bar cart. 

My favorite thing to do is hang art work. I never knew how much a mirror or simple picture can change a room. 

Plants are your friend, they give your home a very natural and inviting feel and their just so beautiful. 

Choose a nice area rug, it may not seem like much but a rug can change the entire dynamic of your home.

Splurge on a good couch. As one of the largest pieces in your home and probably the item that you will keep around the longest, it should be a good one and comfy! 

I hope these tips help you on your next design project.

Britt