Your home is your haven. It’s where the heart is. We all want our homes to look and feel warm, inviting, personal, unique, and like an accurate representation of ourselves. The best way to make a home original is to add individual touches and create special features that elevate the home from builder’s grade average to personal and unique.
Finding a personal and unique decorating style can also be daunting and difficult, with so many ideas and products to choose from. But fundamental home design elements will get you on the road to a customized and original home.
The best thing is that DIY decorating can be quick and easy. Adding just the right accessories here and there can make a significant difference. And when you feel up to it, there are beginner DIY projects and to pack a major punch for the effort they take.
DIY Home Decor Ideas
Creating a personal and unique home doesn’t require a huge investment of time and money. You can incorporate many ideas and projects without spending precious time and money. Use these decorating tips to get your home from blah and uninspired to wow and bespoke.
Coordinate Your Soft Furnishings
Soft furnishings are the fabric elements of your room. From curtains to and rugs to throw blankets, adding tactile elements warms up a space and makes it inviting and cozy.
Fabric accessories add color, pattern, and texture to a living room. Carefully choose your fabric elements’ style and ‘feel’ to make it personal.
Velvet and lace are feminine and luxurious, linen and sisal are great for a natural and down-to-earth style, while striped and gingham patterns fit perfectly with farmhouse design.
IKEA hacks to try:
Think About Your Lights
Natural light is the preferred light in any room, and finding ways to let in more natural light is the first step in creating a well-designed living space. But additional lighting will always be needed, which brings another way to customize our home decor.
Lamps and light fixtures are essential aspects of home decor and an easy way to add character to a room. From a beautiful vintage chandelier over a dining room table to subtle, indirect lighting that creates atmosphere and mood, there is always a perfect lamp for any space and use. Take an extra moment to think about your lighting plan before you add another lamp to your decor.
IKEA hacks to try:
Add an Accent Wall
Creating a feature wall in your home is no longer challenging. So many wonderful self-sticking wallpapers are available today. From farmhouse to modern, and from classical patterns to natural textures, there is a wallpaper in every style.
If regular wallpaper sounds too dull, consider adding a photo wallpaper. The selection of photo wallpaper options grows bigger every day. From significant, extravagant flower patterns to tranquil and relaxing nature scenes, photo walls are hot and happening.
Another non-permanent way of adding a feature wall is by painting your wall. Painting one wall is an easy Saturday project. Go with a single accent color or use a decorative paint technique, like . When you no longer like your painted wall, you can easily paint over it again.
IKEA hacks to try:
Add in the Right Amount of Accessories
Decorative accessories are the perfect final touches to a room. You don’t need many to make a room feel finished and curated.
If you like adding more knick-knacks to your room, it is best to think about collections. Add similar or related accessories in groups to avoid a cluttered and haphazard look. Here are some decorative accessory ideas for you:
- A collection of similarly styled candle sticks on a fireplace mantel
- A tray with different coastal-style objects (think coral, driftwood, shells) on a coffee table
- A chunky vase with a bouquet on the dining table
- An assortment of baskets filled with hydrangeas on top of a wardrobe
- A shelf filled with all kinds of travel souvenirs
IKEA hacks to try:
Update Your Room Seasonally
Changing your decorations seasonally is perfect for making your home feel fresh and up-to-date. Each season has signature elements and colors that invoke a unique atmosphere and mood.
For summer, think of polka dots and stripes, coastal decorations like coral and seashells, and textures like wicker and linen.
Think of pumpkins and pinecones, burlap and twine, and bouquets of fall leaves for
In the winter season, add extra throw blankets and light candles. Put a simmer pot on the stove and hang some decorative wool-knitted gloves on a wall hook.
Spring is the season for , flowering spring bulbs, and light, fresh colors.
IKEA hacks to try:
Choose Your Wall Decor Carefully
The fastest way to make your home look and feel like every other home is by using ready-to-hang prints and posters. So instead, use original wall decor and hang it with care and consideration.
Finding original artwork is one way of decorating your walls, but if real wall art is outside your budget, there are other ways to decorate your walls with personality and flair.
- Use wall hooks to hang straw hats and fedoras
- Curate a collection of original thrift store paintings with a common theme
- Make a boho-style to hang on your wall
- Create a gallery wall with your pictures
- Use specialty frames to hang and swap your kids’ artwork
IKEA hacks to try:
Add Something Unexpected and Quirky
Avoiding too much matching and coordinated design is crucial when you aim for personal and unique decorating. Start with your well-chosen color scheme, mix-and-match patterns and designs, and carefully curated collections of accessories and decorations. Then, step back and see where you can add the unexpected.
Every room needs a little bit of quirky humor and originality. If you use lots of neutral and light colors, add something black, like a wall lamp or candle holder. When your style is modern and , add something vintage and rustic, like a stack of old books or a signature clay pot.
Or use something unexpected to draw attention, like a side table or a couple of baskets used as pendant lights.
IKEA hacks to try:
Finding Your Home Decor Style
If you are still determining your decorating style, it can help to investigate some popular home decor styles and their defining qualities and elements.
And remember, even when it comes to home decor styles, you can mix and match and selectively choose what works for you and leave the things that don’t resonate.
Traditional or Classical Style
Classic silhouettes, rich color palettes, and elegant patterns often characterize traditional home decor. It uses authentic antiques and luxurious materials like marble, lacquered wood, and heavy fabrics. This style incorporates timeless furnishings with symmetrical arrangements, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
To achieve a traditional look, consider using:
- Rich wood tones
- Plush fabrics like velvet, silk, or damask
- Classic patterns like damask, stripes, or paisley
- Antiques or heirlooms as accent pieces
Modern Style
Modern design emphasizes simplicity, clean lines, and geometric shapes. Chrome and leather are signature materials, relying heavily on a neutral background with bold and contrasting colors featured in original artwork and selected accessories.
To create a modern aesthetic in your home, focus on:
- Minimal use of accessories
- Open floor plans and clean lines
- Materials such as metal, glass, and concrete
- Bold accent colors and geometric patterns
Vintage Style
The vintage style celebrates the charm and nostalgia of past eras, blending old and new elements for a timeless appeal. It is also known as Shabby Chic or French Country and has a feminine vibe. It often includes repurposed items and thrifted pieces meant to look distressed and previously used.
To achieve a vintage look in your home, consider:
- Distressed or antique furniture
- Neutral and pastel colors
- Unique accessories or collections
- Genuine and faux flowers, floral patterns, and soft fabrics
Minimalist Style
Minimalism prioritizes simplicity and functionality, often featuring a neutral color palette and minimal use of accessories. This design style creates a sense of calm and order and welcomes empty surfaces.
To implement a minimalist aesthetic, focus on:
- Uncluttered spaces and minimal décor
- Functionality and purpose for every item
- Light color schemes with occasional pops of color
- Simple, streamlined furniture
Industrial Style
Industrial design draws inspiration from factories and warehouses, embracing raw, unfinished elements such as exposed brick and metal piping. This style often includes vintage or repurposed materials.
To create an industrial look, consider:
- Exposed beams, pipes, or ductwork
- Textures like concrete, raw wood, and rusty metal
- Factory-style light fixtures and metal locker cabinets
- Reclaimed or salvaged items as accessories
Farmhouse Style
Farmhouse décor combines the cozy, rustic appeal of country living with a modern lifestyle. It often features natural materials, vintage items, and handmade accents. Farmhouse style favors a neutral color palette and uses used kitchen items as accessories.
To achieve a farmhouse look, incorporate:
- Reclaimed wood and natural textures
- Vintage items like pitchers, breadboards, mason jars, and baskets
- Comfortable, practical furniture
- Neutral colors with pops of muted, earthy tones
Eclectic Style
Eclectic style is characterized by mixing various design elements, colors, and patterns. Rules are mostly there to be broken, allowing for a whimsical approach to decorating.
To achieve an eclectic look, consider:
- Mixing patterns and textures
- A diverse range of furniture styles
- Collections of items that hold personal meaning
- Vibrant and unexpected color combinations
Finding Your Personality and Style
Customizing and personalizing your home decor is the best way to transform any house into a home.
We all want a home that resonates with our true selves and wraps around us like a warm favorite blanket. But finding our style and expressing it in our unique decor design can be challenging.
In a world of carefully curated and immaculately presented rooms on Instagram and Pinterest, with a constant influx of new design trends and must-have home decor products, staying true to a personal style is daunting.
But once you have found your decor style, it can become the beacon that helps you decide what is right and wrong for you and your home. It will take some research, experimenting, and redoing to get it right, but decorating any room will become much easier and more fun.
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