Home Decorating on a Budget for the Design Impaired

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I am SO not gifted in the design department and was wondering if there were any websites that show room design examples online so I can get some ideas of colors and furniture. I am honestly dreading "decorating" the new house. Right now every room has white walls which I know I want to change but to what?

For example - what color would be good to paint the walls in a kitchen with light maple wood cabinets, honey blonde hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances? I have no clue!

Three of the bedrooms have carpet - 1 has brown and the other 2 have a dark sky blue. I'm at a loss for wall colors!

Is there a Decorating for Dummies book or website out there???

 

[thompson princesses]

I love watching the design shows on tv and get great ideas from them. hgtv.com is a good site and so is seemydesign.com which allows you to design rooms using different products and paint and trim colors. I also like to google "interior design" images...it shows lots of wonderful photos and decorating ideas. You could always thumb through the decorating magazines at Home Depot or Lowes. Your local library should have lots of decorating magazines as well. Have fun!!!

 

[thompson princesses]

Yes there is Decorating for dummies. I think there are 2 volumes.

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

also a related site www.finishedkitchens.com has tons
of pics of finished kitchens and they list all the brands,
materials, etc. that they used

we are building and these sites have helped tremendously!!!
seeing the paint and cabinets together has been the best!

HTH

 

[BubblPopElectrc]

Check out magazines.

Also, if you go to the paint section of a place like Lowes, they often have free decorating paint idea booklets.

 

[mom2alix]

I like to look through Pottery Barn catalogs, then wait for Target to get the knock-off versions in a year later.

That's me - Pottery Barn taste, but a Target budget.

 

[EllyLovesDisney]

Decorating can be so hard! I know I have my own sense of style but lately I've been second guessing my decorating choices too.
I like this website..it helps alot.
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/househome/index.jhtml
Good luck and happy decorating

 

[Orange County Girl]

I subscribe to a lot of decorating magazines such as BHG, Country Home, Cottage Living, country Living, Traditional Home. I also love to look through Pottery Barn Catalogs for inspiration.
In reference to a color for your kitchen, a lot of ladies on the HGTV boards love a shade of paint from Sherwin Williams called "blonde". You can do a search on their boards. They have many threads dedicated to it. Just type in "blonde" and you will find many pictures of homes with that color.
Also, your local library should have a lot of home decor books that you can check out!

 

[grlpwrd]

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

also a related site www.finishedkitchens.com has tons
of pics of finished kitchens and they list all the brands,
materials, etc. that they used

we are building and these sites have helped tremendously!!!
seeing the paint and cabinets together has been the best!

HTH

I frequent those sites a lot, too, plus BHG is also great. The gardenweb site is also know as thathomesite.com . There are many, many forums there.

The HGTV site is nice, but soon you will realize that everyone decorates the same way and style. I follow some trends, too, but who wants a house that is a replicate of someone else's, kwim?

GL!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Thanks for all the great websites! I'm pouring over them now.

 

[shelly3girls]

I am SO not gifted in the design department and was wondering if there were any websites that show room design examples online so I can get some ideas of colors and furniture. I am honestly dreading "decorating" the new house. Right now every room has white walls which I know I want to change but to what?

For example - what color would be good to paint the walls in a kitchen with light maple wood cabinets, honey blonde hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances? I have no clue!

Three of the bedrooms have carpet - 1 has brown and the other 2 have a dark sky blue. I'm at a loss for wall colors!

Is there a Decorating for Dummies book or website out there???

Your kitchen sounds similar to colors I saw in a model home. They painted the walls a pretty sage green color. They then used eggplant in the adjoining family room. It was beautiful!