How do you go about designing a room

[kerry1379]

We are moving into a new home. I have always envied people that could pull together a room. Design is not my strength. How do y'all go about designing a room? I think Pinterest would be a great resource but how do you actually then find the pieces? I am just wondering if there are resources out there that help the designed challenged, like me!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think, first, you have to think about how you want to use that room. Then you think about what you have on hand for it, and what you still need. It doesn’t have to be perfect right away you can put some things in place but add to it as you go and when you find the right things. That can be better than putting things in there that don’t really work right. Remember to mix soft things with hard, round things with linear, light with dark (maybe, if that’s your style), and try to find pieces and fabrics that complement eachother. It doesn’t have to be cookie cutter but nor should it be riff raff.

There are lots of resources today including decorating Shows on HGTV, YouTube, websites and books and classes, etc. I just got my DD some decorating “classes” on Groupon. In the past I have taken a Feng Shui class myself and it was fun.

Lots of people here enjoy decorating. If you post pics of the room and a little info about what you want to accomplish, we love to help!

 

[tcufrog]

I highly recommend the website Houzz. Their magazine has articles on just about every home design topic you can think of. They also have fabulous message boards full of pros and experienced homeowners. I've gotten the best advice there.

Another suggestion I have is to create an ideabook on Pinterest or Houzz and fill it with rooms that you like. Once you've ''clipped" enough you'll start to see trends. For example, when I was trying to decide how to decorate my master bedroom in my previous home, I noticed that my Houzz Ideabook was filled with bedrooms with blue walls even though I didn't think I was a blue fan. It turns out that I found the blue walls to be restful and peaceful so I painted my walls blue. I liked the blue walls so much that I painted the walls blue in the master bedroom in my current house too.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm the wrong person to ask. My DH used to build custom homes and I once insisted he design an entire kitchen around a certain set of cabinet pulls that I became obsessed with. True story.

Honestly though, you have gotten good advice here. My way is a little quirkier and it always involves finding something, just one thing, that I absolutely LOVE. It could be a colour, a set of drapes, a lamp or decor piece - something really gorgeous. And then I do the room around it. I actually find it easier to start with something small and then find big furniture pieces that work. FWIW, I usually choose paint last, and make it something that sort of "envelopes" everything and looks appropriate if it can be seen from other rooms that may be decorated differently.

This last part can be very important if you have a more modern, open-concept home. You don't have to do every space on the main floor exactly the same but they do need to be compatible.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I think there are a few steps to having a really pulled together look.

You’ll want to pick a color palette. I personally tend to like one accent color with a couple of neutrals in a similar warmth/coolness.

Do some internet searches and find what style of furniture you like. Try to stick with that style. If you just pick individual pieces you like they may not look great together because you may have a coastal bed with a farmhouse dresser and a contemporary nightstand. It’s a lot harder to pull of mixed styles

Measure the room and for the furniture to the room and to the other pieces so everything is balanced. I had to go through about 50 dining tables to find something in my style that also was the right size so that my banquette wouldn’t be off.

 

[_19disnA]

If you plan to buy new furniture, most furniture stores will offer a free design service if you intend to buy the furniture from them. Good to have a general sense of what you like/don't like. If you can find pictures online and take them to the store, that can help get the process started. Furniture stores will typically have lots of resources & catalogs to help you pick out furniture, tables, lamps, accent pieces, etc. I think this is preferable to randomly shopping on your own for individual items and then hoping they work together.

Most offer a selection of fabrics and will make recommendations about color coordination.

 

[tcufrog]

Honestly, using a store design service is great if you can afford to do so and aren't confident in your ability to do it yourself. Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn and Ballard offer such a service. I've never gone that route though because I prefer a more eclectic look and enjoy the search. I also enjoy incorporating pieces from my travels and items I inherited from my parents.

Our living room and library are classic examples of that. The living room has end tables and a kitchen desk chair from World Market, a sofa from Room and Board and a swivel chair from Ethan Allen. The oynx topped coffee table I found hidden in the closeout back room at a local furniture store called Weir's. There's also a rug I bought online and 2 outdoor wood and rattan chairs we got at a local imports store in the Design District. They look similar to some chairs we loved at Ethan Allen but were a lot cheaper. We haggled a discount on them because their cushions were stained. I went to a local upholstery shop and got new, custom cushions made in some beautifully patterned fabric. Even with the new cushions, we paid less for both than one chair would have cost from Ethan Allen. The pale teal throw pillows are from Homegoods and the decor is from our travels.

We followed a similar pattern with the library. There's large built-in bookcases we filled with our books. We both love to read. I found bookends from a local antique market and some teal geode ones from Amazon. I was lucky enough to inherit a brass and glass coffee table from my parents. The sofa I bought from Anthropolgie. The armchairs are similar to ones I fell in love with from Ethan Allen but I purchased them from a used furniture store. I got a steep discount because one of them had torn upholstery. I didn't like the upholstery anyway. I got them recovered in a beautiful teal fabric and they look much more expensive than they were. Both recovered were less than one Ethan Allen chair.

I have expensive taste but I often don't have the budget to go with it. I like to visit expensive places like Ethan Allen and Restoration Hardware for inspiration and find less expensive options off the beaten path. A lot of people aren't willing to put in the effort but it's amazing what you can find if you're patient and are willing to put in the time and effort.

I do agree that finding a color or inspiration piece can be helpful. Our current home has a pool in the backyard that's lined in teal. At night, when it's lit up it looks like a jewel. I've never been a big fan of teal but I love how that looks and our home's public areas have floor to ceiling windows that overlook the pool. Because of that, I chose the color teal as the thing that ties the different public areas together and used it in different ways in the different rooms. I also used teal as an accent color in our backyard to tie the indoors and outdoors together.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Honestly, using a store design service is great if you can afford to do so and aren't confident in your ability to do it yourself. Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn and Ballard offer such a service. I've never gone that route though because I prefer a more eclectic look and enjoy the search. I also enjoy incorporating pieces from my travels and items I inherited from my parents.

Our living room and library are classic examples of that. The living room has end tables and a kitchen desk chair from World Market, a sofa from Room and Board and a swivel chair from Ethan Allen. The oynx topped coffee table I found hidden in the closeout back room at a local furniture store called Weir's. There's also a rug I bought online and 2 outdoor wood and rattan chairs we got at a local imports store in the Design District. They look similar to some chairs we loved at Ethan Allen but were a lot cheaper. We haggled a discount on them because their cushions were stained. I went to a local upholstery shop and got new, custom cushions made in some beautifully patterned fabric. Even with the new cushions, we paid less for both than one chair would have cost from Ethan Allen. The pale teal throw pillows are from Homegoods and the decor is from our travels.

We followed a similar pattern with the library. There's large built-in bookcases we filled with our books. We both love to read. I found bookends from a local antique market and some teal geode ones from Amazon. I was lucky enough to inherit a brass and glass coffee table from my parents. The sofa I bought from Anthropolgie. The armchairs are similar to ones I fell in love with from Ethan Allen but I purchased them from a used furniture store. I got a steep discount because one of them had torn upholstery. I didn't like the upholstery anyway. I got them recovered in a beautiful teal fabric and they look much more expensive than they were. Both recovered were less than one Ethan Allen chair.

I have expensive taste but I often don't have the budget to go with it. I like to visit expensive places like Ethan Allen and Restoration Hardware for inspiration and find less expensive options off the beaten path. A lot of people aren't willing to put in the effort but it's amazing what you can find if you're patient and are willing to put in the time and effort.

I do agree that finding a color or inspiration piece can be helpful. Our current home has a pool in the backyard that's lined in teal. At night, when it's lit up it looks like a jewel. I've never been a big fan of teal but I love how that looks and our home's public areas have floor to ceiling windows that overlook the pool. Because of that, I chose the color teal as the thing that ties the different public areas together and used it in different ways in the different rooms. I also used teal as an accent color in our backyard to tie the indoors and outdoors together.

I was thinking something similar. We have some new items, but I love perusing antique and second hand shops, or picking something up on vacation as well. I am likely to change things up after a while, too. It keeps it fun and interesting!

 

[_19disnA]

Even reasonably priced furniture stores like LazyBoy now offer free design services since they have branched out into more then just recliners. You don't need to shop at a high-end store to take advantage of such a service.

If you aren't good with design, buying random pieces from various stores may result in a furnished room you aren't happy with.

 

[VandVsmama]

It all sort of starts with figuring out what you like. And usually it's easy to figure that out by finding out what you do NOT like. I'm not even a mediocre interior design sort of person. I usually end up having to do things piece meal as my budget affords.

Here's where my thought process has been since we moved into our current home a year and a half ago:

Dining Room:
I have a really pretty Navajo rug that I bought several years ago. It's hanging on the wall in this room. But it's not large enough to properly fill the wall space. Colors are a dark brick red, off-white/ivory, brown-ish gray, and black.

Next to it I have a couple of Southwest-themed photographs that I bought ages ago at an art festival. Then a few months ago, I stumbled across this Hopi Native American artist who has painted these totally awesome Star Wars-themed items in a Hopi design. So I've purchased some prints of that. On the wall right now next to the Navajo rug are a print of a Native American-style Mandalorian helmet and a Hopi-painted R2D2. Next month, I'm going to buy a print of his Darth Vader helmet and a Stormtrooper helmet.

I didn't plan on this theme. It sort of just happened that way. The big window needs curtains still. Blinds are white. So I'll probably go with a color that's in the Navajo rug...probably that darkish-brick red color, with a black curtain rod. On the floor under the dining room table is a huge IKEA rug in a black-and-white geometric pattern. It goes well style-wise with the Navajo rug and the geometric patterns in the Star Wars prints.

Family Room:
This is the Disney room. It's basically connected to the dining room/kitchen as a great room. We've collected a lot of Disney art work over the years and it makes sense for it to be in the family room since our Disney trips have all been family trips. So along the wall in a row above the couch are 5 framed Disneyland attraction posters. They alternate between black frames and white frames.

On the opposite wall is the TV with a Pirates of the Caribbean framed print to the right of it and my Haunted Mansion sign just below that. Immediately to the left of the TV is in this order from left to right:
- an Adventure Thru Inner Space attraction poster signed by Bob Gurr
- a Disney animation drawing signed by a Disney animation artist just below that (it's in a black frame matted in light blue)
- just to right of both of those is a big Disney animation studios piece of art work that has 9 cells in it in which Mickey Mouse is golfing. DH bought it at the animation studio in LA ages ago when he went on a tour there with his dad for his dad's birthday. It has a lot of blue accents in it.
- then to the right of that in a row from top to bottom is our Club 33 key, which came with a blue ribbon, a Disney World silhouette of me and my sister from when we were little kids, and a Disneyland silhouette of MY kids
- TV is just to the right of that.

What I haven't figured out where to put yet is a Fort Wilderness piece of art that we got 2 yr ago on our WDW family trip. It doesn't make sense to put it to the left of the TV. And I don't feel like it 'fits' well style-wise with the POTC and HM stuff to the right of the TV.

Guest Bedroom:
Up until very recently, this room was basically a blank slate and it looked like a sad college student's bedroom. This room is still a work in progress, but YDD suggested a Jungle Cruise theme so I'm going with that because it's one of our favorite rides and it brings us a lot of joy. Here goes...

• the bed is covered in a Crate and Barrel duvet cover that's a neutral color but has a palm leaf motif all over it. Color scheme is off-white and a shade of khaki.
• There's a pair of Euro-sized pillows on the bed that are covered in Pottery Barn pillow shams that I got on super duper sale. Those are an ivory color and the shams are quilted. Sort of has a British Colonial feel to it.
• I also got an ivory and black colored single rectangular accent pillow that goes in front of all the other bed pillows. Pillow is ivory with palm leaves embroidered in black on one side of the pillow. Understated, not over the top.
• No curtains yet, but I'm going to purchase some khaki outdoor curtains with grommets for each of the 2 windows. Curtains will be on a black curtain rod (to sort of match the black in the accent pillow).
• Bed Bath & Beyond has a really neat classy looking lamp with a rattan shade that I want to buy for each bedside table. Lampshade is brown and the 'stick' part of the lamp looks pewter. Has sort of an old world feel to it.
• I have a couple of nice art photographs I bought ages ago in Hawaii that are up on the wall, in black frames. Plus on Etsy, I bought a couple of Jungle Cruise themed items...a "DANGER HIPPOS" sign (with bullet holes in it!) and a Jungle Cruise map. I plan to purchase a couple more items like that.
• Above the bed, I'm going to purchase, frame, and hang 3 prints like this one or this one, which have a 1920s-1930s sort of feel to them.
• We're also going to buy this desk from IKEA. I'd love to have a chair to go with it that has an Old World sort of feel to it...even better if the chair was zebra printed or if I could find a small zebra accent pillow to put on it. Or maybe find a zebra accent rug to put on the floor next to one side of the bed.
• Above the desk, we'll put a black IKEA shelf which will house some 1920s-1930s sort of world explorer knicknacks...like a pair of old looking binoculars, maybe a small globe on a stand, a couple of small baskets that you can store stuff in.
• My sister has some African baskets that she's going to give me from her prior travels...they're pretty flat and you can easily hang them on the wall. That'll go on the wall in a collage with the Jungle Cruise Etsy stuff.
• Desk lamp for the desk might be a lantern like this one or...what I'd really love would be to have a small Morrocan lamp that could go on the desk or on the floor in a corner. Oh man, the mood that would cast in the room would be pretty stinking awesome.

I got a lot of ideas for the Jungle Cruise bedroom by looking at photos online of the Adventureland suite in the Disneyland Hotel.

As for the master bedroom? I have no clue. LOL.

 

[shelemm]

We are moving into a new home. I have always envied people that could pull together a room. Design is not my strength. How do y'all go about designing a room? I think Pinterest would be a great resource but how do you actually then find the pieces? I am just wondering if there are resources out there that help the designed challenged, like me!

If you are intimidated, you're right to be. It's not easy at all. And you can make expensive mistakes. I am a designer, and it's always work.

Some stores will do this for you. Select a store where they have things you like and ask them. Once you get the basics, it is less risky to supplement from there.

1. Make sure you find furniture that is comfortable for you.
2. Paint swatches of colors on the wall before you go all in on the wrong choice. Colors look different depending on the situation and even time of day.
3. Hit up whatever used furniture stores you can. You can find some gems that way.

Hope this helps.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I'm the wrong person to ask. My DH used to build custom homes and I once insisted he design an entire kitchen around a certain set of cabinet pulls that I became obsessed with. True story.

Honestly though, you have gotten good advice here. My way is a little quirkier and it always involves finding something, just one thing, that I absolutely LOVE. It could be a colour, a set of drapes, a lamp or decor piece - something really gorgeous. And then I do the room around it. I actually find it easier to start with something small and then find big furniture pieces that work. FWIW, I usually choose paint last, and make it something that sort of "envelopes" everything and looks appropriate if it can be seen from other rooms that may be decorated differently.

This last part can be very important if you have a more modern, open-concept home. You don't have to do every space on the main floor exactly the same but they do need to be compatible.

I need to see these cabinet pulls.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I'm terrible at decorating so I can't give you advice on that, but I want to say be careful. My friend separated from her husband and rented an unfurnished townhouse and used sites like wayfair to furnish it. Her place looked great and I guess the websites have tools that suggest what furniture to put together but they also have some kind of credit thing where you make payments and she incurred $15,000 in debt in just 2-3 months, it was insane! I guess they like to make it really easy to spend on their site so proceed with caution.

 

[easyas123]

If you aren't good with design, buying random pieces from various stores may result in a furnished room you aren't happy with.

This is me. I have zero talent w/ this kinda stuff, but I tried to just pick & choose what I liked. The result? What my husband calls "early dorm room meets parents hand me downs w/ that one large vase from Marshalls" style eh- he's right I'm afraid! Next remodel I'm investing in the services of a interior designer in the hopes that I can explain what I like/think I want and they can turn into into reality.

 

[Owlpost23]

Find a rug you like and go from there.

 

[shelemm]

In a living room, the most important and expensive item to buy is usually a sofa. Fortunately, furniture stores offer different fabrics to customize. If you had to start from one point, I would start from there. And I wouldn't buy a sofa unless I had a chance to sit on it so that I would know if it's comfortable.

Also, this is one item I'd pay a little more for to make sure I get something well constructed that won't fall apart. It gets used a lot! Check the back of the sofa to see if there is any reinforcement or if it is just a big piece of wobbly fabric with zero support. There should at least be an upright wood piece in the middle for structural support.

 

[tcufrog]

I forgot to mention the practical aspects of decorating. How will the room be used and who will be using it? What sort of storage does the room need, if any, and what's the lighting situation? For example, if it's a living room and you have kids and a pet you want furniture that's easy to clean and can withstand them. There are lots of great options now that don't look utilitarian and bulky. If it gets cold during the winter, you might want a place to store blankets for snuggling under while reading or watching a movie. That doesn't mean you need a big trunk for a coffee table. You could use a pretty basket or end tables store items. We have two end tables from World Market that have storage. One holds blankets and the other holds pet stuff so we can easily clean up pet toys before we vacuum or when we have guests.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I brought a free standing bath, and I have a shower cabin in one corner of the bathroom. I decided to get the walls skimmed as they where not good once that was done I decided because of the bath I would put wainscotting on the two walls the bath would be on. The walls where painted almond white with a orangy colour stencilled on the walls and the wainscoting in the same colour with black skirting boards. On the longest wall I have put a tall unit, a drawer unit, a new sink unit and toilet unit (will be plumbing them in this weekend) and two cupboards never had so much storage in the bathroom as I do now.

 

[cabanafrau]

I think, first, you have to think about how you want to use that room. Then you think about what you have on hand for it, and what you still need. It doesn’t have to be perfect right away you can put some things in place but add to it as you go and when you find the right things. That can be better than putting things in there that don’t really work right. Remember to mix soft things with hard, round things with linear, light with dark (maybe, if that’s your style), and try to find pieces and fabrics that complement eachother. It doesn’t have to be cookie cutter but nor should it be riff raff.

There are lots of resources today including decorating Shows on HGTV, YouTube, websites and books and classes, etc. I just got my DD some decorating “classes” on Groupon. In the past I have taken a Feng Shui class myself and it was fun.

Lots of people here enjoy decorating. If you post pics of the room and a little info about what you want to accomplish, we love to help!

I absolutely agree the first place to start is thinking about how you want to use the room. I also really like the idea of putting in what you already have, even if you recognize that it's not something that will suit the space long-term. I like to live with a space a bit and get a feel for what we like there, what works, what's comfortable -- and then go and seek out pieces that fit the bill. I also like pulling together a look over a period of time because I'm not big on the current trends and looking like it sprang directly from what is being done on every single HGTV show.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I absolutely agree the first place to start is thinking about how you want to use the room. I also really like the idea of putting in what you already have, even if you recognize that it's not something that will suit the space long-term. I like to live with a space a bit and get a feel for what we like there, what works, what's comfortable -- and then go and seek out pieces that fit the bill. I also like pulling together a look over a period of time because I'm not big on the current trends and looking like it sprang directly from what is being done on every single HGTV show.

I also don’t want to feel like I’m in a furniture showroom or that I shouldn’t touch anything! I want people to be comfortable in the space, whether it’s just me and family, or visitors. I’m likely going to have space and furniture to put feet up and stay a while! Most people coming into my house call it “cozy” and “homey”. I take that as a compliment as that’s the feel I was going for. A place to relax. Warm. Remember, too, that how it looks the first day won’t stay that way always, it will evolve. You don’t want to overdo it, though, or it can become cluttered and overly full. Make sure furniture is not too big for the space. You don’t have to have a sofa and loveseat up against the walls, you might want just a loveseat and some smaller chairs in a small space.

But speaking of warm, lighting also plays a big part, too and can help create the mood you want. But you also might want to read a book or do paperwork there, so you have to think about it and will probably want a couple of types of lighting, etc. Practicality, as @tcufrog mentioned, is important, as well. Kids and pets, TV and snacks, temperature (extra chilly or warm), proximity to other rooms, etc., will all factor in.