You just moved into a new home or finished making changes to your old one. Your home has new paint, clean carpets, and appliances that shine. Now it's time for a different kind of home improvement: making your house or apartment your home. When you choose furniture and decorations for your home that show off your taste and personality, it will become a place you can call your own. Here are five things to think about when choosing furniture.
- Getting the Wood
Do you like how dark and rich mahogany is, how simple cedar is, how light and homey maple is, how strong oak is, or how red cherry is? When it comes to wood, you have a lot of options, from pine, elm, and willow to walnut, teak, and birch. When you're planning how to decorate your home, keep in mind that designers say each room should have the same style. In other words, you don't want a coffee table made of dark mahogany and an end table made of light birch. If you do mix woods, make sure the colours are the same. For example, a pine with a light stain can go with a birch with a light stain. But keep in mind that you can change the woods of your furniture from room to room.
- Choosing the Styles of Furniture
Do you like the solid, classic style of Mission furniture, or are you more drawn to Victorian tables and chairs with their fancy designs? Do you like the look of Art Deco, or do you want to bring the old world charm of Italy into your home? Most of us like a lot of different things, and it's fine to mix styles in your home decor as long as they go well together.
- How to Improve Your Home Step-by-Step
Most of us don't have enough money to buy all new furniture for our homes at once. When it comes to home improvement, taking things one step at a time can be helpful, especially if you aren't ready to choose a single style of furniture. When it comes to decorating your home, sometimes the best way to start is with one piece that really speaks to you. Once you've chosen a few pieces, you'll have a better idea of what you like and what else you need to finish a room. After that, you'll be more sure of yourself and able to buy more furniture.
- Look for ideas
It's hard to find the right home decor when you don't know what's out there or how other people are improving their homes. Look through magazines and find pieces of furniture that you like. Take those pages out and put them in a file so you can look at them again later. If you like the furniture in a friend's house, tell her you like how she decorated and ask her how she chose the pieces. Once you know what kind of furniture you like, you can look online to see what else is out there. You will have a lot more options online than if you went to a local furniture store.
- Have Fun!
Home improvement and decorating projects can be overwhelming at times, so don't forget to have fun. Take the time to enjoy the process, find things you really love, and be proud of how your house is becoming a home.
