Decorating Your First Home 

How do you start decorating your first home? Here are ten interior decorating tips for first-time homeowners! 

Moving into a new home is an exciting and great way to start fresh. If you are a first-time homeowner, one of the best parts about buying a home is the ability and freedom to decorate it and make it feel like your own. 

Decorating your home is a journey that will take time. The choices that you make in the beginning will play a major part in your home's overall aesthetic. A well-designed space will make your home feel cozy and relaxing, enhance functionality, and help you stay organized. 

Whether you just bought a home after college or just got married, decorating your first home can be a fun yet overwhelming task. Once your new home is clean, it is time to come up with a plan on how you want to turn your empty house into a welcoming and inviting space. 

Check out these interior decorating suggestions 

1. Create a Budget 

Creating a budget is one of the first steps to decorating your first home. Not only is buying a home expensive, but so is decorating it, which is why it is important to have a budget or general idea of how much you are willing to spend just on decor. 

On average, homeowners can expect to spend anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 on decorations alone, depending on the quality of furnishings used. Expect to pay more for higher-end furniture and decorations. 

If you have lived with your parents your whole life, you will most likely have to start from scratch, which will cost you more money as you collect new furniture and decorations over time. 

Once a budget is made and a plan is created, then you will have an understanding of how much you should actually be spending on decorations. Creating a budget will tell you whether you can afford new items or if you should purchase them off of Facebook Marketplace or from a used furniture store. 

Much like you figuring out how much money to save before buying a house, the same could be said for creating a budget for decorating. If you realize you do not have much money left after purchasing your home to buy a bunch of new furniture items and decorations, hand-me-downs from friends and family are always a great place to start. 

2. Define Your Style 

One of the biggest things to consider when decorating your first home is your design style. From traditional to modern farmhouse, there are many design styles out there to choose from that you can model your home after. 

Nothing has to be perfect, but choosing a style that speaks to you can help you find furniture and decor that work well together. Once you define your style, everything else will fall into place more easily to make your home appear Instagram-worthy. 

Pinterest is a wonderful tool to help you gain inspiration. Once you narrow down what you do and do not like regarding interior design, you can start getting personal and move forward with the decorating process. 

If you are moving to your first home with some furniture from your previous residence, take inventory of what you already have and get rid of any pieces that do not fit the style you are working toward. 

3.  Choose a Color Palette 

Color is very important when decorating a home since it can evoke feelings and set the overall mood in a space. Bright and warm colors are great to use in living rooms and kitchens since they tend to stimulate energy and happiness, while cool colors are ideal in bedrooms and bathrooms since they are calming and relaxing.

Choosing a color palette for your home will enhance your mood and is a great way to add personality to your space. Most designers recommend selecting at least three to five colors that can be used throughout the whole home. 

The most common design principle that interior designs use is the 60-30-10 ratio which is used to create a balanced color palette. This ratio states that a dominant color will cover 60% of the space, a secondary color will take up 30%, and an accent color will cover the remaining 10%. 

Making sure to have a consistent color flow from room to room will create a sense of unity while remaining visually appealing. The best way to choose your color palette is to consider the colors you already have, the colors you love, and the design style you seek. 

If you think you might sell your home within the next few years, you might also want to consider the best paint colors to sell your home. 

4. Start With Large Items First 

You will want to start with your large items or big statement pieces when decorating. Large furniture pieces are often the most important and used everyday in the home, so it is essential to have these first. 

These big-ticket furniture items are also considered investment pieces and will most likely be with you for a long time. This includes your bedframe, living room sofa, and dining room table, which are some of the most expensive items when decorating your home. 

Once these large items are brought into the home, then it will be easier to work around them when designing your dream space. 

5. Do Not Buy Everything At Once 

No matter how many bedrooms and square feet your new home has, decorating is a big task that will take time and patience. This is especially true when decorating kids' rooms. Since decorating is such a large project, it is important to remember that you do not have to buy everything at once, especially if you are working with a budget. 

It can take months to even years for your home to feel complete. Not only can there be budget restraints that can pause your decorating project, but it can be hard to find the pieces you are looking for once you define your style. 

Decorating your first home is not a race, and as you go through life, you will continue to add new pieces and furniture to your collection. 

6. Mix and Match 

One of the biggest mistakes when decorating your first home is to keep everything uniform. Mixing and matching fabrics and combining different textures is a great way to add personality and excitement to a space. 

As long as a color scheme is followed, then mixing home decor can create a visually appealing and balanced space. If you focus on a particular statement piece in each room, then you can create an interesting look by adding smaller accent pieces. 

7. Consider the Lighting 

Lighting can make or break a space, which is why it is one of the top decorating tips for your first home. Lighting is easy to forget, but it is an essential component in interior design that can set the room's overall tone. 

Different lights' ambiance can be used to highlight certain features of the house, making it a useful tool. To find the best lighting to fit every room in your home, consider the purpose of each room and how you want the room to feel. 

There are three levels of lighting that should be incorporated into a home: general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. If you want your space to look big and bright, then opt for overhead lighting and floor lamps. Choose many table lamps with down lighting if you want a warm and cozy feel. 

8. Include Mirrors 

Mirrors are an effective interior design tool that is practical and can make a statement. Mirrors reflect light and are a great way to open up a space and make a room appear larger.

A mirror with a decorative frame can act as a focal point in a room and can be used to create balance. A well-polished mirror has the ability to completely transform a room as long as they are strategically placed. 

For starters, hang at least one mirror in every room. Mirrors can be placed above an entryway table, over the living room couch, or leaned up against a wall.

9. Scale Artwork To Your Wall 

Decorating your first home wouldn't be complete without hanging up artwork and photographs. When hanging wall art, it is necessary to scale artwork to your wall to fit the space properly. 

As a general rule, art should be 1/2 to 3/4 the width of the wall or of the piece of furniture that it is hanging above. If you are hanging art on a blank wall, one of the best rules to follow is the three-eighths rule, which states that the white space on either side of the artwork should be roughly three-eighths of the width of a painting. 

If you are having trouble finding one piece of artwork to fit your wall space, consider hanging a diptych or triptych, which are works of art that come in two or three sets. When hanging this type of artwork, leave two to five inches of space between each piece. 

10. Use Visual Tricks 

Visual tricks can be used when decorating to make a room feel larger. Homeowners may find these tricks necessary to decorate a small space or a room with low ceilings. 

These optical illusions can expand your space without spending too much money and make any room appear unique and interesting. Hanging curtains close to the ceiling to make a room appear taller is one of the most popular visual tricks and can make a huge difference if done correctly.

Methodology 

We used information and data from many sources, including HomeGuide, Forbes, Architectural Digest, HGTV, and Artspace, to determine the top ten best interior decorating tips for your first home. 

FAQs 

What is the first thing you do when decorating? 

The first thing to do when decorating is to make a plan. Once you plan how you want things laid out in a room, you can start thinking about specific details, such as what artwork to hang on a wall or the rug size.

What room should you decorate first? 

When decorating a home, it is best to start with the most used rooms, such as the living room and bedrooms. 

In what order should decorating be done? 

The best way to decorate your home is to start with fixed finishes such as countertops or cabinets, then consider floor or wall coverings, big furniture pieces, and any small furniture pieces, lighting, and accessories. 

Best Interior Decorating Tips For Your First Home - Final Thoughts 

Decorating and creating a space that is full of your personality and all of your favorite things is what turns a house a home. Luckily, you do not have to be a professional interior designer to turn the rooms in your house into functional and inviting spaces as long as you follow the above tips. 

If you are moving to Raleigh and are ready to buy your first home, contact the experts at Raleigh Realty. We are here to help and answer any questions.