There are many ways to redecorate your home, some simple and inexpensive to more elaborate and costly. Here are some key steps in the redecorating process.
1. Make time: You must allow plenty of time. Assume that everything will take longer than expected. For example, if you are planning a large family get-together for the Christmas holidays, begin your research in the spring. If you plan to order furniture, it can take 6-12 weeks to receive from the time you actually decide to order. And, most of you won't be able to find much southwest furniture in your local furniture store.
2. List Favorites: Many of the pieces you have in your home can be quite functional in your new design. Make a list of "must keep" pieces. Many of those prized paintings or family heirlooms will fit nicely in the finished design. You will be looking for new items that will change the look to southwest without having to throw everything out and start over.
3. Clip Pictures: Start an "I Like" file. Clip pictures from magazines that appeal to you. Order fabric samples to help with color choices. It's much easier to match wall and room accent colors to a fabric you plan to use on a re-upholster job of your existing sofa and chairs.
Here are a couple of great magazines to order for sparking your creativity:
New Mexico Magazine, http://www.nmmagazine.com/
SuCasa Magazine, http://www.sucasamagazine.com/
4. Consider the Function: Design follows function. What do you want your rooms to provide for you? What do you want it to reflect about you? Will your grand room be "entertainment central?" Easy-to-clean upholstery and spill-on-me tile floors may be your best bet. Or do you desire a quiet, cozy nest for just you and your spouse? For example, you could install an Italian marble floor from entryway to dining room that announces the old world European charm found in many old haciendas throughout the southwest.
5. Choose what you love: Leave the approval committee way in the background when you start shopping on the Internet and your local store for what you want. It's fine to solicit input from household members and people with compatible taste, but it doesn't matter if Aunt Maria and your friend Sally like the dining room set you've fallen in love with. Comments from the peanut gallery while you are browsing is distracting at best, dream-dashing at worst.
6. Plan for Accessories: Don't forget the extras. Budget some time to choose all the little extras that personalize a room, and don’t forget to budget the funds to cover the cost of those little extras. That perfect wrought iron mirror for the entryway, bathroom accessories for your counters, a beautiful new comforter ensemble for the bed you have always loved can provide the change of style without breaking the bank.
7. Be flexible: Be open to suggestion from a local decorator. Or, find someone whose decor is always just perfect when you walk into her home. Solicit suggestions about form and colors and lighting to make your design perfect. Even if they don't decorate in southwest, the principles are the same. Then you can choose the designs and patterns that are southwest to you.
8. Be patient: Keep the finished look in mind. You don't have to change the whole house at once. Start with just one room. Try the living/family room or dining room to start. Then proceed to bathrooms or kitchens. Bedrooms are great focal points also and you get to enjoy it even more. Don't hesitate to speak your mind when you are working with a designer. Help them understand your likes and dislikes. Sometimes this takes several times of explaining to them that the idea they just had doesn't work for you. They are trained to take notice and modify until they find the kinds of things and styles you like. This is going to be your new design to live with not theirs.
Whether you know exactly what you want before you start or don't have a clue; whether you are redecorating your home from floor to ceiling or simply refreshing your existing decor, with proper planning and guidance the results can be breathtaking.
SW Home Decor
SantaFeDecor.com
WesternCowboyHorseDecor.com
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