Posted on: November 7, 2008
First Timers
Develop a décor style that reflects where you've been and where you're going
By Kate Sullivan
CTW Features
Image courtesy Kohler
Ditch the roommates and find your freedom. Moving into your own place is exciting, but how do you make the most of your new digs? Here's how to move from novice newbie to seasoned stylist.
Know Thyself
For style director and columnist Dara Caponigro of home-decorating magazine Domino, outfitting your new home or apartment calls for some preliminary soul searching. �When just starting out, learn who you are first. Decorating is expensive ⓠfind out who you are and what you like first to help avoid making purchasing mistakes.
To tap into your tastes, turn to visual aids. Tear out pages from magazines, copy pictures from design books and start a binder, suggests Caponigro, one of the three authors of "Domino: The Book of Decorating: A room-by-room guide to creating a home that makes you happy" (Simon & Schuster, 2008). Once you review your eye-popping pages, "You'll start to see a thread and realize you are always drawn to a particular color scheme," Caponigro says.
Prioritize
When Tim Shanahan of Chicago moved to his own place, he knew the couch came first. But after this sofa lover found his seat, no order for the other pieces appeared. "I didn't know which room to attack next," he says. To organize your plan, Caponigro suggests assessing your budget for your new place â“ "Regardless of how wealthy you may be, everyone needs to a budget." Next, determine your personal needs. Are you willing to splurge on one great piece and have an empty room, or do you want more modestly priced pieces to fill the floor plan?
Style and Smile
Outfitting a new home can feel like a chore more than a joy. Move with the mantra that style preferences point you in the right direction, not dictate the decisions. Keep decorating as a happy, fun to-do.
Long-term Investments
When it comes to buying for the future, forget short trends and think classic. While one stop shopping works for most basic pieces, "anything original, like an artist's design to antique or iconic pieces prove worth their investment with time," says Caponigro.
Speak the Truth
Speaking style into existence makes for interior expertise, according to Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello and Dara Caponigro, the editors and authors behind "Domino: The Book of Decorating: A room-by-room guide to creating a home that makes you happy" (Simon & Schuster, 2008). Two tricks to master so your décor and vision match:
The act of naming and saying your preferences makes them yours. When you hear yourself declare your likes, you'll stay true to your tastes down the road.
Learn what you like and repeat the associated vocabulary that comes with the pieces, the tone, the colors, the mood, the feel, the textures.