Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva

Originally Posted On: The Best Ways To Elevate Your Decor In Every Room | Life in a Break Down

Creating your dream home is going to take a lot of time and planning. Working out how to translate your dream decor into a reality can be hard. When you look at gorgeous designs, it can be hard to picture how you recreate it yourself. Instead of trying to copy a design idea you saw in a magazine or on Pinterest, it’s better to aim for personal design. You can be inspired by trends, but with the small details, you can make a unique home.

The exterior of your home is what makes the first impression, but when guests come inside, the hallway is the first thing they see. For some reason, the eye is often drawn to the floor first, so this is a good place to start for bringing in interesting detail. Patterned concrete tiles are both practical and striking, making them perfect for a hallway. Choose a printed or colourful tile to brighten up a small hall. If your hallway is dark, then add extra lighting or a big mirror to reflect more light.

Most homes have the staircase in the hallway. Whatever style of staircase you have, you can show off this key part of the room. Focus on the steps and the rail and make the staircase a focal point of the entrance to your home, inviting you further in. You can make use of the space under the stairs by building a small downstairs loo, adding hooks for hanging coats, or display family photos or artwork, depending on how much room there is.

How much storage is there in your front hall? Coats, shoes, and bags all need somewhere to be put away. You could put in a small bench to sit on to take shoes on and off and a chic coat roach. If you have enough room, a credenza table with drawers is ideal for sorting the mail and storing the small items you grab on your way out the door without making things look untidy.

The kitchen is the heart of most family homes, but most of us don’t think much about the decoration, only practical things.

If you’re on a tighter budget, you can elevate your kitchen without spending a lot by swapping the colour of your kitchen cabinets. You can change your cabinet doors or just the hardware. Whether you want a traditional country kitchen or a sleek city feel, use colour to make a kitchen with personality. Shop for stylish, but long-lasting worktops, handles, knobs, and light fittings to finish off the look.

You could go wild with a bright colour, like yellow cabinets, or you can opt for neutrals for a more classic finish. Keep the kitchen simple with fresh white if you prefer to keep things airy and bright. Buy floor tiles that are on the same theme to keep things consistent and beautiful.

The living room is probably the room that gets the most use in the house. You need to bring together comfort and functionality if you’re going to have a living room that is homely but not crammed with clutter. The family room is a space where you need to be able to relax and entertain. The decor you choose for this room needs to work for both of these different purposes.

This means you need to focus on creating a design and layout to make sure the room works for the things you actually use it for. Small choices like the lighting and where you position it, or the furniture that you buy can change the look of the room entirely. Spend a bit of time working out your design in order to make the best use of your living space. Once you have decided where everything is going to, you can start to add the interesting finishing touches. Details like the best indoor plants, candles, cosy throws and cushions, and displays on end tables and coffee tables will finish the room.

Don’t forget the bathroom when you’re working on your home. The flooring that you choose should be practical but also beautiful, so you can create a room that is luxurious but still comfortable. When you’re choosing your bathroom fixtures, think clean and elegant. Buy the best quality that you can afford, then upgrade where you can for better pieces. Add in some storage options so you can tidy away clutter like toiletries.

The bedroom needs to achieve a balance of style and peace. That’s really all you need for a beautiful bedroom, whatever your style is. Keep your colour choices soothing, whether you decide on a pattern or a block colour to keep your bedroom a calming place to sleep in.

The bed is the focal point of the bedroom, as it is the largest item in the room. Because of this, you should make the most of it in your decor. For a really chic room, take inspiration from hotel decor. Start with a guide about bed buying, so you can get the best choice for you. Take time over your mattress choice, so you get one that supports your body and is comfortable to sleep on. Your bed frame should also be stylish and comfortable.

If your budget is smaller, and can only choose one area to spend more on, it’s always worth spending a bit more on a higher thread count for your duvet covers and your bedding. Once you have felt and slept in the difference, you’ll never be able to go back. Add more soft textures to the room for an inviting feeling, with a snuggly throw at the end of the bed, and a gathering of cushions at the top. Throws and cushions are a great way to dress your bed, especially if you want a hotel-style finish. For a really relaxing finish, choose white bedding, and add in splashes of colour with the choices of accessories and bedside tables.

If your bedroom is on the small side with not much space, or if you just have a lot of stuff that needs storing, organizing your bedroom can be the key to keeping it looking nice. A cluttered bedroom won’t be relaxing or calm to be in, so get your storage right. A bedroom crowded with stuff won’t let your carefully chosen decor really shine, and it definitely won’t make for a calm room to get a good night’s sleep in either.

Add some storage without adding even more stuff by choosing furniture that also has some storage built into it. For example, a bed frame with drawers built into the frame is the perfect option for keeping out of season clothes, spare bedding, and blankets tidy and hidden, but still accessible. An ottoman at the end of the bed looks pretty, gives you a place to sit when you’re getting ready, and adds another storage place for shoes, pyjamas, or anything else.

You can easily elevate your home’s design and make your decor more personal with a few well-chosen touches, like pictures, plants, candles, and soft furnishings. Spend your budget on the pieces that will have the most impact for the least spend. You don’t have to copy what you see on Pinterest to have a beautiful home, and in fact, you probably shouldn’t. The best way to have a home that you love, and feel proud of, that you will enjoy being in, is to make choices with your decor that suit your lifestyle and say something about you, your personality, or your family.