5 Secrets To Be A Better Home Decorator
Want to know how to be a better home decorator? These simple yet powerful secrets will help you define your style, refine your eye for design, and create a beautifully curated home without being overwhelmed!
You don’t need a degree from the Parsons Institute to be a better home decorator! What you need, friends, is the desire to learn, a little practice, and the willingness to embrace successes and mistakes because, trust me, I’ve learned just as much from my decorating missteps as from my wins!
If you love your home and want to create a space that feels beautiful, comfortable, and welcoming, you can sharpen your decorating skills. Over the past fourteen and a half years of blogging, I’ve picked up some tried-and-true secrets that have helped me refine my eye for design, and today, I’m sharing them with you. These simple yet powerful insights will help you become a more confident and skilled home decorator!
Let’s get started.
#1 Secret: Know Your Decorating Style And Color Palette
Do you find yourself flipping through magazines, scrolling through blogs, or wandering home stores, falling in love with beautiful decor only to feel frustrated when your home doesn’t come together like you imagined? Does your space feel disjointed, lacking that effortless flow and charm you crave?
Or maybe you already have beautiful things, but they seem tired and outdated. You love your home, but something just feels off. Sound familiar? Oh, I can relate!
The root of many decorating struggles comes down to not knowing your decorating style. If you want to create a cohesive, curated, and comfortable home, you must first define and understand your personal style.
But knowing your style is only half of the equation. Your color palette is just as important! I truly believe that over seventy percent of all decorating dilemmas could be solved if home decorators would simply identify and consistently use a well-chosen color palette in their homes. The right colors tie everything together, making your home feel pulled together, fresh, and uniquely you.
Once you pinpoint your decorating style and your color palette, decorating will feel easier, more natural, and, best of all, so much more enjoyable!
Make sure to check out 6 Steps For Finding Your Unique Decorating Style and Mastering The Art Of Choosing The Perfect Color Palette. These posts will help you immensely (not braggy… just fact)! They will give you ideas and savvy advice for finding your decorating style and color palette!
Secret #2: Take Pictures Because You Will Learn A Lot
One of the easiest ways to become a better decorator is to take pictures of your spaces as you style them. Just grab your phone, snap a few photos, and then take a closer look. You’ll be amazed at how the camera picks up details your eye might miss! It’s really quite astonishing!
A quick snapshot can reveal what feels off. Maybe a lamp is too tall, a vignette looks unbalanced, or a color feels out of place. Your camera works like a personal decorating assistant, giving you a fresh perspective and helping you refine your space with ease.
This is a secret I use all the time! Whenever I style a space, I take a quick picture, and I almost instantly see what needs a little tweaking. A simple adjustment here, a quick fix there, and suddenly, everything looks polished and intentional.
Most of us have our phones within arm’s reach, so why not put them to work? Try it, and you’ll be surprised at how much your decorating skills improve!
Secret #3: Keep Playing And Tweaking Your Decor
Here’s a little decorating truth…Almost no one gets it right the first time. Even the pros have to tweak, adjust, and rearrange until everything looks just right. That’s why one of the best things you can do as a home decorator is to keep playing with your decor!
When I’m styling a mantel, a vignette, or a set of shelves, I give myself time to “play”. That’s my buzzword for experimenting until I create a look that feels curated, cohesive, and interesting. I add, edit, swap things around (sometimes a lot), and then step back to see how it all comes together.
Once I think I have it just right, I take pictures. A quick look at a photo helps me see things with a fresh, critical eye, and often, I make a few more tweaks. Sometimes, I even walk away and come back later. Giving myself that little break almost always reveals something I missed!
We all want our homes to have that effortless, beautifully put-together look, but the secret is knowing that effortless takes time. The more you play, the better your eye for design will become. So don’t be afraid to tweak and adjust. You will be so happy you did, and your home will thank you for it!
Secret #4: Learn From The Best
One of the fastest ways to improve your decorating skills is to study those who do it well! The best decorators, whether professionals or home enthusiasts, have spent years honing their craft, and there’s so much we can learn from them.
Follow designers, stylists, and bloggers whose style resonates with you. Study their work, take note of what you love, and ask yourself why their spaces feel so beautiful. Is it the way they balance colors? The mix of textures? The way they style a coffee table or mantel? Inspiration is everywhere!
But don’t just admire what they do. Analyze and apply it to your home. Try recreating a look you love with what you already own. Pay attention to the little details, like how items are grouped or how patterns are mixed. Over time, you’ll start to train your eye and develop your own decorating instincts.
Remember, even the best decorators never stop learning! Keep observing, experimenting, and refining, and soon, you’ll be the one others look to for inspiration.
HERE’S HOW TO BREAK DOWN AN IMAGE YOU LOVE
To “break down an image” I mentally divide it into thirds. I study each third and make a note of…
- things I love in the image
- what was used
- colors
- ideas of things I could use from my home
- and how the decorator used every element
If I can print an image or see one in a magazine, I literally take out a pen and mark it up. If you see an image you love on Pinterest, print it out.
Give it a try!
Once you’ve mined out all the decorating secrets in a picture start creating! Find a place to use it in your home! And keep reworking it until you love it and it becomes your creation!
Secret #5: Learning To Be A Better Home Decorator Takes Patience
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from years of blogging about decorating is this…creating a beautifully decorated home doesn’t happen overnight.
And that means learning to have patience with the process. Give yourself permission to have an “undone” space like a room, a vignette, or a tablescape that’s still evolving. Truth be told, I’ve been living in an undone home for 5 years! Because decorating isn’t about finishing. It’s about curating and refining over time.
When we swoon over magazine-worthy rooms, we have to remember that those spaces have been professionally styled for that one moment. In real life, homes aren’t frozen in time. They’re lived in. Things get messy, wear out, break, and even go out of style!
The goal of decorating should never be perfection. It should be creating a home that feels loved, lived-in, and you. A well-appointed home reflects the people who live there, and that’s far more important than an unrealistic picture-perfect space.
So be happy where you and your home are, enjoy the process, and keep working on your home. With time, patience, and a little decorating know-how, you’ll create a space that feels just right and beautiful!
Becoming a better home decorator is a process that takes time, practice, and a willingness to learn. The most important thing is to enjoy the process and create a home that feels beautiful, comfortable, and uniquely yours. Keep experimenting, keep learning, and most of all, keep loving the home you are creating.
Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming A Better Decorator
A cohesive home starts with a defined color palette and a consistent decorating style. Choose three to five main colors that flow throughout your home, and stick to them when selecting decor. Also, focus on balance and repetition by using similar textures, shapes, and materials in different rooms to tie everything together. Editing your decor regularly prevents visual clutter and makes your home feel more intentional.
Confidence in decorating comes with practice and patience. Start by learning the basics like color theory, balance, and proportion, and then trust your instincts. Take photos of your space, step back, and analyze what feels right or off. Do not be afraid to experiment. Move things around, try different layouts, and live with changes for a few days before making a final decision. Over time, your decorating intuition will grow, and you will feel more assured in your choices.
To make your home look cohesive and professionally designed, start by defining your decorating style and choosing a consistent color palette that flows throughout your space. Decorating is a process, so take your time, experiment, and refine as you go to create a beautiful, well-designed home that feels uniquely yours.
More Post To Help You Be A Better Decorator
9 Classic Decor Trends That Are Always In Style
The Best Way To Handle Decorating Mistakes And Not Get Stuck
How To Live With Decor You Don’t Like
Happy decorating, Friends!
Love! Love! Love this article, Yvonne! I will cut this out and re-read It and begin to use my camera for assistance in decorating. Thanks for the great tips!!
Paula taking pictures of what you decorate will give you a good “critical eye” and help you! Also, it will give you a record of how you decorate from year to year.
Hello Yvonne.These are all good ideas. I have been weading out things in my apartment to have less clutter. This will help me see what else to get rid of or keep.I will give this a try with the pics. Wish me luck. I have a bad habbit of holding on to things and letting go.?Thank you for your professional advise.
Today on the last day of January with the weather, cold rain all day I spent my time changing my familyroom decor. As I was working on the mantle I tried explaining to my husband how I had to sit back and look at it and change things around till I felt comfortable with it. He looked at me as if I was crazy . Like you said it is half the fun of decorating. ?
Hope you are not getting snowed in where you live.
We have lots of snow Kathy and I LOVE it! Bring on the snow!!!! I’m one of those rare people that delight in the white stuff! And I love your story. I tell Bobby he does not have to “get it”. LOL!
Hello Yvonne.I had posted a comment earlier,dont know what happened to it.So I apologize for another one should you receive two.Love the ideas and lessons you give us. I have been weeding out my apartment to have less clutter. The pic.suggestion will help.Thank you for all the advise and unselfish tips .Your a special and kind person.Wish me luck in weeding out my apartment.Im unnot one that likes to part with things. But I’m trying.Have a Blessed day.lots of Love
Having worked in a retail home store, I agree with your advice whole heartedly. Your advice to look at magazines, and online is priceless. We had a customer that declared her style was modern. As we looked at wall art, she gravitated towards very traditional artwork! Only then did we know to steer her towards more traditional furnishings, and she seemed pleased. So learning one’s general style is important. BTW, your home is gorgeous!
I’m crushing on the rug you have in, I believe your sunroom, can you suggest where to find one like it?
Beautiful room!
Taking a picture of your space before decorating it is a very interesting tip! Not something that I would have thought to do. I will give it a try!
Hi CJ, I think what you meant is taking images after a space is decorated, right? Yes, taking pictures after a space is decorated will show you so much! I hope you give it a try!
Where is your living room rug from? Thank you!
I found it on Wayfair. Go here:https://rstyle.me/+dMVM7VPZrc2NvHmie33rtg
Ha, I agree with you on everything! I had an undone room for 14 years. because I couldn’t find a piece of art work I liked. I too am a huge proponent of using pictures for inspiration. I wish I had thought of circling the portion of that picture that inspired me. Thank you for your post!
Hi Ana, decorate that room NOW! Sweet friend, don’t get stuck!!!!
I think this is one of your best posts ever! It made me feel that it is okay if things don’t look right at first try when decorating a room. Mostly, it is good to hear a decorating blogger say that our homes are meant to be lived in and things will get dirty and wear out.
Im not a home decorator. Im actually a home stager and an interior designer and staging requires some decoration skills as well. And i have learned lots of decoration tricks from your article. Thank you so much for sharing. I enjoyed reading it.
I have always loved the white chair with white cushions. Do you know if it is still available ? I am looking for new chair that is not overstuffed. Always enjoy your design tips. Thank you, Chloe Ward
Hi Chloe, the white spindle chairs came from Ethan Allen. Hope this helps.
This was very helpful, been trying to figure out my style for years and I think I have narrowed it down to Farmhouse. I definitely have a hard time taking an idea and putting it together in my home and feel like it looks put together like what I have in my mind, but I keep trying and every once in a while it comes together! The tip to break an image down sounds great, will be trying that 🙂
thanks!
I’m thrilled this post has helped you. Knowing your decorating style is the best thing you can do to help you be a better decorator.
I. recently moved to a new house that has a very large living dinning room combined. I wasn’t sure how to decorate it and have been looking on line for help. I found this article offered the best sound and specific advice that I have come across. Thank you!
Congratulations on your new home, Susan! StoneGable is full is ideas and posts that show you designer secrets you can use at home!
love this site!
Thanks, Rosemary!
I like the darker shaded accessories you have added to your home…the fern pictures in your living room and your new rug in the sunroom. They ground the look and give depth also. I love all the items you have chosen!??
Thanks, Jan! I’m still on the fence with a few things. I’m glad you like a little bit of black in the living room
I appreciate the photos with ideas but am I the only one who notices that almost all of the settings are white on white? I have a mostly neutral palette but it’s not all white.
I also notice that magazines and posts are encouraging people to add color to walls, etc but when it comes time to decorate for a season, we’re back to white on white.
Sorry, pet peeve.
Wendie, each to his or her own. I’m glad you feel you can air your “pet peeve” here. I won’t do the same about readers’ comments who feel it’s okay to air their pet peeves. Even if my readers are not fans of my home at least they appreciate my effort and tips.
I find that taking a photo with my phone is very helpful as wel
Good for you, Jina!
Picking pictures of beautiful rooms and then picking them apart to show what makes it so would be great posts. It would help us layman have an eye for how to put rooms together. What do you think?
Thanks for your suggestion, Joanna!