Buying a new home is exciting. But buying a new home and decorating it is even more exciting and something every new homeowner can look forward to. However, before you begin, you will need to see some decor and design examples from others who have decorated their living rooms. This will give you some ideas and help get your creative juices flowing. Many homeowners will look through hundreds of examples of living rooms, but still have a hard time knowing where and how to begin. Therefore, we are going to give you a basic blueprint on how to begin, where to get a little inspiration and how you can copy what other people have come up with as far as the decor and designs for their living rooms. And for the sake of example, we are going to use a farmhouse design to show you how the decorating process works, as well as where and how to begin.
How do I begin decorating the living room in my new home?
This is actually the fun part of buying a new home. And the easiest way to begin decorating your living room, or any other room in your home, is by choosing a theme. Once you have selected a general theme, you can build on that idea until your living room is complete. Additionally, using a specific theme will make it easier to add to or change the decor any time your heart desires, because when you find a piece of art or anything else that would be perfect for your living room, all you have to do is add it or remove one of your existing pieces and replace it with the new one. This will keep you from having to completely redo the entire room.
Where can I get some ideas if I don’t already have a theme for my living room?
We’re glad you asked! There are plenty of places you can go to get ideas for your themed living room decor. Pinterest.com is probably your best bet for getting a little inspiration because Pinterest has thousands of ideas with many different looks. Additionally, Pinterest has pictures you can browse through and many of the Pinterest boards even give you step-by-step instructions for copying their particular look. And having pictures makes it much easier to see the end result and to copy any particular look you like, if that’s what you want to do. You can also take ideas from several different Pinterest boards to create a look of your own.
You can also get some inspiration from other websites as well. Etsy.com is a great place to find vintage and handmade items to complete your look. And of course, there is Ebay.com where you can find just about anything you want new, used or vintage. Additionally, once you’ve decided on a theme, any of these sites are a great place to find and buy the items you need to create your finished product. And one last mention. If you are on a budget, garage sales, flea markets or your local thrift shops are a treasure-trove of items that can be repurposed to decorate your living room on a dime.
Can you give me step-by-step instructions for creating a theme?
OK, so now you’re ready to get started, but for some people it’s just easier to follow step-by-step instructions to help stay on track and make sure their look is properly built from start to finish. And that’s perfectly fine. So let’s get started.
1. Go to pinterest.com and browse until you’ve found several ideas you like for decorating your living room.
2. Now you need to narrow your selections down to one particular theme. For example, perhaps a farmhouse theme.
3. Once you’ve narrowed down a specific theme, the best way to create your look, is to put together your own Pinterest board. This will allow you to gather and compile all the ideas you like and keep them neatly organized in one place, not to mention giving you a great visual. If you prefer not to use a Pinterest board, you can just as easily print the pictures you find and paste them to some poster board or into a scrapbook.
4. Before you begin selecting decor, you will need to decide on the colors you want to incorporate into your farmhouse living room design. Once you’ve selected your colors, you will need to paint your living room in the colors you selected and this will need to be done before you begin decorating.
5. After the paint has dried and you’re ready to start decorating, you will need to go to your Pinterest board and start gathering the decor you want to use to put everything together. If you copy the design you have laid out on your board, your living room will be very easy to build, because all you have to do is replicate the look you have on your board and that’s as easy as looking at your chosen pictures.
How can I create farmhouse charm without any renovations?
The good news is that a farmhouse design can be easily created without having to implement expensive renovations. In fact, a farmhouse design is one of the easiest looks to recreate without ever having to renovate anything. Here are some farmhouse living room decor ideas to help get you started.
- Use rustic distressed wood of any kind. Distressed wood can be used as trim, added to the ceiling as ceiling beams, distressed wood furniture or other decor
- Old distressed window frames, with or without the glass
- Distressed wood banisters, if your stairway is in or near your living room
- Old lanterns as lighting
- Repurposed cabinets to hold your TV and other electronics
- Old baskets, vases and wood plank sofa tables can be used as accent pieces
- Distressed vintage metal signs
- Barn looking doors, if you have an entry hall closet near your living room
- Farmhouse patterned throw pillows, area rugs, table runners or other types of tapestry
It’s literally endless what you can do to create a charming farmhouse look for your living room. Vintage pieces can help you create a great look and they make fantastic conversation pieces as well. For example, an old water pitcher and sink basin, old whiskey barrels, old small wooden wagons, a vintage rocking chair and so on. And if you want to tighten your theme even more, you could not only select a specific theme, but you could also narrow it down to a certain item or era. For example, remember the rooster, cow, mushroom, duck, strawberry and so on looks from years gone by? Or perhaps you liked the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s or any other decade you liked. You could recreate any look for any era you like. This is a great way to help build a look that brings back many fond memories for you, your family and your friends. Doing so could also help your kids get a taste of what it was like for you growing up. Don’t be afraid to get creative. It’s your house and you can do anything you want that will provide you with a comfortable space you are proud to call home.
