From Scratch

This post is dedicated to my best friend, Swiss Miss, who just moved across the country to Boston with absolutely no furniture.

Starting from Scratch is overwhelming but exciting. This is your chance to reinvent your home and start the next chapter. When I moved into my apartment it took a lot of time to get everything right and to build it to the place it is now. Here are some things I learned along the way:

1) Ask yourself: What room am I going to spend the most time in? This is the room you should decorate first.

2) Get the big items first. This would be the bed, couch, and kitchen table and chairs. Try to stay in a neutral palette so you don’t purchase a big ticket item in a color that doesn't work with the rest of your home. Also, remember when picking any items with wood finishing that you’ll want to pick all your future pieces with the same finishing. You’ll want to keep one type of wood flowing throughout the room. It looks odd when you have pine next to cherry. Keep this in mind when you’re shopping. If you find a shape that you absolutely love but it’s in a color of wood you can’t stand, keep looking. Half the fun is looking anyway. If you’ve already bought two pieces of furniture with different wood finishing, then either place them on opposite ends of the room from each other or, paint the piece you like the least. Sometimes it’s fun to have unexpected colors of furniture.

3) Next, you should already have an idea of what your color palette is going to be, but start to focus on what your over all inspiration for each room is. Each room should have one standout piece that is either the focal point or the inspiration for every other item in the room. For example, in my living room I have a large circular shaped mirror that is art-deco meets modern. While it isn’t the focal point of the living room it did inspire many other items that are silver which are scattered though out the room.

4) Now, start from the floor up. After you have your big pieces its time to start building out the room. A rug under your couch will help to stabilize the room and hopefully add some color that you can build off of. Then, begin searching for other furniture that you are interested in adding to the room. As the furniture is added lamps can be placed on top adding more shape and depth to the room. Art comes last since you will need to know where your furniture is placed before hand so you can center, or off-center, pictures appropriately. Finish off the room with window treatments. If you have too much color in the room already go with neutral window treatments. If not enough color, pick a color that compliments the rest of the room.

5) Finally, add personality. Decorate the room with the items you have fallen in love with over the years. I believe that creating a home is all about surrounding yourself with pleasant memories and the stories that have created your life. Bookends, candle holders, catchalls, vases...but try to keep it personal. Remember that items placed on furniture should always be grouped in odd numbers. Color and shapes should be repeated on opposite ends of the room from each other. For example, if you have a painting with red in it on one wall, try to repeat the effect with a red candle across the room from the painting.

Have fun!

-Honey