Decorating a Space 101: Where to Start

Whether it’s a room or an entire home, designing a space can be complicated. However, there are some steps you can take to make the process simpler and more enjoyable. First you must know where to start, and like skinning a cat, there are several ways to do this. 

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Choosing a Specific Color Scheme….

A simple way to begin the decorating process is to start with a specific color scheme. For me, I knew I wanted to go with a neutral color scheme with pops of color, specifically emerald and orange. This helped me narrow down not only the colors I wanted to include in the room, but the furniture and accessory choices. For you, you might want to start with fabrics that speak to you or maybe art with specific colors you want to base the room around. Either way, having a clear color scheme is a good way to start decorating your space.

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Designing Around a Collection…

OK, this one may not work for everyone, but if you are a collector of SOMETHING, try starting with that as the focus of your room or even your entire apartment/house and build around it. I did this out of necessity, but it turned out to be an amazing focal point of the room. If you didn’t know, I am a sneaker collector and living in a one-bedroom apartment in New York presents a bit of a challenge regarding storage. As a solution, I worked with the Container Store to design a sneaker wall using their clear sneaker boxes and shelving to be the focal point of my bedroom, with the sneakers display designed to fit around the bed. Using your collection, whatever it is, as the starting point for decorating can often alleviate a lot of extras such as the need to decide wallpaper, additional paint colors or wall decorations. 

My Bedroom/Sneaker Wall

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Designing Around a Specific Piece…

If you don’t have a large collection, you could be inspired by a single piece. The piece could be a painting, a chair, a rug, an item you bought while traveling, anything. However, make sure the piece is something substantial/meaningful. Maybe the piece inspires a certain theme for the room, such as that of a certain type of architecture or culture. Maybe it inspires a design era, such as a statue from the 30s which could lead to an art deco inspired room or an antique French table which could lead to Louis XVI décor. Either way, starting with one piece you love and expanding from there is an effective way to get your design juices churning. 

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