I'm terrible at interior design. How do I style my house nicely??

[losenotloose]

I know what I like and look at magazines etc but don't seem able to replicate it! We bought some quite expensive curtains a year ago and I hate them. Looking at them know I don't know what I was thinking. This is the kind of mistake I make all the time. I have friends whose house's are stylish, modern etc. How do I do it?!

I know what you mean OP, I've made some errors in this regard

If you're looking for quick and relatively cheap ways to make a room look nicer, then plants and books always do the trick I think. Good house plants in the likes of Lidl for not much at all!

And soft lighting...whether it's lamps or decorative lights draped on/put in something. If you've got wood floors and furniture, I'd suggest a really bright rug? Not necessarily shocking pink but one with lots of colour?

Hope that's helpful, sorry if it's not what you're after!

I think you need to select things that go with the age of your house. William Morris prints can look good in a period property with high ceilings that can pull off their busyness. I find houzz great for inspiration.

Are they lined OP. They don't look it. And it looks like you need to pull your curtain strings tighter.

We were like this, we decorated the whole house horribly many years ago. We’ve finally got it as we want it, it just took time to discover what we liked. We love Scandi style decor and the whole house is now calm, welcoming, cosy, just lovely really (well we think so!). What triggered it for us was a patterned wallpaper from the scion brand and we went from there.

Maybe I should stick with middle of the road! Whenever I try to go stylish it doesn't work! My house is a very average ex council house, which dh thinks is the problem but I have a friend with the same and she's decorated it amazingly! Some people just have the knack. I've done the whole Houzz thing but I've still ended up messing up. Maybe I'm just a lost cause!

Gumtree is a good place to get pre loved curtains - you can save a fortune! I bought a brand new Laura Ashley pair for £5

can we see the rest of the room

@HasaDigaEebowai they are lined.

I think the problem is they are curtains that would go in a house with high ceilings, Victorian etc and ours is not! I'm going to start doing some research again.

I'm like you OP - I'm ok with colours, but not good at putting a room together in a style I like.

It really doesn't take too much 'getting into it' to replicate what you like though. Do a little bit of general decor browsing on Pinterest, work out what styles you like (e.g. Scandi etc), then just save a bunch of 'Scandi living room' pics you like. Then find products/paint to match them (cheaper versions if necessary!).

The curtains are my idea of hell! I like plain cool or neutral colours and hate busy patterns.

We've just got back from holiday and it's a bit messy so I'd rather not

The problem with those curtains is they look really thin, I think if you add a really thick luxurious backing to them they would be fine.

Do you ever see interiors you like?

Interesting William Morris type interiors

I like those curtains, they suit your flooring.

a lot of websites do 'room inspirations' so you can pretty much buy what is in the room they have designed but obviously it can cost a fortune.

@Porridgeoat yes I do! I think I prefer scandi, light and bright style. Clearly these curtains are not! We'd spent ages looking in John Lewis and I think I'd just lost perspective!

Sell them on Facebook and aim for Scandi style. They are polar opposites style wise. Morris is fussy, intense and complicated. Scandi is clean lines, light, bright and beautiful organic shapes

I am rubbish to so I keep it very simple. neutral walls white, grey etc you can jazz up with duvets covers cushions , canvas art work, rugs etc.

We have Morris curtains, same print but the navy pattern (yours look red). Even in our high ceiling Edwardian house (similar window to one of the photos above) they are quite a statement. I don’t think the cream walls go with them, you would probably manage with something with more grey tones. I’m sure you could sell them because they are £££

I like strawberry thief too! I think you could make them look a lot better by lining, replacing the curtain rail and positioning the new one very marginally lower and hanging the curtains properly. You might find you like them a lot more.

Do you ever watch goggle box. Gilles and Mary have willow boughs upholstery and wallpaper. You could think about a similar more is more look?

One immediate problem I can see is that the curtains dont look big enough! I find small things like that really make a difference - it makes a room look more finished.

Can I ask what made you choose those curtains in the first place? You must have liked them at some point? Did you see them in a picture somewhere that you liked. If so, can we see it?
I think that this is one of those styles require you to commit and go “all in” so it may not be that there is enough of that style in the room to make it work?

But before you do that, maybe you should work out if you still like it and just need a lot more of that style to make it work or you had to make an on the spot decision and made the wrong call.

The curtains are nice and go with the flooring, but you'd need a more cosy style to go with them.

The Scandi look would suit your style of house.

If you like a Scandi style then replace those curtains with a light coloured linen.
www.linenme.com/linen-curtains/pencil-pleat-curtains/silver-linen-curtain-panel-with-pencil-pleats-lara

As others have recommended, go on Pinterest and Instagram to get ideas. But remember that Scandi style depends on textures and natural looking fibres. So pair your linen curtains with a sheepskin throw, a wool blanket and a herringbone rug.

I agree you need dark walls - navy or teal. Abigail Ahearn is a big advocate of dark rooms, look at her Insta or website. I think you should keep the curtains as they are a classic print but I would get them lined with dark green or navy blue velvet and change the curtain pole.