How do you learn to decorate your home?

[margaritasbythesea]

We've recently bought our first house that we can really decorate. Our last house was so tiny, there wasn't much we could do.

I realise now I don't really have an aptitude for it, and neither do I take an active interest. I get very put off by the amount of money that goes into magazine shoots. I just don't have the resources to buy a new sofa etc. I need design something that fits in around what we have. They all seem to be already set in beautiful houses and my house is a really ordinary 60s semi.

Neither do I seem to be very good at visualising what things would look like.

Honestly, I have never understood why people hire interior decorators before but now I do, not that I can afford them.

I've tried a couple of apps but found them hopeless. They're not any more realistic than the dress up dolly ones DD uses on her tablet for fashion design. I found the Dulux visualiser app completely useless. It insisted my sage green wall was dark get, for example.

I watched a TV programme where people compete to have the best designed normal house but I thought most of it looked horrible.

I bought a book I hoped would be inspirational but it was all based on rustic farmhouses, Swedish architecture in the woods or swanky city appartments (lockdown purchase over Amazon so couldn't look at it first). It just put me off as none of it seemed to translate to a British suburban semi on a budget.

I would like it to look nice, though. All the posts on here seem so knowledgeable. Can somebody help me out? What on earth can I try to get my head around it? Are there some basic steps to take for choosing colours etc?

Thanks for your tips. All the things I have to do in the house, the little money I have to do them and the lack of DIY skills available are all getting on top of me today. You all make it seem more doable.

What I really like in my home is texture, as a recent poster mentioned. We bought a lovely house, only 3 years old, with great attention to detail, but very "hard". Marble tiles on floor throughout, huge "faux" marble kitchen island, lots of stainless steel, angular-armed light fittings. A very red/black/white colour scheme, which is almost impossible to change. It has gorgeous wooden pocket doors, which are the only concession to "natural". I've a few pieces of antique oak furniture that I've had for ages, and love to bits, and boxes of things with huge sentiment attached, which I've had nowhere to display and enjoy everyday. Porcelain and paper objects from Japan, where I lived, 60s retro pottery, stuff collected on my travels, charity shop finds, 19th cent bits from my English grandmother's family home...all very eclectic, but with a special significance, every one. To soften the harsh colour scheme, I've also added rattan lamps and chairs, persian carpets, sepia family portraits, lots of plants, including some big palms in natural terracotta pots, throws and cushions in reds, browns, oranges to break up the red blocked colour walls. The softening effect of the different textures and patterns is amazing. I love it now that it is personalised and brings the garden indoors.

I know what you mean about real things looking natural, I’ve had to begrudgingly accept dh is right and there’s no point installing real wood worktops in a house we won’t be in forever.

Have a look at the Frenchic Fan Forum on Facebook. There’s loads of examples on there of things that people have painted from UPVC front doors to kitchens. If you are careful, take your time and use thin coats, Frenchic can be used on lots of mismatched furniture to pull a look together. I don’t love everything on the page as there’s far too much grey, but there are some amazing transformations.

I agree with the PPs that Pinterest should help. There is also 3d home design software like Interior Design or Planoplan and maybe it could be useful. It's mostly about space planning but still this could help a bit.

Your taste will evolve.
I'm now at the other side almost worse off as I'm really inflexible about what I will have!
My biggest take home has been to always have a focal point - for me that's usually a huge antique mirror.
I like mid toned plain painted walls, bare brick walls, walnut floorboards, white woodwork (always!), black accents (e.g a black cast iron sconce or fireplace) and large ornate chandeliers (usually from Ebay via Belgium or France). And the sofas/chairs have to be velvet or linen. I only have secondhand antique furniture - amazing for next to nothing prices.
I recently found there's a name for what I like - French Modern Country. Found it quite disconcerting that there is a name for what I thought was my style

Ooh and always vases with white hydrangeas and I love a black anglepoise lamp to contrast with the antiques to stop it looking "chintzy"

sounds good JMAngel1

I just want to say that I’m grateful to you Op because I didn’t know there was a home decoration part of mn. I always look at property and diy section but this is great too

Reported.