How to Decorate: Everything I've Learned from an Interior Designer Mom

How To Decorate

I will confess that I'm the sort to hang pictures two inches too high. From there I tap a trail of nail holes all the way down the wall till I finally get it right. Meanwhile, my mother, the professional interior designer (and feng shui consultant) takes one look at a room and transforms it just by moving the furniture around.

I remain an average Joe decorator, but I do have advice from pros to pass along.

Decorating isn't about drapes and frilly throw pillows. It's about planning, storage, organization, making the space fit your needs. Lastly--the part that we think is decorating--creating a cohesive look that suits you.

Good planning will save you money. You buy what you need, use what you buy, like what you buy, and then (the hard part) have it all look good together.

Here's all I know about decorating in a few easy phases. With homework. The short version:

1 - Learn what you want: Write down how you're going to use the space, really.
2 - Learn what you need: Write a list of what you already have, and what has to go with it (i.e., a bed needs bedding).
3 - Learn what you like: Window shop! Explore catalogs, shops, and online stores to learn what you like, writing down (yes) what you like about these things, 'till you come up with a list of catchphrases that describe how you want things to look.
4 - Create pools of activity spaces. Draw a layout of your place and, based on 1 and 2, decide how to accommodate your favorite activities.
5 - Finally, shop. List what you still need and shop with your catchphrases in mind.

Phase one. My mother the interior designer asks first: What you intend to do in your place?

Homework:
1 - Make a list of how you spend your time at home.
2 - Make a second list of how you'd like to spend your time at home. (For example, you may be a recent college grad who wants to have an "adult" space.)
3 - Write down which of these you do most and/or require the most space.

Be honest.

Many women decorate just like their moms did. They set up a fancy living room for entertaining that they never use because what they really do is read novels, spend their time online and watch TV. So they end up living in the dining room, or bedroom, with books and DVDs overflowing shelves, and dust a huge wasted living room.

Many men buy stereo equipment and video games and use their space practically: the video games will be centrally located. But they don't think through storage and end up with piles in corners, unable to find things. One day they reach over to put their drink on a table ... which doesn't exist. So they buy a coffee table. They bring their girlfriend in and, whoops, someone has to sit on the floor. Bit by bit they buy random furnishings, then scratch their heads and wonder when that nice stuff turned into haphazard junk.

Neither have thought in advance how they're going to use their space.

Here's a list of possible things you might do in your place:

1 - Store your things. Most people who have a place have things, or will have things.

2 - Live there, i.e., the basics, shower, eat, sleep. (Hey, some people don't live in their apartments, they spend their time elsewhere, see the movie Up In The Air.)

3 - Relax there, i.e., watch TV, play video games, dink around on the computer, make nicer meals, work out, practice your tap dancing (who knows?). (Again, this is not universal, some people do all their relaxation elsewhere and just crash at home, see half the people in NYC.)

4 - Entertain there, i.e., sleep with your girlfriend/boyfriend, have friends over, have family over, have your boss over. (Obviously, if other humans have to see your place, you'll arrange things differently. The porn collection probably can't be on the coffee table.)

5 - Other, i.e., run a small business, do myriad craft projects, create chain mail, set up a full S&M dungeon, babysit your sister's 6-year-old (little kids change your decorating options drastically).

Finished your homework? Good. Now you know what sort of decorating there is to do. A place that's largely for storage needs different (and far less) decor than an elegant showplace where you'll have your boss over for dinner parties.

Coming soon ... Phase Two: What do you have? What do you need?

How to Decorate: Phase Two, i.e., What Do I Have, What Do I Need

How To Decorate

Continuing the decorating series (see How To Decorate: Phase One).

In my first apartment, I made the mistake of trying to decorate it before I put things away. The result was sort of a band-aid effect. Pictures on the wall and a total mess around them. Visually, the mess dominated. I called myself an "unrepentant slob" but in reality I just didn't set up places for things. My closet was too full so my coat went on the couch, I didn't have a hamper so my clothes went on the bed, and so on.

When I moved into my current place (this time with mom's help) I noticed she cleaned and organized everything first. "The Feng Shui improves as you keep your place clean. You slowly improve, clearing out your space more and more."

Phase two: At first, your home is for storage.

Homework:
1 - Make a list of what you have.
2 - Make a list of what you need, i.e., you have a collection of mint condition 1979 Star Wars X-wing fighters; you need shelving to display it. You have clothes; you need a dresser. You have a kitchen; you need kitchenware.
3 - Mark next to these items *where* they would most likely be used (bedroom? kitchen? living room?).

Your home, at its most basic, is a place to store your things. Homeless people can't own much because they have nowhere to put it.

Decorating starts with being tidy and organized. A clean space feels good, has good feng shui, and is livable. When you first buy or rent your place it's so clean and inviting ... and then you move in piles of boxes. A daunting, discouraging mess. (Set up one room first. You can retreat from the chaos.)

Once you've listed what you have and what you need, consider a few organizing basics:

- Things you need all the time should be easily accessible.

- Things you rarely use can be less accessible.

- Store similar items together: i.e., cleaning items in the same place, gardening tools in the same closet, etc. That way if you don't know where you put it, at least you know where it should be.

- If possible, store things near where they will be used, since the farther an item has to be moved (especially if used regularly) the more likely you'll leave it out.

- If you have things you don't need or use at all, consider giving them to Goodwill. In my opinion, if you can store it where you have to drive to it, you probably don't need it.

- Decorator!mom says open bookcases often look cluttered, so put them close together to create a "library."

- Open buckets of trash are awful, so buy trashcans with lids. If there's one thing you can do for yourself, try not to decorate with bouquets of trash.

If this is your first apartment/house, you're probably listing basics like beds, kitchen tables, flatware, linens. I suggest buying the small items (like dishes and flatware) long before your move. Free up your budget for the big ticket items. If it's kept in a closet or drawer, buy it early.

Don't buy the big ticket items until you've done the entire planning process.

Finished your homework? Now you have an idea of what you *have* to buy. Some--or all--of it may double as decorative items, but these you need to make your life comfortable.

Next ... Phase Three: Researching What You Like.