Decorating your first home can seem both exciting and daunting at the same time, but don’t let your nerves get the best of you!
Choosing elements for your first home and incorporating them in what was otherwise empty space is a pretty special occasion and you should cherish it.
But we get it, there are a million things you need to consider first. Luckily, we’re here to tell you that there aren’t that many considerations to make, and we’ve already made a few of the more important ones for you!
Finding A Focal Point
Source: Exquisite Interior Design
It’d be pretty easy to guess the sort of room you’re in right now:
There’s a focal area.
A light source.
A dedicated corner for art, decorations, or hobbies.
A few things in between to make the room feel more homely.
At first thought, that sounds like just about any room, right? Well, that’s the point. Most rooms follow the same basic framework. The prime focus of any room would naturally be its focal point.
Here are a few examples of focal areas in living spaces:
- The couch in the living room.
- The bed in the bedroom.
- The bathtub in the bathroom.
- The dining table in the dining room.
Again, it might seem obvious when you can visualize the things right there in front of you, but when you’re in an empty room it’s hard to determine which things go where. For example, where would the couch go in an empty living room? Would placing it in the center work best? What about in a direction opposite the light source? What about towards the light source?
Remember: The focal point is not the center point.
Going forth with the same example, you need to place your couch in an area against a natural light source and towards an artificial light source. It should be placed where there’s ample space to walk around it, and ample space to place tables around the couch.
What’s the Best Way to Come Up with a Focal Point?
Source: Chew Vision Design
- Map out your living space. It doesn’t have to be exact, just a rough guess of what your room would look like on a blueprint.
- Make a list of everything you want to be in said room. Determine what should be the focal feature of the room.
- Now, assess the size of the feature against the size of the room. Where would it fit best?
- What about its accessories? Would they fit in the same space? Proceed if yes, and reassess if no.
Airy, Earthy, and Aesthetic
Source: Freespace Intent
The tropical climate we live in does not allow for closed-off rooms – and we’re not complaining either! The humidity begs for an open floor plan. That is, a space wherein a few walls are torn down to join a few rooms. Typically, there aren’t walls between the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room.
This creates an open floor with dedicated spaces that aren’t made virtually inaccessible. Not only are they practical, but they also take away from the feeling of being boxed in.
Speaking of humidity, you might want to consider owning a houseplant – or maybe two! They’re great for making you feel more relaxed, and calmer, and they tend to bring a whole room together. Plus, they serve dual functions: purification, and aesthetics.
Lastly, choose earthier tones for your living space. This includes a color palette with greens, beiges, and whites. This is by no means the rule, but these colors tend to balance well with all the sunlight that’d be coming in every day.
They’re muted, but not enough to make your space look monotone.
They’re also bright, but not enough to make your space look too funky.
Shop Based On What You Already Own
Source: Chew View Design
The cardinal sin when decorating a home is going overboard. This is something most new homeowners tend to struggle with – even the ones on a limited budget.
The allure of owning new furniture and decorating an empty space in a way that speaks to you gets the better of most of us. However, unless you’re walking into a new home with nothing to your name, you’re bound to already own a few pieces of furnishings.
Shop for What you Already Have!
If you have a couch, then pick something that complements the existing couch. Or, if you’re not too fond of the couch, then switch up the upholstery. An unnecessary purchase can be the beginning of the end. It messes up your budget and leaves you lower than when you began.
How To Budget Correctly
Source: Project Guru
Here’s how you need to budget for your new home:
- Make two columns: One titled ‘Want’ and the other titled ‘Need.’
- Jot down things you need to sustain yourself, entertain guests with, and live off of in the ‘need’ section.
- Jot down things you want to spruce up your living space, but can make do without until your budget clears up in the ‘want’ section.
- The header of the page would be your allocated budget.
- Assign arbitrary prices to the items in your list one by one. You could always assign actual prices if you know them. That’d work better.
- Once you’re done, calculate the sum of everything in your list against your budget. Note down the value whether it’s positive or negative.
- Now, if you have a negative value, start eliminating the amount from your list of things. Understandably, you’d be eliminating things from the ‘want’ pile.
- If you have a positive value, but not by a great margin, keep it as is.
- If you have a positive value by a greater margin, throw in another ‘want!’
Bottom-line
Decorating your first home can be as simple as pie, or as complicated as pi! It depends on what you do and how you do it. For more design inspiration, visit Light Atelier where we have a dedicated catalog with home inspiration and lighting solutions for every new Singaporean homeowner!
