3 Questions to ask yourself before decorating your home
For many of us, home isn’t just four walls and a roof over our heads - it’s a sanctuary and a reflection of who we are and what we love. This makes me wonder why, if our homes are so personal, creating our spaces is so heavily influenced by fleeting trends.
Nowadays, we’ve become so wrapped up in trying to ‘keep up with newness’ that we’re constantly buying into the latest trends and hottest must-haves that many of us haven’t really stopped to ask ourselves what we truly like and why. And most importantly, how do we want to feel in our homes? Before my hubby and I began our home renovation journey, we asked ourselves these three soul-searching questions to help us avoid being too influenced by the latest trends and create a home that reflects what we love:
1. What do you value the most?
Whether we want to spend more quality time with family and friends, create a peaceful oasis, or express ourselves freely, we can design our homes to become spaces where we can embrace and celebrate the things that matter most to us. Knowing what we value most can guide our design choices and help us make more meaningful purchase decisions.
2. How do you/your family live?
Think about how you’re living right now. Maybe you live on a farm or lifestyle block and spend a lot of time outdoors, or you have a busy family, and your days are filled with school runs, sports matches and wrangling your brood around the dining table.
Examining how we live daily can help us pinpoint two things:
A) What do we need in our homes to support our daily living?
B) And how can our personal spaces better support our lifestyles?
For instance, life is probably super busy if you have pets and a young family; the homewares and furniture you choose must withstand the wear and tear of a bustling household and be safe and comfortable for your furry companions and little humans. Pet- and kid-friendly homeware and furniture (e.g., rugs) will be at the top of your decor list. Your household might also require more storage spaces and ‘zones’ in your house for everyone to have their space (e.g. a play zone for the kids or a separate living area for the adults).
How we live and the people and animals that share our spaces will influence how we furnish, decorate and organise our homes.
3. Looks aside, how do you want to feel in your home?
Oftentimes, we think of decor and styling in terms of ‘looks’, but really, it’s about eliciting a specific emotion. Dig deep and really consider how you want to feel in your home.
Would you love to come home to a neutral, calming space? Or do you want more colour and energy—a place that inspires you to create and express yourself? If you’re like me, perhaps you want a warm and cosy home—like a comforting hug.
Think about the last time you visited a place that gave you what I call the warm and fuzzies. It could be a cafe, a restaurant, a hotel, Airbnb, a friend’s house - any space that really spoke to you.
How you want your home to feel will influence the textures, colours, and shapes you introduce. If you want a calming vibe, bright colours and a maximalist aesthetic are probably not the best styling choices. If you want a cosy space, you probably won’t want to use cold materials and hard-edged furniture.
To recap, before you start decorating your home and/or jumping on the latest design trends, ask yourself:
1. What do you value the most?
(e.g. More quality time with friends and family at home)
2. How do you/your family live?
(e.g. A busy family life = life-proof materials and well-organised spaces)
3. Looks aside, how do YOU want to FEEL in your home?
(e.g. If you want a neutral, calming space, then you’ll probably want to introduce calming and neutral colours, textures, etc.)
Looking for more decorating ideas? Check out THESE posts on the blog.
