Our homes – our little escapes from the world, have become the never-ending story of same sh*t, different day, right? Life feels like the premise of the movie Groundhog Day, but scary real! Even though I’m stressed out and suffering from a nasty case of Spring fever AND cabin fever, my wheels have been spinning on projects. I got a to do list for my wish list and I’d like to get a jump on all of it because I’m staring at the same walls, day in and day out...
If you’re like me, tired of watching the grim news unfold each day, and I am by no means diminishing the truth that this awful time is showing us, you may be looking for a distraction? And if you’re itching to get going on a makeover for the room you’ve been looking at for weeks, now is a great time to start planning.
This week I’ll show you my step by step method for tackling a room refresh in your home. You can use these steps to update your current décor by adding in a few new pieces or you can start from scratch and get a whole new room planned while you’re social distancing.
If you’d like to go a bit further than just planning, then this post is the perfect chance for you to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
The crucial first step to any makeover is to know the specific size of the room you’ll be making over. This is essential if you’re planning on updating new furniture or changing the configuration of the room.
If you’re unsure of how to do that accurately, here is my free guide to measuring your space. I wrote it for measuring small spaces, but it will work for any size room.
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If you’ve binge watched everything on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+ and YouTube, and you’re asking now what? Here’s a great option to plan a gorgeous room makeover online – step by step.
Start with Color Inspiration: Rug, Wallpaper or Drapes
For this example, I’m going with an area rug to be my color inspiration but if you find wallpaper or drapes with a pattern you like, use that as your inspiration. The here goal is to find a color or pattern that will serve as the anchor for the room makeover.
Once you decide on the rug, this choice will influence everything that comes after. This is decorating from the floor up and it will work for any room in your house.
Speaking of going from the floor up, this is also the ideal step to pick the color of drapery or window treatment. Even though the rug is the main color inspiration here, getting the window coverings squared away is the first chunk of how the room ultimately comes together.
In the rug I chose, there is a very subtle white accent that highlights the pattern and is the perfect choice for the clean Boho -Farmhouse look I am going for. So white drapes it is!
Back to rugs, if you have a rug with differing pattern and colors, use it as a source of inspiration. Inspect it to see what color you can bring out to tie into your window treatments. For this example, I could reinforce the blue color theme and choose a pattern that incorporates even more blue. It’s a matter of personal choice.
Tip: Read the online reviews for the rug. Pay attention to what people are saying and look for language that describes the color, texture, quality etc. You should also read the care and maintenance instructions as well to make sure of how to properly clean it and to see what it’s made of, cotton, wool, synthetic, etc. That can usually be found by googling the composition of the rug you pick, “care and maintenance for wool rug, polypropylene rug, etc.”
Consider your lifestyle when choosing an area rug. Wool will hold up better than synthetic: polypropylene, polyester, in busy households with frequent cleaning.
Choose Furniture Next
Choose upholstered pieces first because you have the color inspiration to narrow your choices. Go back to the initial color inspiration, the rug to help you determine the color direction for the main furniture.
I knew that I wanted a white sectional but, if you’re not sure what color to choose, an easy way to help you decide is to take a colorway from the rug and apply that to your main upholstery piece. When you select a color directly from the rug, you’ll be able to know what will work best.
Buying furniture online is starting to become the norm for many busy people. As we emerge from this global pandemic, it is my belief that it will become an even more business as usual.
There are a few key points to making sure your online furniture purchase will go smoothly:
First, always check a furniture store’s website to make sure that they can ship the piece you’re interested in. If they do not offer home delivery, make sure there is a retail location close by to pick the items up.
Now, shipping a sectional is a lot different than shipping a small occasional table. For large pieces it’s important to understand all the terms of the sale. You want to make sure you have all your questions answered before you push submit on the order page.
You can generally find links to all the important pages at the bottom of the web page. You’ll want to make sure to read:
• Terms and conditions
• Warranty
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Shipping and Delivery
• Contact Us
• Product Reviews
Tip: Many websites have a “frequently purchased with” section on the product description page or the order page. Even if you don’t necessarily like the recommendations, you may get further inspiration for upholstery colors, accent pieces You could even find the accent furniture that will make your design come to life. If nothing else, you will likely find style cues and finishes to incorporate into your design.
By checking the store photos, I was able to clearly see that the rug looks amazing with white upholstery and I was able to get inspiration for the wood tones on the console and for the secondary seating.
Tip: Ask if the company can send you fabric swatches for the product that you’d like to purchase so you can see how they look in the room. Not all companies will do this, but it is worth asking for.
Pay attention to customer reviews and especially how they describe the piece. Read if people use language like “comfortable” or “uncomfortable” to describe the piece. You’re looking for insight into how it holds up and what people think about it when they get in the house.
Having all this information and any outstanding questions answered is imperative and will make the difference between a good experience and a bad experience.
Select Art
Art is a very personal choice. I like to hunt for art on sites like Society6 or Etsy. Pinterest is a great place to find pieces as well. It’s a good idea to look for inspiration from a lot of different places online because you can look at how art is styled in a room, the proportion of it compared to other items and the subject matter, from a lot of perspectives. It’s actually really helpful for figuring out what you like if you’re not really sure.
For this example, I decided to go with a tapestry and some woven mats as my artwork for the space. I wanted to bring in natural textures with a slightly bohemian quality to enhance the casual feel I was going for.
To find your own inspiration, go back to the color story you chose originally. Look at the rug, wallpaper or drapery selection from step 1.
If you wanted to bring in art instead of textures, I would see what’s available in abstract art or landscapes. Coastal themes would be ideal for this colorway as well and that could also influence the accessories you incorporate as well.
Keep an open mind when selecting art because you just might find the perfect piece that you might not have ever considered. Using the parameters of your original color story inspiration will also help to narrow the field.
Tip: For wall art, look at the sizes available and make sure they will fit on the wall. The dimensions will be listed in the description. There may be the option to purchase the art in a few different sizes as well. If the dimensions are not clearly stated, ask if the seller if it can be custom sized.
Also, make sure you know the format that your art will be in: do they ship the actual art or a print, poster or digital download. Being prepared for what to expect will save time and frustration.
Choose Lighting
I’ll often choose a metal finish, wood tone or color that I already have in the space to repeat with the lighting. Repeating those existing elements around the space creates cohesion.
Here, I chose to pick up the gold metal tone I used in the drapery rods to relate to the metal tone in the table lamp and floor lamp.
However, you could choose a wood tone from the furniture to tie the lighting in, or a patterned blue pottery as the lamp base… There’s a lot of different ways to go.
Light plays a substantial role in how the room feels so, consider incorporating task, ambient, directional and focal lighting. look for dark areas that will benefit from extra light. Incorporate candles for mood lighting to elevate the ambiance.
If your space is small, add in lighting to make the space feel larger. Think about adding up lights behind a screen, or picture lights that highlight art or directional lights to add focus to art or accessories.
If you’re not sure about how much lighting your room needs, use this simple calculation here to help.
Accessories
Choosing the accessories again relates back to the original inspiration piece, the area rug. I like to repeat the colors throughout the space for accent pillows, throw blankets, etc. Repeating the colors throughout gives the room a cohesive look.
I also like to repeat textures, wood and metal tones throughout as well.
For example, I brought in both color and wood tone with the blanket ladder. I repeated the metal tone with the gold metal flower bowl on the coffee table and the round mirror on the wall. Finally, I brought in some natural texture with the amethyst crystal tower and petrified wood sculptures on the credenza, and the fiddle leaf fig tree and planter by the window. It all relates back to the woven basket art and tapestry. See how we’ve building the space in layers that relate to earlier decisions?
Wall Color is Last
Now that everything else is selected, you have the perfect way to find the wall color. You guessed it, choose a color from your area rug, wallpaper or drapes as the wall color. When everything else is selected, you have the perfect formula for picking the wall color.
It’s much easier to pick a wall color from your original color inspiration than to try to find everything else to match a wall color. Make sense? You wouldn’t pick the heels before the dress, right? The wall color is the heels…
It’s essential that you get actual paint samples of the wall color you pick. You can order small sample cans from many paint stores and some are even sending large paint color stickers, so you don’t have to contend with the mess of painting before you’re ready.
If you have the actual paint, I suggest painting a swatch that’s at least 12” x 12” on a wall opposite windows or the natural light source. Look at the painted sample for a day or two, at different times of day: morning, afternoon, evening. Make sure to look at the sample in artificial light as well.
If you’re unsure of the exact color to paint, get samples of your top 3 choices and paint swatches of each and do all the steps I just mentioned for each. The top choice will become apparent.
There’s a very intentional pattern here. It works because having a single point of inspiration helps to streamline the process. Suddenly you’re not overwhelmed by a sea of choices. You have parameters to keep you focused and on track.
Making over a room online isn’t all that different than shopping in person. As this world changes, the innovation and evolution of furniture stores will change as well. Many furniture stores are already making it easy to choose products and ship them to people all over.
So, don’t be afraid to start your makeover journey online. If you follow these tips, you’ll have a focused and productive time on your decorating journey.
There it is: How to Plan a Gorgeous Room Makeover Online, Step by Step
1. Start with Color Inspiration
2. Choose Furniture
3. Select Art
4. Choose Lighting
5. Accessories
6. Wall Color is Last
Thanks so much for reading. I wish you all safety and happiness at home and if you need a bit of distraction, I hope you’ll grab a glass of wine or your favorite tea or coffee beverage and get to planning out that makeover!
I’d love to hear what you do to plan out a home improvement or decorating project. Use the comments below to tell me all about it.
Until next week, my buddies in quarantine, keep your dreams big for your small house!
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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.
