When each new year arrives, I find myself setting design and decorating goals for the months ahead. Does January 1st inspire you to make a fresh start in your home? If you’re like me, you may find that your taste far exceeds your budget. If only unlimited funds were available! But great design and affordable style often overlap, so instead of abandoning any hope of redecorating in the new year, now is the time to make a plan for a design-fabulous 2015. Here are a few tips and ideas for setting practical yet fabulous decorating goals…
A Dream Project
Start with the big picture. Are there any large-scale home design projects that you need to complete? For me, 2015 is all about flooring. A room in my home flooded in 2014, and it’s taken awhile to repair the problem, make sure it’s fixed (by waiting for another heavy rain to test the repair attempt), and decide on the flooring! I’m leaning toward cork, but in a shade of gray rather than brown. Doesn’t the room below inspire happy thoughts about the many possibilities the new year holds?! [photo by Andrew Snow Photography via Houzz]
Or maybe you’re hoping to transform a room in your home with a new paint color or some major furniture purchases. More on special purchases in the next section… [from West Elm]
Perhaps you’re hoping to finally landscape the backyard. For me, it’s less about installing a pool and more about adding a serious dose of color to my outdoor space. The red-orange wall below has definitely caught my eye! [from Burle Yates Design]
Special Purchases
Next it’s time to make a list of the design-related purchases in the works for the new year. It goes without saying that creating a design budget is essential here! Looking for a new piece of furniture, such as a table? It can be fun to consider your all of your options, especially since this is an exciting time for modern design developments. Below we see the Crisscross Wire Side Table from West Elm:
Or maybe you’ve been saving up for a special accent piece to adorn a blank wall. The Round Dorm from Ferm Living quickly became a design-lovers’ favorite in 2014:
Perhaps a large purchase is in your future. I’m in the market for a compact sleeper sofa for the spare bedroom (which has pulled double duty as an office in the past). It goes without saying that the Flex Orange Sleeper Sofa from CB2 is on my radar!
Home Organization
Notice how we started with the fun stuff–the planning of big projects and new purchases? Now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. How can your space be more efficiently used? Inevitably we turn our attention to the closets. I’m planning on reorganizing all of my closets in 2015! I have a feeling that some strategic storage solutions are in my future. [from Closet Appeal]
Is there a nook in your office that you can transform into a useful space? Like a home office? With the right desk/shelving combo, anything is possible. [from CB2]
Or maybe you need to rethink the way you’ve appointed a high-use space, such as the kitchen. What can you do to make this space a more effective one? Declutter? Make use of wall storage? Pare down? [from 100K House]
DIY Projects
I have a confession to make: I’m a DIY girl. I love brainstorming do-it-yourself endeavors as a way to enjoy the creative process (and stay on a budget). It’s a good thing there are many amazing DIY tutorials and projects out there to use as inspiration. Like this gallery wall from Emma of A Beautiful Mess:
You may want to start with DIY projects that are more essential than decorative. For example, I can punch a hole through the seats of my outdoor chairs. Not good. Once spring hits, I’m recovering (and partially rebuilding) them. [from Axis Mundi]
And then there’s the icing on the cake: those special DIY details that turn a house into a home. I’m quite taken with this colorful wall art project using foam sheeting. Can you tell that I’m a big fan of A Beautiful Mess?!
I hope the new year brings you many opportunities to set and achieve your dreamiest design goals. There’s nothing like a fresh start to get the creativity flowing!
