Home is more than shelter; home is your personal paradise, the place where you breathe a sigh of relief when you enter. Home is the one place where you can freely express your sense of comfort and style without censor. "Home is where the heart is."
But how do you achieve this sense of comfort, style and bliss? As Christiane Lemieux author of Undecorate states, “The norm used to be that lives conformed largely to the dictates of the house, rather than the other way around.” Lifestyle design embraces your house, your life, as it is, perfectly imperfect. By aligning with your lifestyle, decorating becomes less about the rules and more about creating the ‘feeling’ of home. Think of it as decorating without borders.
Step 1-
Research. There’s never been a time where you can find so many fabulous design and decorating ideas, images, suggestions, how-tos, articles and tips than now. From shops, online stores, magazines, art galleries, museums, books, design blogs and websites there is no shortage of information and ideas. The challenging part is sorting through all the information to find what resonates most with you.
Step 2-
Create a decorating journal with a page or section for each room you intend to update or remodel.
Step 3 –
Fill your journal with images from catalogs, books and magazines, pieces of fabric and wallpaper, sketches, and photos of things that you like. At this stage do not try to decipher why you like what you like, this stage is all about gathering what you like. Incorporate words that capture the ‘feeling’ of the space you’re creating.
Step 4-
Stand back and take a look at the images you’ve gathered. Take notice of what you’re responding to. Some of your ideas may be literal, others inspirational – be aware of the difference between the two. Is there a theme or style that manifests in the items in your journal? If so, what is it? Ask yourself if it’s the color, the style of the item, the way the item is being used or perhaps it’s the feeling the item conveys. Take notes of exactly what you like and why.
Step 5 –
Go shopping and take your journal with you. This is an important part of the process; this will help keep you connected to your personal sense of style and inspiration. It will help you find your perfect, your ‘aha’ items. And from that you’ll be able to begin to create spaces that energize and inspire you, spaces that embrace your personality and style, spaces that capture your heart and soul.
Step 6 –
Have fun. Design and decorating are more about the process than they are about the end result. You continue to evolve and grow; your spaces should evolve with you.
“For me home is simply about shelter, in all manners of speaking. It’s a place of rest and refuge, a place where I can play, relax, unwind or create-home is the place that replenishes my soul.”
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