You Wanna DIY, Eh!

I recently had to prepare for a Interior Decorating seminar, and I must say it took me awhile to decide on what topic to share. I researched a lot of do it yourself projects and I must say quite a few of them are very detailed in sharing the 'how to'. For example, TV shows like 'Trading Spaces' and 'Devine Design' definitely share tips and ideas of how to go about decorating a room as well as providing low-cost ideas to get high-end results. These shows have a way of getting you really excited about starting your own home project; I'm about to jump on the ban-wagon and decorate my daughters room, LOL.




Well, I decided what better to share, what I call

The Do It Yourself (DIY) process

Why not share tips to get the DIY'er ready to take on their decorating project in an organized fashion. So find below a few tips to help you get started on creating the home you've always wanted.

1. Analyze the Space
Take a step back and look around the room and ask yourself several questions.
What do you or don't you like about the room?
How would you like the room to change?
However, when you are analyzing the space you need to take into consideration the following factors:
a. Function: What is the purpose of the room
b. Colour: What don't you like about the colours in the room presently
c. Light: Is there a lot of light or not enough
d. Focal Point: Where is the focal point of the room? Have you highlighted it?
e. Traffic Flow: How does traffic flow within the space?

2. Prepare a Floor Plan
Take some time and measure the room(s) in question, as well as doors and windows. Then take these measurements and transfer to graph paper, being sure to draw in doors and windows in exact locations. This will help to give you a bird's eye view of the space. Also, you want to find furniture cutouts and use them to determine the best layout for the space.

3. Determine your Budget
This is an important step. Before you even source furniture and hard furnishings it is important to determine how much you are willing to spend on the project. This will help determine where you can shop for your products as well as give you a realistic view on whether you can complete the project now or in the future.Once you have determined your budget add about 10-20% more for miscellaneous.

Once you have an idea of the what you can afford then you can start to source materials, furniture, etc. There are many online resources at your disposal such as paint and flooring calculators. Visit the website(s)of furniture stores that you like and if prices are not indicated online then call. It is good to get an estimate of your total project before you start the leg work.

4. Determine the Mood
This is where you should take some time to analyze your room. You now have a floor plan, and you have arranged your furnishings the best way you could based on the 5 factors...now determine the mood of the space. For example, your dining room...do you want it to be formal or casual; Family room...is it a place to relax and play games or is it more of a conversational room, etc. Ask yourself...How do I want to feel when I enter this room?


5. Choose Fabrics and Colours
Now that you have determined your mood you can move on to choosing your fabrics and colours to create your colour palette.

When selecting fabrics really think about how the fabrics will enhance the mood. For example, lustrous silks is formal while a cotton check feels casual. So really think about the fabrics as well as where they will be used.

When choosing colours take colour meanings into consideration:

Warm/Active Colours: warm colours include yellow, orange, and red. They appear to advance towards you and used for intimate spaces. Warm colours also inspire conversation, fuel appetite and can wake up a space.
Cool/Passive Colours: cool colours include blue, green, and purple. They appear to recede and can be used to make a space look larger. Cool colours are calming and soothing. They are ideal for bedrooms and private retreats

For more information on colour meanings click here


6. Styling
When accessorizing your home it should reflect your taste and your personality. It should contain those little touches that make it different from the neighbour down the street. Accessorizing are items like vases, mirrors, artwork, lamps, rugs, linen, etc that you can add to the space to help enhance your decor. However, to do it successfully you need to refer to the colour palette you decided on. You have a few options on how to accessorize with colour:

Monochromatic: This means your colour palette stays within the same colour family.
Contrasting Colours: This means your colour palette is based on direct opposites on the colour wheel. This relationship between contrasting colours means that each brings out the best in each other and you also automatically team warm colour with a cool one.

I believe in following these few simple tips you will be able to have that room you envisioned; without making expensive mistakes and going over budget.