Moved into your new home and now trying to figure out how to make it “your own“? Putting your home on the market and trying to figure out how to make it “not your own“?

Explore basic elements of design that will either make your home your own OR that will neutralize it so it’s appealing to prospective buyers. Either way, your design must make an appealing and desirable statement!

Things to consider:

Color Scheme…Neutral does NOT mean white or beige. There are a plethora of color options these days that can change the most modest home into wow spaces! Take the time to review current home decor magazines and even brochures available at paint stores. If you’re decorating for yourself, don’t be afraid to be brave! Go ahead and paint that wall black or purple or whatever makes you or your family happy. You can always change paint if you decide it’s out of your comfort zone. Here’s the thing, sometimes getting out of your comfort zone via your home decor is a great first step toward doing the same in other parts of your life!

Furniture Arrangement…While you’re perusing those decorating magazines, take the time to review many different furniture arrangements that might work better in your rooms than your current layout. I came home one day and my teenage daughter and her girlfriend (with aspirations of becoming an interior decorator) had completely rearranged my living room furniture. With just a few simple changes, she transformed my room into a much more inviting and conversation welcoming space.

Window Treatments…There are so many options available now. If you’re selling your home, you might want to take down those 30 year old heavy draperies and replace them with something lighter and airier. Again, with so much available on the internet, if cost is a factor, you can review even the best options and then copy the style with something more affordable. Whether moving in or selling your home, before you put on those new treatments, dust or repaint the trim and wash the windows. There’s nothing more inviting than bright sunlight streaming through your windows (without showing all the dirt that was there before you followed this step!).

Organization/De-cluttering…Whether moving in or moving out, nothing feels better than a freshly organized closet, desk, bookcase, garage….get the point? Do it before you sell. Do it before you move in (meaning don’t move any of your old home’s clutter into your fresh new space).

It sometimes is really hard to do, but stepping out of your comfort zone may create the newest, most exciting “and comfortable” home design you ever imagined possible. Step up. Step out. Be Brave and Enjoy!