There is nothing like buying your first home. Many first-time buyers can’t wait to personalize the property, inside and out, making it their own. However, a lot of people don’t even know where to begin! A good place to start searching for ideas is outside, in front of the house.

Take a few steps back and analyze the architectural design of your home. Is it a colonial? A Victorian? A Cape Cod? The list goes on and on, believe it or not. And don’t worry if the previous owner never told you what kind of house you were buying. This handy guide will help you determine the style of your home. Once you figure out exactly what kind of house you are living in, it might make interior decorating decisions a little easier for you.

Here are just a few of the ways you could decorate a home to complement its architectural style:

Cape Cod/Colonial

Typically found in New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, etc.), these homes were constructed by the first settlers in America, and they are characterized by steep roofs and huge chimneys. Many of these homes were built in the 1600s and 1700s, and some of them are still standing today after many restorations.

When it comes to decorating, you should try to think about the simplicity of early America. This doesn’t mean you need to forget about little nuances like picture frames, candles and throw pillows. However, you probably would not want to drape your tiny casement windows with heavy fabrics or bamboo blinds. Choose light linens (preferably a crisp white), neutral-colored furniture (black, brown, cream, white) and wood accents.

Greek Revival

This style of home looks exactly how its name suggests. Much like the magnificent structures erected in Athens during 400-500 BC, these massive, three-story homes feature white exterior columns, arranged in a symmetrical pattern, flanking the entrance. You’ll also see several front steps leading up to a huge porch, much like the ruins of gathering spaces seen all over Athens.

There is usually a lot of ornate crown molding throughout the entire home, and it is sometimes so decorative that you may not even need to add much to a room, as it is already embellished to the max. Granite or soapstone counters are good options for the kitchen; however, many laminate choices give the same affect for a little less money. Complementary colors include green, gold and white. Stay refined; classic country furnishings look out of place in this elegantly constructed abode.

Victorian Queen Anne

French-style homes may reflect either a regal design or a country charm. Most of them boast very sophisticated features such as wrap-around porches, symmetrical towers, bay windows and a textured masonry. Some of these homes showcase such elaborately constructed exteriors that they are referred to as “painted ladies.” The outer walls, the roof shingles and the window shutters will all be different colors (generally pastels).

Queen Anne homes were very popular during the Industrial Revolution, when it was rather affordable to obtain furnishings once available only to the upper class. Heavy tapestries draped almost every room, and darker variations of reds, blues, greens and purples were very common. Ornamental wallpapers are encouraged. Many rooms were even overstuffed with furniture and knickknacks, so don’t worry if you have a lot of decorative pieces.

Need decorating ideas? Feeling uncreative? If you find yourself in a decorating funk, here’s an idea that’s always available: decorate for a certain time period. This type of decorating is popular because it brings history alive in our everyday lives, the choices are abundant, and the décor can’t ever go out of style.

To begin, choose a time period that interests you most. Do you like the dark, dramatic décor of the gothic period; the artistic flare of the Roman period; the fun of the 1950s or the bright and flashy colors found in the 1960s? The time period that you choose is completely up to you. Here are ideas for a select few eras:

• To decorate within the colonial period, which was roughly from the time of American settlement to the mid 1800s, specialize in a simple English décor. This style shows off crown molding, windows with small panes, hardwood flooring, elaborate fireplaces, exposed wooden beams on the ceilings, mahogany wood furniture and an overall country atmosphere.

• To decorate in a gothic style, use lots of accessories rather than wall colorings. The walls should just be painted gray or blue, or with a faux stone apperance. Use lots of dramatic fabrics, such as velvet, silk and suede in bold colors. Stained glass, gargoyles and wood or stone flooring are all good accents.

• You can also decorate within a certain American decade. The roaring 1920s brought numerous changes to the household décor, which included rich colors in flooring, doors and window frames, oriental-style carpets and lamps, old-fashioned stoves, china tea sets and lots of built-in furniture.

• Decorating a room in a 1960s appearance means using bright, gaudy objects! Bright colored walls, metal furniture, patterned area rugs and artworks, floor lamps and neon lights with words or images all make acceptable attributes to a 60s room. Don’t forget a peace sign!

Use these tips to decorate one of your rooms in this time period, or just use them to get the creative juices flowing!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and though we’ve previously discussed how home sellers should keep holiday decorations to a minimum, there is nothing wrong with adding fall flare to your home or with adding warmth and coziness to your layout.

Wow your dinner guests with homemade or purchased decorations that not only show off the vibrant colors of fall, but that also celebrate the coming together of friends and the beginning of our founded nation. In the hype of winter holidays to come, Thanksgiving décor is sometimes forgotten, but it just as lovely and important as any other holiday.

To decorate for your Thanksgiving, try to incorporate some of these ideas:

• Show off some cornucopias! Place a few medium-sized examples around the home, or just display one large example as your table’s centerpiece. Fill this treasure with real or fake fall leaves, acorns, pine cones and twigs, or fill it with brightly colored flowers, fruits or vegetables! As a goody bag for your guests to take home, Disney’s FamilyFun.com suggests filling sugar cones with multi-colored hard candies and writing each person’s name on a cone with cake icing!

• Dedicate a table or a corner of the room for pumpkins and an array of uniquely shaped and colored squash and gourds! These can be found in your local grocery store, or you could make a day out of choosing some at a local pumpkin farm. You could even serve the squash as part of the meal! One popular fall recipe includes cutting an acorn squash in half, scooping out the seeds, placing some butter and brown sugar in the middle, and cooking the squash in the microwave for 10 minutes.

• To promote green living to your family and friends, host a green Thanksgiving, using only eco-friendly decorations! Our Green Thanksgiving blog provides you with an abundance of options, which include serving soup in hollowed-out baby pumpkins or adding an autumn scent with candles made out of recyclable goods! You can read all kinds of eco-friendly decorating ideas.

• Remember the pilgrims and Indians that made this day possible? Decorate with wheat stalks or cornstalks, to celebrate the harvest. Hang Thanksgiving stickies on your windows that display a pilgrim and Indian setting. Fill a vase with colorful feathers. Surprise your guests with homemade Indian and pilgrim hats! For instructions on how to make these hats, visit ziggityzoom.com. You could even tell everyone to dress up in costumes, or as the host, dress up alone!

• No matter what side dishes you decide to serve, every Thanksgiving meal has one thing in mind: turkey. Celebrate this common element by displaying stuffed animal turkeys, window stickies with turkeys, or just drawings of turkeys. One renowned way of creating an artistic, personal turkey is to trace your hand, draw the face in your thumb, and color your fingers different colors for the feathers.

Thanksgiving decorations should be quick to set up and quick to take down. After the last guest finishes his or her slice of pumpkin pie and heads out the door, you could quickly toss the hollow pumpkins and homemade turkey drawings, take down the window stickies, fold up the Indian costume and store away the cornucopia for next year. Keep things simple!

As evening temperatures cool, you may want to stay cooped up inside, cuddled in front of the television. But now is really the time to cuddle up by an outdoor fire, while toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories and gazing up at the stars. By adding a fire pit to your backyard, you won’t only get to enjoy more time outdoors while keeping warm, but you will also add an impressive feature to your home when it’s time to sell!

How do you build a firepit that is easy to install and that looks attractive? It’s simple. Here are tips from thisoldhouse.com to help you through the process:

• When deciding where to build the fire pit, first check your local codes to see what the rules are in your area with open flame. Choose an area that is a safe distance from your house, fence, shed, gardens, overhanging branches of trees or anything flammable.

• Choose stone or brick to use around your fire pit. Consider concrete blocks that look like stone, but that are easier to use because they are flat on the top and bottom. Choose stones that curve to make a circle. Measure an area of 36 to 44 inches in diameter, and then make sure you buy enough stone and masonry adhesive to cover this area.

• Dig a 12-inch trench straight down into the ground, to keep the pit stabilized. First set a layer of gravel around the edges, and then lay the stones, gluing them together as you go with masonry adhesive. The top layer of stones should end up resting about a foot above the ground. A steel ring is a good add-on, in order to keep the stone bricks away from heat damage as much as possible.

• Once the bricks are all laid, fill the fire pit ground with six inches of gravel. Wait to light a fire until two days after you glue the stones or bricks together.

• Fill the fire pit with wood and light up! Enjoy a bonfire whenever you please, and if you’re selling your house, be sure to include the fire pit in your Buy Owner advertisement!

Because they can be such a costly purchase, deciding on window treatments can be overwhelming. You want to be sure to choose something with staying power, something that will last in quality and something that you won’t change your mind about a few weeks or months down the road. Here are some important things to keep in mind when shopping for window treatments.

The purpose of window treatments is to provide privacy and light control, but they should also fit with the decor in your home. You should prioritize according to your budget by deciding which rooms are most in need of window treatments, and then decide what the purpose of the treatments is in each individual room.

So how do you know which window treatments will go best in each room in your home?

Privacy is important in the bedrooms, particularly in the master suite, so be sure to choose something that will provide complete window coverage. Fabric, roller or pleated shades would be a good option as long as they’re not sheer, or perhaps you would prefer curtains or drapes that block the view when closed but also let in plenty of light when opened.

In the living room, the family room or wherever you watch T.V., get window treatments that will cut down on glare. Metal, wood and natural blinds will still let in ample light but can be tilted to avoid direct sunlight. Vertical blinds are often found on sliding glass doors, but maybe try something like panel track blinds or custom drapes for a more stylish option.

You’ll want a lot of natural light in the kitchen, so try something simple and sheer for a streamlined look. Pleated shades provide privacy and still allow sunlight to fill the room. Wood shutters are also stylish, but be aware that they don’t provide complete privacy, as it may be possible to see through the slats. If you’re not worried about privacy, simply add a valance above the windows in the kitchen.

When it comes to the dining room, you’ll want something that adds elegance and sophistication for formal occasions. Lavish curtains or drapes provide the perfect backdrop for formal meals served in the dining room, and they can also be opened or pulled back for natural light.

There are really no rules when it comes to choosing window treatments, only suggestions. But keep in mind that the goal is to create a sense of unity and a cohesive design throughout your home.

In contemporary homes, the kitchen is usually the centerpiece of the layout. As we’ve previously stated in blogs, the kitchen and the master bedroom are the two most upgraded rooms, the rooms that potential buyers pay the most attention to. Do you want your kitchen to radiate a contemporary and upgraded appearance that will be remembered, without the hassle of draining your bank account?

Here are some quick upgrading tips that will allow your outdated kitchen to show off some modern flare:

• Upgrade the lighting. A simple task like this will brighten the entire room, while diminishing the old fixtures that look like rusty antiques. Scattered track lighting is the best approach, and adding dimmers will provide even more lighting options.

• Upgrade the cabinets, without replacing them. If new lighting displays more nicks and stains than you knew existed, sand the cabinets and paint a glossy finish over them. Or paint them white. To add a unique feature, replace a few cabinet doors with glass doors that allow you to show off your fancy dishware.

• Upgrade the seating arrangements. If your kitchen includes a breakfast nook, upgrade the light fixture or the window treatments. Add a rug, in order to separate it from the rest of the kitchen. Purchase new breakfast bar stools or droplights, or if your large kitchen displays wasted space, add an island!

• Upgrade the sink. A dirty, scratched up sink doesn’t allow a potential buyer to imagine a clean environment. Polish up the existing sink, purchase a new faucet for the sink, or add a garbage disposal or a water filtration system.

• Upgrade the countertops. Decorative laminate is available for a reasonable price, and the décor looks much like the expensive options, such as granite. Laminate also lasts forever and is easy to clean, which a potential buyer should appreciate.

For more kitchen upgrading tips, check out some of our past blogs:

Eco-friendly Kitchen Upgrades
Upgrading Current Appliances
Selling the Kitchen
Improve Your Kitchen Overview

Are you interested in building a deck somewhere on your property? Before you get into the logistics of size and space, you should first decide why exactly you want a deck. What do you hope to get out of it?

• Do you want to entertain guests outside during the warmer spring and summer months?
• Do you want to beautify your lawn and add curb appeal with some sort of focal point for passers by and potential buyers?
• Do you want to add an extra living space?

Whatever the reason, once you decide what the overall purpose of your deck is, you can then get into the facets of planning it.

Placement & Privacy
If you’re building a deck in the backyard, it might be because you want to entertain outdoors or perhaps you’d like to lay out by a swimming pool. Before you begin building, head outside early in the morning and notice where the sun hits your property; check again later in the afternoon, as well. This may be a deciding factor as to whether or not you would like to enclose your deck and make it a lanai/porch. And if you want some privacy, you’ll need to add screens, blinds and a door.

Size & Space
An empty deck looks big… until you fill it with furniture. If you have already purchased the furnishings, you must measure the space accurately to ensure that all of your pieces will fit atop the deck. The size of your yard will also play a role in this decision, so try not to furnish your deck until after you’ve built it. Just keep in mind that you may want a table, a few chairs and perhaps a grill station if you choose to build an open deck. Don’t go overboard.

Levels & Railings
If your home rises up well above your lawn, try to avoid building your deck lower than the house. You might remember that little step, but chances are that your guests might not notice it and take a little tumble as they step outside onto the deck. Also, you may want to consider installing railings. It’s a huge liability for you if someone were to fall off of your deck and break a bone.

Stairs & Skirting
Again, if you are building a raised deck, you may want to build stairs that lead down to the yard. Consider the landscaping, though, and place the steps to the side of the deck where people will have the most room to walk and access the rest of the yard. In order to keep fuzzy friends from breeding under the deck, you may want to build lattice skirting around the bottom. It’s a nice decorative addition, as well.

1. Fresh Paint: Adding a new splash of color to your walls can make a big difference! Try painting just a border or doing a faux finish if you’re looking for something more interesting, and choose soothing neutral colors that will increase your home’s value.

2. New Towels: Even just updating you displayed hand towels can give the bathroom a new look, and they are something visitors are sure to notice when they’re washing up!

3. New Shower Curtain: Because it takes up so much visual space in a bathroom, a shower curtain can greatly affect the area’s overall appeal. Try updating yours with one in a soothing palette that goes with your bathroom’s overall color scheme and style.

4. Decorative Touches: Smart, simple accessories tie a bathroom’s decor together. Consider adding candles, vase with fresh flowers, new soaps—little touches that affect the overall appearance.

5. Little Upgrades: Replacing the towel bar, the toilet paper holder and/or the trash can up the style in your bathroom, or you may consider adding an inexpensive towel warmer for a heightened sense of luxury.

When decorating your home, it’s important to consider the paint palette you want to use, as this can have a dramatic effect on the feel of a room.

When you break down colors on the color wheel, they fall into two groups: warm colors and cool colors. Warm colors are yellow-based and include shades of red, yellow and orange, with metallic tones of gold, brass and bronze. On the other side of the spectrum, cool colors are blue-based and include blues, greens and purples, as well as metallics like silver, chrome and nickel.

As a general rule, cool colors are relaxing, while warm colors are stimulating. Keep this in mind when choosing the color palette for each room in your home. Warm colors will create a more inviting atmosphere in gathering spaces like living rooms and dining rooms. Try rich shades of red, orange or yellow. Because of their calming effect, cool colors work best in bathrooms and even bedrooms. Light blue tones, for example, will provide a very relaxing atmosphere.

In addition to these two groups, there are colors that don’t fall into a definitive category, colors like shades of white, beige and gray. These are considered neutral colors and can be used as much or as little as you want. Just be careful not to overdo it, as an abundance of neutral colors can easily make a decorating scheme appear boring and plain.

More helpful hints when it comes to color

If you’re scared of using color, use an accent shade to add a splash of color that isn’t overwhelming. Incorporate this color by using a bright pillow or throw, or a decorative vase or curtains. Red technically falls into the warm color category, but because it is so bold, it is a popular choice as an accent color.

You can use cool and warm colors together, but do so sparingly. If a room displays a warm color scheme, choose two or three accent pieces of the same cool color. If the room showcases cool colors, on the other hand, use a couple accent pieces in a warm shade. This will also prevent the decor from looking too matchy.

When decorating a room that opens directly to another, choose a different shade of the same color so that you don’t break the creative flow from room to room.

An easy, attractive and obvious way to spruce up your home’s décor is to incorporate the season of the year into your color schemes and accessories! Are you hosting a dinner party, a football party or an upcoming holiday? Are you hosting open houses while trying to sell your home? Are you just tired of the same décor day in and day out? We gave you tips on how to incorporate spring into your decor, and how to stage your home for summer. Now it’s time to add a fall flare by surrounding yourself with the vibrant colors of autumn!

Outside: Fill your home’s entryway with warm, inviting aspects of fall, for you and guests alike! Pumpkins are bright, simple and ideal for sprucing up an entry! Place a medium-sized pumpkin on each step that leads to a raised porch, or flank the doorway with two large pumpkins. Line a porch railing with a braid of twigs. Rake up your yard, and add some leaves to the braid. Don’t have a railing? Make a little pile of twigs and leaves, and plop a scarecrow on top! Hang a collage of dried corn on your door.

To spruce up a door: Better Homes and Gardens suggests you take a standard wreath made of wheat, that you could easily find at a craft or hobby shop, and stick golden maple leaves throughout the wreath! This idea allows you to switch up the leaves with seasonal favorites year-round! For more ideas from Better Homes and Gardens, click here.

Fireplace mantel: create a basket of natural goods for the middle of the mantel, or spread the goods out for the entire length of the mantel. Create a mixture of pine cones, twigs, gourds, squash, apples, hay and colorful leaves. In the midst of this scenic haven, add some autumn colored and scented candles! Always keep a pile of firewood in the fire.

Living room: Cover your couches and loveseats in the natural tones of fall, such as dark brown suede, burnt orange leather, or gray thick cotton. Add throw pillows in bright orange, plum, yellow, maroon, rust, dark blue or emerald green.

Kitchen: Keep a bowl or basket in easy reach, filled with handpicked apples, apple cinnamon donuts, fresh fudge, whole squash, corn on the cob, tomatoes, zucchini, and any other foods that are fresh and abundant this time of year! For a delicious aroma, brew some cinnamon apple tea or a cup of hot cocoa.

For a table centerpiece: Stop by a craft or hobby shop to pick up an array of colorful leaves, hay or straw, fake fruit, and a cornucopia to stuff all the gems into! For a fresh, natural approach, fill a rust-colored bowl with mini gourds, squash and pumpkins!

Bedroom: for you or a special guest, add fall-colored candles with rich spice aromas to a nightstand or dresser. Martha Steward suggests wrapping candlesticks in flowery twigs, or wrapping the glass that surrounds a candle with decorative tissue, tied in place with a string. For more suggestions, click here.

Accessories: According to an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, adding comfortable, cozy accessories to your home will create a fall feeling. Suggestions include quilts to hang on the walls, pottery, flour-sack pillow covers, duck wallpaper, updated floral prints, patriotic symbols and anything textured. For more suggestions, click here.

For a drastic change: fill your office or family room walls with dark wood paneling, replace your stair railings with dark oak or knotty pine, add wooden beams to your ceiling, paint your rooms in earthy fall colors, cover hardwood floors or light-colored carpeting with patterned rugs, or invest in planting some year-round evergreens in your yard.

Any or all of these changes will spruce up your home for the season. Soon enough, Halloween and Thanksgiving will be greeting us with their presence, and each offer their own array of extra decorating possibilities!