A First-Time Home Buyer’s Guide to Filling Your Space (Part 2 of 2)

Earlier this week, we discussed the first steps to take in furnishing and decorating after buying your first home. Today, we’ll talk about some additional home decoration ideas that can help you customize and fill up your space.

Use paint to your advantage. Interior design experts have some tried-and-true home décor tips, and one of them is to change the feel of a space with paint. Paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to transform a room. Sticking to builder beige might seem like the safe choice, but this home is yours, and it should reflect your style. Don’t be afraid to try bolder colors. Use a favorite piece of artwork, your dinnerware pattern, or a throw pillow or blanket for inspiration, and spend a few dollars on samples of the three or four shades you like best. Paint swatches of color on the wall and look at them at different times of day to make sure you’ll love your choice in all kinds of light.

Know where to save and where to splurge. It may be tempting to buy an inexpensive set of matching furniture pieces from a big-box retailer, but try to hold out. Cheap furniture cannot be reupholstered years from now when you get the itch to redecorate, and the numbers add up quickly when you factor in the cost of replacing pieces every few years. Plunking down a little more money for well-made furniture is well worth it for something that you love and that you know will work well in your new home. Purchase a high-quality couch in a neutral color, and try to find tables, dressers, and chairs made from solid wood. Save money on accent pieces that tend to be more subject to trends. Peruse your local bargain stores for blankets and throw pillows that add color and that can be changed out easily and inexpensively.

Be flexible. Flexibility and a willingness to think outside the box will go a long way toward helping you fill your space. Look at design websites and magazines for inspiration, but try not to get too hung up on finding the exact piece you see on screen or on paper. Creativity, paint, and a few tools from the hardware store are all you really need to put a personal touch on your new home. Wooden crates can be stacked and used as bookshelves or hung on the wall as display shelving for collections of trinkets. Changing the frame and mat board can turn a poster or piece of artwork that you weren’t sure about keeping into a unique, decorative piece that makes the room. Old light fixtures, candle holders, and small sculptures can take on a new life with a quick coat of spray paint in a fun color.

Buying a home is certainly a major life milestone. Getting to the closing table takes time, effort, and money, and so does furnishing and decorating your new space. Try to remember that you have plenty of time to make your new home your very own. Keep our home decoration ideas in mind as you settle in and start shopping, and you’ll be well on your way to a fully decorated abode.