7 Questions to ask yourself before you start your decor project

Written by Georgie Owen. Posted in Inspirational Ideas, Most Recent

Before you go ahead with your next decorating project, grab a pen and some paper and answer the questions below. Pre-planning a decorating project is key to achieving a result that you and many others will fall in love with and stay in love with for many years.

1. What’s the use of this room?

   • This question is key, as you will need to base your decoration around the use of the room and how your decoration is going to fit in with it practically.

     

   • For example, if you’ve got it set in your mind that you want floor length curtains in a cream fabric at your back door into the garden, and you’ve got a couple of dogs, maybe have a little think about it. Cream curtains at a back door plus muddy dogs can create a bit of a mess, and ruin them! I would perhaps choose a really dark fabric with a busy pattern instead, it just needs a little bit of thinking beforehand…

2. What sort of mood do I want to create?

   • Think about how you want to feel when you’re in the room, do you want to feel relaxed, cosy or recharged? Try and think of a time when you felt that emotion or mood, and try to recall what surroundings made you feel like that and incorporate similar things into your room’s decor.

   • This could be; lighting, colours, design, soft furnishings, or even a photo frame featuring a picture of that surrounding.

3. What colours are associated with my chosen mood?

   • Do a little bit of research as to what colours, objects, patterns or designs are associated with the certain mood you’re aiming for.

   • For example, if you want to create a cosy mood go for warm chocolate colours, soft fabrics like a velvet or wool, soft lighting and lots of throws and cushions everywhere to really create that cosy environment. If you’re aiming for a room where you can relax, recharge and get away from things, then plain light colours like white and soft blues can create that effect, and aim to be minimalist with ornaments and accessories.

4. Do I want my curtains & blinds to be the main feature, my wallpaper, or even both?!

   • A lot of people struggle with coming to terms with the concept of putting patterned curtains with patterned wallpaper, they just can’t imagine putting two completely different patterns together and them complimenting each other. Well I say – be brave! It really is easier than you may think to get a balance between different designs and using moodboards can take out a lot of the trial and error from the process.

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     Here are some examples of wallpapers and fabrics that go alongside each other wonderfully, you’ve just got to go for it and be brave!

     

     Sanderson's Papavera Wallpaper in Cream/Fuchsia from the 'Papavera' Wallpaper Collection

     

     Harlequin's Trattino Fabric in Ocean/Lime/Fuchsia from the 'Fauvisimo' Fabric Collection

     

     Sanderson's Poppy Damask Wallpaper in Linden/Chalk from the 'Sojourn' Wallpaper Collection

     

     Harlequin's Flores Fabric in Fuchsia/Zest/Azure from the 'Tresillo' Fabric Collection

     

     Sanderson's Woodland Chorus Wallpaper in Cream/Multi from the 'Woodland Walk' Wallpaper Collection

     

     Sanderson's Woodford Plaid Fabric in Ivory/Catkin from the 'Highlands' Fabric Collection

5. What’s my budget?

   • Before you start anything you definitely need to know how much money you’re able to spend on things! If it’s a guest room, you may not be expecting to pay as much as you would for a room you use often like a living room or your own bedroom. Also, bigger rooms like a living room can contain a lot more furniture it, which can result in a bigger budget being needed for larger pieces of furniture. Don’t let the thought of how much it’s going to cost put you off though, there are many different possibilities and price ranges available that can be discussed to suit your project completion.

6. What’s my time limit?

   • It may be a good idea to have an idea of when you want the room ready for too. If you’re completely transforming a room with furniture, wall paint, wallpaper and curtains etc then you will need a lot of time, as most of these products like curtains, flooring and furniture need to be ordered and waited upon.

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     Don’t panic if you can’t get everything all done at once though, you can break your project up into parts – you may want to get your flooring replaced, walls wallpapered and curtains hung first, then kit the room out with new accessories and furniture to finish it all off at a later date. Depending on your circumstances, it could be a good idea to set yourself a timescale for completion of your room.  This will help you focus on your project and ensure you get the end result you will love.

7. Create a moodboard!

   • Once you’ve decided on a theme/mood for your room, create a moodboard incorporating paint colours, fabric samples, wallpaper samples, embellishments and anything else you feel will help you to imagine your decor thoughts as a bigger picture. These could be magazine cut outs of pieces of furniture or products that you like, or existing room layouts of the same theme that you like the look of to help you achieve a similar look.

     

     If you’re not a fan of getting messy with some scissors and glue, then Pinterest is your best friend… Create a Pinterest board of your chosen theme/mood, and pin things onto it that you like and feel inspired by.

     I’ve created a Pinterest board below for you to get some ideas from:
     As I chose a cosy sort of mood, I typed in things like “cosy interiors” “cosy colours” “warm colours” “cosy furniture” and “soft lighting” to really get a feel for my chosen mood.

   
   

Visit our showroom based in Coventry open 6 days a week to help make your ideas a reality. Our dedicated and experienced showroom staff can assist you in choosing your wallpaper, curtains, blinds, flooring and much more – we’ll be sure to help you love your home using some of our top designer brands such as Harlequin, Sanderson and Designers Guild.