So, what should you be doing when it comes to decorating?

Don’t Follow The Crowd

Trends are a pain, mostly because they change so frequently. What might seem like a great idea at the time can turn into an outdated looking room. Make sure you’re not following the crowd and instead choose a timeless “theme” that you’re really happy and comfortable with.

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Leave The Paint Til Last

This may sound a little odd, but choosing the colour first puts huge pressure on the rest of the room. Why? Think about it, you’ve painted your wall a cool shade of teal and you’re shopping around for a teal coloured table. The problem? There are so many shades that it may be almost impossible to find things that fit in or match the colour of the wall. Match the wall with the furniture, not the other way around.

Don’t Overcrowd The Room

It can be all too tempting to make your home more “homely”, but homely doesn’t have to mean sticking all kinds of clutter on shelves. Simple and clean cut rooms are more appealing and are easier to maintain, you don’t want to spend half of your day just dusting, do you?

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Go Big And Bold

A scary prospect but one we all need to get over. Stop choosing safe colours and themes, if you want to have a huge dinosaur on your wall with bright green beanbags all over the floor, just go for it. Going big sets that room apart from the others, and shows the world that you’re not afraid to be different.

Getting Your Head Around Rugs

Rugs can be tricky, you can never really tell what to do with them or if you should put furniture on them. There are 3 main options you have: all on, all off or front on. With all on you cover more of the floor, great if you have wooden flooring that’s cold on your feet. With all off you’re looking more at a small rug just for your feet when you’re at the sofa or dining table. With front on you simply just put the front feet of furniture on the rug, creating the illusion of it being bigger than it is.

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Lights Aren’t Just For The Ceiling

Lighting is essential in the home, but decorative lighting is a great addition as well. Lights don’t just have to be there to make the room lighter, they can become their own little piece of art. For example, you can use pegs to pin photographs to fairy lights. You can also use lighting under cupboards in the kitchen to make the room warmer and more friendly.

Create A Point Of Interest

This doesn’t have to be a feature wall as such, it just needs to be something that creates a big impact on those who enter the room. Instead of a feature wall you could have a large comfortable sofa or a unique coffee table. Alternatively, you can use artwork to create a focal point, such as a large canvas or a sculpture.

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Consider Line Of Sight

Not many people tend to think about our line of sight, because we tend to have 2 lines of sight when we’re in a room as we’re either sitting or standing. You need to make sure that what looks good standing up doesn’t look awful when sitting down.

Let Go Of Unsightly Collectibles

Like many of us, you may have collected a few items over the years that you always put out on display (even if they don’t suit the room). It’s time to let go of older items in favour of new and more fashionable ones. Change isn’t a bad thing, it’s a sign of progression and improvement.

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Don’t Forget About Proportion

What looks great in the shop may not necessarily look good in your home. Always try to remember how much room you have to work with when purchasing something. Also try to stick with the layout and theme you’ve gone for. If you keep the receipt you can always return it if it looks terrible when you get it home.

Take Your Art More Seriously

When you get a canvas or other piece of art, do you measure how high you place it? If you have high ceilings you may feel the need to place the art halfway between the ceiling and the floor, but this is an absolute no no. You must keep artwork in your line of sight, art galleries place their images so the centre is 57 to 60 inches from the floor.

So there we have it! We hope you enjoyed those tips and we hope that they’ve helped you to better understand your home.

Feature image credit: Oyvind Solstad via Flickr

If you enjoyed this blog post then perhaps you’d like to read “8 Ways In Which You Can Decorate Your Conservatory“?

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Is It Viable?

Just because you enjoy a particular hobby or pastime doesn’t mean it will work as a commercially viable business. Is there suitable interest to make it work, not only for the next few years but in the long-term also? A financially sound business plan needs to be in place before you get going. Without this, your company could be in trouble before it even gets off the ground.
For example, if you’re trying to sell personalized water paintings investigate how much similar items are selling for in shops and online; websites such as eBay and Etsy are good for this. You could also survey friends and members of the public how much they’d realistically pay for one.
With a figure in mind, do you have time and expertise to produce enough stock to make the business work? Will you actually enjoy turning this occasional hobby into something full-time as well as managing the commercial side of the business? Bear all these considerations in mind before you get going.

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Business Considerations

Starting up a new business takes money, time and commitment. After the initial research and planning phase you need to officially register the company with the relevant government department and tax authority.
There are many aspects to consider during this stage:
– Is your chosen business name and brand completely original? If this isn’t the case, then other companies may choose to take action against you.
– Will you be registered as self-employed or limited company? This requires deeper investigation and will have tax implications down the line.
– Do you have the correct insurance in place? Depending on what sort of business is being set up, there are different insurance policies available from specialist brokers to larger trade associations.
– Are you compliant with all the legal requirements? Certain industries require you to satisfy regulation areas such as licensing, health & safety and data protection. For example, storing client’s personal details on your database should comply with data protection laws.
– Do you have the financial means in place? Of course, there are many aspects to a new business which require financing. Managing cash flow is perhaps the most important part of a company. Do not stretch beyond your means and keep costs as low as possible.

Setting up a new business requires a great deal of character and resilience. However, with sufficient market research and a sound financial plan in place, turning your hobby into a money-making business can progress into the perfect lifestyle.

If you enjoyed this blog post then perhaps you’d like to read “How To Be More Organised With a Bespoke Walk In Wardrobe“?

Feature image credit: Scott Beale via Flickr