Congratulations to all of you who are at this exciting point in your married lives! Once you’ve tied the knot and bought yourselves your first home, the next step (which you’ll be assured to know is no way near as stressful) is working out the awesome design details and customising your house. It didn’t take much to convince my husband; the house we’d bought together was beautiful but we knew we wanted to make it special by adding our own design touches, plus I knew he wanted to get stuck into some DIY and show how handy he can be with the hammer, as well as what a perfect husband he is (he specifically requested I add that last part, I think I’ve compromised my journalistic integrity).
Starting from scratch on all things decorative and design in a brand new home can seem a bit daunting, but me and my husband started from nothing and now we have a beautiful and unique space that we look forward to coming home to every day. It’s the perfect place to share both our time and our love, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t share our tips so others can have the chance to create their perfect home like us.
Furniture
Furniture can be one of the most important things when it comes to filling up your home; it’ll be taking up the lion’s share of the space around you, plus you’ll be using it every day. Make sure you buy furnishings that fit the space your home provides, as opposed to filling up every inch for the sake of it. Take careful measurements from your floorplans and work out what would best suit the room you’re working with. Keep in mind some of the interior design trends incoming for 2015 and see if you can get yourself ahead of the stylistic curve, especially with natural design elements such as wood, stone, and some green plant life.
If you’re eager to fill up your home quickly and need to create a liveable space, but also want to take your time in sourcing just the right furnishings and pieces, look into using second hand furniture to fill in the gaps until you’ve bought everything you want. Me and my husband weren’t as happy dwelling in an empty space after the first few weeks, so we looked to second hand sellers for some tables and chairs which gave us the chance to enjoy and utilize our home whilst still looking out for the perfect pieces. We ended liking them so much that we kept the entire set.
Decorative Elements
Once you’ve planned your space a bit more, you get to spice up your environment with some fabulous decorative elements. These are the aspects that will catch people’s attention when you’re entertaining guests, giving them a little glimpse into your artistic side. Start off with a base layer of fine designer wallpaper; give some careful consideration to the style and colour of your chosen product, as this’ll be what ties the room together and you don’t want too many disparate styles occurring at once.
Luckily, wall space doesn’t take up any of that valuable floor space, so you can fill it up as much as you like, as me and my husband did with paintings, family photos, sentimental trinkets, and lots of mirrors. Keep in mind, the mirrors aren’t just for checking ourselves out, but also for reflecting light around our living room and brightening things up a bit.
Rethinking the decorative elements within your home also gives you a chance to approach existing appliances in a new way. When we started decorating again, we wanted to take the disused fire place sitting in our living room and be creative with it. We ended up filling the firebox up with pebbles from Brighton beach and draping the mantelpiece with fairy lights and various ornaments from our travels. The result emanates a lovely and relaxing ambience without having to light a crackling fire.
Garden
We were fortunate enough to be blessed with a very sizeable and open yet private garden, with a large grassy area and a beautiful decking that had been built by the previous owners. Although we were off to a good start already, we needed our garden to be gorgeous in time for the summer as we knew it would be our choice spot for lazing in the sun come heatwave season. We invested in some waterproof garden furniture to be on the safe side (as you do with the British summertime) as well as some second hand tables and chairs for entertaining our guests. We have also recently invested in a hot tub! It came with a long back story of many disagreements but finally we have one in the corner so that it doesn’t dominate the entire garden space, and it really is lovely!
It’ll also be important to take advantage of that hot summer weather for other purposes besides tanning, as it’s the perfect time to plant and grow some flowers. You should disregard any advice about following flower trends, patterns, or styles and go crazy with as much diverse range of flora as possible. The biggest choice in this case will be deciding between the annuals (which perform an entire lifecycle in a year) or the perennials (which will grow for more than once season).
The space is also perfect for our fluffy cat James who enjoys chasing butterflies and exploring the neighbour’s gardens. As much as we love him however, we wanted our garden to be a space for all animals and creatures, so my talented husband put his handyman credentials to use and built a beautiful birdhouse which really added a nice rustic feeling to the entire space. Also add some extra decorative elements if you’re going for a theme in your garden.
The Kitchen
The kitchen says much about the space around you, as well as the people occupying it. A well-used kitchen is a sign of someone who has settled in nicely to a home, so take every opportunity to make your kitchen area inviting both to the occupants and your guests, as well as investing in some cooking tools and utensils so you can always try your hand at a new recipe without any hindrance. Buy yourself some cookbooks and give at least one recipe a try each month; remember there’s a reason they call it a home-made dinner, and so far mine and my husband’s cooking endeavours have helped us feel much more settled in many ways.
There’s also no better way to make a home feel inviting then the smell of a freshly cooked meal, so if you’re missing out on the comforting smells of home, learn how to recreate them yourself. Creating sensory memories in your home such as these will improve your well-being and help you feel much more relaxed in your new environment.
Thanks for Reading
I hope you found my advice helpful, and just remember that finding the right home is just the first step. Decorating a home is immensely satisfying and gives you chance to imprint your personality on the space around you, so go wild!
