How to Make Any Space Feel Like Home

Making your space feel like a home can be a little overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be difficult. All you need to do is add your own personality to your space and make it feel more cozy. Follow these tips to make your space feel more comfortable and homey.

  • Decorate your space with people and places that you love and with items that have meaning to you. Use artwork that features places or maps of places that have a special meaning to you and your family.
  • A simple positive message can have a way of making you feel good and really bring up your mood. Use art that features a quote or phrase and hang it somewhere where you will be sure to see it every day.
  • Place a lot of throw pillows on your couch or bed. These will always make you feel nice and cozy. A throw blanket can give you the same effect as well.
  • Add a rug or two to your dining or living room area. A rug will make your space feel more complete and less empty or bare.
  • Add a lamp on your bedside table or on your desk to add a little bit of light to your home. If your space is too dark, you will never achieve that cozy feeling.

8 Ways to Decorate With Love and Meaning [Houzz]
8 Ways to Make Your House More Homey [Home Garden Vibes]
Decorating Tricks to Make Your New House Welcoming and Cozy [Freshome]

Decorating with Color? Learn the Meaning Behind Your Favorite Hues

When decorating, follow your instinct and incorporate colors that make you feel energized and inspired. Here’s how to figure out the meaning of the colors that you’re drawn to and how to incorporate them into your home.

  • Blue represents the color of the waves in the ocean and should be used to be calming, healing, and relaxing. It also exemplifies the feeling of security and dependability.
  • Green represents newness and life. It is a balancing color that stands for growth, abundance, and nature.
  • In decorating, red is a very powerful color. It is exciting and powerful and represents luxury, passion and romance.
  • Purple is a very spiritual color that represents abundance and dignity.
  • Yellow is a color that gives you a happy and uplifting feeling. It is a great sociable color so it’s recommended for your kitchen, dining room, or living room areas.
  • Grey represents “the rock” and stands for solidity and support. It is probably the most popular neutral in decorating because it can seem nondescript.
  • White can have a way of making you feel clean, pure, and innocent. It represents hope and openness and is very inviting.
  • Decorating with the dramatic color black can bring a sense of elegance and sophistication to your space.

Color 101: Learn the Underlying Meaning of Your Favorite Shades [HGTV]
What the Color of Your Living Room Says About You [House Beautiful]
FENG SHUI COLORS: Find out the meaning of colors and how to use them successfully in your home [Feng Shui & Beyond]

Style a Catalog-Worthy Bed With These Pro Pointers

Styling your bed can be a little difficult. There are so many different color and pattern options for bedding, not to mention the wealth of options available for pillows and decorative accents! Follow the tips below to create a unique bed that fits your style.

  • Follow guidelines on how to layer your pillows depending on the size of your bed. For example, a king bed should have three Euro pillows, then two king pillows, then two standard pillows, and a few accent pillows on top of that.
  • Use a simple, neutral color for your comforter or duvet cover and add a splash of color with your pillowcases or accent pillows.
  • Place a throw or blanket at the bottom of your bed. Make sure the texture or color matches the same as your pillows at the head of your bed.
  • For a sophisticated look, be sure to make your bed tight with little to no wrinkles.
  • Style up your bed with a traditional wooden, upholstered, metal, or neutral headboard.
  • If headboards aren’t your style, hang a piece of art or a large mirror on the wall above your bed to create the illusion of a headboard.

How To Make a Bed [Pottery Barn]
How to Style a Bed [The Everygirl]
Dressed to Snooze: 20 Ideas for Styling a Bed [Apartment Therapy]

Three Interior Design Rules Everyone Should Know

While you may not be an interior designer yourself, there’s no reason why your home shouldn’t look like you are. Even if you live in a rental, there are a few simple things you can do that will completely transform the look of your home. Here are three interior design rules that everyone should know.

  1. Move slowly. It’s very tempting to buy furniture all at once when you move into a new space, but that’s actually one of the most common interior design mistakes. Be thoughtful about the things that you incorporate into your home to ensure that you like them a few months (or years) down the line. Even if this means living with a bare living room for a while, it’s almost always worth it.
  2. Avoid buying sets or furniture all in one place. If you purchase furniture in a set or buy an entire room’s decor from one store, it’s always very easy to tell. To avoid creating a monochromatic room that looks like a child’s bedroom, mix and match materials, colors, and textures from a few different sources.
  3. Don’t fight against the quirks. Many spaces, especially rentals, have built-in architectural details that you simply can’t change. Rather than trying to hide them or “fix” them, purchase furniture that works with your home’s little quirks. For example, add a window seat against a bay window to maximize the views rather than covering it with a large sofa.

6 Basic Interior Design Rules [Suite]
The 3 Principles of Interior Design [HGTV]
The 7 Rules of Interior Design [Zillow Blog]
5 Rookie Mistakes You’ll Never Make Again [Apartment Therapy]

Where to Shop Quirky Gifts for All Occasions

Instead of doling out another restaurant gift certificate or boring sweater for a holiday or birthday, why not try a gift with a bit more personality? If you have a friend or family member with a great sense of humor, check out these fun websites for quirky gift ideas.

Omoi Zakka Shop
This online site of this Philadelphia-based retailer is filled with minimalist trinkets like cubed planters, brass bottle openers, and enamel kettles that make the perfect gifts for just about anyone in your life who appreciates quality knick knacks with a story to tell.

Paper Source
Whether you’re shopping for a child, father or significant other, Paper Source has gifts organized by recipient to make shopping easy. Here you’ll find customized notepads, candles, coffee mugs, and more.

ModCloth
The popular vintage clothing retailer has an equally adorable gift section for both men and women. Beer glasses, home goods, and wall art items in cute and quirky styles make the perfect fun presents at affordable prices.

Joy
This fun and feminine shop carries a wide array of quirky gifts for your sister, girlfriend, or best friend. Pineapple shaped jewelry holders mingle with markers shaped like lipstick and miniature sewing kits on this sweet site.

5 Feng Shui Decorating Tips for Beginners

If your home feels disorganized, cluttered, and just plain off, it could be your feng shui. Feng shui is an ancient Asian art of home organization that promotes good energy in your life, and it might help you feel more in tune with your home as well. Here are a few of the most basic feng shui decorating tips.

  1. Eliminate clutter throughout the household. Feng shui teaches people to eliminate unnecessary clutter that adds negative energy to a home. Toss out things that you don’t use, and even limit the amount of furniture to keep rooms open and airy.
  2. Balance your bedroom. If you add a lamp on one side of the bed, add one on the other side as well. Bedrooms should be equal and balance to promote a feeling of peace and calm.
  3. Face the desk toward the door in a home office. Doors are often thought of as portals for positive energy, so this adjustment encourages success in your career.
  4. Sharp, angular furniture is bad. People who practice feng shui should own furniture with rounded edges or completely circular shapes, because they promote flow and unity in your home.
  5. Add some plants. Greenery in the home has a calming influence, and it promotes a peaceful energy. Plants are also a natural way to clean the air.

Feng Shui Decorating Tips [Real Simple]
10 Feng Shui Rules You Should Follow [ChicTip.com]
10 Easy Feng Shui Rules You Should Follow [Kris Carr]
Feng Shui 101 for Your Living Space [Wonder How To]

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