Just because the decade is changing doesn’t mean your comfort zone has to — and we’re not talking about the metaphorical one. Studies have shown that more than just the aesthetic is impacted by the way you choose to decorate and maintain your physical space; it changes the way you feel. Here are some tips and tricks on keeping your space in the decade you like best (without letting the dust collect).
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Identify Your Style
The first and most important step of any redecorating process is the vision board. Having a clear idea of what you’d like your space to look like will give you something to focus on and help prevent overcrowding, of physical stuff and ideas. Use a push-pin board to cut and pin from magazines or newspapers, or opt for the digital version and create a new board on Pinterest to get your creative juices flowing.
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Color Matters!
While you might be someone who just grabs for your go-to favorite shade of baby blue, the color scheme of your home can make a big impact on the overall vibe of the room. Certain shades are also associated with different decades, and can help to solidify the look. Once you’ve established the aesthetic you’re shooting for, you can bring a color pallet of your choice (thank you to the paint samples at Home Depot) when you go shopping to keep in mind what you’re looking for. For example, the 50s were engulfed by bright cherry reds of diner stools or black and white checkerboard floors, whereas the 70s were much more monochromatic and highlighted neutral colors like yellows and caramels.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Go Old
I know the marble busts of founding fathers and chandeliers might seem a little outdated, but there are gems to be found in the depths of historical decorating. Legends of the interior design industry such as geometric art deco and streamline moderne came out of the 1920s and 30s, inspiring the “minimalist” aesthetics that have flooded today’s trends. Check out estate sales or secondhand furniture stores for hidden scores and treasures (pro tip: really look through the back of stores and get out of the distracting “display sets” at the entrance to get to the good stuff).
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Pick and Choose Your Trends
Just because your living room is themed to replicate the chill energy of the Woodstock-inspired 60s, doesn’t mean you have to have a floor to ceiling peace sign on the wall (not to say you can’t have one, either). Home decor is all about making your safe space as comfortable and wonderful as it can be for you and your unique personality. While it can be helpful to limit your vision board to a certain aesthetic, don’t fall victim to an overboard of one time period: pick and choose as it feels right for you, whether or not that means mix-matching some aesthetics.
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Avoid Overcomplicating Things/Overwhelming Your Senses
It can be easy to get swept up in the chaos and excitement of designing (or redesigning) a new space, but it’s important to keep your boundaries in mind and remember that the most important key to good decor is your comfortability. No matter how cute that painting is, it won’t be good for you if it’s crammed on a wall with no white space or in a closet with the other seven paintings you’ve bought and not hung up. Check in regularly with your space to make sure there is no clutter or overcrowding, and go through a roster of questions while shopping: how happy will this new item make me? Do I know what I’m going to do with it? Will I be thinking about this item in a week if I don’t buy it? Answering some of these questions can help with the process of elimination while keeping your space comfortable.
