Interior Design Tips and
How-to Home Decorating Guide
Find my Best Interior Design Tips Here for your Successful Home Makeover...
Are you ready to design a wonderful interior decorating scheme for your home?
It’s normal to feel a little daunted before you start on your new home decor scheme - I always do!
Believe me, there are always plenty of questions...
But don’t worry... I’ll help you find the answers...
I will also share with you a great free tool to help you develop your design...
How to Start Planning your Design
That means lots of thinking about:
- What you've already got in your home
- What you need
- What you want
- What you can afford
- What suits your home
- How to get around any problems you've got
Yes it does take a little time, but it's well worth getting things straight in your own mind first...
If you know what you want, you can use this website to find out how to get it...
You can be sure that you aren't wasting your money...
...and that your finished interior design will really work!
It’s what all the professional interior designers do...
And the reason they come up with such great designs...
Print out the following checklist - and use it...
Follow the links in each section.
They'll take you to lots more information about each subject, to help you make your decisions.
If you get stuck, share your interior design worries with me and with other readers...
We'll do our best to help...
If you don't need the full design process, take a look at our 'fast fixes' and 'cheap tricks' to get you started...
Your Interior Design Tips
Checklist
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- How big is your project going to be? What can you afford?
- Think about what you want and need - Fill out a simple questionnaire
This is a free download in Pdf format
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Requires Adobe reader to view - Get inspiration for your design...
Look at:
- Home decorating magazines
- Interior Design Books
- Styles and Themes
- My Gallery Pages
- Hot New Trends
- Period Properties
- Get creative! Come up with your own interior design ideas with a mood board
- What feel do you want for your room? What colors do you like?
Make sure you pick a color that likes your room, too!
- Do you wish your room was bigger? More cozy? Wider?
Find out some useful interior design tips to help create a more attractive proportion in the room
- Don't cram it all in any-old-how!
Consider layout and arranging the furniture
Also look at the free interior design software tool, here... to help you with this part
- Think about the lighting design
- Consider your curtains/blinds and other window treatments.
- What about your flooring?
- Do you want to use:
- Further considerations:
- Make sure you get the design looking good...
Check out this really great free interior design software tool, here...
- Go shopping ........ yipppeeeeee! (Don’t forget to keep your budget in mind)
- Put it all together - don't forget to think about the balance and harmony in your scheme
- Decide on the order of works
- Do it!! ... or better still get someone else to do it for you (yes please!)
Left click to view in your browser
Right click to download
Pdf format
Adobe reader required
Pssst! If you can't be bothered with the whole design process, take a look at our fast fixes and on a budget ideas for more help...
Make sure you also check out the pages on the rest of the website for more great interior design tips, on how to make your interior design work for you.
Room by Room
Follow the above interior design tips for your basic interior design process...
...but also check out specific hints and tips depending on which room you are planning...
Apartments and Open Plan
Choosing a Style or Theme
Look at the different styles...
Get inspired by lots of pretty pictures in my gallery pages
If you have an older property check out the section on period properties.
If contemporary design is just your thing, see what's new in interior design - in the section on hot new trends and contemporary interior design ideas.
Free Interactive Design Tool
Interior designing is easy with my recommended tool. Check out what it is and exactly how to use it on my page here...
Real Room Inspiration
Ask for help with your own design project...
Or just browse other people's ideas for inspiration...
Stuck for Ideas!
Give or Get Great Interior Design Advice...
If you ask for help with your room ideas, pay it back, and give someone else some help with their inspiration too.
Look below to read problems and ideas from other visitors to this site...
Submit your own questions, comments and ideas - all welcome here...
So, Are you Stuck for Ideas...?
I love helping you out with your interior design questions and dilemmas.
But due to the volume of enquiries I've been getting recently, and other time constraints, I can now only answer a small amount of quick questions for free...
If you think your question requires a lengthy, time-consuming or more complex reply, please consider paying me for the time I take to answer your queries, and get a quote for my help with your design dilemma.
(Please note that some of the Q&A you see on the site were responded to when the site was much smaller and I had more time available to me to answer all of your questions.)
While I always make every effort to answer your questions, I'm sorry but sometimes not all submissions will receive a response.
To improve the chances of your submission being included in the website, please let me know as much information as possible about your current interior decor, and what your problem is.
Real Readers' Interior Design Projects
Get interior design advice and inspiration with these interior design Q&As...
See what problems other readers have been dealing with, and what help and advice they got...
Can you help someone else with ideas and inspiration for their decorating project?
It doesn't need to be detailed or complicated, just share any thoughts or ideas about the rooms.
Click on the links below to see the rooms, the questions, and the answers, that other visitors have posted to this page...
Bedroom 
Hi! I'm stuck with this carpet in my bedroom which is really nice and modern, however, I always wanted to go for more of a "pottery barn" kind of homey …
More Q&A - Stuck for Interior Design Ideas
I found some nice striped wallpaper for the living room. The wall is 19 feet long. Will it look ok or is it going to be too much? Other walls, curtains, …
Dark Floor - Light or Dark Rugs and Carpets?
Hi there,
I have just got the floor boards in my house stained a dark walnut and they look great.
Me and my girlfriend are having endless debates …
Mission/Arts and Crafts Room
My Comment: "TRYING" to make my late 1980's home w/high ceiling & awakwardly shaped living room (One long & highest wall is set at angle) into a Mission …
Stuck about a red feature wall for my bedroom
I'm wanting a red feature wall with a white leather bed. On the right side of my wall I was going to paint it white and do a Paris theme with wall stickers. …
Crown molding and base-boards
Question - can I use crown moulding with low ceilings?
Currently my ceilings are painted the brightest whitest white I could find; the walls are a …
Small guest bedroom - getting it right!
Hi Charlotte,
I'm back again. Have changed a few ideas from my original design query , so I will start from the beginning.
Have now got 2 white …
Mamma Mia inspired interior design in sunroom/conservatory
The sun-room/conservatory is 4mx3m, 1 wall is a beige brick the others are wooden. With a large double door and window in 1 wall, the other wall has two …
North-facing bedroom/sitting room
I have a small North facing room which I have emptied of everything, I would like it as a little snug, and guest bedroom. All I have at at moment is a …
Hollywood Glamour
Hi, my name is Tracey, I am creating a 1940's Hollywood Glamour in silver and blacks and greys and touch of white. I am getting stuck in trying to keep …
Victorian ideas for a rental
I live in a rental and can't paint the walls but I can paint the trim, for it's easy to repaint if moving.
I love the Victorian look and have gotten …
An outdoor feeling in an apartment
One of the walls in my living room is a large window which overlooks a lake and other apartments. It faces South. It gets a lot of sun.
Sometimes I …
Open plan living space
Help,
I live in a 1800 square foot room and I am going to install a bathroom and shower and bathroom sink in it
I need ideas on how to get the most …
Mixing Indian and minimalist styles
Hi, I'm from (Kolkata) India, a southern hemisphere country. The climate here is very much hot & wet. The night is more desirable than day during 9 months …
Designing a language lab with a Moroccan theme
Hi everybody. I could really use some help on this project. I'm trying to design and build a room, which is currently empty, into a Starbucks-ey type …
Spa Home Decor
I have a little spa in my house - no idea how to make it comfortable and elegant.
Thanks
Small Studio Apartment
I moved in to this smaller than usual studio apartment,my problem is how do arrange my shoes and clothes in the room and still keep everything clean.
…
Room for a Writer
This room is for a writer. It was a private space for them. In this room that have work area, rest area, collection(mini library) and maybe some storage …
Entry/Foyer interior design ideas
First I would like to say, I'm on the traditional side. My foyer is as such.. to the right of the front door has space to put a table, straight ahead of …
Entrance hall with an indoor plant box
An old fashioned (1980s) entrance hall with facebrick plant box currently planted with synthetic plants!
I have a couple of ideas:
1) Fill the plant …
Old fashioned apartment ideas
I'm moving into an older apartment in which all the cabinetry, fireplace, etc are old fashioned.
Such as the fireplace is a traditional old red brick …
Have just purchased a flat that is dark...
I have just purchased a flat that is dark...
It has an outside area off the lounge and a balcony off the bedroom. It is an end villa and dark inside....... …
Office/Meditation/Yoga Room
Your site is VERY nice.
I just need to know if you have any design ideas or plans for an office/meditation/yoga room.
I am moving and have a 14x16 …
1st floor living room, kitchen woodwork and floors
We have a new addition to our house which will have a great room, living room, kitchen and powder room.
We want hardwood floors throughout. We also …
How to furnish an L-shaped room
I have an L-shaped sunroom that I can't figure out how to furnish. The bottom part of the L is about 15 ft long.
It has a wood stove in the middle …
Country cabin or wildlife feel ... any ideas?
Just purchased used 1800 sq ft double wide mobile home with cathedral ceilings.
Hunter green carpet throughout, except kitchen.
Want a country, …
Interior Design Help for Hallway Please
Hi. Just came upon your site. It is great and I have added it to my favorites.
I have a painting project for my hallway, which goes upstairs to …
Shabby chic style with dark furniture Not rated yet
Hi!
My bedroom has light greyish/blue walls. My comforter, as of now, is solid white.
All of my furniture unfortunately is dark wood and I really, …
Living room Not rated yet
I'm redoing my living room. I purchased a grey leather sectional. I have hard wood floors and a brown panel on my wall with the fireplace.
I'm not …
A Dark, Wood Paneled Apartment Not rated yet
Hi,
I am looking for a few pointers. I just rented a large beautiful apartment that has one major flaw.
Every room (living room, all 3 bedrooms …
Victorian Dining Room Style Not rated yet
This might be a strange question for you, but i am decorating a Victorian Dining Room Christmas scene Dollhouse size, and want to know what colour to paint …
Loft Apartment Interior Design Ideas Not rated yet
I just recently obtained a 2nd story loft with 2000 sqaure feet. It is currently not modern and looks like an old loft from the 60's
Need some design …
More Reader Projects
See what other interior design projects other readers have got on at the moment...
Leigh wants some ideas for decorating a new home
Valerie wants ideas to liven up a plain white room
Look at more real home decorating projects - or share your own...
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More interior design tips in my book...
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