Decorating your first home

Moving into your first home is an incredibly liberating experience. You have been working hard to save the money you need to finally fly the nest. Whether it’s a rented home or your first mortgage, you have finally reached that milestone in your life.

Now you want to make your new home into the most beautiful place in the world. You can now make every room personal to your own taste. It’s now time to turn this empty shell into a warm and welcoming home.

Form a budget

Firstly you need to know what you can afford. Fixing up a house can end up being expensive, but sometimes you can cut costs. In previous blogs we have spoken about hunting down bargains at your local car boot sale, and this is particularly important if you don’t have a lot of money to spend. You would be surprised how much you can get for so little money. Remember, don’t go spending money you don’t have.

Paint

Nothing will transform your space more than a fresh lick of paint. It will be an easier task if you paint before moving all your furniture in. This is the first way to create a space which is personal to you. You can experiment with all types of colours and styles.

Paint can be expensive though. It is best to buy a large tub of white paint then a smaller pot of the colour you want. It is worth experimenting with the colours you want and see what ways you can cut costs.

Furniture

If you already have some furniture, why not revamp it? This works especially well on furniture made of wood. You will be surprised what a lick of paint can do. You can still snap up some bargains at a normal furniture shop, it’s all about shopping around.

Keep hold of any donated furniture which friends or family may have given you, you never know when they might come in handy.

Bedroom

This is the space you should start with, as you will be spending almost a third of your time in there. It will also be a good place to relax when there is so much chaos in the rest of your home. If you have moved into a home which has a lot of neutral colours, it is easier to decorate it. Start by deciding what colour scheme you would like, then start thinking about the type of bedding, curtains and other furnishing you may need.

If you are an early riser try and stick with a lighter palette. If you are a night owl you will be more satisfied with deeper and fuller tones, you might want to get some blackout blinds or curtains to block out any unwelcoming light.

On the cheap

If your kitchen cabinets are a bit of a drab, you can instantly freshen them up with a lick of paint. In all honesty there isn’t a lot of things paint can’t fix! Just remember to try and hunt down as many bargains as you can.

Finally, personalise the space and make it yours! You can do whatever you like with it, because it all belongs to you!