5 Easy Steps to Creating Your Dream Room

Sometimes the hardest part of redecorating or designing a room is not knowing where to start. That’s why I’m giving you this foolproof, step by step guide to working with any space and turning it into the room of your dreams!

Like many things, interior design is a science as much as it is an art, so if you don’t follow the formula, you can end up drowning in fabrics, finishes, floor plans, and just altogether too many choices! So, here’s the secret:

1. Wall coverings are key.

If the room calls for it, I always like to start with choosing a paint or a wallpaper before anything else. This helps me decide what the rest of the space should look like. For example, if you have a really beautiful, busy patterned wallpaper, you shouldn’t get a bunch of wild fabrics and accessories to go with it (unless you’re seriously inspired by the amazing Dorothy Draper!) On the other hand, if you start with a nice neutral paint as your base, you have freedom to play around with pattern and color. If you have existing furniture, steps 1 and 2 go hand-in-hand.

2. Choose something to build your design around.

Find your source of inspiration whether it’s a vase, a pair of throw pillows, or even something you don’t plan on using in the room at all, like a beautiful patterned scarf. This will be your starting point and will keep you focused – it serves as your color palette and design inspiration! For example, a recent client really loved these campaign nightstands, so I used them as my inspiration for the space.

3. Create a mood board

Now, this step may not be for everyone, so consider it optional. Some people really like to get an overall visual idea of how the space will come together before it’s complete, so creating a mood board or two with furniture, fabrics, paint, and accessory ideas will help you do just that. This is where the internet becomes a huge tool, because now you can find all of these things while you’re sitting on your sofa having your coffee – at least, that’s how I like to do it! Be sure to keep in mind dimensions of your space and the pieces on your mood board - you'll want to have furniture that fits in your room!

Mood Board 1: Modern Glam

Mood Board 2: Modern Naturalist

4. Big stuff first

This part may seem obvious, but not to everyone. Always start with the main pieces of furniture in the room. For example, I started this design with the client’s existing metal bed and the two campaign nightstands that I used as inspiration pieces. I based the rest of my furniture choices around those key pieces. Although rugs are considered a kind of accessory, I always include them in the “big stuff” category, because a large area rug can make a serious statement.

5. Accessorize

The stuff that ties it all together! You've chosen inspiration piece, your color scheme, and your main pieces of furniture are in the room - now you can move on to making the space your own by adding throw pillows, vases, curtains, art, etc.