PART 1 – INTRODUCTION

Moving into a new home is one of life’s great joys! However, it also comes with a period of uncertainty, especially when it comes time to decorate it. The most pressing question on your mind is likely, “How do I ensure my living space looks its best while reflecting my sense of style?”.

That is a valid thought. After all, you do not want to end up with an interior styling that is a hodge-podge of furniture, fabrics, and paint colours that never congeal into a pleasing whole. Fortunately, with a bit of planning and with the help of our home decoration guide, you can ensure your dream home lives up to its billing!

PART 2 – LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR YOUR INTERIOR DECORATION

To reach the finish line, you have to know where you are going. This logic holds true when it comes time to decorate your house. It is essential for you to lay the groundwork for your interior decoration before decorating your home in earnest. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Tip #1: Avoid panic buying

Never go shopping in a panic. This rash decision will only lead to impulse buys that you may regret in the future. Just because you need a sofa does not mean you should make a haphazard choice. Remember, each piece of home furniture will be a part of your living space for years. So take the time to think about how it will fit the rest of the room, which brings us to our next point.

Tip #2: Know your measurements

Always start in the room you want to furnish armed with a notepad and a measuring tap. Why? It is because matching the scale of your furniture to the scale of your room is critical! For example, a large sectional sofa can easily overpower a small room. That is a common mistake many homeowners make when they shop for home furniture. Carefully measuring your space beforehand helps avoid this issue.

So take the time to measure the length and width of every room in the house before you begin decorating. Do not forget about the ceiling height and other elements that could get in the way, like columns, faux walls, and other obstructions. We also recommend measuring the window openings, along with the wall space above, below, and to the sides of each opening, to get ready for window coverings.

Tip #3: Create a floor plan

Obtaining the measurements of your room is one thing. However, it is a different matter to visualise how each piece of home furniture fits seamlessly into the given space. This is where a floor plan comes into the picture, as it gives you a bird’s eye view of the entire house.

Once you have every room mapped out, start experimenting with the placement of the furniture to have an idea of your preferred layout and whether you have room to navigate around the different pieces.

You can even take this idea one step further by using painter’s tape in real space to outline where each piece of furniture will be placed on the floors and against the walls. Having tape on the floor to box out different elements helps you visualise the space and how you are able to walk around the room.

Tip #4: Take inspiration from the pro

Not sure where to begin your home decoration? In that case, turn to the pros! Interior design books and magazines, as well as online resources like Instagram and Pinterest, can help sharpen your personal style. It is all about figuring out the design you respond to the most and studying the details to inform your interior styling.

Tip #5: Develop your budget

Your home is your sanctuary. As such, it makes sense that you would want to transform the place so that it looks its best while being cosy to live in to boot. But that does not mean you should splurge unnecessarily. Instead, you should ensure you are being strategic with how you spend your money.

For example, splurging on an unexpectedly expensive armchair means you have less money available for the rest of the home. A budget provides you with a roadmap, allowing you to divide the costs between each room. You can still accommodate an expensive piece of home furniture, but you will probably have to make a concession elsewhere.

PART 3 – HOW TO DECORATE YOUR HOME

Once you have finished laying the groundwork for your interior decoration, it is time to begin the actual styling process.

Learn More: How To Create Your Dream Luxury Interior in Singapore

3.1. Decorating The Living Room

Your living room is the heart of the house –  the place to entertain friends and family, do some reading, or relax after a long work day. Therefore, you would want your living room to be spacious enough to accommodate guests yet cosy enough to feel intimate. To achieve this, your design needs to be flexible enough to fit your lifestyle needs.

Creating the colour palette

We recommend starting with the colour palette so that you can apply it to the rest of the rooms to create a uniform look. The colour palette will also impact the colour of your home furniture. Therefore, it is vital that your chosen colour palette matches your taste, style, and personality.

However, paint colours are notorious for appearing in different hues depending on the light condition. This effect only amplifies when you slather it on your four walls. As a result, you should not be hasty in committing to a paint colour when you first browse the chip in a store. Instead, look at the largest chip you can get and move it around and view it at different times of the day to see how the colour looks on your walls.

You can opt to paint the baseboards, doors, mouldings, and other trims in the same colour as the room to make them visually recede. Alternatively, you can consider a contrasting colour if you wish to make them more of a feature. Trims can also be painted with a different sheen than the walls. For instance, a semi-gloss sheen can bring more attention to the mouldings while adding durability.

Choosing the home furniture

When it comes time to choose the home furniture in your living room, feel free to go in wildly different directions depending on your desired vibe. If you prefer a traditional living room, focus on a symmetrical layout. Your sofa and coffee table can be centred on your TV console, with matching armchairs on either side. Conversely, if you prefer an asymmetrical design, you can opt for something more unconventional, like a sectional sofa.

Obviously, you would have planned out the space dedicated to each piece of furniture beforehand on your floor plan. However, do not neglect the height of the furniture pieces. Your sofa and accent chairs should be of similar heights to avoid some guests sitting much higher than others. Generally, lower seats present a casual, laidback vibe, while higher seats come off as more formal.

When choosing the appropriate furniture colours that complement your living room, you should always look at the fabric sample in person rather than basing the colours, patterns, and finishes online. This is because some colours blend together when viewed on a screen, making it tough to differentiate between cool and warm tones. Besides, digital images are usually mere approximations of what the real thing looks like.

But do not just look at the samples in isolation. Put them together to see how well they complement each other. For example, all greens play nicely together, whereas blues of varying hues will clash with each other. By putting the samples side by side, you can see whether the various colours and patterns work well together.

3.2. Decorating The Dining Room

Whether you have a small two-seater dining table in the corner of your kitchen or a spacious dining room, you should never underestimate the importance of having a dedicated space where you can enjoy your meals. As such, you should avoid a sloppy job decorating your dining room.

You will find that putting a little care and attention into your furnishings can create the right ambience that enhances your home and makes your guests feel welcome and comfortable. To help you get started, let us look at some of the most pivotal elements to consider when decorating your dining room.

Make a statement with your flooring

Rugs are timeless, elegant accessories suitable for any room. Nevertheless, it is not often you see one adorning the floor of a dining room. However, you will be surprised to learn that it serves as an excellent focal point, drawing guests’ eyes directly to your dining area. Just ensure the rug is durable and can take anything thrown at it, especially since it is going to deal with a couple of spills and messes in its lifetime.

When choosing a rug for your dining room, you should also be mindful of the material and pile height. Synthetic materials such as polyester are stained by oil much more easily compared to natural fibres like cotton and wool. And while long pile rugs have an undeniable retro charm, they are more likely to trap dirt and crumbs. Shorter pile rugs will be easier to clean and maintain, especially for a high-traffic area such as the dining room.

Add style to the space with statement dining chairs

Inject some colour, style, and personality to your dining room by choosing dining chairs with bold colours or eye-catching designs. Different colours of upholstery can also enhance the overall look of the space and avoid monotony. For instance, bright, colourful chairs look fantastic when paired with a wooden dining table. It is all about choosing a tone that elevates the other shades in the space to bring your interior styling to life.

Feel free to experiment with different styles of dining chairs for the ends of the dining table. Rather than stick with symmetry, why not go with something more ornate and larger than the other chairs around the table? After all, who does not like adding a little grandeur to their dining room? With a couple of shrewd purchases, you can transform your dining area into a space fit for a banquet.

Shine a little light on it

Few things are as essential as lighting when it comes to decorating your dining area. The ideal lighting will make your space cosier, more stylish, and more welcoming. A low-hung ceiling lamp is a brilliant option for dining areas, creating an intimate feel around the table day and night. You can also consider table lamps to add pools of light to the space or an ambient floor lamp to brighten up the dining area.

3.3. Decorating The Kitchen

Our kitchens are a place where we cook, eat, entertain, and socialise. Therefore, it should be an inviting area of the home, filled with character and charm. But that is not all! It must also be a functional workspace for cooking while storing all of your kitchen appliances and accessories. And your kitchen styling plays a significant role in achieving these objectives. So be inspired by our ideas on how to decorate your kitchen counter.

Keep the place clean and organised

Decluttering is the name of the game when it comes to decorating your kitchen countertop. After all, the kitchen is the number one room in the house where you need the space to be highly functional and practical. So you should avoid overfilling the surfaces.

There are some items that always belong on the kitchen counter, such as your kettle and toaster. So working out where to place these priority items will help you assess what space remains for other pieces. Start with the essential appliances before moving on to the secondary, decorative pieces like your flower pots and vases.

Meanwhile, less essential appliances, like dinnerware and utensils, should be neatly tucked away in the sideboard cabinets to ensure there is always sufficient space on your countertops to prepare food. If there is insufficient room in your sideboard, you can consider extended shelving to create more storage space.

Accessorise with plants and flowers

A kitchen can often be a busy and hectic hub, especially when you have guests over. So why not spruce up your kitchen countertop with plants and flowers to create a calming and serene atmosphere? Having plants and herbs beside your kitchen window or near the preparation areas can create an inviting space filled with colour and natural beauty.

If you have limited counter space, fret not. Decorative trays are a stylish and practical way to decorate your kitchen counter, creating an area to curate and display your favoured objects and accessories, including your potted plants. They allow you to gather your knick-knacks and place them in one place, leaving more space for food prep and cooking. You can also pick up and move the tray around easily, depending on which areas of the kitchen you need to use.

Accentuate the place with colours

Having colourful objects dotted around the kitchen can provide elements of contrast in the space, creating beautiful accents that effortlessly lift the design scheme. And it is not about splurging on expensive home furniture either. Even simple touches such as a fruit bowl or a wooden chopping board can create an elegant contrast with its surroundings, adding a degree of distinction and colour to the space.

3.4. Decorating The Bathroom

Despite being the smallest rooms in our apartments, bathrooms are the ideal place to let your design sensibility run wild! With that said, you must consider various design elements, such as accents, fixtures, and lighting, to create an effective and stylish bathroom design. Let us share some tried and tested tips for your consideration.

Plan an efficient design

You would need an efficient design for your bathroom since you are working with limited space. In such cases, an effective solution for your bathroom layout would be a one-wall layout. A one-wall layout lines up the sink, toilet, and shower along a single wall in the bathroom, resulting in a cost-effective and space-efficient design.

Incorporate similar materials

Create cohesion in your design by incorporating similarly style materials throughout your bathroom. Such a move helps showcase your design sensibility and can add a touch of class to the space. For example, utilising marble or other stone textures throughout the bathroom can give off a distinctly luxurious ambience.

Be innovative with the lighting

Bathroom lighting need not be boring. Instead of opting for your standard ceiling-mounted fixtures, why not go with sconces or recessed lighting to add style and mood? You can also consider incorporating accent lights to spotlight your shelf decor or an architectural feature such as a shower niche. You may find that an effective bathroom lighting plan can help enhance the look and feel of the bathroom interior.

3.5. Decorating The Bedroom

Lastly, we come to the bedroom – your nightly sanctuary. As the most personal space in your home, and the place you spend about a third of your time, you should dedicate the most time and energy to designing it. After all, you do not want to end up with a room that is uncomfortable to spend time in, not if you want to rest and recharge after a long day.

Plan your furniture

It is called a bedroom for a reason. So naturally, your bed should be the centrepiece of the room rather than shoved in a corner, with the headboard positioned against one wall and pathways for walking on both sides. If there is sufficient room, you can consider nightstands or bedside tables on either side of the bed for convenience and extra storage.

If you are someone who enjoys watching TV in bed, you will likely want a console table near the foot of the bed to hold the TV while providing additional storage. Alternatively, you can consider mounting it on the wall if there is insufficient space. Do not forget to leave room for a vanity table and a stool so that you have a dedicated space to groom yourself and keep your accessories and makeup.

Avoid bold colours or designs

Your bedroom is a sanctuary. Therefore, it should feel calm and inviting to induce restful sleep. As such, bold colours or graphic wallpapers (anything aggressive really) should be a firm no! This is because colours can affect your mood. So being surrounded by the  . We recommend going with paler tones in your bedrooms, such as gentle blues, greens, or yellows.

Another thing to consider that could impact your sleep is the amount of clutter in the room. A messy bedroom can contribute to a poor night’s sleep and increased anxiety. Therefore, you may want to incorporate more storage furniture, like side tables and cabinets, to keep your bedroom organised if space permits.

Control the light

Having control over the light in your bedroom – both natural and artificial – is essential. If you are sensitive to sunlight when sleeping, you would want to install a blackout roller shade or curtains with a blackout lining to prevent sunlight from leaking in at the break of dawn.

At night, you may want to have several layers of lighting to illuminate the room, allowing you to engage in light reading or surf the internet before sleep. An overhead light is perfect for brightening the bedroom quickly but may not do much to set the ideal mood. In these instances, a pair of lamps on your bedside tables offers a more appealing glow.

We recommend using table lamps and wall-mounted lamps on either side of your bed. The former provides the ambient glow. Meanwhile, the latter offers directional light for reading. But remember, they should not compete for attention. You want a simple table lamp and a decorative sconce, or vice-versa.

PART 4 – FAQS ABOUT HOME DECORATION

We hope what we have shared has given you a clear idea of how to approach the interior styling of your home. Nevertheless, we understand that some may still have pressing questions. So allow us to share our FAQs. Hopefully, they can help address the common queries that you may have about decorating your home.

Question #1: How do I choose the right paint colour for my home?

The truth is: there is no wrong colour to paint one’s home. Pick your paint colour based on how you want your home to look and feel, as well as the things you want to accentuate. Keeping these tips in mind will help immensely in deciding what paint colour is suitable for each room.

Question #2: How do I avoid buying the wrong home furniture?

Before purchasing your home furniture, you should always measure your room dimensions and door frame widths. Knowing the exact measurement will prevent you from buying furniture pieces that are ill-fitted for the room. Start with the essentials like your sofa and bed. Subsequently, you can snap a photo, allowing you to compare and ensure any new piece complements your existing purchases.

Question #3: Should I mix and match my furniture or keep it in the same style?

Mixing and matching styles, patterns, or colours can work (within reason). It is about ensuring they do not overpower one another. Whatever your decision, we suggest you commit. Take some time to determine what embodies your style and be true to yourself. This way, you will end up with a personalised interior style that reflects your sensibility.

PART 5 – CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, remember that decorating should be fun. So feel free to let your imagination run wild! But remember to always have a plan in mind. That, along with our helpful tips, can contribute to a less stressful experience. Hopefully, you will end up with the home of your dreams when all is said and done!

If you are on the lookout for luxury furniture to complement your dream home, look no further than Snow Globe! We offer an extensive catalogue of furniture in Singapore at affordable prices. Visit our gallery today to take a look at our curation of beautiful and luxurious furniture for your home.