| Setting Up Your New Home (ARA) – After the wedding bustle and the honeymoon romance, every couple must settle down to the same reality of home making and the same unsettling question... "Where do I begin?"
1. Be a Keen Observer – make note of what catches your attention – most likely you’re attracted to that look! Consciously note what catches your eye as you flip through decorating magazines, watch decorating shows, or check out interesting internet sites such as homearts.com or decoratingden.com. Make note of the colors, patterns and designs that attract you. Clip pictures and start a file. You may notice a style of a window treatment in one picture, a fabric or color combination in another, a comfortable looking chair in another, and so on. Clip and track these for one or two months before making any conclusions about your style and tastes. 2. Take an Honest Inventory – Determine which room or rooms you would like to improve and take an objective inventory of what you and your new partner own. Assess your furnishings the way you seasonally review your wardrobe. Next, take out your camera and take snapshots of the room(s). Photos never lie. Study the photos carefully, and keep the furniture and accessories you truly love. 3. Make a Work-In-Progress – Is there a special family event or holiday coming up that you would like your project completed by? Determine your time projection for decorating – six weeks, six months, one year? You need a work-in-progress plan that sets a series of reasonable goals. A simple, written plan in a loose-leaf binder will help you remain on track. While making the work-in-progress plan consider the scope of the project: do you need a simple coat of color; new window treatments; wallpaper; a few furnishings, etc. Ideally, at this point you should schedule a complimentary at-home design consultation with a professional. At-home consultations alleviate any questions in regards to how tomeasure theroom, lighting, and privacy or sun problems for window treatments. A professional will ask questions and assist you in determining not only your design style but your functional needs as well. There are many professional decorating services that offer a complimentary consultation – if you don’t know of a service, the Yellow Pages is a good place to start. 4. Balance Practicality with Panache – In decorating terms, "panache" is that personal touch you give the ordinary by turning it into something uniquely your own. Adding fringe shades to an average chandelier, displaying a special personal collection gathered over the years, and painting a wall an unusually bold color are all examples of how to personalize your surroundings with your own dash of panache. Best of all, panache does not have to be expensive, and practicality does not have to be mundane. 5. Study the French – Fabulous fakery has always been a part of French design. "Faux" finishes are ever-popular and can be implemented in many areas of the home. For example: do you wish to wake up a bare wall with a window but don’t think you can afford the renovation and landscaping? Have a local artisan paint one! Most local artisans can create with paint almost anything decorative that you can imagine. 6. Give Change a Chance – Redecorating can be as simple as simply removing a piece of furniture, as dramatic as introducing a strong new color or a different pattern. Just remember that all change – even for the better – requires a period of adjustment. However, most homeowners who have decorated their home or any portion of it will tell you "I should have done it sooner!" 7. The Joy is in the Doing – Don’t allow budget constraints stop you from living beautifully and well. There are decorating schemes, furnishings, and accessories for every situation and for every budget. Decorating is an ongoing and evolving state. Start by doing one thing that will revive a tired room, even if you just paint the walls a new color. Remember: the first step is the hardest. Each additional step will become easier. For more ideas, check Bugg’s interactive "Smart Makeovers" section at www.decoratingden.com.
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