Decorating Your New Home From Scratch

There is something gratifying about taking an “out with the old, in with the new” approach to interior design.

While this may seem like a huge commitment, there are many reasons why people opt to decorate their space from scratch. Whether you are looking for a fresh start, a change in your home lifestyle, or are just looking to downsize your possessions, rebuilding your home’s interior can be a daunting but enthralling prospect.

Fortunately, your friends at Baer’s Furniture have your backs. Our design experts have established a list of factors to keep in mind when decorating your new home from scratch.

You might think that you want to truly personalize your home by just picking the colors, furniture, and accessories you like, but if you don’t establish a decorative style from the beginning, you’re likely to end up with a “thrown together” look. There are many décor styles and disciplines, and each provides plenty of room for personalization.

Once you’ve determined the decorative discipline you hope to achieve, it’s time to start building your vision. Whether you get your inspiration from furniture sales sites, Pinterest, online articles, or you go to the book store and leaf through interior decorating magazines, looking at images of finished rooms and spaces will help you determine how you want to finish yours. 

Consider this home office space featuring the Greystone Chloe Writing Desk by Sligh. Note the way the oriental-style rug, curtains, and table lamp celebrate the primary furniture piece.

Trying to decorate without a color palette is like trying to drink coffee without a cup. We recommend establishing a color palette before making any big box purchases if you’re starting from scratch. Additionally, you want to try to match your palette with the décor style you’ve selected. For example, choose a coastal color palette if you plan on a coastal theme. 

We recommend a 60-30-10 color scheme. 60% of the room should be your primary color, 30% should be your secondary color, and 10% should be the accent color.

This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but many a design has gone awry when the decorator has decided to make a lampshade or the pattern on a throw pillow the impetus for their plan. For the living room, start with the seating, then move on to the coffee table and end tables, and then the smaller items, like lamps, rugs, and other accessories. 

There is a practical reason for this approach. Many furniture items are non-returnable, which is not true for accessories. And even if you do end up having to keep an accessory, it’s a much less significant blow to the budget. 

Choose a high-quality piece like the Chateau D’Ax Sleeper Sofa as a starting point and then build around it.

Knowing the dimensions of your space will enable you to make smarter decisions about the amount of furniture and accessories that you can fit without making it look crowded. The last thing you want is to find the perfect sectional at the showroom and then have to go home and measure out the space to see if it will fit.

If you have a smaller bedroom, this Aspenhome Oxford Bedroom Set will not look the same as it does in this image. That doesn’t mean that you can’t own this gorgeous furniture. You may just need to make a choice between the dresser and the chest or opt for a queen-sized bed.

Pro Tip: Also measure doors, stairways, and hallways to make sure that you can get your furniture in. If you have any concerns, ask the sales associate if it will fit.

Starting over with new décor can be exciting, but it helps if you can rely on the expertise of professionals. Stop in at a Baer’s Furniture showroom in Florida and talk to one of our trained professionals. They’ll be able to introduce you to dozens of items that will suit your needs. Shop Baer’s today!