Decorating Tips and Advice | The Definitive Decorating Guide

This is the first instalment of The Definitive Decorating Guide from the Darlings of Chelsea Interior Design Ideas blog – providing you with regular postings full of useful tips and advice for decorating your home. We all dream of having the perfect interior, but it is not always easy to know exactly how to achieve it. With this in mind, our guides will provide practical advice and help lead you to specific solutions for getting the best out of your home. As this is the first post in the series, it seems sensible to begin at the beginning: here is our advice on the things you should think about before starting to decorate.

Decorating Preparation

As with any important project, when it comes to decorating, adequate preparation is essential. Here is our guide to planning your design, choosing the colour scheme, and selecting the right products.

Think about design

It is a good idea to spend time thinking carefully about the kind of design you would like the room to have before going ahead and spending money on products and materials you might later regret. Assuming the room is already furnished, think carefully about how any changes you make will complement the existing furniture in the room.
Also, make your decisions about wall coverings and flooring based on how the room will be used. There is no point putting expensive silk wallpaper in a toddler’s bedroom. Remember, when it comes to interiors, fashions can change very quickly and your own tastes may alter over time. Unless you want to decorate the room on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to choose something you can imagine yourself being happy with for many years to come.

(Image source: Bright Bazaar blog)

Choosing the right colour

For most of us choosing the right colour can be very difficult. It isn’t always easy to know which colours go together, and it can be of huge benefit to get the advice of a professional. If this is out of your price range, there are various websites that can help you. For more detailed information about colour schemes and how to plan them, try reading Create Your Own Beautiful Colour Palettes

Selecting the right products

Often overlooked by inexperienced decorators, we cannot overstate the importance of getting the right tools before you begin work. It can be very frustrating to have to keep popping out to pick things up from the hardware store when you are in the middle of a decorating job. If you know exactly what it is you are going to be doing, i.e. painting or wallpapering, make sure you have everything you need in place before you start work. Do you have a range of brushes, and somewhere to store them when they are not being used? If you are wallpapering, don’t forget you will probably need a stripping knife and a table you can use for pasting. There is no need to buy everything in the shop, however – just get the tools you will need.

Once you have a clear idea of the overall look you are hoping to achieve, the colour scheme you want, and the tools and materials you will need – it’s time to start decorating! Watch this space for more definitive decorating tips and advice.