Decorating basics

I love to learn about interior design. Since I am not able to go to school right now(which I would love to do), I just try and soak up things from books and magazines and from all the talented people I am surrounded by.  Here are some of my favorite decorating tips that I use frequently:

*When you are decorating a shelf use odd numbers. I prefer 5 but it really depends on the shelf.

*Using some sort of foliage behind your decorations really brings everything together.

*When you are trying to decide which colors to use in a room, decide what type of a feel you would like the room to have. Colors really set the mood.  Pick 3 colors that you would like to use as your color scheme. You can have accents pieces with different shades of the colors you choose. The colors opposite of each other on the color wheel really compliment each other well.  That works for me because red and green are by far my favorite colors to decorate with.

*If you are hanging a picture over a couch make sure it is size appropriate. If the picture appears too small, you can create a collage to beef up the decor.  Also pay attention to how high you are hanging things. Hang them at a comfortable eye level.  

*When you decide to paint a wall a very bold color use LOTS of white accents and also add something black to ground it.  

*Decorate in triangles. It is more pleasing to the eye. 

*When making a collage I like to use things that have different shapes and dimension. 

*Use what you've already got. Decorating doesn't have to be expensive. Almost everything I put up costs less than $10.  You can even use paint to add a fun touch to small spaces.

*Don't be afraid to be bold and try something new! It is so much fun to see how many different personalities a home can have.  I guess that's why I love to paint so much. It's a relatively inexpensive way to give your home a fresh new look! Happy decorating!!