A home’s interior design should reflect who lives there, not the whim of painters, its flooring crew or imaginary customers who might’ve been used as the builder’s inspiration. The blank canvas of a new home can be exactly the impetus you need to try your own style. Consider hobbies, recreational preferences and family history for decorating clues. Personalizing a home stamps it as uniquely yours. It’s also an opportunity to display collections that might be stuffed out of view. Read on for a few suggestions to get you started.
Trace Your Roots
If you’re an antique buff or haunter of flea markets, chances are you’ve collected a few personal or family heirlooms along the way. They don’t have to authenticated or appraised! Your mom’s christening grown, or those letters and funny drawings your grandfather used to woo your grandmother, can be carefully shadowboxed and displayed. Family photos from various decades can be framed and hung together. The same goes for finished crafts and handwritten recipes. Use any inherited furniture and accessories in the same room.
Celebrate Relationships
Have a tight-knit group of old college roommates? How about your kids’ sports-league teammates who’ve remained good friends? We all have relationships that endure and become more meaningful over time. Why not celebrate them as part of your interior design? Can you help your kids create a photo wall of all their best soccer buds? Hang one of their favorite sports jerseys as a centerpiece and arrange game photos around it? Adults can do something similar in a home office by displaying photos, plus memorabilia such as diplomas and restaurant menus.
Relive Travel Experiences
This one’s easy, right? Download those photos of your summer trip to Italy and select 10 or so of the most exceptional ones to print and frame. Do the same for every trip or adventure, especially those you experience with family. Think of all the fun collages you can build with actual souvenirs and collectibles. Cataloging your travel history by using the colors, styles and architecture of favorite destinations is a great way to outfit your new home’s guest room.
Stay Inspired
If you spend a lot of time in certain parts of your home — perhaps as a stay-at-home parent or someone who runs a freelance or home-based business — you likely appreciate the peace and quiet of a master suite or home office. Decorate those areas for inspiration! Frame quotes from important mentors, devotional readings or indispensable books about your area of expertise. Stencil meaningful verses over doors, or encircle the room with one favorite saying or short poem. Perhaps it’s a comfy chair for meditation, or a quiet place to spread your yoga mat. Soothing colors and plenty of natural light also are pluses here.
Ready to personalize your own new home? ICI Homes is ready to help. Start here.
