How to Decorate a Home and Arrange Furniture
- 1). Leave the rooms white or paint the rooms with colors that blend well with your decor. Pastel purple and baby blue complement French country styles. Earth tones such as tan, red and green go well with Southwestern decor. Only use really dramatic colors on one accent wall, rather than the entire room. Dramatic colors are rich shades of burgundy, plum or forest green. Painting dark colors in the whole room can create a closed-in feel, and it might seem overwhelming as well.
- 2). Measure the dimensions in each room before deciding which furniture to bring in. You can arrange your couch a number of ways, but it's best if you can leave 24 inches of space in between the couch and walking areas. Don't place a coffee table too close to a couch, and make sure that people can easily maneuver throughout the living-room area. This same rule applies to all rooms. You can place end tables next a couch that is up against a wall because this is not close to a walking area.
- 3). Place your television and entertainment center up against a wall so that it is directly facing the couch. Leave 2 or more inches of available space behind the entertainment center for electrical outlets so that there is enough room for extra cables and plug-ins from equipment. Usually, an entertainment system takes up space on the whole wall, so it's not always necessary to hang up pictures or other decor on this wall. This also depends on the floor plan. Adorn the walls throughout the halls with framed photos of family. Hang up large framed art or decorative wall clocks on bare walls in the living room. Place miniature palm trees or other potted plants within empty corners throughout the house.
- 4). Place a 2-inch strip of black tape on the light switches in some of the bedrooms and living area. This will help you to avoid placing dressers and other furniture directly up against a light switch. You can place furniture right next to the switch, though. If possible, try not to cover outlets with heavy furniture. It's OK to cover an outlet by placing a couch up against the wall, but leave 2 inches of space for plugging in lamps and the vacuum.
- 5). Don't place furniture up against a window unless the furniture height is lower than the bottom of the window pane. Couches and end tables are generally shorter than the window pane, but this depends on the style of the furniture. It's OK to place this furniture next to a window because it doesn't cover the window like a tall dresser or entertainment center would.