When Redecorating Your Space Shop Your Home First

One of the things I try to do when working with an interior design, redesign or staging client is to not only assess their budget, but talk about what they really want to replace when redecorating or what is a “keeper” and/or can be reused.or repurposed  Sometimes there are things in at home they just can’t stand to look at anymore and those things need to go. However, many times there are items they have and just don’t know what to do with them, or upon investigating closets and basements, we find treasures that have been tucked away and forgotten about that we can pull out again and reuse. “Best practice” is when redecorating your space shop your home first before buying anything. I’ve even given you some practical tips below as “home work” as ways to apply this to your own space!

One of the reasons I love shopping a home first before buying anything is because most clients have a limited budget. It’s important to buy they key pieces in a room that make a statement, and being able to only buy what’s needed normally means we can get not only those key items, but sometimes even get some fun extras to really complete the look. It’s a real bummer to be decorating a space and only get half way through a vision. It’s not a good thing for the designer or the client. Dressers, tables and buffets can all be painted to give them new life and a new look. Check out this home staging post for some befores and afters of reusing what homeowners already have.

The Home Work:  Take a look at what you love and want to keep. Think about how it would look in another room. This can apply to anything from vases, to art, or pillows.  What can you reuse to save money? Is there furniture you can paint or refinish?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scoped out a client’s basement or attic and they have a beautiful family heirloom they had completely forgotten about! From vintage boxes to rocking horses, to old rugs,  bring them out and using them makes them new again. The biggest comment I get about the old items it is that they were shoved into storage because “I just didn’t know how to use it, though I loved it. “

The Home Work: It’s time to rifle through cabinets, attics, garages and look in the deepest corners of your basement.  Pull out storage. Look for old art, boxes, wood pieces. Think about repurposing something that might nit be it’s original intended purpose into art or decor.   Even talk to an older relative who might have a basement full of stuff. They might be happy for you to take  few cool things off of their hands!

We’ve all done it. We bought a piece of art or furniture we absolutely fell in love with at the store. Even when we get it home, we still don’t love it, because it just doesn’t seem to fit  the room we had pictured  it in. Or it works well for a while and then we just get tired of it. Many times it’s not because the item is wrong, its because really it belongs in a different room. Swapping furniture between rooms can give a fresh look to an old chair or table. I use this tactic a lot when staging homes. Sometimes furniture or art just fits better in another room. I use this in my own home all of the time… You can see in this post how I swapped our upstairs and downstairs couches!

The Home Work:  Think about the art in your rooms. How would they look in another room? How about couches or chairs. How cna those be reused between rooms and still fulfill their purpose? Let’s get even crazier… are there entire rooms that can be swapped to used better? How about swapping a dining room and living room, or an unused living room and office?

It’s ok to be brave when decorating and move things around. when redecorating your space shop your home first and  remember you can always move them back! It’s just chairs, tables and framed art.  If you aren’t sure when you first move it, I always tell people to give themselves about three weeks to get used to a new idea  or arrangement before moving things back. Change is really hard sometimes, and it takes time to get used to!

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