Simple Upscale Decorating Tips

Decorating has changed dramatically in recent years. Many years ago people put great amounts of money in art and accent pieces. That's still an option – art and collectibles can be great ways to express yourself. If you find a piece of art that you truly love, go for it! Art is a great way to have moving pieces that speak directly to your soul. Top art can also be a great investment.

On the other hand, today many top designers and artists work for mass department stores and offer their collections for a small fraction of the cost of their work. Top artists and designers do this because their profit is greater when selling to many people rather than just a few. Everyone benefits from this system. We can all enjoy trendy, top art for a fraction of the cost and designers or artists are better compensated for their work. This system also allows us to update homes as often as we wish.


Updating a home has never been easier. Simply go down to a store, choose a collection you like and bring it home. The collections are often set up in the store, so that dishes, glassware, tablecloths, napkins, and accent pieces are displayed in a professionally designed grouping. World-renowned designers put the collections together and freely give us the advantage of their talent, training and expertise. All types of stores employ top professionals to design collections, so that price isn't necessarily a determiner of quality.

That's the good news. The bad news is that too many choices may lead to confusion and a sense of feeling overwhelmed. Each collection is beautiful and easily available. The cost per item is low, but choosing pieces can be a confusing and sometimes expensive dilemma. How do you determine what to do?

The first thing to do is determine what you have and what you need. There is a saying ‘Less is more'. This is especially true in home decorating. It's far better to have a few pieces that you love than to have too many things that you don't particularly like, no matter how good a buy they were.

Accents come in any budget, so first make sure that you have good, comfortable furniture. This need not be expensive furniture. A well-used but comfortable piece of furniture will often look great with slipcovers, pillows or a throw.

Secondary colors make a big difference in a home. What's the main color in the room? If your couch is red, for instance, a white accent throughout the room will look dramatically different than, say, a purple accent. Six months later, change the accent pieces to black and the room will again look strikingly different, all the time using the same furniture. Red, or any bright color, can sometimes cause a challenge when trying to find the right accents. Neutral colors in furniture will give you more options for accent color changes, and allow you more flexibility.

Many people wonder what colors go together – the answer is that if you like it, it works. It's your home. If you're unsure of your choices, one option is to go to a paint store and get the sample cards. They're put together by professionals and show which colors work together. Simply match the colors on the card and you're unlikely to go wrong.

Another easy way of ensuring tasteful color coordination is to simply purchase an entire collection. If you want to update the bathroom it's easy to get all the accent pieces and fabrics at one time. Unless you're sure of what you're doing, this is a very simple way to get a beautiful, professional look. Make sure you purchase all the pieces that you'll need because often the collections are changed every few months and pieces won't be available.

Decorating can be a real challenge. These are some easy tips to have a designer look at a fraction of the cost. You'll end up with a home you'll love!