How To Decorate Your First Home in The Westcountry

You’ve got the keys to your first home. What a brilliant time this is for you.

You’ve gone through all the paperwork, mortgage approvals, and the process of buying your first home and the day is finally here – you’re a homeowner. You’ve got the feel good factor!

So, now, how about decorating? Yes, you’ve got a million and one things to think about but getting the decorating right is so important. After all, it’s your home now and you will want to make it your own.

Have you got ideas about how you are going to decorate your home? We can’t advise you on colour schemes because that’s a personal choice, but we can offer you our five top tips on decorating your first home.

Tip Number One

Do nothing. No, seriously, don’t do anything just yet. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons really. Firstly, if you’ve bought a brand spanking new house, you will need to let things settle for a few months.

It might be tempting to splash paint around or hang wallpaper but hold your horses. Be patient and wait for everything to settle. If you’ve bought a brand new house, little cracks may appear in the plastering and they’ll need a quick touch up to bring back to a smooth finish. This is perfectly natural in a new build, so don’t panic.

But you should also be patient if your house is an older property. The reason is if you go flying in at full pelt, you may make the wrong decision. Think about different styles and do you research into designs. If you want a particular colour scheme, have a look online for examples, and for inspiration.

You won’t need to wait months, but at least plan what you want to do before getting started.

Tip Number Two

You may well be a Van Gogh or Rembrandt when it comes to using a paintbrush, but you may also turn out more to be a modern artist or a Jackson Pollock! Have a serious think about your skills and what you can achieve.

Of course, painting could be a simple task for you, but can you wallpaper a room with two windows, a door and a dado rail without rips, tears, or bubbles? If you’re happy to paint, doing it yourself is a way to save money. Hanging wallpaper yourself may be a bit trickier though, so think about whether or not to hire a proper decorator who will hang the wallpaper like a wizard and make it look great right from the start.

Be honest with your own skills and knowledge.

Tip Number Three

Budgetary responsibilities. We touched on this in the previous tip, but it’s essential that you budget carefully. If it’s your first home, chances are that money may be a bit tight. That’s not a problem if you work out what to spend your money on.

You could splash the cash on nice paint, or expensive wallpaper, and then have a look around charity shops for furniture that fits the bill perhaps with a lick of paint or a bit of upcycling work.

If you go over your budget, you may have to forgo other things so think carefully about your preferences.

Tip Number Four

Plan to do one room at a time. By dividing your house room by room, you are more likely to get the job done efficiently and properly. Start too many rooms at the same time and you will begin to loathe living on a worksite, with not one fully finished room to call your own.

And don’t forget, you have time. Be patient and plan things out. It might be that you need to save up for a particular piece of furniture you’ve seen, so focus on the other rooms first. Don’t rush into buying everything all at once.

Tip Number Five

Accessories make a real difference. You have your colour scheme for the walls, and you know what curtains you’re going to hang. But have you thought about table lamps, side tables, art, cushions or photographs?

All these things really make a room, so it’s important to factor them in when looking at decorating. The right lighting can add ambience to a room so consider the whole room, not just the paint or wallpaper.

These are just some of the tips we think will be useful to you if you are decorating your first home.