Since buying my first home with my partner earlier this year, I’ve been in full house-decorating mode. And as someone who loves fashion and style, you’d think I’d have a knack for creating a warm and inviting home. Wrong.
There’s something about furnishing and decorating a home that’s bloody intimidating, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Maybe it’s the fact that it feels a lot more permanent than a wardrobe — and the price tag sure doesn’t help.
Alas, I’ve been doing regular deep dives into how to decorate my home like a pro, scouring Pinterest and shopping around so that I can create a little haven that I can hole up in when my social battery depletes.
How hard can it be?
The answer is: not very! During my research, I discovered interior design tips for transforming your home from cold and grey to warm and inviting. And now, I’m actually looking forward to finishing off my decorating.
So, if you’re also in dire need of some help, I’m here to share the five rules I now live by in order to transform your home.
5 Tips For Creating A Warm And Inviting Home
1. Soft Lighting Is Your New Best Friend
Nothing kills the mood quite like overhead lighting. Whether it’s down lights or those annoyingly ugly boob-shaped lights that Barry Benson mistook for the sun in The Bee Movie, they’re harsh and bright. Using diffused lighting from floor lamps, table lamps, neon signs or LED strips sets a cosier mood for your room, whether it be your bedroom or living room.
You can also make your bathroom a little more moody than when you flick on the clinical down light and rickety fan. I picked up a portable rechargeable lamp from Target for $19 to have on in the bathroom when guests come over, and not gonna lie, it’s made doing your business a lot more inviting.
There are so many fun floor lamps and table lamps available online for a wide range of price points. I’ve picked out some of my faves, from simple contemporary pieces to more colourful, retro-inspired options.
2. Put Art On Your Walls
Bare walls are boring! There’s so much real estate for you to decorate, and adding a little somethin’ somethin’ instantly gives your space personality and makes it feel lived-in.
In my opinion, the hardest part about putting up artwork is sourcing it. Art ain’t cheap, especially if you’re supporting individual artists and small businesses, so you want to make sure you’re not going to get sick of the piece you’re buying in a few years time. And as badly as I want to be buying original works, unfortunately I’m not in the tax bracket where I can fork out multiple thousands of dollars on a singular artwork.
If you’re in the same boat, a great way to support an artist while not putting yourself into debt is by buying prints of their work rather than the original. These are a lot cheaper, and you can jazz it up by investing in a nice frame for the print. The best part? If you get bored of the print, you can switch it out but keep the same gorg frame.
Society6, Temple & Webster, Urban Road and Saatchi Art all have a bunch of art prints for not so crazy prices. Alternatively, Etsy is great for finding affordable art prints. A bunch of sellers offer digital downloads of their artwork for a cheaper price, so you can print it out in whatever size you want.
3. A Rug Could Be The Missing Piece
You’ve got the soft lighting and you’ve got the wall art, but you still feel like there’s something missing that could tie it all together. Might I suggest a rug? They have this magical ability to anchor a space and make it feel intentional rather than thrown together. They add texture, warmth underfoot, and can even act as artwork for your floor.
Whether you go for a plush shag, a patterned vintage-style number, or a minimal jute rug, the right piece can completely change the vibe of a room. It doesn’t just have to be a cover up for some shitty carpet. Be intentional with it. Pick a contrasting rug to your flooring if you want a pop of colour or added depth, or pick a textured one for more dimension.
Pro tip: bigger is better. Rugs look more luxe if they’re not awkwardly floating in the middle of the room. Aim for one that your furniture can actually sit on — like the front legs of your sofa or bed — so it feels grounded and purposeful rather than like a postage stamp plonked on the floor.
4. If You Want Your Home To Be Cosy, You Need Contrast
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started decorating was trying to make everything match perfectly. Grey carpet? Grey couch. White walls? White furniture. The result? A flat, uninspired space that felt more like a doctor’s waiting room than a home.
The trick is contrast. Think soft against hard, light against dark, smooth against textured. And this doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a bright orange couch if that’s not your vibe. You can easily add in colour through your home decor.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match either. A space feels warmer when it looks collected over time rather than like you panic-bought an entire matching set from a furniture showroom. Think trinkets you picked up from the op shop, vibrant vases and gems you’ve collected over the years.
I think shopping for homewares is my favourite part of decorting, TBH. You can get playful with it!
5. When In Doubt, Follow the Three-Five-Seven Rule
Ever spent ages decorating a shelf, lining everything up to be symmetrical but finding something’s always just a little off? Odds are you’re not following the three-five-seven rule. This interior design principle is based off the idea that when styling a home, odd numbers of objects look better than even. It’s more visually engaging and dynamic than having a matchy-matchy moment, and makes your home feel a little less stiff.
You can use the three-five-seven rule with grouping homewares, playing with heights or textures. Odd numbers create a sense of flow and balance without feeling overly staged, making your space feel effortlessly curated — like it evolved naturally rather than being meticulously planned (even though that’s what you most certainly did).
Happy homewares hunting, folks!
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