Home Decorating - 5 Rules that Make Easy Work of Home Decor

Some people think of home decor as an adventure. They look forward to shopping for curtain and upholstery fabric, wall paints, floor tiles, area rugs and accessories. There's a certain thrill to stepping out and hitting the home decor stores in anticipation of the gorgeous stuff they are sure to find there.

There are others however, for whom home decor is a daunting thought. The very thought of shopping for curtain and upholstery fabric, shag area rugs, wall paints, floor tiles and accessories can bring on the nightmares and uncertainty as to what color to choose for the walls, what fabric will look best and most of all, what goes with what.

While there are no absolute rules to home decor, here are 5 guidelines that promise to make easy work of decorating your home:

No matter how good looking a piece of furniture is, if it is not comfortable to use or just cannot be used for any reason, it should have no place in your home. A home is a home; it is to be lived in. It is not a museum where you just pass through and admire the beautiful items on display. A home can only function as a home if it is comfortable, cozy and practical. Add drama to your room with accessories, not with your core pieces.

Every family is different and therein lies the difference in home decor rules. What suits one family can be a disaster for another. Take every family member's comfort and taste into consideration when making interior decorating decisions. If you have two kids and three dogs you may want to reconsider doing up your living room in all-white with your Swarovski collection displayed on a low table. Aim for a home that feels like home to all the family members. It's not the things that make up a home, but the people who live in it.

Decorating your walls, or at least one wall, with a bunch of photographs of family and friends can bring an inanimate wall alive with memories of priceless moments with loved ones. Photographs can single handedly fill a room with a sense of family and enhance any home decor immeasurably.

A home that contains a blend of sumptuous textures, intoxicating aromas and soothing sounds can bring all your senses alive to the beauty around you. Think soft, soothing satins and cool, crisp cottons; bright, invigorating reds and oranges in the kitchen and cool, soothing blues and pinks in the bedroom; the relaxing aroma of lavender candles and the comforting smells of home-baking. Play around with a combination of textures and colors with no particular rules to follow; just follow what your heart tells you and you cannot go wrong.

Home is a place to unwind from the stresses of school and work. Create lots of little niches where different members can retreat to and just be by themselves without really having to shut themselves in their rooms. How about a comfortable ottoman by the window sill where anyone can sit and read while watching the world go by? Create a hobby corner where family members can indulge in their favorite hobbies.

Never mind trying to do up your house in conformity with the latest trends. Focusing instead on the needs of your family and striving to create an atmosphere where all family members are encouraged to blossom and flower in their own direction for life is the essence of home decor. It also makes easy work of home decor.