I hired somebody also, $100/hr.

She came in and we talked for 1 hour.

She picked colors, my H and I painted.

She told me to remove everything I did not love (purge). I threw out 2 full trashbags of junk I kept because I got them as gifts and I felt guilty throwing them out.

She came back with picture, shelves, lamp shades, pillows etc. (This came to about $200.... which is crazy because I would have easily spent more)

We spent 2 hours rearranging.

So <$1000 and my first flloor looks like a decorator came and redid my 1st floor.

It was so cheap, I asked her to do my basement which was like a dungeon to put the kids when they were loud.

She picked remnant carpet, remnant stone (for a little bar area), she picked the color, we painted it brighter, picked a couch my kids love, some little random seating when they have friends over. It's like a teenager paradise. She got 15% off the couch. The carpet was $250, stone <$100.... I have a whole new basement for <$2000. It was the best money I have ever spent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hire a reasonably priced local designer to help you get started. Someone who can just give you layout/color schemes and let you shop for the items. Home Goods isn't going to help- you need big picture to start: How you want to use your space, how to arrange furnishings, finishes (paint, flooring, rugs, window treatments) and then lastly look at accessories.

I did this. Cost me $90/hr. Totally worth it. She helped move stuff around to re position furniture, picked paint colors, picked color palate and sketched out some ideas for when I went furniture shopping.

Can you post her info?

Apartment Therapy is a website with awesome design ideas for every living style. I'm sure they have a post on this.

My only advice is stick to the big picture. Finding small items you like only builds clutter and you want to maintain a nice streamlined look. Figure out the few items and strategies you need to accomplish this before launching into purchases.

A lot can be done by painting and rearranging what you have. Toss what no longer works, then build from there.

Image or vision boards are also good. Start collecting ideas from Pinterest and elsewhere. They may not all fit, but I'm a visual person. Hearing what I could do doesn't work as well as seeing it.

My two goals were to make the house feel bigger, since not all row houses are built to the same width, and an overall sense of tranquility. The color scheme and textures did wonders. Simply moving a bit of furniture from one orientation to the other helped to broaden the space as well. Window treatments that worked with the color tone helped cocoon the space. They weren't highlights, they were consistent with everything else. Paintings brought in color. I thought I'd want throw pillows and those ethnic poofs but they took up too much space on the floor and drew the eye too much.

Be strategic and intentional with every purchase. Even my sheets were bought with my living room in mind. The whole house is pulled together and I absolutely adore it.

Best of luck to you. You have time. Don't rush, don't follow trends, and only go with things you love.

Please report back to let us know how things are going! What a great project.

Anonymous wrote:Hire a reasonably priced local designer to help you get started. Someone who can just give you layout/color schemes and let you shop for the items. Home Goods isn't going to help- you need big picture to start: How you want to use your space, how to arrange furnishings, finishes (paint, flooring, rugs, window treatments) and then lastly look at accessories.

I did this. Cost me $90/hr. Totally worth it. She helped move stuff around to re position furniture, picked paint colors, picked color palate and sketched out some ideas for when I went furniture shopping.

Anonymous wrote:First you have to identify what style you really like and what colors you love.
I like blue and pink, and a French cottage style, and my daughter likes birds, so we've got those going on in my house, in various iterations of wallpaper, decor, furniture, etc.

Look at blogs, Pinterest, home decor catalogues.

You are my style twin!!!

Thanks for all of these. Great start for me.

By fresher look do you mean new furniture or paint and accessories? If you are looking to make over a room, you could work with a designer for ideas. IF your are DIY for the makeover, Houzz and Apartment Therapy (for smaller spaces) have good ideas. Also if you have a specific thing you have or know you want to get, like a leather couch that is streamlined, you can search for it on the Internet and see what things people have paired with it. I also would also follow the Washington Post House Calls section for design ideas. I also used it to help figure out what styles/looks appealed to me.

First you have to identify what style you really like and what colors you love.
I like blue and pink, and a French cottage style, and my daughter likes birds, so we've got those going on in my house, in various iterations of wallpaper, decor, furniture, etc.

Look at blogs, Pinterest, home decor catalogues.

Watch hgtv. Look at furniture catalogs. Scan real estate listings.

Hire a reasonably priced local designer to help you get started. Someone who can just give you layout/color schemes and let you shop for the items. Home Goods isn't going to help- you need big picture to start: How you want to use your space, how to arrange furnishings, finishes (paint, flooring, rugs, window treatments) and then lastly look at accessories.

Flooring and paint can make a huge difference. New carpet is a must if you have it upstairs. If you go to all hardwoods use rugsUSAfor area rugs, amazing prices and I've been happy with their quality ~ I too am trying to update/modernize. Houzz is also great. I just ordered a piece through them and got a discount as I'm working with a designer.

Are you on Pinterest? It is brilliant for inspiration. Search what you want with the items you have that you want to keep to see what has been done.

Example searches: "family room stone fireplace sectional couch " or "dining room glass table"

Try Havenly.

I look at blogs and find a style I really like.

What's the most dated thing in your room right now? paint color? Couch? Start there and change that one thing. Accessories from home goods are the finishing touches. Until you fix the major things, the finishing touches are just lipstick on a pig.

How do I begin? I am looking for shopping and specific decor ideas. I just want a fresher more updated look. I do not want it to look too stark or young. I want it to say streamlined, pared down and fresh. Home Goods offered no inspiration. Help!