Decorating and Design - Where Do We Start?

My wife and I have a home that we had built 4 years ago, (All off white walls). I do woodworking, and we both are good at sewing/fabrics. We are in our fifties, and haven't a clue on how to decorate/put things together. Needless to say our house is a hodge-podge of various items. Some new, some old, nothing that matches.
I just returned from an afternoon at Barnes & Noble book store, but all the decorating books show homes that are architecturally pretty, winding staircases, beautiful woodwork, etc, but nothing in any of the books show just a plain interior like ours. Help!

Head to the library and get online to look for ideas. HGTV on TV is another source of info. Delve into some decorating books. Educate yourself. You don't have to have an interior design or decorating degree.

If you are in your fifties and have been married for many years you have more than likely collected possessions that you like and love and that reflect your personality or most of them may be something given to you by friends and family and they just don't fit in & you refuse to get rid of them because they are frequent visitors. I once read a Dear Abby article where someone wanted to know what to do with the hideous 'whatever.' She replied, put it in the closet and when they come to visit put it in a prominent place.

Go through your things and eliminate the ones that just don't seem to live up to your expectations. Have a yard sale or give away. If valuable find a buyer.

Sometimes people hire professionals because they feel they don't have any confidence or sense of taste. Begin with colors, fabrics, and textures upon which both of you agree. Accessories should bring your color scheme to life. For instance, if you like earth tones, accent with bright colors. If you are into florals accent with solid paint and rug that compliments. If you are into solid colors use drama on walls and floors.

Color schemes for beginners can easily be pulled together by sticking with three basic colors and making one of those dominate in individual rooms so everything seems to flow.

Your interior does not have to be plain. Educate yourself. There are some basic rules but they are not etched in granite. The two of you need to sit down in your livingroom and begin there over a cup of tea or coffee.

Who are you? Are you outdoorsy and casual (log cabin/rustic)? Are you traditional (I am)? Are you contemporary? Country? French Country? Primitive? Victorian? Cottage Country? Eclectic? Art Deco? Light & whimsical? Mediterranean? Modern? Oriental? Spanish? Southwestern? Classical? The latest, Shabby Chic?

Another consideration is that styles tend to vary from region to region in our country. I live in Appalachia, so rustic is big with log cabins. So is country. So is eclectic because most folks pick up things at bargain stores and flea markets.

What is important is to determine who you are and what you like and what style reflects who you are. I hate to go to homes where folks, I know did not know who they were or had a clue, and purchase a showroom of furniture. Their homes look like a furniture showroom. There are no accessories or paintings (prints if you can't afford them) that reflect the personalities of the people who live in those houses.

I was just in one of those houses a couple months ago to see a kitchen a builder had installed. The elderly gentleman had been recently widowed. Everything was showroom and he bragged about the cost of cheap prints from the furniture store. He could have supported local artists and had original art at those prices. His house looked liked a furniture showroom. There was not a book, magazine, newspaper, or family photo, or anything personal in that house. He could have been living in a hotel pent house. What I am trying to say is that when I walk into your home, I want to meet you.

If you are into fishing, hunting, arts, crafts, sewing, woodworking, books, opera, theatre, fast cars or whatever. I want to meet you when I go to your home. Your home is a reflection of you. You live there and you need to surround yourself with things that speak of you and make you happy.

Remember, there are no hard and fast rules. You must educate yourself and find your own way. Because you have posted here, I believe that your are on the course of discovery. Bon voyage!

welcome to the Real World!!! of course the magazines never show regular plain houses (like ours!)!!! :rolleyes: but you can make your home into something special, as Twelvepole said.

it's true you've probably accumulated a LOT of stuff, and probably none of it "matches". that's called "eclectic"!!! work with it! to some degree, you probably need to weed out some stuff. then work with what's left. find a common thread, whether it be color or theme. then tie it all together somehow.

the easiest way to brighten up your space will be to add color to those off-white walls!

if you're handy, you could always add some crown mouldings to jazz up your plain space, or maybe a chair rail or some wainscoting, etc.

or you can let the furnishings be the focus. if your upholstery looks tired and/or dated, you might need to buy some new key pieces, or cover them with slipcovers.

or, if you're happy with all your stuff, you might want to hire a "re-decorator". it's a new service that decorators are offering, whereby they work with your current belongings and simply arrange them in new ways to create a seemingly "new" space. you just pay for their service, but don't pay for new stuff. you'd be amazed at how great your "old stuff" looks!