10 Simple Home Decorating Ideas For When You Feel Stuck
Are you feeling stuck in your home? Want to make some progress but don’t know where to begin? Today, I’m sharing 10 super simple and accessible home decorating ideas, plus the mindset shift that will change everything for you.
Anytime I ask my audience what their biggest issue in their home is, the answer I get most often is some variation on “I feel stuck”.
Some people are stuck because they have a specific issue with their home they can’t seem to overcome. Sometimes people are stuck because they feel overwhelmed by a blank slate and don’t know where to begin. And sometimes people are stuck because they have no idea what they even want to do!
Creating a home you love can be really overwhelming. But, it doesn’t have to be! The problem is, most of us don’t have a simple, actionable plan for our home. We’re just trying to make things work with what we have, but we don’t really know what we’re doing. So, we keep pinning and scrolling and gathering inspiration, all while feeling more overwhelmed by the minute.
A Simple Mindset Shift
I’d argue that part of the problem is that we often spend so much time focused on where we want to be (the dream home, the inspiration, the “finished product”), that we don’t take a moment to address where we actually are.
Let me explain.
If you’re currently living in a dated home that needs a ton of updates (raising my hand here), and you’re spending all of your time looking at magazine-worthy homes that are perfectly styled and asking yourself how to get there, you’re probably just going to feel overwhelmed. The gap between where you are and where you want to be is so big that it feels insurmountable!
Instead, take a moment to look at the home you have. What do you love about it? What do you not love about it? Get specific. Instead of constantly thinking a bout where you want to end up, start thinking more about what the day-to-day in your actual home looks like, and how you can make it just a tiny bit better.
I promise you that this one mindset shift will make a huge difference towards getting you un-stuck when it comes to your home.
Making a Plan for Your Home
If you can relate to feeling stuck and overwhelmed by your home, I’ve got something for you. I took everything I know about finding your style, making a plan for your home, and getting un-stuck and I put it all into one place.
It’s called The Almost-Perfect Home and it’s a simple guide that teaches you how to fall back in love with your home, one small step at a time.
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing for a guide that would tell you how to know what you want for your home and make a plan to actually achieve it, this is for you!
Now, let’s dig into some ideas for you!
10 Simple Home Decorating Ideas
1. Start With What You Have
When we’re working on our home, it’s easy to default to thinking we need to shop. But, you might be surprised at how much progress you can make in your home using what you’ve already got! Here’s a few examples of how that can look in action:
- Re-arrange the furniture in one room. Even if you only live with it for a week, just try it!
- Pull everything off a shelf or table in one room and re-arrange it using things from another spot in the house.
- Gather all the throw pillows in your house and move them to new spots.
- Try a lamp, a side table, or chair in a new room.
If you really want to get crazy with it, you could pull all of the decor from around your house into one spot and try placing it again fresh. Sometimes just getting a new perspective on what you already have can make a huge difference!
2. Get Creative With Art
One thing most home are missing is art that really speaks to the people who live there. You don’t have to spend a ton of money or even know anything about art for this. Try searching thrift stores, Etsy, or even framing something your kids made. Hanging something on a blank wall is a surefire way to make the space feel fresh and new, and I’m willing to bet your home could use some more art on the walls.
You could also try:
- Adding art to a bookcase (hang it on the front edge, or rest it along the back of a shelf).
- Frame a puzzle.
- Hang art in an unexpected place, like on a lower cabinet, above the stovetop, or behind a door.
- Try your hand at making some DIY art.
- Choose some quirky art that makes you smile. Don’t take it too seriously!
- Do a paint-by-numbers.
3. Add Some Personality
Along that same line, I think another thing many homes are missing is a personal touch. Sometimes we take home decor too seriously! Your home will fall flat if it doesn’t have a few things in it that add some quirk, personality, and feel like you. This can look like a display of a favorite collection, a one-of-a-kind throw pillow, or even just some framed family photos.
Don’t spend so much time trying to make your home look like it belongs in a magazine that you forget to also make it look like you live there.
4. Remember the Power of PAINT!
One thing I’ll never stop preaching is that paint can change just about everything. It’s cheap, it’s easy to use, and it makes such a huge difference in your home. You can start by painting the walls in your home in a color you love (for example, I’m obsessed with dark-hued bedrooms!), but you could also…
- Paint the ceiling
- Add some scallops
- Paint your cabinets
- Paint your tile floor
- Or paint your countertops
- Refresh your patio
- Paint the whole dang house
5. Try Focusing on the Basics
Sometimes the easiest things to ignore are some of the things that make the biggest difference. If you live in a dated house like I do, chances are you’ve got some almond-colored outlets, trim that has yellowed over time, or light fixtures that are straight from the 90’s.
It will make a drastic difference in your home if you spend a little time updating these! Use paintable outlet covers or these plates that cover the entire outlet, and you don’t even have to do any electrical work. Swap out dated light fixtures, paint trim and doors, and swap out hardware that’s boring or doesn’t fit your personality.
Things like door knobs, cabinet hardware, doors, and outlets aren’t the most exciting things to work on, but they are some of the things that make the biggest impact in how your entire home feels.
6. Use the 3/5/7 Rule
If you struggle to style shelves or tables in your home, this rule is a great thing to keep in mind. It’s super simple – it’s just the idea that odd-numbered groupings are more visually pleasing than even-numbered ones!
So, if you’re style a shelf or a table, try a grouping of 3, 5, or 7 items. That one shift will make all of your surfaces look a little better!
7. Try Adding Trim
My absolute favorite way to customize my home is adding trim to the walls. It’s intimidating if you’ve never tried it, but I promise it’s not hard. You can start with just a chair rail molding to add a little texture, and once you get the hang of it, you can play around with even more!
A few of my favorites:
8. Add Some Plants
They don’t have to be real, but adding some greenery to your home is a great way to add a little life and make things feel fresh. I love a real plant (see my favorite houseplants here), but I also love a good fake! I use a ton of faux stems in my house year-round, and I’m constantly swapping them out. See some of my favorite faux flowers right here.
9. Don’t Ignore the Windows
Adding curtains to the window is one of the simplest ways to make a room feel a little more put together. Don’t forget to hang them high and wide to make the window look even bigger!
Another really fun trick for making your windows stand out is to add trim around them, if they don’t already have it.
10. Pay Attention to Details
Finally, I think one of the best ways to make your home feel more polished and more you is to pay close attention to the little things. We often think about big, sweeping changes in our home like kitchen renovations and new furniture, but what if you just added a ceiling medallion or swapped out some light switches for gold ones?
The little things add up quickly in your home and those small details are what really make your home stand out! Try focusing on a few of them this week nad see what a difference it makes!