Carley Roney - The Nest Home Design Handbook: Simple ways to decorate, organize, and personalize your place

A design detail as simple as a vertical hand-painted wall stripe in a bold color personalizes a space.

a well-decorated home looks attractive to guests, but your well-decorated home is an extension of your personality. Some people wake up in the morning with an instant understanding of their style. They move into a new place and know exactly how they are going to arrange the rooms. They know what they love and how to effortlessly pull the pieces together. And then there are the rest of us. Its not that we lack opinions or taste, we just like lots of thingsand were not always sure how to combine them. We have a sense of how stuff should work but arent confident enough to trust our instincts, or we lack the pieces needed to complete the look. So the space just stays not quite right.

Dont give in to your doubt. A well-designed living space is as essential as the clothes you wear to work. Youll feel better, cooler, smarter, and more confident if your look is not only pulled together, but also reflects your personality. So where to begin? Tackling your whole space can be intimidating, so think of it as an adventure. Get prepared: Here are the eight things you should consider before starting your project.

1. Set a budget. Why do home improvement projects seem to drag on endlessly? Unlike with a wedding, theres rarely a drop-dead date. So pick one, right away. Make it realistic (not next weekprobably not next month, either), and stick to it. Write it on your calendar. Plan a huge housewarming party for that date and send out save-the-dates to all of your friends. Itll keep you on your toes! Even if youve lived in a place for three years, throw a celebration to say farewell to the same lackluster dcor and welcome in your new living space. You also need a budget. Basic rearranging can be done without cash, but chances are youll need to buy new bed linens or a chair or a couch. Decide right away how much you can devote to new purchases and set your sights accordingly. And keep in mind, no budget is ever big enough!

2. Pick a room. Prioritize your time and resources. This book starts with the most public areas of your home leading to the most private, but if youd rather begin by creating a calming oasis in the bedroom, go for it. Of course, some things will need to be done throughout your home, like cleaning up and appropriately categorizing everything, but working on one room at a time and following through until the last pillow is in place will help you avoid the feeling of having a hundred incomplete projects under way.

3. Find your style and make a statement. Unless you have a home with an open floor plan, each room can make a boldly different statement. Use your personality. If you live to cook and entertain, fill your kitchen with cheerful colors and artwork. More the traditional type? Start with a formal dining room conducive to serious conversation. And if youd like them both, thats okay, too!

4. Get on the same page. The space you inhabit is not only yours, its shared with cohabitants. What are your ideas? What are theirs? Put your inspiration on paper. Choose the colors and styles of specific items you want, and create a design inspiration sheet. You dont have to hammer out all the details right away. Focus on two things: color and spirit.

5. Get up to speed. Learn the basics when it comes to design. This book is all about understanding dcor. Youll find secrets that stylists and designers use every day, and once you know why you like certain styles and ideas, youll be able to project them onto your own stuff.

6. Throw it out. If youre moving into a new space, its almost easier if you start with nothing. This is especially important if youre combining two sets of stuff. If you cant bear to part with an item, label it and store it in the basement or in a closet. Compromise is important here, too. If you veto an item your cohabitant loves because it wont fit into the decorating scheme, use it in a different room.

7. Shop wisely. Dont buy anything until you really know what you want, and never feel pressure to fill a space. Sparse spaces can be lovely if done right. Know what to invest in. Think of the bed, the couch, and shelves as staples, and the rest as accents.

8. Enjoy the process. Even if you make a bad decision (those bloodred walls may have seemed like a good idea on paper ), know that all things design are reversible. Granted, if youre tearing down walls or retiling a kitchen, you should probably think it through, but that garish set of pillows that you swore matched something in your space can be covered in under ten minutes. Its not life or deathits home dcor.