Decorating the Rooms of your Home

The rooms of a home have a particular function. The way your room is designed and decorated either creates an atmosphere of warmth and comfort or feelings of anxiety. Since most of our time is spent at work or at home, we want our homes to be our haven, a sanctuary from the stressful situations we have faced during the day. The way to do that is to look at each room and its function and decorate it according to the way it will be used.

Entryway

The entryway is the space just inside the front door where you greet guests when they arrive or where you enter when you arrive home. You want the space to feel welcoming. If your entryway is part of another room you can create the illusion of a separate entry by using a piece as a focal point to emphasize its purpose such as a console table to place keys and mail or a mirror that focuses on a particular area. If there is no guest closet, you can place a hall tree there. The colors of the entryway should flow into the adjoining rooms.

Living Room

For decades when people came to visit, the living room was the main gathering place in the home. In the early 1960s, the family room was added to home design. The living room became the place where visitors gathered with the family but the family started spending their alone time in the family room. The living room now has a more formal role.

There are moments when one person in the household will seek quiet and solitude and will venture into the living room away from the noise and the clutter of the family room. The modern living room is used to showcase and display family heirlooms and collections.

When decorating, most people start by changing or updating their living room. The palette of colors for the living room are usually carried throughout the other main rooms of the home.

Dining Room

The dining room was the main eating room for the family and for formal dinners. Breakfast was usually eaten in the kitchen but evening meals were served in the dining room. Today, with space at a premium in most homes, the dining room has taken on more utilitarian functions such as a home office.

When the dining room is set aside for dinners and entertainment, the color palette is usually carried over from the living room. The dining room is usually a darker hue of the main color palette.

Family Room

Since the 1960s the family room has become the place where everyone gathers after school and after dinner to watch TV, read, play games, or listen to music. It is usually the most comfortable room in the home.

There was a time when the family room furniture was the furniture removed from the living room when it was newly decorated. Now, the family room has achieved such importance that it is decorated as a specialty room with complementing colors from the main rooms of the home. Furniture is specifically purchased for this room and the decorative elements of the room are selected for the comfort of the family.

Great Room

When the family room was first conceived, it was a room of its own. Today, the family room is an integral part of the kitchen which is termed as open living space. Moms can watch their children while they are preparing dinner. The same activities that were once relegated to the family room are now carried on in the great room. The great room decor complements that of the kitchen and the rest of the home. While the kitchen floor may be tile, the living area is usually carpeted or has hardwood floors with an accenting area rug.

Kitchen

The heart of the home has always been the kitchen. Breakfast is served in the kitchen and many families eat their evening meals in the kitchen, leaving the dining room for formal dinners. The design of the kitchen depends on its use. Gourmet cooks usually have more needs than the average family.

Kitchen redesign can be expensive. If you have the space you need and the changes you want to make are cosmetic, you can make these changes by carefully budgeting. The decor of the kitchen usually blends in with the tone of the home, but is sometimes a showpiece.

Bedroom

Bedrooms are the personal living space of each member of the household. The decor and size of the bedrooms is defined by its owner. Master bedrooms are usually reserved for the homeowner. Most homes now feature master bathrooms as well. The master bedroom has become a sanctuary and place of relaxation for the homeowner. Other bedrooms are smaller but may also have their own bathrooms or an adjoining (Jack and Jill) bathroom between the rooms.

The decor of the master bedroom usually complements the style of the home while the other bedrooms may have their own theme.

Bathroom

Along with the kitchen, the most expensive home decorating project is the bathroom. Most homes now have two or more bathrooms. The bathroom in the master suite is usually designed and fitted to offer the utmost comfort for the homeowner. The additional bathrooms are generally utilitarian and functional. The decor of the rooms generally follow the decor of the home.

Today, the powder room has become an essential part of the home. If the family has more than one bathroom for its use, an extra bathroom may be converted to a powder room that becomes a showplace when guests use it.

Child's Bedroom

Typically, the child's bedroom may start off as a nursery decorated by parents and as the child grows the room evolves with them to reflect their interest. As the child grows into their teens, they start adding items that are unique to their own personality. Children are conscious of their own space and may have decorating ideas of their own. Their rooms usually need to serve several purposes: a room for study, a room to entertain friends, a room for sleeping, and their own personal space.

Room Additions

Sometimes rooms are added for special purposes. These include a separate home office, library, craft room, sun room, or garden room. These rooms will have special uses and they are usually decorated to complement the home but have a unique style.

Patios, decks, and porches should be considered as rooms. They are an extension of the main rooms of the home.

The rooms of your home should be in harmony with each other. When you move from room to room, you should have a feeling that your home is whole, that there is not a room that looks out of place or has a sense of not belonging to the home.