4 Easy Steps for Planning Decor

Just another ordinary day. You just got home after a long day at work. You're sitting, relaxing on your couch, and you look around and think, "I should really decorate my house. But . . . how? And with what?"

Does this sound like you? If so, we are on the same brain wave! When it comes to home decor, sometimes I don't know where to start, and it seems a little overwhelming. I know that if I go to Hobby Lobby, of course I'll find cute stuff, but then I'll bring it all home and have no idea how to style it in my home. And since we're renting right now, I definitely do not want to put more holes in the walls than I need to (saves more work later on).

Here are some of my tips for styling any space, big or small. Whether it be your bathroom or living room, here's my step by step plan of attack.

Step 1: Draw it out

When planning my decor, this is always my first step. I get out one of my notebooks or a sketch book and start drawing the space I want to decorate. It doesn't have to be a perfect drawing, it's always a rough sketch, just so I can see the space in a different way. (If you're not an artist, don't worry. Just take a picture of the space with your cell phone or ipad and use the drawing tool to edit) I know it takes more time, but trust me: getting out your ideas on paper and seeing the space this way will help you make great choices when you shop for your decor.

Step 2: Pinterest binge

This step can actually be done before step 1 if you like:) Pinterest is almost always my go-to place to find great inspiration for my home. Search the specific room you want to decorate (ie "living room home decor") and save any Pin to your mood board. Save any Pin that catches your eye or that you find inspiring. After you've pinned quite a few, look back at your board and look for patterns. Did you save a lot of indoor trees in basket planters? Did the industrial pipe shelving units catch your eye? Make note of those patterns and write them down in your notebook, maybe on the backside of your drawing. Doing this will help you know what your personal taste in home decor taste is, what you aspire your home to look like, and know what pieces will truly make you happy, instead of wasting precious time and energy at Hobby Lobby, only to come home with a bunch of items that don't work together and a huge bill.

Step 3: Draw in Decorations

After you've gathered the information on your Pinterest board of what items catch your eye, try inserting these items into your drawing (if you took a picture on your phone, then draw using the editing app with your finger a rough sketch of the decor onto the picture of the space). Try drawing that big mirror above your fireplace to see how it looks with the plants on the mantle. Erase and start over when needed. When you've completed the look of your space, write down what each item is and have an arrow pointing to it for reference.

Step 4: Shopping!

Now that you have your space planned out comes the fun part...shopping! You can do this in person, or if you're like me, from the comfort of your own couch (isn't the internet beautiful?) Type in your favorite shops and look for the items on your list. If they don't have it, try somewhere else or a simple google search. This will help you stay concentrated on your mission and help you not get distracted when you see something that is so cute but not what your space (or wallet) needs. You can even shop on Pinterest from some of the pins you saved if they have product links. I will say, I always tend to find the cutest, most unique and most quality items on Etsy. Even though prices can be a bit higher, it is so worth the quality. Plus, supporting small businesses means so much to me so even if it's a few dollars difference, I always choose the small business rather than the big department store. Luckily, Pinterest is great and has lots of links to makers' shops to guide you in the right direction when looking for quality decor.

And there you have my decorating process, in full detail! This process can be used for decorating your own personal home or even for planning a styled photoshoot. As a small business owner, I wear many hats, one of them being the product photographer. Before I do my shoot, I always draw out my space and roughly design what it will look like in pictures to get the best shots. This helps me so much with making sure I'm staying on brand and giving my followers the best content.

I hope you learned some great tips in this post. Until next week!

Xoxo-Emma