5 Ways to Make Your Décor More Satisfying

The Tricks to Satisfying Design Are Subtle, but Simple!

I've been thinking about this a lot lately...

What makes a design feel complete and satisfying?

You know those spaces where you just feel at home, there's something intriguing or appealing to look at in every corner, and you can't put your finger on why, but it just feels right?

As I transition away from staging every day and move toward more virtual design, I'm paying much more attention to my office. I used to use it a couple hours a day for computer tasks and filming my podcast or a video for socials, but now I'm spending a huge majority of my time there concocting Airbnb Designs and Investor Flip recommendations...

...and I'm already starting to lose my mind. 😅

Don't get me wrong, I love my cloffice! (Like many work-from-homers, my office is also my dressing room/closet space.) 😆

But as a hyper visual person who got into design because of the way it makes people feel, I can't stop thinking about ways to make it even better so that I not only don't mind spending time in there - I want it to be my favorite place! I want a room that fosters energizing peace, creativity, and comfort...but not so much comfort I don't get anything done.

It's a big ask, and so it has me thinking about ways to make it happen without spending time and money I don't have.

And as I'm thinking it out, it occurred to me that you could benefit from my brainstorm. 😘

So here are some of the tricks I've been keeping top of mind, and others I've been realizing as I go so that you too can implement them and tweak your home or office to suit your needs!

These tricks also apply to Airbnb Design, Investor Flips, and Home Staging, so whether you're a Realtor, Investor, Homeowner, or Stager, you can plug and play these tips and see your designs improve by leaps and bounds.

1. Check for CPTS

This is a trick shamelessly stolen from the show What Not To Wear, and I've been teaching stagers how to use it for years. It's simple but oh-so-effective: Make sure your design has a good balance of color, pattern, texture, and shine!

That means incorporating at least a few pops of color, or if you prefer neutrals, consider using green as your main color! It reads as a neutral because green is so prevalent in nature, but still adds life to your design.

Next, check to make sure you have at least a little pattern involved. Using only solid colors can feel flat and juvenile, so snatch up a plaid throw pillow, a geometric wallpaper, or an ikat area rug and start layering.

Then you want to check for texture. Do you have all shiny flat surfaces, or just not enough interest? This is common today when so much of our décor is basically plastic. Try adding a woven basket, decorative molding, or a nubby throw blanket.

Finally, make sure you have a little sparkle involved with some metallic, glass, or other reflective surfaces. I love to mix metals for an even greater depth of interest. Lamps, mirrors, light fixtures, and brass trinkets are some of my favorite ways to add sparkle to a design. (The thrift store can be a great place to find brass!)

2. Incorporate Personal Items

Depth in design sometimes comes not from what it looks like, but what you know about it.

When you glance around your home and realize everything came from Home Goods, Amazon & Ikea, it can look really nice but still feel off.

To help remedy this store-bought, shallow-design feeling, add in an antique that you inherited from your grandparents, make a piece of art with your girlfriends to feature above your sofa, frame some family photos, or display a collection of favorite things in a thrift store cabinet you hunted up for that exact purpose.

The more you have a story connected to each item in your home, the more complete and satisfying it will feel to you!

3. Get Quirky With It

While not all people love incorporating character pieces, most of us enjoy being surrounded by at least a few items that aren't too serious. After all, life is pretty serious, so why shouldn't our home help us shake off the day and feel freer, lighter, and more playful?

Adding some unique, unusual, and quirky items into your space can really amp up how satisfied you feel with it. And guests will be just as charmed as you are!

This tip is especially helpful for Airbnb Designers & Hosts, but even homeowners should let loose and get weird occasionally. Nothing starts conversations faster than an odd piece of décor - especially if it makes people smile!

4. Use Natural Textures

While this is technically incorporated in the CPTS sections, it bears repeating because absolutely nothing improves the cozy factor of your home like natural textures!

We live in a very industrialized age which means lots of synthetic textures like pressboard, laminate, plastic, paint, and polyester.

In fact, this is the number one challenge I'm trying to overcome in my own office! As I looked around for opportunities to improve my space, I realized I have almost no natural or textural elements on one whole side of the room, which feels just so wrong to a country girl who grew up with a carpenter for a Grandfather and wood furniture absolutely everywhere!

We're animals after all, with millions of years of evolution telling us we should be surrounded by trees and plants and rocks and dirt. And instead, we've wrapped ourselves in the mass-produced budget items that big box stores love to sell us at a tempting discount.

So if you're feeling a little squirrely about your décor, consider layering some old-school textures from nature into your space!

Try adding wood finishes, clay or ceramic pots, plants (real of faux), linen, cotton, wool, and/or metal (not painted fakey metal, but actual brass or iron etc...) and you'll start feeling your satisfaction-ometer rising steadily!

5. Figure Out Your Design Go-Tos

Okay, so this one is a little trickier and will take you longer, but it's worth figuring out because knowing what design features and qualities you love can make it much easier to get to a satisfying final design, and will help you avoid wasting time.

I recommend Pinterest for this - it's a fun and simple way to collect images and ideas that you can review afterward and scour for common threads.

Start by scrolling Pinterest or searching for home décor you know you like. For instance, if you know you love moody & dramatic spaces, start by searching that. Then begin saving anything that jumps out at you onto a new Board titled something like 'My Vibe' or 'Home Décor Inspo'. Then once you've done that for a few hours (or days or weeks if you want a better result) go back over the images and see what patterns pop up.

Do most of your images have floor-to-ceiling drapes in them? Do you love lots of natural light? Are you drawn to wood furniture or monochromatic design? What other elements do you seem to be repeatedly pulled toward?

Once you do this a few times you'll start to get a real sense of which characteristics you should aim for in your spaces. Then instead of starting from scratch, you'll always know a few tricks you can incorporate that will amp up the space you're working with and get you feeling right at home in no time!

Not sure what style to start with? Take my quiz to find out your vibe!

You Can Do It!

Just like baking, a lot of interior design is about having a basis of knowledge, practice, and tricks up your sleeve. So start experimenting, and be brave! And if you just don't think DIYing it is the right move for you, then that's why the Lord made designers. 😂

In fact, if you're an Airbnb Host, Investment Flipper, or Home Stager, I can help!

It's pretty much what I live for. 😁

Or if you're a homeowner looking for more tricks, stay tuned and check out some past blog posts below for more inspiration and design tips & tricks that actually work.

I'll keep 'em comin!

Much Love,

-Amy 😊