You've just moved into your new house or have just completed a renovation. The paint is fresh, the carpets are clean, and your appliances sparkle. Now it's time for a different kind of home improvement: transforming your house or apartment into your home. Selecting furnishings and home decor that reflect your taste and personality will make your abode a haven that you can call your own. Here are five areas to consider when selecting your furniture.

1. Selecting Wood

Are you drawn to the dark richness of mahogany, the simplicity of cedar, the light hominess of maple, the sturdiness of oak, or the ruddiness of cherry? From pine, elm, and willow to walnut, teak, and birch, you have a wide range of choices when it comes to wood. When planning your interior home decor, keep in mind that designers recommend consistency within a room. In other words, you don't want a dark mahogany coffee table and a light birch end table. If you do mix woods, keep the color tones in alignment. For example, a lightly stained pine can go with a lightly stained birch. Keep in mind, though, that you can change furniture woods from room to room.

2. Selecting Furniture Styles

Do you love the classically solid Mission style of furniture, or are you drawn to ornately decorated Victorian tables and chairs? Does the retro Art Deco style appeal to you, or do you want to bring to your home Italian old world charm? Most of us have eclectic tastes, and it's fine to incorporate different styles into your home decor as long as they complement one another.

3. Step-by-Step Home Improvement

Most of us don't have the money to completely refurnish our homes in one clean sweep. When it comes to home improvement, the step-by-step approach can work to your advantage - particularly if you're not ready to commit to a single furniture style. Sometimes the best approach to home decor is to start with one piece that really speaks to you, and then find another. Once you've selected a few pieces, you'll get a better sense of your tastes and the pieces you still need in order to complete a room. From there, you can move on and purchase additional furniture with more confidence.

4. Find Inspiration

It's hard to find the right interior home decor when you don't know what's available or how other people are approaching home improvement. Start by looking through magazines and finding furnishings that appeal to you. Tear out those pages and keep them in a file that you can refer to later. If the furniture in a friend's house matches your taste, tell her that you admire her home decor and ask her how she went about choosing her pieces. Once you have a sense of what furniture speaks to you, go online and see the variety of pieces that are available. You'll be able to find a much greater selection online that you will by going to a local furniture store.

5. Have Fun!

Home improvement and redecorating projects can sometimes feel overwhelming, so remember to have fun. Take the time to enjoy the process, find pieces that you absolutely love, and take pride in transforming your house into a home.