Interior design has often been the easiest form of self-expression. Somewhere in every person is an interior designer just waiting to jump out. This may seem unrealistic to some but most all forms of design are based on how we want our homes to feel. This brings along with it a picture of what our home is, what function it serves, and how we want to portray ourselves to others.



The decorating process remains one of the great mysteries of the average person. How do we create the home we want to invite others into?

Many people have said that interior design is the process by which we connect with people, and connect with the world while staying safely within our own space. It is safe to say that through interior design, we connect with some energy, some force, and some thing that expresses who we are and how we want to live. And it is through this connecting process that we have the opportunity to use our homes to effect change in our lives.

If we choose, we can become more comfortable or more expressive. Through this process, we can show others how we like to live and invite them to share part of our lives. We can focus on comfort, style, and/or art, truthfully, anything we want to express.

Here are the five steps to finding your style as well as some tips to implementing these styles.

Start with a passion for your project and with these five steps and think about whom you are, you can show whom you are thru ?your place? as you never thought possible.

Step 1: The decisions

Is your home filled with trinkets, gadgets, and dust catchers? That you don't need? Or are these things treasures, possessions that you cannot part with for all the tea in china? These items (typically bought for time saving) end up costing us precious space in our homes. We can free up space otherwise saved for these items or display them as they, showing who and what you are to the world!

For example, imagine how much space is tied up in the books we bought but have never read? If you're not going to read it, find another home for it. Donate to a library or give it to a friend who may well treasure it. A good rule of thumb is if you haven't used something in a year, you don't need it or want it.

If the book is treasure for it's beauty or worth then displaying it in a room would be much better than letting it collect dust in a box somewhere. We all need to make these decisions, love it or leave it!

Design tip #1: Most likely, it's on your list of things to, go thru ?things?, and has been there for months or even years. Sometimes we don't know something is unwanted because we have been putting up with it for so long and have gotten used to it. Like that pile of stuff in a basket by the sofa or a drawer in an old unused desk that you don't really need anymore.

So make sure to take care of the things to do list! A good way to do this is to stand back and think about all the things you own and if you are unsure if you use an item, place a dot sticker on it with the date. If you use that item within a year, remove the sticker. If you do not use the item within a year, find it a home somewhere where it will be used.

Step 2: Find your style

Create a clear idea of what it is you would like to portray of yourself. Perhaps you are a person into comfort and easy maintenance, or perhaps you are a creative individual who would like to use your home to highlight new projects, new relationships, or a new career.

Whatever your personality, begin now by narrowing down the specific style you will be comfortable living with. Remember, being specific is the key here. Make a list of qualities, draw a picture, cut pictures out of magazines do whatever you can to get as specific a picture as you can. Find things that inspire you.

Step 3: Assistance

The keyword here is ASK! Asking where someone got his or her ideas will not kill you! Look for ideas in the world around you. Sometimes we are afraid to ask where someone we admire shops for the beautiful things that fill their home, but if you admire someone's interior then let them know it!

Other kinds of collaboration can include asking for help to clean out your garage in order to build your new studio, asking friends to come over for a dinner party because you want to get a perspective on how your living space will be used and where people gather, or asking someone to look over your drawing and pictures, a new look into what you are trying to achieve can get some great ideas offered. You don't have to do it alone!

Step 4: Confidence

The number one attitude you should have is confidence. This can be achieved by realizing that interior design is something you cannot fail at, become you are going to live in it! If you are comfortable, you can be confident and enjoy it. So take a look at the ideas you are coming up with and whether or not you are keeping them to use. Take a look at your ideas, pictures and drawings. They're full of decisions you have made. Deciding what you really want gives a wonderful feeling. But don't take my word for it try it out!

Interior decorating tip #2: Many stores have wallpaper books with great images to go with the wallpapers. And magazines have ideas, too

Step 5: Take the first step

Start arranging and stepping back to see what you have done! Buy something you love and put it in the place of honor and work from there. Once you have de-cluttered and arranged just go for it! Anyone can do interior decoration. If you want to go by a rule, look in books and follow the steps. Many good interior-decorating books will tell you the difference between art deco and Elizabethan and most have steps you can follow. So you have many options and can get your home to be comfortable for you. So jump in and let your personality shine!

These five steps are designed to help you be more open to your own style and the inspiration that the world holds for you. If you work with these steps, you will be able to find a balance of comfort and design while avoiding some of the stresses, and find yourself in a real sense of home that you love. Good luck!