You see a perfect room.  Maybe it was on a television program.  Perhaps it was in one of those glossy, popular shelter magazines.  It might have been in your neighbor’s house.  Wherever it was, it really impressed you.

Don’t try to duplicate it in your own home decoration efforts.  If you’re inspired, that’s great.  Use the experience to inform your direction and to spur your own imagination.  But don’t try to duplicate the look on a square foot by square foot basis.

Why not?

First, unless it’s a tremendous coincidence, your home and that home won’t be identical in shape or form.  What works in one particular space doesn’t always translate to another.

Second, rooms get their look and feel, in large measure, based on the way the fit with the whole of the decorating pattern.  Adjoining rooms and other features influence your perception of the space and its appearance.  Unless you want to live in an exact replica of someone else’s home, duplication is a bad plan.

Third, something invariably gets lost in the translation.  The result is a vaguely hollow feeling for the room—like something just isn’t right.  Your goal is to create an ideal space, not something reminiscent of someone else’s ideal space.

Finally, your not decorating a home.  You’re decorating your home.  That means it should reflect your personality and resonate with your own creative spirit.  That’s the only way to create a truly comfortable and pleasing “home sweet home”.

Resist the urge.  Inspiration is one thing, duplication is another.

We don’t want to trivialize the origins of the remarks, but they’re certainly something we can use with respect to home decoration.  So many people continue to live in homes that they don’t really like.  They spend day after day in environments that don’t appeal to them.  They pass years in homes that don’t reflect their lifestyles, preferences or personalities.  They’d like something better.

What holds them back?  Fear.  They’re afraid that redecorating will cost too much.  They’re afraid that they don’t have “what it takes” to create an attractive and functional space.  They just don’t feel like they can get the job done.

If they could get over those fears, they’d be capable of doing so much.  With a little information and planning, almost anyone can successfully redecorate a home.  If you’ve been nervous about redecorating, start increasing your knowledge base and comfort level.  You’ll soon find that the only thing you have to fear…

If you’re like most people, it’s primarily a matter of how your home looks and feels.  You want to make your home a sanctuary and a place in which you can be truly comfortable.  That means making an attractive space that somehow catches your essence and communicates your personality.  You want your house to have the visual elements that speak to you while speaking of you at the same time.

However, there is another consideration you need to balance against that desire for superior aesthetics.  It’s important to remember at all times that your home is a living space, not simply an art piece.  Thus, function becomes  a chief concern in matters of effective decorating.

When you think about it, that’s really the redecorating balancing act.  You want good looks without sacrificing the usability and function of your home.  A move too far down either side of the spectrum will undermine your efforts.

How do you strike the right balance?  As is so often the case, knowledge is power.  Understanding core principles of decorating and learning smart tips and hints for doing things effectively can make the whole process much easier than trying to “figure it out as you go along”.  With a little advance work and guidance, you’ll be able to balance function and aesthetics.

Although there are many things you can do that will have a huge impact on your home that don’t cost and arm and a leg, home decoration usually does require a few expenditures.  If you want to create the perfect environment, a few of those purchases will probably be somewhat expensive.  Even if you can find a way to avoid the “big buys”, the cumulative effect of several little purchases can be significant.

In other words, you don’t need to have a bankruptcy solicitor on speed dial, but you do need to plan in advance to spend some money creating your perfect home environment.  That’s why so many experts recommend establishing a budget before you begin any project—and sticking to it.

You can do a lot with very little money, but awesome decoration is rarely free and the results are often better if you’re willing to spend here and there for the perfect items and treatments.  If you want to keep costs as low as possible, that’s great.  Study up in advance and have a great plan.  However, brace yourself to spend some money here and there for the ideal redecoration project.

Think about it this way:  This is your home and you’re going to spending a great deal of time in it.  Doesn’t it just make sense to have everything perfect?  That’s not going to happen if you make decorating decisions on a whim.

Before you put a single nail in the wall, do your homework.  Study the art of decorating.  Learn the “do’s and don’ts” of putting a great space together.  Set a firm budget for yourself.  And, perhaps most importantly, take your time.  This isn’t a race.  It’s an opportunity to create a long-term look and feel for your home.  You don’t need to have everything done by tomorrow afternoon.

If you spend a little time on the front end of the process with planning, research and learning, you’ll do  a much better job of creating a “home sweet home” that’s aesthetically pleasing, fully functional and reflective of your unique personality.