One thing that all new home owners look forward to upon closing
is the chance to make the property their own. Owning a home gives the buyer the
option to customize their living space through paint, furniture, and special
decorating features, something that renting often can’t or won’t allow. Of
course, once you’re in the house, the question becomes what exactly to do? A
lot of people know what they would like to achieve in their home décor and
layout, but have no idea where to begin. Here, we’ve listed some wonderful
websites that can help get those creative juices flowing, along with a couple
suggestions on where to find furniture and pieces to set off the whole design.
A new site we love and that every home owner should know
about is Houzz.com. Stationed out of Palo Alto, California, this site allows
top notch interior designers, architects, and home builders to upload pictures
of their work for all to see. By signing up (which is completely free) they
allow you to create “idea books” where you can save your favorite images for
easy reference. The site is easy to search as well, allowing you to look by
individual room or even by decorating style (modern, classic, eclectic, there’s
a lot to choose from.) Even better, if you see something you absolutely love,
you can connect with the actual builder or designer and work out business deals
for upgrading your own home. Even if you just have a love of great interior
design, this site just can’t be passed up; with over 600,000 photos available,
there really is something there for everyone.
Leading the interior design industry is of course HGTV, and
their online component Hgtv.com. The site also allows you to view designer
portfolios for great ideas, as well as a host of articles with handy tips on
decorating and anything else you could think of regarding home beauty. HGTV.com
is always on the up and up on trendy colors and decorating fads and makes a
great companion to their cable network. The site even allows you to break your
search down even further and look for ideas on wall and window treatments,
furniture, and artwork. They don’t have as many photos as Houzz, but for the
sheer number of great tips on interior design alone, HGTV.com is worth a look.
One of our personal favorite stores when it comes to picking
up great decorating items (and not breaking the bank) is Target. Already well
known for having tons of cute and trendy home décor pieces, Target really hit
the jackpot this fall with the unveiling of their “The Shops at Target” brand,
which includes Patch NYC and The Curiosity Shoppe; both very affordable and
very trendy décor lines. The lines include anything from pillows and throw
rugs, to kitchen utensils and dinner wear with lots of style to spare. If you
have a little bit more money in your budget for decorating, or if you’ve got an
appreciation for different cultures and countries, World Market is another
great store to check out. This bazaar themed store takes pride in scouring the
globe for beautiful home pieces that represent far off places like Africa,
Spain, India, the Caribbean, China and Thailand. Items range from major
furniture pieces, to small, affordable decorative touches.
If you’re more of an online shopper, there are plenty of
places to look for one-of-a-kind furniture and more. Our newest find is
Fab.com, a company originally intended to be a social media site similar to
Facebook or Twitter that developed into a global market place for emerging
designers and brands. This handy website and mobile app allows you to search
for items, purchase, or just share with your friends online. Most of the
products represented veer towards the hip and trendy 20’s-30’s demographic, but
once again this is really a site with something for everyone. Even if you’re
not looking for home décor pieces, they also showcase a number of fashion and
jewelry items as well.
Whatever your style or vision, know that there are hundreds
of resources at your fingertips to help you achieve your perfect home. We wish
you all the luck in the world!
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