Easy Home Decorating Ideas for Every Room

Decorating is supposed to be fun. Somehow it usually turns into a stressful project with a shopping list, a budget overrun and a sofa that looked much smaller in the store.

It doesn't have to be that way. The easiest way to decorate is to start with what you already have, work one room at a time and focus on the things that make the biggest difference: color, furniture, lighting, textiles and a few well-chosen accessories.

Here's how to create a home you love, without hiring a designer or emptying your savings.

Jump to:

• Before You Decorate, Declutter
• Decide How the Room Should Feel
• Start With What You Have
• Color and Paint
• Arrange Furniture
• Lighting
• Accessories, Art and Photos
• Rugs and Curtains
• Room-by-Room Ideas
• Decorating Small Spaces
• Decorating on a Budget
• Seasonal Decorating
• Common Decorating Mistakes
• Decorating FAQs

Before You Decorate, Declutter

The best decorating in the world can't compete with clutter. Before you buy a single throw pillow, clear out anything that's:

• Broken
• Worn beyond use
  
• No longer your taste
  
• Too big for the space
  
• An unnecessary duplicate
  
• Sitting there only because it's always been there
  
• Adding clutter instead of something you enjoy
  

Then take a fresh look. You may find the room needs fewer things, not more.

How to Declutter Your Home →

7 Tips for Decluttering Your Home →

Decide How You Want the Room to Feel

Before you pick a paint color, decide on a mood. Every other decision follows from it. Do you want the room to feel:

• Calm
• Warm
  
• Bright
  
• Cozy
  
• Casual
  
• Sophisticated
  
• Cheerful
  
• Minimal
  
• Family-friendly
  

A cozy family room and a calm bedroom call for very different choices.

Start With What You Already Have

The cheapest decorating trick of all is shopping your own house. Try:

• Moving artwork to a different room
• Rearranging the furniture
  
• Swapping lamps between rooms
  
• Trading throw pillows from one room to another
  
• Removing accessories instead of adding them
  
• Moving a small table or chair to where it'll actually get used
  
• Bringing out something you've had stored away
  

It costs nothing, and it can change a room more than you'd expect.

Easy Weekend Redecorating Tips →

Choose a Color Scheme

The easiest color scheme starts with something you already love:

• A rug
• Artwork
  
• Upholstery
  
• Curtains
  
• Bedding
  
• A favorite object
  

Pull one main color from it, then add one or two supporting colors. Done.

Test Paint Before You Commit

Paint has a sense of humor. That soft gray in the store can turn into purple, green or baby blue once it's on your wall. So test it first, with sample patches or painted boards, and look at them:

• In daylight
• At night
  
• Next to your furniture
  
• Next to your flooring
  
• In different parts of the room
  

Live with the samples for a few days before you buy gallons.

Working With an Interior Designer →

Arrange Furniture for the Way You Live

Arrange furniture around how you actually use the room, not around the walls. Think about:

• Conversation
• Traffic flow
  
• Doors
  
• Windows
  
• TV viewing, if it matters
  
• Lighting
  
• How people really move through the room
  

Pushing every piece against the walls often makes the furniture look as though it's attending a meeting nobody wanted to join. Pull seating closer together, keep walking paths clear, and if a piece is simply too big for the room, it may be time for it to go.

Use Lighting to Change a Room

Lighting can transform a room faster than almost anything else. Layer three kinds:

• General lighting to light the whole room

• Task lighting for reading, cooking and work

• Accent lighting to highlight art, shelves or a favorite corner
  

And make the most of natural light. Don't cover a great window with heavy curtains unless you need to.

Decorate With Things That Mean Something

The most interesting rooms show who lives there. Display things you love:

• Books
• Artwork
  
• Photographs
  
• Travel finds
  
• Family pieces you genuinely like
  
• Collections you enjoy
  
• Handmade objects
  
• Interesting everyday items
  

Just don't display everything at once. Give each piece room to be noticed. Rooms feel more interesting when they look collected over time, not delivered in one truck.

Decorating With Accessories

Accessories are the easiest thing in a room to change, and the easiest to overdo. Use them to add:

• Color
• Texture
  
• Personality
  
• Height
  
• Contrast
  
• Interest
  

Then stop. Leave surfaces usable, and remember: they are not self-dusting.

Decorating With Rugs

Choose a rug big enough for your furniture arrangement. In a living room, the front legs of the sofa and chairs should sit on it. A too-small rug makes a room feel smaller.

And be realistic about traffic. The white shag rug may look magnificent. The dog may have other plans.

Curtains and Window Treatments

Start with what the window needs:

• Do you need privacy?
• Do you need room darkening?
  
• Are you trying to cut glare?
  
• Do you want to show off the window?
  
• Do you simply want softness or color?
  

Choose accordingly, and remember that fabric needs cleaning, too.

Washing Curtains and Window Treatments →

Easy Living Room Decorating Ideas

Start with comfortable seating and clear walkways. Then layer in:

• Lighting
• Rugs
  
• Window treatments
  
• Artwork
  
• Pillows and throws
  
• Side and coffee tables
  
• A few accessories
  

Skip the matching furniture set. A mix of pieces feels more personal.

Living Room Decorating Ideas for Professional Polish →

10 Living Room Decorating Tips →

Easy Bedroom Decorating Ideas

Declutter first, then make the bed the star. Easy updates include:

• Bedding
• Pillows
  
• Bedside lighting
  
• Curtains
  
• Artwork
• A rug
• Paint
  

Keep nightstands usable, and don't let the bedroom become the house's overflow storage room.

Dreamy Bedroom Decorating Ideas →

Easy Kitchen Decorating Ideas

In the kitchen, counter space is sacred. Add personality with things that are pretty and useful:

• Attractive everyday dishes
• A bowl of fruit
  
• A small plant
  
• Dish towels
  
• Window treatments
  
• Lighting
  
• Paint
  
• A little artwork, away from heat and moisture
  

And before you fall in love with open shelving, know that it needs regular dusting.

Easy Kitchen Decorating Ideas →

Easy Kitchen Organizing Tips →

Easy Bathroom Decorating Ideas

Small changes go a long way in a bathroom, as long as storage and counter space still work:

• Towels
• A new shower curtain
  
• A bath mat
  
• A mirror
  
• Lighting
  
• Paint
  
• Artwork that can handle humidity
  
• A few accessories
  

Easy Bathroom Design Ideas →

Bathroom Cleaning and Organizing →

Decorating Kids' Rooms

Kids' tastes change fast, so keep the big pieces simple and put the personality in things that are easy to swap:

• Bedding
• Artwork
  
• Posters
  
• Lamps
  
• Accessories
  
• Removable wall decals
  

Let kids help decide. You may not share their enthusiasm for purple dinosaurs. Fortunately, you're not sleeping there.

Bedroom Ideas for Preschoolers →

Bedroom Ideas for Grade-Schoolers →

Tips for Organizing Kids' Rooms →

Decorating Small Spaces

In a small room, proportion and restraint matter most:

•      Remove furniture you don't need

•      Choose pieces scaled to the room

•      Use vertical space

•      Keep pathways open

•      Use mirrors to bounce light around

•      Don't crowd every surface

•      Give your favorite things room to stand out

And if the real problem is too much stuff, no amount of decorating will fix it. That's a decluttering job.

Decorating on a Budget

Start with the changes that cost nothing, and spend only where it counts.

Rearrange the furniture

A new layout can make a room feel brand new.

Remove things

Taking things away is free, and often the biggest improvement.

Shop your own house

Move art, lamps, pillows and accessories from room to room.

Paint

It's the most dramatic change for the money.

Replace small textiles

New pillow covers, a throw or fresh towels can update a room for very little.

Update selectively

When you do buy, buy less and choose carefully. One piece you love beats five you're lukewarm about.

Decorating With Family Photos

Family photos make a home personal.

They don't all need to be displayed simultaneously. Choose favorites.

Group them intentionally rather than placing an unrelated frame on every available surface.

A gallery wall can work well when there's enough visual connection between the pieces.

So can one large photograph.

Rotate pictures occasionally if you have more favorites than space to display.

Your home can contain family history without becoming the family archives.

Seasonal Decorating Without Creating Seasonal Clutter

Holiday decorating is fun. Storing four bins of it for 11 months is less fun. Before you buy another seasonal decoration, ask:

• Where will I store it?
• Do I already own something similar?
  
• How often will I use it?
  
• Do I genuinely like it?
  
• How much work is it to put up and take down?
  

Keep only what you love, and store decorations by season so they're easy to find next year.

Elegant Christmas Decorating Ideas →

Common Home Decorating Mistakes

Buying before measuring

Measure the room, the doorway and the stairwell before you buy. Ask anyone who's tried to carry a sectional up a staircase.

Following every trend

Trends come and go. Your living room shouldn't have to.

Decorating around clutter

Decor can't hide clutter. Declutter first.

Using too many small accessories

Twenty tiny objects read as clutter. A few larger pieces have more impact.

Ignoring scale

An oversized sofa swallows a small room; a tiny rug floats in a big one.

Forgetting function

A beautiful room still has to work for the people who live in it.

Trying to finish everything at once

A home isn't a project with a deadline. It's okay for it to come together over time.

Before You Buy Another Decorating Item

Ask yourself:

• Where will it go?
• What will it replace or add?
  
• Does it work with the room I actually have?
  
• Do I like it, or do I like the photograph of it?
  
• Will I still want it when this trend passes?
  
• Do I want to clean, store and maintain it?
  

If you can answer all six happily, buy it with confidence.

Home Decorating FAQs

How do I start decorating a room? Declutter, decide how you want the room to feel, then start with what you already own before buying anything new.

What's the cheapest way to update a room? Rearrange the furniture, remove clutter, move things between rooms and paint.

How do I choose a color scheme? Pull colors from something you already love, like a rug, artwork or bedding. Use one main color plus one or two supporting colors.

What size rug should I get for my living room? Big enough that at least the front legs of your sofa and chairs sit on it.

How do I make a small room look bigger? Remove extra furniture, choose pieces scaled to the room, use mirrors and vertical space, and keep surfaces clear.

Declutter Before You Decorate

The hardest part of decorating is often deciding what to let go. My book Room by Room helps you clear decades of stuff without the guilt, so you finally have room for the things you love.

Explore Home Decorating

Living Room Decorating Ideas →

10 Living Room Decorating Tips →

Bedroom Decorating Ideas →

Kitchen Decorating Ideas →

Bathroom Design Ideas →

Bedroom Ideas for Preschoolers →

Bedroom Ideas for Grade-Schoolers →

Easy Weekend Redecorating Tips →

Working With an Interior Designer →

Elegant Christmas Decorating Ideas →

Keep Going

Take care of the rest of your home with these guides:

• House Cleaning Guide: Room-by-Room Tips, Routines & Checklists: Keep your newly decorated rooms clean.

•  How to Declutter Your Home: Clear the clutter before you decorate.

• How to Organize Your Home: A Room-by-Room Guide: Give everything a home.

• Making Your Home Party Friendly: Get your home ready for guests.

• Backyard & Garden Guide: Patios & Outdoor Living: Take your style outdoors.

• Bathroom Cleaning and Organizing: A Complete Guide: Simple routines for a cleaner bathroom.

• Kitchen Cleaning & Organizing: A Complete Guide: Keep your hardest-working room in shape.

• Home Maintenance Guide: Repairs, Checklists & Seasonal Care: Seasonal upkeep that protects your home.