Creating a home décor theme is as individual as the person, couple, or family living in the home. Home décor goes beyond the obvious selections of furniture and drapes. Great decorating involves adding the personal touches that make any space feel like a home to the occupants. Additionally, how a home is decorated tells others something about the people living there.

Starting with an empty space and filling it with only items hand-picked to support a chosen home decor theme is the ideal way to create a personalized space, but few people have the luxury of starting anew every time they want a different look in their home. Hand-me-down furniture, a beloved, but unsightly chair, or hobbies must sometimes be incorporated into a new decorating scheme.

Getting the desired look in home décor can be as easy:

1. First, pour over decorating books and magazines, clipping pages depicting the kind of look desired.

2. Notice which colors and styles are prevalent in the pictures on those pages.

3. Make a list of items already owned which either match the selected pictures or can be changed to match or blend in with those styles and colors.

4. Make a list of items that are impossibly wrong for the desired home décor look, and start replacing them whenever possible. Be ruthless about getting rid of the old furnishing and accessories if a totally new look is desired.

5. Unless money is no object, be patient. It may take more time than imagined to change the home décor of even one small room. If an entire house is needing transformation, it might take years.

6. Enlist the help of friends and relatives. That illusive turquoise 50’s couch, an antique oak wardrobe, or that floor to ceiling wall of bookcases will be found faster if everyone who knows about the decorating project knows to look for them.

Home décor is all about creating an individual style, one that suits the occupant or family living in the space. While professional decorators my provide invaluable suggestions, the most successful projects are the ones with the most input from the people living in the home or apartment.