You’ve finally taken the plunge into purchasing your first home! Moving in can be a very exciting and liberating experience. It’s now your opportunity to express yourself creatively in terms of decoration, and to be truly independent in your choices.

Barnes Vanes

If you’re renting or have purchased an unfurnished property, you can start to fill it with your own furniture and begin a collection of furnishings that you can add to for the rest of your life. For those who find the decoration experience a little daunting, there are plenty of simple ways to ensure that you make sensible choices and stay on budget.

JMA Interiors

Clear Out Junk Before Moving

Before you move, have a clear out. Sell, bin or give to charity anything that you haven’t used or worn for over eight months. You might be surprised at what you find during a major de-cluttering session and you may even be able to make some extra cash from unwanted clothing, DVDs, games and music.

Barnes Vanes

The benefit of cutting down on what you bring to the new property is clear; it’s much easier to move a smaller amount of stuff, and you’ll avoid cluttering your new place with unnecessary items.

Barnes Vanes

Start Buying Bedroom Furniture First

Apparently we spend around a third of our time at home in the bedroom, so it’s an important room to get right during the decorating process. Sort the bedroom out first and ensure that you’re sleeping properly. You’ll be in a better position to tackle the rest of the house if this is the case.

Morgan Keefe

Looking for high quality modern bedroom sets is an absolute must, so don’t be afraid to splash out on this purchase. Go with a long-lasting wood frame and you will never need to replace it.

Hirsh Interior

Choose a restful colour scheme for the room, and match the tone of the walls to your bedding and the colour of your furniture. In the bedroom, every item should complement each other.

Tobi Fairley

Stick to a Budget – Buy Second Hand and Refurbish!

Don’t feel like you have to throw money at every problem. If you’ve just purchased a house, it’s likely that you’ll need to stick to a budget, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t make the place look wonderful. Look for large items of furniture like sofas,dining tables, and even outdoor patio furniture from second-hand stores, online auction sites or discounted furniture warehouses.

Tobi Fairley

You can always brighten old or dull items with a splash of paint, and change hardware like cabinet and door handles quite inexpensively. If you want a cohesive feel in one room, simply paint old wooden furniture the same colour, and add matching accessories such as rugs, lampshades and throws.

Tobi Fairley

Little things like a couple of bold cushions or having a dimmer switch installed can make all the difference in terms of changing the atmosphere of a room.

Caitilin Wilson

Hardwood flooring has never been more popular than it is this year, and it’s not hard to see why! Its surface is stylish and durable and perfectly complements any decorating style. So what does the future hold for this unique and natural style? Here are 5 trends to look out for this year:

Black Hardwood Floors

To create a sophisticated and modern look, why not consider a dark hardwood floor? A great example of this type of style is black European Oak finished in hard wax oil to give it a dark, glossy appearance. 2014 also loves the look of herringbone floors from the same wood and finished in a similar way for a monochromatic, and dramatic look.

Crisp Architects

Darker Stained Floors

The trend for 2014 is moving away from light colored floors to more darker, richer shades. Think of luxurious American Black Walnut and European Oak stained in a deep Mocha shade. Dark floors not only look more sophisticated and expensive than lighter floors, but they also give your home an enormous face-lift.

Group 3 Designs

Grey Flooring

We predict an increase of interest in grey flooring, especially in kitchens where a sophisticated and subtle finish is required. European Oak that has been stained to create a pewter effect is a classic example of this look. Also consider wide planked character oak, and remember that the natural grain contrasts perfectly with the metallic look of the grey floor.

Croma Design

Exotic Choices

Sophisticated, and fascinating, exotic hardwood flooring not only looks and feels great at your feet, but it’s also a great bragging right. Who wouldn’t like to tell their guests that their home has durable Tigerwood from South America? Or what about the warm reddish brown or reddish purple hue of the Brazilian Hardwood from Macaranduba?

Kate Jackson Design

A Traditional, Aged Look

A final emerging trend is one in favour of the traditional look. Many modern lovers of hardwood floors like them to show their age. Think of wide planks with scuffs, scratches, tool marks, and that stressed grain pattern that comes with age. Consider a reclaimed pine wood floor from Ted Todd, specially washed to make the grain more pronounced. This look really can never go out of date. After all, hardwood floor have been part of human life for thousands of years and look set for a good few millennia yet.

Dave Fox Design