It might seem like magic, but creating a welcoming home is as easy as following a formula.

Have you ever walked into someone’s home and been immediately envious that it wasn’t yours? And we aren’t talking about some mansion either, but about those homes that make you want to kick off your shoes, curl up with your legs underneath you on the sofa, and stay forever.

7 Steps to Creating a Welcoming Home

1.Art That Draws You In

Choose colorful, warm, and dynamic art to cover the walls like bold prints or landscape photos. Get playful with your placement as well. Instead of placing art at standing eye level, consider hanging artwork at eye level for when you are sitting down! Just this simple adjustment can change the whole feel of a room.

2. Be True to Yourself

Don’t be too rigid with your decorating style. Allow yourself to step outside the predominant style of your room to add those touches that you love. A room that is too “perfect” can come across can cold and unwelcoming. And one should always decorate with items from their travels, gifts from loved ones, and those things that speak to you.

3. Find the Focal Point

Whether it’s a fireplace, a window, or the layout of the room arrange your furniture around that focal point or highlight it, whatever the case may be. By the same token, color can be used to manage a room. For example, an accent wall can help draw visitors into a long rectangular room.

4. The Right Lighting

Believe it or not, lighting can completely change a room. Don’t think of lamps and lighting fixtures as an afterthought, but create your room around the lighting and your intended use of the room. A dramatic overhead light might be ideal for a room you plan on entertaining in, while recessed lighting would work best for a family room. Another point to consider, according to Ashley Rose Marino of Ashley Rose Marino Designs, “If the space is especially dark, even with additional lighting, you may want to consider lightening your decor with the addition of whites and greys instead of darker beiges to add brightness through your furniture.”

5. Texture

Texture is key to shaping a welcoming home. Rugs, pillows, throws, curtains and other textiles can go a long way to making a space more interesting and inviting. Texture can be a way to introduce visual interest and keep a room from looking flat. You also want to think about texture when considering furniture–some fabrics and finishes are jut way more comfortable and call out for you to sink into them.

6. Create Flow

Use furniture and open space to draw in visitors and to help facilitate conversation and comfort. Too much furniture squashed together does not make for a welcoming room. Mark Cutler from Mark Cutler DESIGN, INC puts it best, “Is it clear how you are supposed to enter the room, try not to have furniture cluttered everywhere, create simple and defined areas for each activity.”

7. Minimalism Can Be Good

Not only can minimalism be good for the planet, but it can also help save you money and create a more welcoming space. As Elaine Thompson, lifestyle specialist at Just Energy, puts it, “Focusing on a few quality pieces to put in a room is far better than cluttering it with a bunch of knick-knacks and things that don’t add value to your space. Think about how you want someone to feel in the room, and then only contribute pieces that support that idea. A great thing about this strategy is that it will make your living space look classy AF and save you money.”

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Stunning decor trends you just might fall in love with.

Now that the snow’s finally taking a hike, I’ve never been more excited to spiffy up my apartment… or more overwhelmed with decisions. With the oodles of paint colors, furniture pieces, and wall decor options to choose from, I feel like my head could pop right off. To ensure it stays attached, I’ve decided to start the journey with some good old fashioned Internet-creeping to see what everyone else is up to (natch).

Here are 7 trendy decor ideas that will take your home from blasé to… well, the opposite:

1. It’s all about the base coat

Painting is one of the most inexpensive ways to transform your home—and the most fun! So what’s on palette this spring? According to Puji Sherer, VP of Marketing and Chief Color Nerd at Colorhouse Paint, this year’s go-to neutral is (surprise, surprise) gray. “It’s a cool classic that can evolve from season to season and room to room,” says Sherer. “Gray delivers a lived-in elegance in a dining or living room, and works great as a gender-neutral backdrop for a kid’s room.”

2. Bring the outdoors in

“From chandeliers made of branches to hanging indoor gardens, more people are getting inspired by nature,” says Alex and Catina Voellinger of Conveyance Moving + Storage. Not only is it earth-friendly, but it’s a great way to decorate on a budget. Decorate with flowers from your garden, fill unique glass bottles with seashells, or bunch branches together and place them in a vintage vase.

3. Revamp your rugs

One of the decor ideas interior and furniture designer Bea Pila is loving: Bringing new life to old rugs by repurposing them as seat cushions. If you’re not exactly a savvy seamstress, Pila recommends simply overdying your old rugs to give them a completely new look. The secret? After dying, use a rinse of white vinegar and citric acid to set the vibrancy of the color.

4. Strategically plant trees

“Careful planting and pruning of trees and shrubs can save money in the summer by blocking the sun’s heat, and in the winter by allowing the sun to heat your home,” says award-winning green designer Pablo Solomon.

5. Install reclaimed wood floors

More and more people are using salvaged/reclaimed wood floors. “Natural wood is really hard to beat, and now that it comes prefinished, the DIY person can install a floor with none of the mess that once came with having to sand and finish wood,” says Solomon.

6. Add water elements to your yard

What’s more soothing than the sound of running water? (Sorry bladder.) Not only do birds and butterflies love them, but solar-powered fountain pumps are super reasonable and don’t require any wiring.

7. Go with the flow

“A mindset I’ve promoted for decades is now becoming a trend, which is tying in your interior design with views of your lawn and garden to create a harmonious flow,” says Solomon. “Such elements as floor to ceiling corner windows are really in demand now.”

What decor ideas are you excited to try this spring?

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Image: Home decorating photo via Shutterstock

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When it comes to home decor, pebbles rock.

Pebbles are a subtle way to decorate and bring calm to a home filled with mostly unnatural things. Luckilyy for you, peace is just a stone’s throw away.

This marvelous floor mat by Stonemat in New Zealand serves up some serious Zen. As an added sustainability bonus, the government allows the harvesting of the pebbles as long as they are collected manually with no machines involved.

Lounge around on these pebble shaped cushions by Iglooplay. Upholstered in a 100% wool slipcover over a bamboo/poly fill and encased in an all-cotton liner, their sculptural shapes make for fun accents to any home, plus no bones will be broken when throwing these around.

Surprise your guests by setting your table with smooth stone placemats from VivaTerra that will compliment any dishware.

Pebble flooring creates a spa look when used for bathroom flooring.  It feels good on your feet, is affordable and easy to clean.

These soft cushions look so much like real stones, they might fool you. Inspired by nature, socially conscious textile designer Ronel Jordaan uses felt to create them. She has set up a shop in Gauteng, Johannesburg where her personally trained artisans work. You can sit or lean on them for extra seating. They are both beautiful and functional.

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