How to Make Your First Place Look Like You Hired an Interior Designer

02.09.2024 - 23:25 / thespruce.com / Ashley Chalmers

Whether you own or rent your home, anyone who has ever moved into a new place knows that decorating can be more than a little daunting.

While hiring an interior designer is one surefire way to create a beautiful, cohesive space, it’s not always within budget. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple, straightforward things you can do to get that professional design-worthy feel.

With this question in mind, we turned to a few of our favorite interior designers to ask for their advice, and here’s what they had to say.

As interior designer Benji Lewis notes, excitement over your new place is understandable, but don’t let it get in the way of thoughtful preparation. One of the worst things you can do for a new home is hastily buy furniture without any measurements or advanced planning. 

That's why Lewis suggests taking stock of your home first by measuring each room’s usable floor space. This means measuring from skirting board to skirting board, if applicable. 

“Measuring rooms wall-to-wall at waist height won't give you an accurate idea of the space you have,” Lewis says.

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Jessica Nelson Design / Carina Skrobecki

If your home has any unique elements, definitely prioritize these in your design plan, says Peter Spalding, an interior designer for Daniel House Club. In fact, if you can, look for these elements during your house hunt.

“Try to find a place with nice molding, pretty windows, and at least one memorable aspect you can build the story of your home around,” he says.

Other elements to look out for include fireplaces, beautiful French doors, and an interesting entryway. Then, once you design