Finding Your Style: Easy Tips on Decorating Your Ideal Home

The idea of decorating your new home can be daunting, but our Model Home Designer, Michael Ridge, gave me some easy tips on how to decorate your home to reflect your personal style without breaking the bank. According to Michael, whether you build from the ground up or select a completed home, your Ideal Home can be viewed as a "blank canvas" with endless possibilities. 1. Find a common theme with fabric. Michael says she gets her creative inspiration by visiting fabric stores. Once she settles on a fabric, she then "ties in" the colors from the fabric to the walls.    2. Build on what you already have. If you already own a piece of furniture like a couch or dining set but feel it doesn't quite fit the look you are going for in your new home, try changing the appearance with new pillows or accessories. Michael re-used the red couch and created an entirely different mood from the previous red, black and white color palate.    3. Make it your own. Just because you bought pre-packaged bedding or drapes doesn't mean your room has to look like it was ripped straight from the page of a catalog. Michael believes that adding your own personal touch can be as easy as finding accent ribbon to tie curtains/towels and the right shade of paint to pull it all together.      4. Break it up. Alternate colors on different walls to define each space. Since several Ideal plans feature kitchens that are open to the living area, don't be afraid to use a contrasting color from one room to the next as long as it blends with your color scheme.      5. Shop for bargains. Believe it or not, Michael finds the majority of model home accessories and bedding at places like Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx and Ross! She shops around and keeps her eyes open for good deals that will ultimately complete the design of a room.        6. Don't be afraid of color. Paint is an inexpensive way to give your room personality. Michael recommends taking your fabric samples to the paint store and holding them up to paint swatches to make your own color board and better visualize how everything will come together. Have you applied any of these steps to your new Ideal Home? Send us photos that show how you personalized your favorite room.