Whether you’ve just moved into your new home or you’re renting a temporary space, it’s important to add some personalization and make it yours. Instead of spending hours pouring over mountains of magazines to determine what you want your space to be, follow the latest “anti-design” trend and personalize your space.

In the 1960s it was called bohemian style, in the 1990s it was called “eclectic living”, and today we call it “curating your space”. If you search either term, the same design styles will appear because although the names are different, the rules are the same: create a space that expresses your personality and lifestyle.

This means personalizing your space to make it about what you like and putting your lifestyle first. So if you’re a bookworm, you might have a jumbled space with walls covered in bookshelves. And if you’re someone who loves the opera, you might have framed posters and memorabilia around your home. Either way, express who you are.

How to Personalize Your Space

Getting the eclectic look can seem confusing because it doesn’t follow a set list of rules. Follow these simple tips when designing your curated space while keeping your needs and passions in mind and your personalized space will come together perfectly.

• Make your space all about you
• Mix different textures (ie. leather, wool, cotton, silk)
• Don’t buy matching furniture sets
• Use pieces from different eras
• Practice balance — eclectic style doesn’t mean anything goes
• Don’t worry too much about symmetry

Find Your Focus

Don’t be shy or conservative with your choices. It is fun to add a significant or dramatic accessory that is your statement piece and that represents your lifestyle.

If you love the outdoors and cycling, hang your bike vertically on the entry hall wall. If music is your first love, cover the walls in sheet music, album covers, and vintage instruments.

How to Pick Patterns and Textures

Once you know what you’d like your space to focus on, it’s time to decide on a colour family (brights, neutrals, pastels, etc.) and a pattern and texture preference. If you never tire of colour and graphic patterns, keep your colour theme saturated and bold.

Start looking for textiles, artwork, and accessories that compliment that theme. Remember, your space is about function, so the comfort level of the textures you choose is key to your room. Stay soft and tactile.

How to Arrange Your Furniture

The shopping, collecting, and rearranging never ends with a personalized space. Just as we change our minds, we change our interior décor. As you are pulling your space together, stop frequently and assess your progress. The space should make you feel 100% at home, happy and totally comfortable. The only rule you shouldn’t break is to be true to what you like.

Examples of Personalized Spaces

1. Personalizing Your Space for Life, Work, and Play

The formula to personalizing your space is simple. The arrangement of the décor should suit how you have always wanted to live, work and play. If reading is your passion, then book-lined walls, floor lamps and big comfy chairs should be the focus; not a formal sofa or china cabinet.

Function over Design

The space is not large so the décor is set up to maximize personal comfort. The bed is positioned to take advantage of the view; lighting and wall shelves reflect an avid reader; and the colour story is classic and timeless. The small settee creates an ideal spot for reading if it is not quite time for bed. Image from Rize Studos.

Design to Entertain

This space is an ideal set up for entertaining guests. There are lots of seating options; no one sits outside the circle (including the family pup); and everyone has a spot for cocktails and munchies. The interior design reflects a boho feel with lots of mismatched colour and print. You can imagine the fun, expressive personality of the owner. Image from Aleteia.

2. Design by the Decades

Choosing an era or decade can be helpful for personalizing your space. If you have always liked the 1960’s then shopping garage sales for mid-century modern furniture and accessories is the answer. Research the era and start collecting iconic pieces that speak to the decade.

Personalize Vintage:

Every item within this room is rooted in traditional design and, if set up in perfect symmetry, the decor would feel old and stuffy. However, because the items are large in scale and positioned asymmetrically (off line), the room has a contemporary, over stuffed feeling of comfort.

Mid-Century Statement:

If the 50’s is an era you love, this space is perfect. The bold use of colour and pattern showcase the vintage furniture. The sparse use of artwork and accents reflect an “anti-design” attitude. The contrasting cement wall finish and distressed floor provide the perfect contrast. Definitely a one-of-a-kind living room. Image from Anthropology Home.

3. Picking Patterns and Textures

Once you have a focus, then decide on a colour family (brights, neutrals, pastels etc) and a pattern and texture preference. Start scouting textiles, artwork, accessories that compliment that theme. Texture is important. If comfort is key to the room, then textiles should be soft and tactile. If retro modern is the direction, then high gloss finishes and geometric shapes are key.

The shopping, collecting, and rearranging never ends with a personalized space. Just as we change our minds, so does our interior décor. As you are pulling your space together, stop frequently and assess your progress. The space should make you feel 100% at home. It should make you feel happy and totally comfortable. The only rule you shouldn’t break is to be true to what you like.

Don’t be shy or conservative with your choices! It is fun to add a significant or dramatic accessory that is your statement piece. If you love the outdoors and love to cycle, then hang your bike vertically on the entry hall wall. If music is your first love, cover the walls in sheet music, album covers, and vintage instruments.

Love of Colour and Print:

If you never tire of colour and love graphic patterns this space is a perfect personal reflection. The colours are saturated and bold without being too loud. The prints do not match, but they flatter each other and create a creative energy in the space.

Mix and Match (above left):

Personalize your brunch buffet or a seasonal table display by breaking the rules and mixing and stacking different shapes of serve ware. Scattered fruit, cheese, and nuts for mingling guests to munch on prior to the main meal. The mix of stemware with lower profile plates creates a better landscape. Add candles and flowers for a special occasion.

Bold Decisions (above right):

The giant “E” on the mantel could reflect a name or represent what they were going for like – “enjoy” or “everything (I love) ” There is no rhyme or reason to the décor except the scale, texture, and colour scheme are bold. It’s all vintage, but the era’s are 100’s of years apart. You could define the personality of the owner as confident and “one of a kind”. Images From Anthropology Home.

Personalizing Your Space

The names are different but the rules are the same: personalizing your space is all about what you like and putting your lifestyle first. Find your local TORLYS dealer to create the perfect backdrop for your personal style!

If you’re selling your home, doing some simple renovations can increase your selling price and get your house off the market much faster. All you have to do is focus on certain rooms in your home, freshen things up with simple decorating tips, and consider changing your floors. With these tips, you’ll be able to entice buyers — and maybe even start a bidding war.

Put those open houses to an end by reading up on how to prepare your home for resale in order to increase your return on investment.

Kitchen Renovation Ideas

Real estate agents and professional stagers will tell you that the kitchen sells the home. Even if you don’t cook, or if potential buyers are not Martha Stewarts themselves, it pays to make your kitchen look appetizing.

Kitchen Facelift

Depending on the current state it’s in, some minor upgrades could be all you need. Add some new light fixtures, modern hardware, freshly painted cabinets and even some new tea towels to add inexpensive, fresh touches to your kitchen.

Bigger Impact

If your kitchen needs a little more TLC, installing a new backsplash or a new kitchen tap could make a big change and clean things up. Consider hiring a professional cleaning service to help you get your kitchen in order. Kitchen’s are usually large, busy rooms of the house and some extra help getting it ready could take a lot of stress off your shoulders.

Staging Makes a Difference

Preparing for your home’s photoshoot and for open houses also means going the extra mile. Put out some practical decorations such as fresh fruit and flowers, and some decoratively stacked cookbooks for a “lived in” feel without making anything look cluttered. By giving off a homey energy, buyers will be more likely to picture themselves living in your home, getting your closer to an offer!

Bathroom Renovation Ideas

When it comes to boosting the resale value of your home, the bathroom comes second right after the kitchen. Bathrooms have very high ROIs — between 70-100%, but they’re also one of the most expensive renovations per square foot.

Switch it Up

If you’re trying not to blow your budget, follow the same tips we mentioned for kitchens: change dated light fixtures, update hardware and put out new hand towels.

Time for an Upgrade

Replace damaged or outdated vanities, or just give the cabinets a fresh coat of paint if you’re looking to make a more permanent change. No matter what you do, make sure your bathroom is clean and fresh because grimy bathrooms don’t start bidding wars.

Rules For the Rest Of The Home

General Home Maintenance

There are universal decorating tips you can do to prepare to sell your home that are applicable to every room. Little changes can really freshen up your home and help you get the best ROI.

Curb Appeal

Improve your home’s exterior. Clean up and shrubs and bushes, cut your grass and add some new exterior lighting and house numbers. Painting the outside of your house can all give your home a modern look and attract attention and a front porch or back deck can add extra living space. An inviting front door also makes your home more appealing to buyers. A fresh coat of paint can really help with this.

Fresh Coat of Paint

Paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to give your home a facelift. Use neutral, light tones to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible and make things look bigger.

Appeal to Buyers’ Senses

Have a new home smell. Take out the garbage and recycling, remove any pet products like pillows, toys and bowls, and use simple clean aromas around the house (don’t over do it with complex air fresheners). If you need help with any of this, hiring a professional cleaning service is a great option.

Declutter Your Home

Organize your closets and remove any excess decorations and furniture to open up your floor space and make rooms look bigger. Remember — if it looks like you don’t have enough room for storage, buyers will think that the home is too small and won’t put in an offer. Showcase how you can maximize your home’s space by adding a closet organizer or making room under the stairs to store your holiday decorations. This will help buyers envision the home’s full potential.

Fix What’s Broken

Make repairs. If buyers see broken taps, loose kitchen cabinets or doors that don’t close easily, they might get scared and reconsider making an offer. Have all repairs don’t so that buyers can enter their potential new home without any mishaps.

New Floors

Just like a fresh coat of paint, new flooring can make a huge difference in your home. A popular choice is hardwood. Everyone—and we mean everyone—loves hardwood. In the kitchen, in the bedroom, in the hallway; you cannot have enough hardwood flooring in your home. Unfortunately, traditional hardwood can be expensive, and a big investment for a house you’re about to sell.

Luckily, there are other flooring options that have the same wood looks as hardwood for a fraction of the cost. Plus, they’re easier to maintain and are super durable. At TORLYS, we offer a range of products that look just like hardwood with the same wow factor that hardwood brings. Explore our collections to find the perfect floor for your home!