DIY Home

33 Life Lessons We Learned From Home Design in 2015

December 28, 2015

This year, we stretched the limits of how we nestā€”to do so with more ambition, intentionality, and style than we ever have before.

Sarah built and stained her own table, Kenzi got down and dirty with paint and shelves, Amanda wallpapered a room, Leslie transformed her tiny kitchen nook, Alexis proved she's been doing this all along, andā€”like a true adultā€”Ali furnished a whole apartment anew. We opened our eyes and ears to design in the world, and we filtered through the fog of advice to settle on the wise words that we could share with you.

Photo by Rocky Luten

What rose to the top? Here are the best things we learned about home design in 2015, from the crafty to the architecturally complex.

  • Everyone should own a power drill, and you can acquire one for the price of a modest dinner (another reason to cook!).
  • Bigger, fluffier pillows are always a good ideaā€”and you really can't have too many.
  • The power of a little vintageā€”from accents to props and tablewareā€”can transform a space. (And here are our tips for finding the best.)
  • Houseplants are a necessityā€”especially when you live in a compact apartment in a concrete jungleā€”and it's actually possible to keep them alive.
  • The right length for curtains requires more consideration than we thought (that is, cafe curtains are too short for bedroom windows and long ones can be tied up)
  • Getting rid of stuff is as cathartic as it is additive.
  • The clean, seductive lines of Scandanavian and mid-century design aren't going anywhereā€”and thank goodness.
  • Fresh flowers are the quickest way to enliven a space, and they aren't as hard to arrange as we thought they wereā€”just slice off the stem at an angle with a sharp knife, choose structural stems that arrange themselves, and opt for dried flowers when you know you won't keep them alive.
  • You canā€”and shouldā€”put up shelves yourself. (Just mount those screws!)
  • Unscented candlesā€”even the tall white ones you can snatch up at a bodegaā€”are nice for a dinner party, but some are so good-smelling we can't help but obsess over them.
  • If you don't have a fireplace you can buy a mantle off Craig's List, paint it, and pretend.
  • Bleach is as powerful a decorative tool as paint.
  • White paint comes in a world of shades, from antique-toned yellows to washed out greys and creamy stark whites.
  • High school chemistry was actually DIY 101.
  • Dyeing fabric with natural materials is doable at homeā€”and has shockingly pretty results.
  • Everyone feels differently about the best table size, but we can all agree that you should squeeze as many people in as possible.
  • You can build a floating copper closet, even in your rental apartment.
  • Folding chairs are the dinner party lifesaver, but having guests sit on the floor is an acceptable alternative.
  • Your couch can be linen and velvet, pink and grey, worn and new.
  • The options for wall coverings are endless.

What did you learn from us about home design this year? Remind me in the comments!

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Amanda Sims

Written by: Amanda Sims

Professional trespasser.

1 Comment

Shane M. May 3, 2017
Home is a perfect place from where we learn different things about life, professional, personal, and many others. The best part of every home is it's unique design and look, so we are trying our very best to design our home with multiple decoration formulas. Thanks for such a wonderful article with useful ingredients.
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