How to Get Started in Home Decor (With Help From the Joshua Steinberg Collective)

I admit, I am totally lost when it comes to home decor. For years, we’ve lived in apartments where our ability to decorate was limited to strict leases and landlord preferences to no holes in the walls. So now that we’re in the process of purchasing our first home, I’m feeling excited and overwhelmed by all the possibilities to turn this house into a home that is completely ours.

Right now, it’s less excitement and more confusion. Where do I even get started? How do I not blow my budget? What should my budget even be? Luckily, leading designer Joshua Steinberg sat down with me to give me some tips and talk me down from a home decor panic attack.

“How do I even get started?”

“First, figure out what type of decorating style speaks to you then figure out a long term budget that you’re comfortable with that won’t break the bank. If you have no idea, try starting with what you don’t like and narrowing it down from there” Okay so off to Pinterest I go!

“Do you think there’s an ‘idiot proof’ style that anyone can master?”

“I think both Mid-Century Modern and Contemporary decor styles are pretty easy to master. They both lean towards simplicity but have a little flare to them and can make any room look like a showroom without needing much.”

“Where should I be investing when it comes to decor?”

“I think that starting with one amazing piece of furniture as the focus, and then designing around that is the easiest way to go for those who are completely new to decorating. It will help you feel less overwhelmed and give you a focus point. Things like decorations can always change as your style evolves, but one good, durable piece of furniture is worth the investment.”

“Let’s face it, some day I’m going to want to get into DIYing the entire house. Do you think there are any essential tools newbies need for DIY decor?”

“Start with the right safety equipment first: goggles, gloves, etc. From there I’d say good paint brushes, a good drill, and a saw that doesn’t terrify you. As you move up in experience and get more experience with woodworking and painting, you can upgrade your saws or tools, but don’t take on more than you’re comfortable handling. Remember you’ll be probably in your home for years, so take your time and don’t feel like everything needs to be done on Day 1.”

Do you feel less intimidated? I do, but I know it’s still going to be a process! If you want to follow me on my journey into home decor, check out The Beige House. Thanks so much to Joshua Steinberg and the Joshua Steinberg Collective for making this home decor adventure less overwhelming, and be sure to check out their amazing work!

5 Home Decor Tips For Pet Owners

If you're a pet owner, I don't have to tell you that you'd much rather have Rufus/Sasha curled up against you, than sleep alone on Egyptian cotton sheets with some fancy thread count. But then if you are house-proud and want to pimp your pad, here are some pointers for you.

Floor

The choice here has been made for you, my friend. Embrace hard floors - stone, tiles, red oxide, painted concrete. You don't want wall to wall carpets when there's a high possibility of "accidents" even if pooch has been toilet trained.

Keep floor rugs at a minimum 

Keep floor rugs at a minimum or use rugs that can be easily washed. Your rugs will need frequent washing thanks to paw prints, piddle and other fluids. Sometimes rugs help to protect floors, so choose hardy rugs. Secure rugs with antiskid pads so you don't have your own version of Rufus and the Flying carpet being scripted in your home.

Upholstery

Fabric upholstery on sofas and chairs is a bad idea for exactly the same reason as the above. Choose leather or mock leather to upholster your furniture. A good wipe down will make maintenance easy.

For bed linen

Choose easy care fabrics that allow you to launder them at home. You will be laundering sheets frequently to rid them of hair and stains.

For upholstery and furnishings

Choose colours that match closely to your pet's fur. That way, when Sasha is shedding or coughing up fur balls, it's not going to be stand out. Vacuum your carpets and sofas often to take care of fur.

9 Smart Ways to Light Your Home Theater

No matter what you happen to be watching on the TV in your media room—a movie, sitcom, ballgame, even the news—the picture always looks brighter and clearer when the room lights are off. This is one of the main reasons home systems integrators always suggest incorporating some form of lighting control into a media room or home theater. You can tap a button on your smartphone, a keypad on the wall, or a handheld remote to instruct the lights to turn off. This is the most basic form of lighting control and costs a couple hundred dollars to add. If you have a significantly larger budget, you can buy a more sophisticated sort of lighting control system and get a lot fancier with the way the lights in your media room function to make the entertainment experience even more engaging. Here are 9 great recommendations:

1. Red Carpet Treatment

Roll out the red carpet for you and your theatergoing guests by having your lighting system highlight movie posters and memorabilia, activate a colorful marque, and illuminate the steps and aisles people can find their way to their seats.

2. Fade to Black

As the previews begin, the lights can fade to a predetermined level—all the way off if that’s what you like, or leaving a couple of lights on at a very dim level.

3. Bathroom Break

When you pause the movie, a lighting system can strike a pathway to the nearest powder room (this setup will definitely require the handiwork of a professional home systems integrator).

4. Snack Attack

Similar to the Bathroom Break arrangement, you can touch a button on a remote control, smartphone, or tablet to instruct the lights to illuminate a candy counter at the back of the theater; if you don’t have one of those, the command can instead light the way to the kitchen.

5. Date Night

Hold your own private date night in your own private theater with lights that are set at a soft level; some of those lights could even emit a hint of red.

6. See in the Dark

Whether you’re plowing through a bowl of popcorn or poking at the buttons on a remote, it helps to have some light so you can see what you’re doing. For times when you don’t want the room completely dark, have your lighting system activate—at just the right brightness level–one or several lights above the seats.

7. Set the Mood

It’s likely that you’ll watch more than just movies in your home theater—and you’ll probably want the lights set differently for viewing sports, concerts, video games, the news … whatever.

8. Drive-In Movie

Recreate the effect of watching movies under the stars with ceiling-mounted fiber optic lighting that twinkles like the Milky Way. A lighting control system can turn on the star power, dim and brighten the lights, vary the rate by which they twinkle, even set a shooting star in motion.

9. Clean-up Crew

After the movie, hit the “all on” button on your smartphone, remote, or a keypad on the wall to bring up the lights to full intensity so you can see every popcorn kernel wrapper and candy wrapper that needs to be cleaned up.