Be at Peace with the Design Process
Lots of people spend time agonizing over what they should do when they are redesigning a room. But don't let it stress you out because then you won't be making a peaceful space. Each room should have colors and textures in it that make the room inviting to you for the purpose that room should serve. For example, a bedroom is for sleeping (well, mostly) and so your bedroom should be peaceful, warm and soft. Coco brown is my favorite color for a bedroom because everything goes with it, even black. A bright bedroom isn't peaceful so stay away from white or bright walls. A kitchen should make you feel like cooking and eating, a workout room should make you feel like working out, etc. Maybe the dingy color of your workout room walls is the real reason for your workout rut?
Don't follow trends, follow a style YOU like! It's great to get inspiration from a magazine but be careful that it isn't a look that will go out of style next year. Also make sure you aren't trying to make your room look like somebody else's. The point is for it to look like YOUR kitchen, or YOUR living room, etc. The best compliment you can get from a friend when they see your new room is simply "wow, this looks like you," because that is exactly what you should be going for. You are not designing your house for your friends or your step-cousin-in-law, you are designing it for you and your family. A place that feels like home is your ultimate goal.
Find Inspiration! So, you know that you want to redesign a room but you have no idea what you want to do? Think of a part of the world you would like your room to remind you of. Maybe you want your room to feel like you are in a beach house on the coast of Maui. Or maybe you can find inspiration in an outfit that you saw in a magazine. What I find to be the most helpful is to use a piece of artwork, an accessory, or a piece of furniture as your inspiration piece. With the right inspiration piece you will have a style or a color family to get the ball rolling. You can hold fabrics, paint swatches and even flooring samples up to your inspiration piece to help guide you in the right direction.
Little changes make a big difference! Sometimes all you need is one new piece of furniture or a new area rug or a new accent wall color. Don't get overwhelmed and think that you need to strip the room from top to bottom. Lots of times thinking like that may actually make you procrastinate and do nothing because it's too much for you to handle or even pay for. Stand back and look at your room for a minute and then close your eyes and think of what's missing (or what needs to be missing) for the room to be what you want. Maybe you just need a small change that could be accomplished over a weekend.
Don't be afraid to work with a professional! Even professional designers need other people's opinion sometimes. So, ask for help! A great place to go looking for professional help is Montgomery's in Sioux Falls because the design services are 100% complimentary! The designer can work with any budget and also help you find the exact thing you are looking for. Montgomery's is known for it's custom touch so stop in or call for an in home consultation.