In our own homes, we surround ourselves with elements that warm our hearts and evoke our fondest memories. Almost instinctively, our eyes are drawn to décor whose color, shape, pattern, texture and luminosity create meaning for us and inspire admiration.

The challenge in home decorating is not simply to populate your space with an assortment of objects that only serve a function. It is also about combining elements that hold significance in your life. How do you find inspiration? Here are five simple tips.

Lemon Tree Wood Painting from Balsam Hill

1. Build Ideas around a Classic Color Palette

The personality of your dwelling place radiates through its color fusions. To stimulate design ideas for home interiors, go beyond mundane paint selections that clutter your mind, and opt for classic earth tones that suggest a feeling of serenity. It is much easier to incorporate fascinating home décor when the color foundation of a room is subtle.

Even if you opt for walls with a muted palette, such as beige or grey, you can liven up the space with a striking yet sophisticated accent piece, such as Balsam Hill’s Lemon Tree Wood painting, with its ebony and golden hues signifying boldness and elegance.

2. Make It Personal

You can blend your own luxurious style with the design of each room by looking through your collection of wardrobe, accessories, and even mementos.

Little odds and ends, such as souvenirs, not only tell the story of your travels but are also charming additions to otherwise lifeless corners of the home.

Perhaps you were inspired by the fabric texture of a favorite coat and would love to replicate its rich feeling in your living space. You can accent your sofa with throw pillows that give you a hint of a similar fabric.

These traces of your personality enhance not only the aesthetics of the room but the sentimental value it holds.

3. Travel through Time

Step outside the dictates of today’s trends, and venture into the realm of a classic era. Find pieces from stylish decades, such as the roaring 20s or the groovy 70s. Vintage wall art dating back to the pre-war period add history to a contemporary space. An old vinyl record can also be repurposed as an accent piece in a modern study.

For a more personalized touch to this vintage-inspired look, display old photographs in quaint little corners of your home. Balsam Hill offers a classic family picture frame that gives a timeless quality to these intimate family moments.

4. Be Inspired by Nature

From the color of fallen leaves to the subtle warmth of morning sunshine, elements of nature can stimulate your mind and offer you design ideas that also rejuvenate your home.

Placing potpourri inside your living spaces, for instance, not only brings in the fragrance of the outdoors, but also serves as a rustic decorative piece with the curious amalgam of barks and petals.

You can also illuminate your spaces by allowing the sunlight in on a summer day. In the evening, you can add the luminosity of decorative candles to recreate the brilliance of the stars.

5. Think outside the Box

Gain a new perspective by taking a walk in a stylish district. Some of the best home decorating ideas can be found right in your own neighborhood: from coffee shops to boutiques to book stores. Take note of how tables and chairs are matched uniquely with the décor inside a classic bistro, or how the recessed lighting at your favorite lounge exudes contemporary chic. These little details create an overall look that can reinvigorate your own home.

About Jessica

Inspired by my passion for the visual arts and my years of experience in the field of design, I enjoy a life of style and artistry. I am a devoted follower of minimalism and I believe in the marriage of form and function. I try to live by these principles, from my subtle but classic fashion sense when it comes to clothes and jewelry, to the various projects I manage and work on in my professional career

Influenced by the refined grace of Coco Chanel, the timeless beauty of my favorite city, Stockholm, and the new ideas and trends I read from design books, I try to infuse my life with elegance and sophistication. Join me on Balsam Hill’s blog to get my tips and advice on home design and personal style.