Need Advice: First Home Decorating

8 months ago

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to get some advice with decorating my new (first) home. The house has great hardwood throughout many of the rooms but the more I look at pictures and am trying to figure out furnishing I keep seeing more orangish tones from the flooring. Is there a way to get the orange tint out of the floor without staining. Do you think going with other paint colors would tone down the wood? I plan to put large area rugs in the bedrooms, living room and dining room as well. Just not sure recommended color schemes? I prefer modern look with greys, blues, beige, whites, etc.

This is all very overwhelming! Any advice is appreciated! Thanks! 😊

Featured Answer

kazzh

8 months ago

If you haven’t yet moved, wait to make any furniture and decor decisions until you have lived in the house. To feel more confident with how you want to decorate, you need to see and feel how the light moves and works in the home. The realtor pics will be distorting that.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
8 months ago
First, move in and get your own items into the house. Your home is what a million homes in the US have, gold oak for floors and cabinets because it coordinates with lots of colors. Is it modern? Nope, but with a new home, you'll have to decide how to spend your money wisely because everything is expensive these days.

You might want to banish some of the previous owner's wall colors. Furnishing colors you select will affect how you see the floor color.
Related Discussions
First house , need advice for room & living room
Q
Comments (1)
Hello. Your pictures didn't get posted, but you can post them as a comment. If you could be a bit more specific on what you'd like to change, I'm sure we'll be able to help. Also, what exactly do you mean when you say it's not in a good shape? does it just need some paint and decor, or maintenance?
...See More
First house , need advice for room & living room
Q
Comments (3)
Needed help on choosing colours and wallpapers ..can replace furniture later when I have some money :)
...See More
First home - found cracks in wall. Advice please?
Q
Comments (1)
Get a second opinion before you begin cosmetic work. If your surveyor finds structural problems you can challenge the original report as unsound. However adding the wall ties as suggested may be what is needed before you begin the renovation. In future get a full structural survey before you buy.
...See More
First home- help needed for loft conversion
Q
Comments (6)
Personally I think you need to check the planners view on making the existing loft bigger with either dormers or changing the hipped roof. If budget is an issue I suspect you won’t find moving the stairs to the loft cost effective. But you can likely make the landing lighter by addition a velux at the very top of the stairs. To gain additional accommodation the loft seems like the most cost effective solution but you could also extend over the sun terrace.
...See More
PRO
JAN MOYER
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
As all above, you chill, check the bank balance, prioritize, and before any decision? What of THESE floors? Both of them.

You're in a marathon, an enjoyable journey, not some hundred yard dash to a blue ribbon prize of perfection . Take your time. To decorate in haste is to rue at your leisure.
latifolia
8 months ago
To answer questions about the floors, the only way to change the color is to sand, stain and refinish. That is not a good DIY project for a novice and expensive to have done professionally. Painting is relatively easy, so focus on that and lighting, which make a big difference.

Cool grays accentuate orange floors, although real estate agents in our area continue to have their sellers paint that color. I think a warm white looks better, and is a good neutral color as you start on your decorating journey.

Good luck.
PRO
JAN MOYER
8 months ago
PS.....

When realtors are slapping a color on walls seemingly e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e ( pale gray in all its iterations) .....you could say the color has done its time. Maybe time to consider something else, and wholeheartedly agree it it not the best color for these floors.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
IMO the wall colors are making the floors look more yellow. The lighting is also a big issue I would strat by changing all the light bulbs to LED I like 4000K but 3500K works too. You need to have good lighting before choosing anything including wall color . Paint first then shop. My advice get the items you NEED like a place to sit to watch TV a bed and for awhile sit on the seating to eat . I like spaces to evolve over time so I sart with the essentials and make sure every piece I buy I love . Slow down and really think about what you love .Sit down and work on your idea books they will help us help you. DO NOT start another post just answer questions, post questions and pictures all here in comments.
cat_ky
8 months ago
I agree, take your time, move in, with your own furnishings, and see. Dont do anything in haste. Get a color on the walls, that you like, and some rugs with patterns and colors in them, that are to your own taste, and then go from there.
kandrewspa
8 months ago
While I agree with all the above advice, it is easier to refinish floors before you move in. Otherwise you have to move everything out later to have it done. So if you think you want to change the floors and it is in your budget to have it done now, go for it. As latifoilia said, you can't change the color without sanding and staining.

I recommend making a list of everything you would like to change (go crazy initially, this doesn't mean you will actually end up doing everything). Then group like items together (some things are better not done room by room - for instance, do all the flooring first) and then prioritize the list based on what matters to you. Ballpark the costs and start working through it as funds are available. This exercise helps focus your efforts and a logical progression through projects. You can work through your list at any speed that works for you. As Jan said, it is a marathon, not a sprint. I find keeping a list also helps for when you're 50% through and feel like you haven't gotten anywhere. It's nice to be able to look back and see you have actually accomplished something. Real life will constantly get in the way, so everything will take longer than you think it will.
deegw
8 months ago
Congratulations! I'll share a few decorating tips based on photos I've seen over the years posted by novice decorators. It all basically boils down to paying attention to scale.

-Don't try to save money by buying small rugs, art, lamps, etc. Save up until you can afford things that are properly sized for the space.

-On the other hand, people often buy sectionals that are way too big for their space. A sofa and a couple of chairs often make a more comfortable seating arrangement.

-Curtains should look like they can cover the window. One panel per side is usually too skimpy. Other problems that we see here are that they are hung too low and not wide enough on the window

-Art is often hung too high. It should be at eye level.

Advice about all of these things is easily found online.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
8 months ago
IMO the floors are fine and once the lighting and the wall color is fixed the floors will be fine. The tips above are great but most are for later after the main pieces are in. I do not gree to get a rug before the main pieces are chosen A rug is like an accessory so are window coverings and IMO chosen after furniture .
deegw
8 months ago
I'm not a fan of the pooling advice on this graphic but the rest of it is good.
Jennifer Hogan
8 months ago
You have received great advice. Move in, learn how your home functions for you and your family and how you live in the home. Keep a notebook of the the things you love, the things that drive you crazy, what is working and what simply doesn't work. Figure out how homeownership and your budget mesh.

While you are waiting look at art, furniture, décor. What colors make your heart sing? What furnishings do you love? Plan how the colors and styles that you love will fit within your home.

It takes time to make a house your home.
PRO
Joe McGuire Design
3 months ago
We might recommend painting all the walls a white. This should help ton down the orange ton some. You also might look into some really good LEDs for lighting. Otherwise, we think the blues, whites, greys, and beiges should work well once those two things are done. Here we included various pictures from our designs to help aid you more.
Bleeker Street · More Info

Modern Chalet · More Info

Summit Townhome · More Info

Artists Haven · More Info

Overlook Drive · More Info
marmiegard_z7b
2 months ago
Joe, your pics show floors that are completely different from OP’s floors, so, wrong color palette entirely.

If you are going with the existing floor color ( which is perfectly reasonable, especially if you don’t have a really clear vision for a new flooring stain and associated color palette) , then I would do some searches for room inspo pics of similar flooring and their color palettes. . You can also use Kitchen pics with the same oak cabs. There are actually a lot of previous HOUZZ discussions on the golden oak, and either before or after/after pics, or room visualizer pics in comments.
I would see if you could find a way to use warm whites and GREEN , as suggested, but still include some of your blues. An example would be, if buying new furniture, don’t get a cool blue sofa , but perhaps a soft green or gray/ green ( this is if directly on floor) and use pillows or throws that have some blues. Or a creamy upholstery ( if your lifestyle allows that!). Or, when thinking about a rug, same thing, include greens and ivory and bit of blue, then if furniture sitting mostly on rug, maybe can use more blues. Wall color in sage-y range of greens looks good with this wood tone, but that could be too much green for you, hence warm white is popular and works well. Also, if you did more soft warm not- blue neutrals in your upholstery, and rugs , to avoid bringing out so much of the orange in the floors, you still have option for more punches of blues in artwork.