How do I Choose the Best Interior Design Examples?

Even if you can't afford to hire a professional interior designer, you don't have to settle for a drab and ordinary looking home. Looking at pictures of professionally decorated rooms in books, magazines, and Web sites can help you decide how to redo your own space. Start a file filled with interior design examples that you find appealing to help provide the necessary inspiration when you're out shopping for paint, furniture, and accessories.

Before you begin searching for interior design examples, take some time to jot down a few notes regarding how you want your finished room to function. Are you concerned about having enough storage for craft supplies, books, or other items? Do you want plenty of space to have guests over for dinner parties? Are you interested in a complete room makeover or do you just want to refine the space you have to make it more usable? Having an idea of what you hope to accomplish with your redecorating project will keep you from getting overwhelmed by all of the great interior design examples that are available.

An excellent place to begin your search for interior design examples is to look at the Web sites of your favorite home decorating TV shows. Many of the most popular home decorating programs also publish books that can provide additional inspiration. Women's magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens are another good source of interior design ideas, especially since they often publish special issues such as "100 Ideas for Decorating on a Budget" or "DIY Weekend Decorating Projects."

When you're choosing interior design examples to use as inspiration for your home decorating project, remember to be realistic about your expectations. If you have pets and small children at home, for example, it's probably not a good idea to duplicate a design that involves white carpet, tables with sharp corners, and surfaces that will easily show fingerprints or smudges. On a similar note, if you hate to dust, it's best to keep the number of knickknacks on display to a bare minimum. Even if you think a particular room is beautiful, the space still needs to be livable for you and your family.

Keep in mind that interior design examples are really only meant to be a starting point for personalizing your space. You don't need to copy a room exactly. It's fine to combine a color scheme from one room, a storage element from another room, and a piece of furniture from a third room to create your own unique look. Above all else, you want the rooms in your home to reflect your personality!