Inspired by the Photo thread- what's your best Linden Home decor tip or trick?

[Stella Carver]

I check the photo thread every day -Y'all are so freaking talented! Sometimes when I'm switching themes I get stuck and it takes me forever to decorate, other times it just comes to me- especially with holidays. Even then, I almost never feel completely happy or there's one room I can't get right, etc. I love when I visit your places and everything just flows- from the street, to the porch/patio, and throughout the house- it just feels cohesive. It's definitely not just being able to afford nice things, although that obviously helps. 

Those of you who love to decorate and share your spaces here, do you follow a pattern or just the color scheme, start out with a plan, base your design on rl spaces, or just wing it? 

 

My best tip is when buying, check for mod permissions, check 'select face', and almost always get the white one, (or the lightest wood tone).  Checking 'select face' is important because sometimes,

a complex item like a flower arrangement, or a chair with wooden legs and patterned pillows will only have one face and tinting it can have mixed results. Tinting all the things gives you so many  more options. 

[Chloe Bunny]

Tinting is a good one, always.

When a theme is new I like to blend with the theme, interior and exterior but if I am doing a public space like the Belli Cabinet of Curiosities, (haven't had this out for a few years), then I just seem to get into a flow. I know the aesthetic I want and I look at enough interior design and architecture in RL to be able to just flow along with it. I learn from good designers taking note of their go to items which I buy up as and when I spot them. I am a maximalist and a fan of painting the ceiling and if possible, the skirting the same colour as the walls which is hard in an LH! I use the converting colours website - usually Farrow & Ball or Benjamin Moore paints - for wall colour codes. 

Converting Colors - Farrow & Ball

Converting Colors - Benjamin Moore

[Chloe Bunny]

Colour palette swatches are useful as well so that you can see your main and accent colours together. Easier to find trimmings and furniture to blend. I generated these midnight style swatches as an example: 

 

 

[Stella Carver]

2 minutes ago, Chloe Bunny said:

Colour palette swatches are useful as well so that you can see your main and accent colours together. Easier to find trimmings and furniture to blend. I generated these midnight style swatches as an example: 

 

 

Gorgeous! Makes me want to do a witchy Victorian.

[Chloe Bunny]

2 minutes ago, Stella Carver said:

Gorgeous! Makes me want to do a witchy Victorian.

It's almost time!

[Lyric Demina]

A tip I like to keep in mind that may sound obvious but it's worth mentioning.  If you're decorating a rounded space, it gives more of an intentional feel if you use rounded-edged furnishings.   Round with round.  Curves with curves. 

[Blush Bravin]

Oftentimes when selecting a color pallet for my homes, I will start with a favorite painting that I plan to hang on a prominent wall near the entry. I will then toss some prims onto that painting and match at least three colors in the painting. Then I decide which of those will act as my base color and which will act as accents. I use those colors throughout my house. Sometimes I will use one of the accent colors from the main living area as the main color is a smaller room like a bathroom or office.

I use these same colors as a base when tinting the walls. Typically I'll either go with either a much lighter or much darker tone of one of the accent colors. I don't want everything to be matchy matchy, but I want to keep all the colors in the same hue but with different tonal qualities.

Then I will put one piece of furniture in each room. This will be the standout piece upon which all others play a supporting role. Quite often I will live with the house like this for a couple of days. I spend a lot of time in the house gauging how the colors and those major pieces of furniture make me feel. Then once I'm sure I like what I've done I will quickly add all the supporting pieces. 

Oh forgot to mention, all this typically happens after I've gotten the garden in the front of the house laid out and feeling like home and not just another house on the block.

[Stella Carver]

"Then I will put one piece of furniture in each room. This will be the standout piece upon which all others play a supporting role. Quite often I will live with the house like this for a couple of days. I spend a lot of time in the house gauging how the colors and those major pieces of furniture make me feel. Then once I'm sure I like what I've done I will quickly add all the supporting pieces."

 

 

This is so interesting! I'm definitely trying it.

[Teresa Firelight]

Previously  when I decorated, I chose a basic color and theme.. like maybe white wood with blue fabric or dark brown wood with beige fabric, etc. Then I put together furniture I like for that space, re-textured the wood/metal on each piece. If the fabric is a color that is tint-able, I tinted it. Otherwise I re-textured it. When I was done, the pieces in the room match and look like a cohesive collection.

However, now that we are moving to PBR with the new type of PBR materials, I am not entirely sure that this approach is going to continue to work. I will have to experiment with it as I collect a wider range of PBR materials....

[Matthieu Quander]

I rarely do the same build twice, and see each move as an opportunity to do something new.  I also stick to a few basic personal rules.

• Every house needs a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living space
• Blocking off rooms or windows is not allowed
• The outside should feel as decorated as the inside

I generally start with add-ons, as I need the LI to build them.  I typically throw up a a few basic wall shapes and play with them until I like the flow and feel inspired.  I usually have a few vague decorating ideas that develop as I go.  

Some builds feature a specific color palette, some don't.  

I'm not sure what impact PBR will have on my decorating.  I have been procrastinating getting into it.  

[Blush Bravin]

1 hour ago, Matthieu Quander said:

I generally start with add-ons, as I need the LI to build them.  I typically throw up a a few basic wall shapes and play with them until I like the flow and feel inspired. 

I should have included this in my previous comment as well. I use Blush for all add-ons and don't really think of that as part of the deco process, because Debi does all the decorating and has all the deco content in her inventory. But absolutely, if I think the home needs an add-on that is my very first step. 

[Frigga Freidman]

I often start with one or two pieces that I love - in the case of my first Stilt, there were some free "artist" pieces from Apple Fall (a paint-splattered chair, an easel storage unit and a paint-smudged table) which prompted me to look for other compatible items like sketchbooks, a water-color easel, craft-storage shelves, etc. Then the theme itself prompted me to decorate in light blues, marine blues, whites, and with other ocean-themed pieces. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.503267048564346&type=3 (Decorating this house coincided with a big MP sale by Apple Fall, which helped  )

My second Stilt was based on a Mexican theme, as I'd just stumbled upon the work of a particular artist, and it led me to use a wider and much brighter palette than the other Stilt, and then I looked for lots of small decor pieces that suited. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.498877685669949&type=3

My current Newbrooke is the first parcel I've had where the outside landscaping came first - I used a Denver on a 1024 plot and wanted *lots* of trees, flowers and greenery. The main room is also very green. Even before we 'gained LI', I was amazed at just how much landscaping I was able to do without sacrificing a good level of detail inside the house. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.518139643743753&type=3

Most of my houses here have had floral or heavily-patterned wallpapers and fabrics - entirely unlike my RL home!

 

[Nika Talaj]

I first decide what avatar & backstory I'm building for.  My first houseboat was studio space for a single woman painter/designer.  It didn't have a bedroom, just a comfy daybed in the studio space.  Really nice drafting table.  It also had a small, pleasant living room for friends who stop by.  Just a kitchenette.  The top of the boat was open to the air, with a picnic setup, an easel to paint the nearby lighthouse, an ambient sound toy, playful plants and lights.

My log was owned by a couple who both worked in maritime industries.  It was on a cliff overlooking the sea, and had a lighthouse that they had to get up early to tend. I tried for a very cozy feel.  It was mostly a family home, no real entertaining space, with nice outdoor seating where one or two people could relax and listen to the excellent soundscape, or play a game.

My Sakura was built for a single American man who admires Japanese design, and is temporarily living in Japan.  A friendly guy who lets the neighbor kid come and hang out.  He dates, so has a couple nice spaces where two people can sit and get to know each other.

My Mediterranean is built as a summer house, in Monterey, for a wealthy couple.  It, too, has a lighthouse, which is all automated.   They've converted an outbuilding into a spa.  The decor is southwestern, and if I ever get around to updating the build, it will become more so.

 

Edited July 16 by Nika Talaj