Do the Opposite of Hoarders

Angelina writes:

I have absolutely no idea how to decorate my house. I don't even have an idea where to begin. It's clean, clutter-free, but otherwise a hodgepodge of things I'm not interested in or attached to. I would like to make a change however. Can you please advise a good place to start?

Magazines, the internet, and HGTV.

Pull out or print pictures of everything you like. I mean, everything. If it's a color, a pattern, a particular piece of furniture, a pillow, a painting - anything can be an inspiration, and since you say you have no clue where to start, pull out everything that appeals to you at all.

After you've amassed a good number of images, take a long look at all of them. What things do they have in common? It might be geometric patterns, a color scheme, or even that everything is glittery. And that's your starting point.

From there, you should be able to get a better idea of how you'd like your house to look. Keep in mind what kind of entertaining you do, and if you have or plan to have children: I have a crazy hard-on for all-white couches, but with a little kid in the house, that would just be asking for disaster. If you do a ton of entertaining, you may want an over sized dining table or a lot of little tables scattered around your living room for people to eat on. If you have pets, you may want to look into easy-clean upholstery and carpets.

I always ask myself two questions when I think about buying a piece for my home: Do I like it? and Is it practical? Not everything in your home needs to be practical - art pieces, for example - but you absolutely should like everything you bring home.

Feel free to mix and match - if you like it, it probably has something in common with other things in your home, and will find a place to fit in. Don't be afraid of thrift-store finds or Craigslist coups: any place that sells what you want is a place you should look for it.

And most importantly: Have fun! Decorating is like fashion. You should feel free to play with it, to treat it as an experiment. Your tastes and needs will probably change over time, and you'll be able to change things up as life goes on. Enjoy yourself!