There is a secret formula written on an index card, which gets passed hand to hand among the decorating community. However, they won't let anyone else look at it. :-)

Seriously though, I'd recommend "Use What You Have Decorating" by Lauri Ward. It's an excellent starting point. Be prepared to realize that superb results only come from years of study and trial and error.

There is a secret formula and it is usually taught in a composition or design class, be it interior design, graphic design, sculpture, and then further fine tuned by the designer's own aesthetic. Most designers have a knack for it, that's why they chose to go to school, work as interns and apprentices and assistants to other designers, so that one day they not only have a knack for design, but they are also professional.

Best advice I can give: you have to have a plan. Nothing is purchased until there is a plan in place. Get lots of samples (fabric, metal finish, wood finishes, etc) and start putting things together on a table. I find that once I nail one room, the others in the house start to fall into place.

It takes years of study and experience to cultivate your eye.

same floor product, or minimal number of floorings throughout, same trim color throughout. one item of color scheme or complement of color scheme throughout. check sightlines between rooms-they have to work together--so pick one or all colors to travel through adjoining rooms. rugs of different scale sizes, in same or blendable colors as adjoining areas.

Think of the whole house as one big room. As sheworks2 says you need continuity throughout. You can change colors but keep the same "feel" from one room to the next. You're doing the right thing by looking at well put together rooms in homes that flow. Magazines are a great resource. It doesn't have to be all beige or boring. Pick basics that are easy to accessorize. For instance, a solid colored couch is easy to work with by adding pattern and color in pillows and lamps. Same with a bedspread. Often good furniture stores employ decorators that can guide you. If you still don't trust your judgement hire a decorator.

Word of warning about using a store "decorator"..they are simply sales people whose goal is to sell what the shop has. Go for someone who is independent and not tied to a particular product line.

That definitely can be true but some are actual decorators. You are probably right about an independent but I wonder if sometimes they might have deals with certain stores for a little kick-back?

Not sure what you mean by kick-back? But someone who is working for a store definitely is getting kick back if that is what you are worried about????

I am not a designer or decorator, but I see their talent as editors. They force choices. If you're like me, you like lots of colors, looks, periods, architecture. You imagine yourself as romantic, hip, edgy, exotic, and modest. But if you let all of these things flood into one space, they fight with each other or just cancel each other out. I find the hardest thing to do is to make all of the decisions on details that are supporting roles. Where to spend the money and where to be satisfied with a compromise..

Go on line. Check out and take pictures of model homes. Keep color theme going though out. No more than 3 color accents in any room.

I'm saying that just because someone isn't working directly for a store doesn't mean they're not getting a little bonus if they bring a paying customer to that store. I'm not worried about somebody making money for offering good advice or leading a customer in the right direction no matter who employs them.

As you make choices of the colors and finishes you must collect samples of them. In that way you can make sure that they can be put physically next to one another to be sure they look good together. It also helps to be able to carry these samples to various showrooms to select remaining finishes to be chosen. Also the samples can be placed into various positions with the space to see how the light conditions in the space might affect the coloring and texture.

I agree with kitasei. The most common mistake that people make is falling in love with individual pieces without being able to step back and see the bigger picture, the larger relationship between colors and textures and styles. Usually this takes some training, and this is why there are so many design dilemmas where people realize too late that the beautiful busy backsplash they were attracted to and the beautiful busy granite they chose simply don't look good in relation to each other, though individually each is lovely. If you can have a clearly laid out plan (as MJ Hampton suggests) and don't do anything until you have put all the samples together so you can see them in relation to each other (as Kaplan recommends), you'll have taken the first step toward potential cohesion.

I posted more pictures but their at the end of all the suggestions thanks for helping me

We learn from going to school reading, taking classes, seeing what works and doesnt in the feild and applying each and every expirience to the next to get our craft to the best that we possibly can make it. We read some more, take more classes, shop, pick up different lines, go to manufgrs. to understand products, work and work and work to learn and learn and learn.

I found the home decorating for dummies book and a interior design 101 book. A great introduction to the world of design and to all one has to learn to be good at it. In conclusion, I think I may have to hire someone to get the results I want. Any recommendations in Miami? Thanks again for all your input, ideas, thoughts, and recommendations!

The truth is......design is like music, and a bit like a piano. If you have no ear, if you have stubbly little fingers... you won't soon find yourself onstage at Carnegie Hall. You can certainly learn enough to please yourself on a cold rainy day, and you can learn all the "rules". But, the "music" , and the undeniable magic of the gifted "eye".....is not taught. It is a gift from the heavens. And some are more gifted than others : ) That's the real truth.

I say fill your home with styles you like and don't worry if it looks designer. Learn what you like.

But she said she WANTS a cohesive designer look, dallasgraduate, so just filling her home with styles she likes will result in a hodgepodge. As has been said again and again, it takes education and years of experience to obtain the results you see on the professional pages of Houzz. If you want that, hire a pro, if you don't then you get what you get.

Not a designer, but my 2 cents about going it alone is to know your taste and not get distracted by trends. Recognize that some things are beautiful but not your style. If something is "you", it will belong with the other "you" things in your home. I learned this when I moved last year and furnishings and decor ended up in different combinations in the new house and didn't look crazy.

Most Interior Designers are well educated in rigorous programs. They are typically trained and work in their field under experienced designers. This kind of experience is invaluable, a great interior doesn't happen by accident. If you are looking for a great outcome it is possible to do it yourself, but most people cannot achieve a cohesive interior on their own. I wish you the best and hope you will be happy with the outcome.

Theres a caveat of course. It takes an incredible eye to eclectically furnish a home, to not lose all cohesion in the process. Breathtaking and artful rooms are usually a blend of things that "go" and things that do not. They are full of juxtapositions, and make you look, once, twice, three times. They can amuse, entertain, comfort and calm....or energize. A very amateurish result can be perfectly tasteful, perfectly flow to other rooms, and quite as perfectly put your feet to sleep. There's no wrong, there is what you find comfortable and pleasing. Then there are the rooms that make the coffee table books, the covers of magazines and are talked about for years. The ones that in some way make your heart stop...or sing. Those are the rooms of magicians, musicians... and their magic. You know it when you see it, because truthfully.....those rooms are rare. And it is equally possible they were achieved by someone with no formal training, even a very blessed homeowner with that gifted and envialble "eye".