Get access to one of the home magazines and start looking at all kinds of homes. Flag all the photos that make you say “oooh!” and save in Pinterest or some such. After awhile you should look through everything and see what is similar in all of the photos that made you happy. Imitating a specific great design is absolutely fair game — you don’t have to spend the same money if you can find similar substitutes.

You need an inspiration piece. Sounds nutty, but it works. You don't mention what you have for furniture, etc now.

Let's say you are coming empty handed. My first purchase would be a rug for the living room. It's like designing from the bottom up. This photo is a great example. All the walls are B.M. Decorator's White, white draperies, white slip covered furniture. What's driving the bus is that gorgeous rug. Complimented by throw pillows, wall art, you can see a simple plan turning into a winner room.

Have any decor item that is special to you?

Or art? That can be a jumping off point too. Although in my first house it was the “what do I already have” and “what can I afford” decorating plan.

Thank you all for your suggestions. We have some furniture pieces, area rugs but no artwork. It’s a blend of rustic/farmhouse and modern pieces. I like the idea about working from the bottom up with an area rug. I also like the idea that home decor is an evolving process.

Keep an eye on second hand stores, auctions and estate sales — look for the very best quality at the best price. It’s always fun to use something old (yours or someone else’s ) in a new spot. Keep your eye on the decorating magazines — it’s also fun to see something you own pop up in a designer’s arrangement!

My DIL asked me about budgeting for 'decor' items and I LAUGHED. My life is layered and procured over YEARS. Items I have evoke memories or were found after who knows how long of looking for the right fit--either at tag sales or street art fairs. Or were gifts. The responses thus far remind me of a movie years ago "The Good-bye Girl' she would copy rooms from a magazine. I thought it ridiculous then and still don't get it. I think you will begin by assessing what you have and what the home you buy brings to the table. Build from there. Your spaces will speak to you. I loved the opinion from one decorator; over time, if you buy things you love, things that speak to YOU, things you are attracted to, they will naturally gel in your home. Express YOU in your home resist being a carbon copy of HGTV!!

Okay, what is your favorite color?

Congratulations on this new adventure!

As a new homeowner, you may find that you have a lot of expenses you never had before: lawn mower, snow blower, shovels and rakes, perhaps power tools for projects around the house. There may be work on the house - painting, minor remodeling - that will take more time and/or money than you expected.

My point is, it may be prudent to wait a year before spending much money on decorating. When we bought our first house (where we lived for over 30 years), half the rooms were empty for a long time; we gradually furnished and decorated them as our needs and budget dictated.

I just thought of the line in the movie "Sabrina" when her mentor in Paris says "Illusions are dangerous people, they have no flaws."

I think that often we imagine our lives, especially when we are young, and we decorate based on an illusion of how we think we are going to live instead of the way we really live and what we really enjoy.

I remember loving the idea of a white on white home, white walls and trim and light, almost white floors, light furnishings and large bold artwork. When I bought my first home it had the light, high gloss tile except for the living room and bedrooms that had light, almost white Berber carpet. I painted the walls and trim bright white and bought light upholstered furniture.

It looked great.

I also had this image of myself having great social gatherings at my home, having 10 socialites and their husbands sipping cocktails and eating the fabulous hors d'oeuvres I had made.

I had 4 dogs, 10 cats, 2 horses, ran a business from my home and had 8 employees coming and going all day long. I enjoy gardening and horse back riding and cooking and baking and painting and arts and crafts. I am an introvert, I don't like parties and I am not good at small talk. I prefer small, casual gatherings with a few close friends. My posse all had keys to my house and came and went like family. I did have larger, social gatherings, as I was a social activist and served on the boards of several charities and often had meetings at my home where we planned on how to change the world. We were much more likely to have hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill than hors d'oeuvres.

Decorating my home didn't change who I was, it looked pretty, like it belonged in a magazine, but it wasn't me.

My advise is think about who you are and how you live. Look in your closet, or better yet, look at your laundry - what do you wear (illusions make us buy fancy clothes that hang in the back of the closet and are never worn). Do you wear a winter white pants suit or sweats? Do you like bold colors or neutrals? Do you like little delicate patterns or big flowers? Look at your jewelry, do you have a tennis bracelet or a chunky bracelet. Look at the colors and patterns that pull at you and whisper "buy me". What colors that makes your heart sing? What colors look good on you?

After my illusion filled decorating attempt, I gained a real interest in studying peoples homes and decorating choices and color palettes. At age 60, most of my friends and family have made their mistakes and landed on what works for them.

I have a sister-in-law with that white on white home. Her favorite color is white. She wears white. Her husband was a chemist and laboratory manager and she worked at a nuclear power plant. They are highly organized, no pets, no kids, no shoes in the house kind of people.

My other sister-in-law was a stay at home mom, worked in a clothing store before having kids and works at a jewelry store now. Her husband owned a company that represented sporting goods and guns. Lisa has blond hair, blue eyes and has a very comfortable home with classic country oak furnishings. Her colors are cornflower blue and peach and her neutral is cream.

My oldest sister was a pediatrician, her husband was a pharmacist. Betty has fair skin, hazel eyes and light brown hair. She picks mid toned neutrals, and transitional furnishings, practical, but mixes it up with soft, mid toned blues and greens and beautiful art.

My sister that is just 2 years older than me is my best friend and polar opposite. She has olive toned skin, brown hair, took Arthur Murry dance classes while in college, while I worked at a local ranch as a trail guide when I was in college. She is an power house executive and extreme extrovert - where I get exhausted from people and too much stimulus, she needs people and patterns to feed her energy.

Susie's built a Tudor home, filled it with a mix of industrial and Queen Anne antiques. Her home has lots of color and patterns and a few unique, whimsical flairs. She looks amazing in fall colors, and not surprisingly, her home is filled with fall colors (greens and deep oranges and golds). She can seat 30 people in her living room and dining room and often does. She hosts lots of parties and family gatherings.

I am a winter, dark hair, dark eyes, very fair skin. I love color, especially purple, wine reds and teals. I am adverse to anything busy. I have an MCM home and MCM furnishings (except for sofa which had to be replaced as fewer and fewer of my friends and family could get up without assistance from the low seat). I bought a new home that was a classic MCM, but needed a lot of TLC and am slowly renovating. It is a bit of a construction zone most of the time, but is being transformed and filled with the colors and things that make my heart sing. I still don't do any kind of formal entertaining, but my neighbors drop by any time and our dogs play together and my closest friends and family all know the combination to the garage and come and go as they please. No need to call first, just drop by.

I wish you the best of luck in finding your signature style and colors and hope that your journey brings you great joy. Take your time and enjoy the experience.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I really love the latest recommendations about finding the colors, furnishings and art work that speaks to who I am and who my family is vs the latest trends. The post about being patient and living within my budget is wise.

^^^All great advice above. I do agree that finding things that feel “right”, over time, will reap great results. I’ve been living in my current home for 35 years, and am only now at the point where it’s all how I envisioned it when I moved in. I own almost no art or furnishings that were not used/ vintage/ salvaged/ thrifted/ gifted. It’s a life long project. I completely agree that if you wait to find things you really love for your home, it will all come together, and YOU and your individual taste and vision are central to that. It’s all about discovering and refining what feels right to you, and taking the time to do it.