Five Home Styling Tips Everyone Needs to Know

I love to style and decorate homes. Today I am sharing five spring home decor styling tips that I think all of you might want to know.

You don’t need an interior design degree to make your home look great. Just follow these five simple spring home decor tips and you’ll be on your way to success. Ready, set, go!

Styling Tips for Your Home

I often get asked where I learned how to decorate our home. I can’t wait to share my story and also share my favorite five home styling tips.

Make it Pretty

The first thing you need to know is that I am not professionally trained in interior design. Rather, I spent years combing through decor magazines, watching every DIY and fixer-upper show I could find on TV, and studying the homes I saw everywhere, including in the movies.

Eventually, we bought our first home, and I jumped in with both hands (and feet) and decorated my first home.

Did I make mistakes? Absolutely.

Did I pick some paint colors and fabrics that I would never use today? Of course.

Easter Brunch in the Dining Room

But every time I tackled a remodeling project, I stayed true to my heart and always styled my home with things I loved.

Now, I love to mix new with vintage. It’s what I call “my footprint”.

Over the years I have found there are five styling tips that I use over and over. I am excited to share them with you today.

Five Styling Tips

#1 – Have an Anchor Piece in Every Room

If you are familiar with my home, what would you say the anchor pieces are in our living room, dining room, and family room?

The Living Room

Living Room Accent Piece

Some of you might think our fireplace is the “anchor piece” but I honestly think it’s our vintage “general store counter”. I love styling it every season, especially when I use my spring home decor.

I bought this amazing vintage piece from a guy here in Los Angeles. He was introduced to me by Judy at Vintage Junktion LA, and once I saw this piece I knew that I had to have it. Fortunately, I got this for a steal!

Farmhouse Living Room Decor Ideas for Winter.

I should also mention, that the seller told me this furniture piece used to be in Sharon Stone’s house. I am not sure what to believe but it sounds good to me.

The Family Room

Summer Color Palette Family Room

I saw a DIY ladder chandelier many years ago (on Liz Marie’s blog) and I ended up making one in our family room here in Southern California (the DIY is here). I loved it so much that I decided to make another one for our Waco, Texas home. (Click the link for the DIY for the Waco ladder chandelier.)

This is definitely the anchor piece in both of these rooms.

the-waco-airbnb-dining-room-3

The Kitchen

The Island in Our Waco Home

Waco Spring House Tour in the Kitchen

There is no doubt the anchor piece in our kitchen is the island. Anytime I post a photo of our kitchen in Southern California or Waco, I get tons of questions about our kitchen islands.

Our Waco kitchen island, pictured above, is a vintage piece I bought at the Round Top vintage sale in Texas. The color is original and I love it! And doesn’t it look great decorated with spring home decor?

I found it so early on my shopping trip that I almost didn’t buy it. I am so thankful that my friend Debra Hall talked me into it!

The Island in our California Home

Winter Farmhouse Kitchen Decor

Our island in our kitchen in our home in Southern California was built twenty-one years ago by our contractor and cabinet maker.

One fun fact about our kitchen is that the countertops and island are 2″ taller than the standard height. We are a very tall family and this was a very smart decision I made many years ago!

#2 – A Neutral Palette

Neutral Slipcovers

Family Room Spring Decor

My second home styling tip is to consider a neutral palette. Having a neutral palette in your home is more calming and easy to work with. A few years ago I sent all of my couches and chairs to my upholsterer and had slipcovers made in neutral tones.

I just love this spring home decor.

Actually, every slipcover was either white or off-white.

Neutral Bedrooms

the-waco-airbnb-front-bedroom

I got rid of the patterned bedspreads and drapes and went neutral in the bedrooms too.

Master Bedroom side view

Why did I do this?

Because now I can add color anytime I want because I have a neutral palette to start with. Typically I add color every season. I just went through a huge pink phase and I am moving into a green phase next!

#3 – Styling Essentials

How to Add Color to Your Home

My third home styling tip is to narrow down your options. I think we all should have some styling essentials that we use in our homes for styling. My favorite essentials are cake plates, apothecary jars, wreaths, pillows, and vintage items. what are yours?

If you keep it simple and collect a few items such as pillows or wreaths or apothecary jars you can use them all year long with seasonal decor.

Valentine's Day Breakfast in the Kitchen

Spring Home Decor Ideas

Here are a few examples where I have used my favorite spring home decor styling essentials in our home.

I love to add pillows to my decor and I actually make most of them! Here are some of the ones I have made. You can click on any of the links to see the DIY.

#4 – Adding Color

Guest Bedroom Decor

I mentioned earlier that I love to add color every season to our home. My fourth home styling tip is to not be afraid of color.

It’s easy to add color with accessories (which I call styling essentials) and of course, paint is an easy option too.

Just don’t be afraid to use color. Color not only adds style but also adds warmth and personality to any room. Especially when you use color in your spring home decor.

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#5 – Develop Good Resources

My last home styling tip is to develop good resources. It is important that you develop good sources where you can find wonderful, reasonably priced items for your home.

Shop Your Own Home

Whenever I am redecorating or redoing a room, I always shop my home first. If you look closely at my photos, you will always see something in a room that came from another room.

I love shopping my home!

Lemon Decor for Your Table

Small Businesses

I have some favorite retailers in town and I love to shop their stores every chance I get. We all need to support these businesses whenever we can.

Vintage Flea Markets

My favorite place to find items for our home is at a vintage sale. I love going to vintage flea markets. Most of the vintage pieces in our home are from flea markets.

I love the hunt, the fun, and discovering pieces that I know will fit perfectly in our home. You can find my favorite all-time flea market finds here.

On-line Sellers

I love the ease and convenience of shopping online and I usually shop on Amazon and link the items here. After so many of you asked about the items seen in my posts I found it was easier to link them upfront!

Have you seen my Amazon Store where I have singled out all of the items I have bought on Amazon, plus more? If you want to check it out you can find my store here.

Are you ready to start styling your home? Browse below for some of my favorite styling items.

Shop My Amazon Live

Spring Decor for Every Room in your Home
Click to find Spring Home Decor Ideas for Every Room in your House

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30 Comments

  1. All great tips! I used to hate adding color to my house but I think that’s because I had to live with ugly dark gold walls and nothing looks good with that except in the fall. Now I have neutral walls and love adding color. Now I need anchor pieces in a few other rooms. 🙂

  2. Anchor in every room…for years ours was a German schrank we purchased in Stuttgart, Germany as newlyweds. I built our many homes around that piece for years. Your list is one to learn from.

    1. Thank you so much Linda for your comment. What an amazing anchor piece, tied to such lovely memories. I am so happy that you enjoyed what I have to share!

  3. Your home and decorating style are gorgeous, so warm and welcoming. Where did you find your little white Dundee marmalade crocks? They are so cute! I’m starting to collect crocks and would love to know if I can purchase these somewhere. Thank you.

    1. Thank you for your kind comment Kelli! I scoop up the marmalade crocks whenever I see them. I love them so much! I have found them at vintage flea markets, antique stores, at Round Top Antique Show and I have seen them on eBay. It is fun to have something to hunt for!

      1. Leslie,
        What color are the walls in your dining room? I’m getting ready to paint my living room and would love to find something similar. Also, I love the original color of your Waco home’s island.
        ~Jaime

          1. I love the decor in all of your homes! I just bought a home so I feel so overwhelmed with all of the decorating options but this article had great advice. Thank you! I have do have a question about the ladder chandelier. How high are your ceilings and what height do you recommend above the table?

  4. Today’s post was incredible. Seeing all your crafts together on one page hammered home how creative you are! You should have a show on HGTV. Not kidding. Your talent combined w your down to earth approach would guarantee success.

    1. Oh my gosh Ana, you are too kind 😊 I have made a lot of pillows! I have so many fun projects planned that I can’t wait to share! Have a wonderful evening!

  5. I just found your blog on Facebook and am so glad that I did. My husband and I are currently living abroad, in the country of Georgia. We are renovating an apartment in a historic building, here in Chiatura. Thanks for the great tips. I also love vintage style with a little added elegance.

  6. This is such a great post! I love your styling tips…neutral and color, vintage and new. It is all so do-able.
    And, you have gorgeous homes:)

    1. Oh my gosh Maria, thank you so much! I very much appreciate that you reached out to me and for your kind comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  7. Love your style, Leslie. I adore the painting of the tall vase with flowery stems in your blue bedroom. Did you paint that yourself or purchase it? I must have one!

  8. i look forward each day to seeing what you’re up to.
    personally, i can find some things i love in each room, and some things not to my taste, but of course, how boring if we all had the same decorating style!
    some of the pieces in your homes are a little too “shabby chic” for me.
    i know that look was popular, but personally i always disliked (hated) that look.
    for me, i find those pieces distracting from the rest of the room, and that’s all i’m focused on, peeling paint, etc.
    is it time to end this lookl??
    but, the island in California home is a source of envy, so classic, that’s more my taste.
    i also enjoy your art work, you are very talented.

  9. Enjoy reading about and seeing your home (s) each day. Love the style and decor! Always great and good ideas! Thank you, Dolores

  10. I have not been able to get your blogs on my computer for many days now. I have watched them for a couple years. Can you please continue to mail me the blogs everyday like I used to get?

    1. Yes Heidi I am happy to help! Could you try re-adding yourself to the subscription list at the top of the of the page on my website? If that doesn’t work, let me know

  11. mary, I am certain Leslie is busy removing all of the shabby chic, chippy pieces that you find so distasteful and distracting in her home and replacing them with things that you will approve of. She is so gracious that way.

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