Interior design

I do not know anything about how to design anything. I can't even say I have much of a personal style. In the end, I just want my home to be functional, efficient, clean and uncluttered. Never in my life have I had so much free reign to decorate a space this big, meaning a house.

So of course the first thing I do is to research for ideas from design blogs and online magazines. I had already been a regular of apartmenttherapy.com and its sister sites, but I was hungry for more ideas. I needed to see more photos of furniture layouts, color combinations, space-saving solutions and so forth! In the past few days, I've become addicted to perusing the photos of houzz.com on my iPad. I even downloaded the app so I can look through the thousands upon thousands of unattainable design photos to see if I can possibly use one scrap of what I like in my own life. I went through a list of shelter magazine sites and blogs, including:
http://decor8blog.com
http://www.designsponge.com/
http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/
http://ifthelampshadefits.blogspot.com/
http://brightbazaar.blogspot.com

I saw many, many unaffordable/unpractical options that I love. I was also completely overwhelmed by all the options and decisions in front of me. Like a kid with too many crayons, I can't pick one! Overall, I get the distinct impression that these magazines favor the houses of millionaires. What I need is practical advice and guidance. What I need is visual inspiration that can be applied to my own personal situation. However, I did find out a little about what I liked and didn't like:
- I am not into the rustic look, particularly if the room begs for an animal head on a wall.
- I don't like modern design. Yes, it's clean and very neat-looking, but it looks hard and unyielding.
- I want my decor to maximize sunlight. The house does get sunlight, but more so on the upper floor where there is a sky light and fewer buildings and trees blocking the windows. I don't mind there being less light in the dining room or kitchen, but I want the living room to be bright.
- I don't like clutter and prefer rooms where things are packed away with only a few display items placed neatly around the room.
- I like things to look either roomy and airy or cozy and intimate.

Some things that I have decided upon:
- Our living room is not very big, which means that we have to keep it on the more intimate and cozy side. In order to maximize what sunlight we do get, I plan to paint the walls either white or white with a blue tint.
- I want to keep our spaces clutter-free. This means throwing things away and also putting things away. So that means providing storage. I love furniture that has hidden storage or does double duty. I really wanted to get a bed with under-bed drawers but it's considered bad feng shui. I think a storage ottoman is okay though.
-We're getting a very modular sectional couch: 2 corners, an armless chair and 2 storage ottomans. I prefer a white or near-white couch, but hubby says it will stain easily so we're getting one that is a bit darker.
- We will hold off on getting a dining set, coffee table and a new bed until we see how everything we currently have fits and whether we will have the funds for it.
- As much as I would like us to get matching desks that are light and bright in color, hubby's preferences for something more solid and heavy-looking won out. So he will get his big, solid desk and I will get something that is more "leggy" and compact.

It's been difficult to plan for a space we're not actually living in yet or have easy access to. It's also difficult trying to find furniture that fits our needs and preferences. We figured a month is enough time to find stuff and fill a space, until we found out the couch we want would take 10 to 12 weeks to deliver. I don't think we want to live without a couch until mid-October since we're moving into the house in late August. Given that, we had to compromise and get an in-stock couch in a color that would be my second choice. Not terrible, really. That's just how some things go.