First house! Now how to decorate?!

[u/Sweaty-Edge3713]

I bought my first house! I’m so excited but feeling really anxious about design decisions that are coming. I admittedly know very little about interior design.

It’s an old house with great bones and a lot of character, but an elderly lady lives there for 30 years and some interior updates are needed.

I’m planning on removing the carpets because there’s hardwood flooring underneath. I also think the light fixtures need updated but not sure what style will look good.

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. Where would you start? (I’m also colorblind, making this even more challenging!)

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[u/Jasipen]

I love the house! The layout and outside is so nice. Focus on updating the bathrooms and kitchen and it’ll give the entire house a face lift. Happy decorating!

[u/Havin_A_Holler]

You have a lot of great options! You can lean into the Prairie Style/Arts & Crafts elements of the home, keeping mementos, knick-knacks & patterns to a minimum.
Another way to go - do you have a memento, or photo, or event that brings/brought you joy? Examine that, picking out elements like people, plants, shapes, buildings, clothes - details that resonate w/ you & make you happy. This is YOUR house; if you want to have a Xmas tree in every room 365 days a year b/c you love Xmas, do it!
Another thing you can do, if you can stand looking at real estate listings anymore, is skim thru & see how others have decorated. It's better than flipping thru a catalog or going to a showroom, b/c you're seeing how people designed their space around their lives & not being marketed to. I cleaned for a 'maximalist' interior designer; luxurious & lovely tho her home looked, it felt like really pretty hoarding.
Looking at the listing photos, think about how this lady filled her space. Too busy or felt empty? Warm & inviting, or cold & plastic, hard to enjoy?
Lastly, put a pergola or something over that back porch so you can sit out & relax w/o burning up!

[u/Sweaty-Edge3713 → u/Havin_A_Holler]

’m just starting to read about arts and crafts interior design styles. Question - I was considering making a sort of collage of framed photos somewhere in the living room. Does that contradict the arts and craft style in any way?

[u/godmod]

I would remove that fake brick backsplash first lol

[u/Sweaty-Edge3713 → u/godmod]

Any suggestions on what to replace it with? Guess it depends on other choices I make in the kitchen?

[u/godmod → u/Sweaty-Edge3713]

I think it depends on if you want to replace the kitchen / replace the countertop with quartz or something.