You must have fantasised about the glamorous rooms in lifestyle magazines, with plush furnishings and colourful accessories, when you started on your dream home. Your new home is ready but now that it is time to dress it up, you find that you don not a clue where to start.

Do you choose a colour scheme for the house first and then go on to the rest or do you shop for furniture and furnishings first and then fix the colour scheme? Will you have casual or formal styles or go the ethnic way? Where will you fit in those pieces of antique furniture that you have inherited?

"Ideally, choosing the colour scheme, flooring and furnishings should go hand-in-hand. But usually, not many would be as well-planned. Also, some people might already possess furniture that they plan to retain. Hence other elements would have to be worked around it," says Devi Anilkumar, a Thiruvananthapuram-based interior decorator.

The home decor project should start at the beginning itself - when you start dreaming about your home. Go through lifestyle, interiors or home and garden magazines; keep a file of the pictures of homes you liked, this will help you get an idea of the décor style that you would like in your living room or bedroom.

Starting point
A lot of clients approach a designer with some décor styles they spotted in some magazine and this becomes the starting point for the designer to chat with his or her clients about their lifestyle and the décor style they prefer - modern and sleek, comfortable and easy or the ethnic style. It is important that the husband and wife iron out the Mars and Venus differences and fix their priorities - the wife might want the living room to be a cosy nook with a lot ofbric-a-bracs thrown in, while the spouse might prefer the formal and clean look.

"Once the colour scheme for the interiors (walls) has been fixed, then the furniture, furnishing and the accessories would have to be chosen to match the wall colours. Or else, the client has to be someone with creative ideas that he/she can mix and match colours for a coordinated effect. Generally, we suggest that a neutral colour scheme is chosen for the interiors and flooring, so that one can explore more options when it comes to choosing the furniture and furnishing," says Ms. Devi.

Neutral colours such as white, ivory or beige gives one a beautiful canvas to work on, as one can create the warm and cosy look or the simple and sleek look, by choosing the right colours for furniture, window dressing and accessories. With neutral colours on the walls, one can even change the total decor style periodically by changing the cushion covers, wall hangings and other accessories.

Fashionable
The all-white look is also very fashionable these days. White reflects light well, giving the room a clean, airy and well-lit look. Complement white with pastel shades in pink, green or blue for furnishing and accessories and you get the sophisticated look; add some throw cushions in dark red or earthy tones, a vase of fresh flowers, or a pretty piece of antique furniture to go as the centrepiece and you get the dramatic look.

Living rooms can be done up to maintain it as a formal space for entertaining, with a symmetrical arrangement of furniture and a few showpieces of crystal thrown in. Or one could maintain it as a family space with a more comfortable arrangement of furniture, a few colourful throw pillows added, a beanbag or a recliner for lounging around.

Portraits
Family portraits on the wall can be accentuated with soft lighting for that cosy feel. Formal or easy, the room should reflect the personality and character of its owners. Interior designers point out that a style-based approach is rarely adopted by clients in the city. There are a lot of takers for the traditional style antique furniture and matching accessories - but this might not be followed through out the house and is often confined to the showy part of the house.

Or if you are really creative, go for the `Shabby chic style,' in vogue since 1996.I nterior magazines would tell you that this is the easy style; the comfortable, casual look; a balance of old elegance and modern chic. The ancient pieces of furniture that you inherited or all your quaint collections would all find a place in this kind of style.

Most people would shy away from approaching a professional interior decorator for consultation fearing that their budgetary limits would be stretched thin. But as someone who is well aware of the market trends and the options available for varied budgets, a designer would be able to help one ensure that his money is well spent.

The market often might not have what you are looking for and a designer could help you source your requirements and offer alternatives too.

Invest in a few good pieces, such a plush sofa set, an exquisite carpet or a glass-topped table, which can be the focal points in your décor.

Highlight the attractive features in your home, use colour and lighting to draw the eye. A single colour décor scheme can be enlivened by using one or two other colours judiciously. Go for fabrics in different textures when choosing furnishing.

Once the basics are in place, add on your personal touches. Fresh flowers, floating candles, indoor plants can all make subtle differences in your décor.