Nerdy Decor: Contemplate Your Space

Posted by terraolsen on March 26, 2013 in Decor | 1 Comment

Nerdy Decor – Episode 2: Contemplate Your Space

By: Andrea Cole

We’re back with another installment of Nerdy Decor and I want to continue where we left off last time. Inspiration. Going through all the different types of styles and rooms is a great way to get ideas for your own space. Now you have to think about how you want to show off your own nerdiness. 

I’m a firm believer that no one can tell you how exactly to decorate your home, but if you’re looking for a starting point, you’ll want to continue reading. Below you’ll find a few questions designed to get you thinking about your style and how you want to display that in your home.

What are your goals for the project?

This is the most important question of the bunch as it requires you to do a little soul searching. Are you trying to decorate your whole house or are you just going after an individual room? Do you want to expound to the world your Star Wars obsessions or do you just want to hint at your love of the Hoth System? Are you going to be working on the dining room or your bedroom first? Think about how you want to use your space and let that inform your decorating decisions.

Re Frig Er Ate, WalkingDeadPromotion, Etsy

 Are you trying to achieve a particular mood for the room?

What do you want the space you are decorating to say or do for you? I find that it’s best to make a list of descriptors to get the creative juices flowing. Think about the function of the room; bedrooms are places of rest and relaxation, living rooms often see parties and Star Trek marathons, and offices are places for work. Often, if you work on a room with intention, you’ll find that it is much more functional than if you were to fill it haphazardly with stuff.

Vintage Pop Art Star Wars Trilogy, PosterInspired, Etsy

 What kind of feeling do you want the space to have?

We all have those special pieces that we want to display. What’s yours? Do you want that item to be front and center or do you want to see it peeking out from the corner? Larger objects such as posters, props (like swords), and cutouts require a lot more visual space and perhaps a bit more forethought than your adorable set of Dalek salt and pepper shakers, but no matter the element, think about how you want it to fit in with the space.

Totoro Bed

How do you see people moving through the space?

This question speaks again to the functionality of the space. If you have a small room, you don’t want people leaping over chairs and shuffling past your ceramic Totoro statues knocking them over with a stray elbow.

 What’s your budget?

Ok, so it’s not a design question per se, but it is important! Do you plan on using existing items in your collection or do you want to buy new things? Are you refurbishing furniture or renovating a portion of your house? All of this has a certain cost involved, and it’s not always money. Think about how much time you have for your project and how much you want to spend. You’ll find that you can do a lot on a shoestring budget. Get creative and experiment with a few ideas. Unless you’re remodeling the whole living room, you can always change things around if you don’t like them.

Phew! That was a lot to think about. But it’s a good exercise for anyone thinking about changing up their living spaces. My advice? Brainstorm about this for a while and then check back for lots of fun nerdy decorating ideas.