Bates Interior Decorating & Design

08/31/2026

08/29/2026

Top Decorating Questions I Get Asked

As an interior decorator, I get a lot of questions from homeowners who know they want their space to look better—but aren’t quite sure where to start. Here are some of the questions I hear most often:

✨ “What color should I paint this room?”
The right color depends on more than what looks good on a paint chip. Lighting, flooring, furniture, adjoining rooms, and even the direction your windows face can completely change how a color looks.

🛋️ “Does all my furniture need to match?”
Absolutely not! A well-designed room should feel coordinated, not like everything came from the same furniture set. Mixing finishes, textures, and styles gives a room personality.

📏 “What size rug do I need?”
One of the most common decorating mistakes is choosing a rug that’s too small. The right rug helps define the space and makes the entire room feel more intentional.

🎨 “How many colors can I use in one room?”
You can use several! The key is creating a cohesive palette with a dominant color, supporting tones, and a few accents.

🖼️ “How high should I hang my artwork?”
Usually lower than people think! Artwork should visually connect with the furniture and room rather than floating high on the wall.

💰 “Do I have to replace everything to make my home look better?”
Definitely not. Sometimes rearranging furniture, changing lighting, updating accessories, adding the right rug, or simply removing a few things can completely transform a room.

🏠 “Where do I even start?”
This may be the biggest question of all—and exactly where a decorator can help. You don’t necessarily need a complete renovation. You need a plan that brings the pieces together.

Which decorating question would you ask me? Drop it in the comments!

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
Helping you create a home that feels beautifully put together.

08/28/2026

Behind the Scenes: My Decorating Process

People usually see the finished room—the pillows are perfectly placed, the colors work together, and everything just feels right.

But there’s quite a bit that happens before we get to the pretty part. 😊

When I work with a client, I don’t walk into their home thinking about how I can replace everything. I start by listening.

I want to know how you actually live in the space. What do you love? What drives you crazy? What pieces are important to you? And most importantly, how do you want your home to feel?

From there, my process looks something like this:

🏡 Getting to know you and your space — We talk about your style, lifestyle, budget, needs, and what isn't working.

📸 Taking a fresh look at what you already have — Sometimes the answer isn't buying something new. Moving furniture, changing the layout, or using a piece differently can completely transform a room.

🎨 Creating the direction — This is where I start bringing together colors, textures, furniture, lighting, accessories, and other details so everything feels connected.

🛍️ Filling in what's missing — If we need new pieces, I help select items that make sense for the room and your budget. I don't believe a beautiful home has to be filled with expensive things.

✨ Bringing it all together — Styling is one of my favorite parts. It's often those final details that take a room from “this looks nice” to “I love this.”

My goal isn't to create a home that looks like nobody lives there.

I want it to look like you—just pulled together beautifully.

If you have a room that isn't quite working and you can't figure out why, I'd love to help you see the possibilities.

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
Beautiful Spaces. Thoughtfully Designed. Perfectly You.

📞 813-545-9969
🌐 BatesDecorating.com

08/27/2026

5 Things Every Entryway Should Have 🏡

Your entryway is the first impression of your home, but it also needs to work for everyday life. Whether you have a large foyer or just a small space by the front door, a few thoughtful details can make it feel more finished and functional.

Here are 5 things I think every entryway should have:

A place to set things down
A console table, small cabinet, or even a narrow shelf gives you a spot for keys, mail, sunglasses, or a handbag.
A mirror
Mirrors are practical, but they also help bounce light around and can make a smaller entry feel more open.
Good lighting
A beautiful lamp, pendant, or chandelier can instantly make an entryway feel more welcoming and intentional.
Something personal
Artwork, a favorite photograph, greenery, or a meaningful decorative piece helps your home feel like your home from the moment you walk in.
A little organization
A basket, tray, hooks, or hidden storage can keep everyday clutter under control without making the space feel overly functional.

The goal isn’t to fill the entryway with décor. It’s to create a space that feels welcoming, useful, and connected to the rest of your home.

If your entryway feels unfinished or you’re not sure how to pull it together, that’s exactly the kind of space I love helping with.

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
Beautiful Spaces. Thoughtfully Designed. Perfectly You.

08/26/2026

🍂 Seasonal Decorating: You Don’t Have to Redecorate Your Whole House

One of my favorite things about seasonal decorating is how a few simple changes can completely change the feeling of a home.

As we move from summer into fall, I don't think you need to pack everything away and start over. I prefer to work with what you already have and add just enough warmth and texture to make your home feel ready for the season.

Try swapping out a few pillows, layering in a cozy throw, adding warmer colors like burgundy, olive, caramel or chocolate brown, bringing in natural branches or greenery, and using softer lighting and candles. Current fall decorating trends are leaning toward that same warmer, more collected approach rather than filling every surface with obvious seasonal décor.

And yes, I love a beautiful pumpkin—but we don't need 47 of them. 😂

I think seasonal decorating looks best when your home still looks like your home, just with a little nod to the season.

🍁 Style your entryway or console table
🍁 Change your pillows and throws
🍁 Create a simple seasonal centerpiece
🍁 Add warmth with lamps and candles
🍁 Bring natural textures into the room
🍁 Refresh your front porch or dining table
🍁 Use a few seasonal pieces you genuinely love

The best part? Many of these pieces can carry you from early fall right through Thanksgiving, so you're not constantly redecorating.

Need a little help pulling it all together?

That's something I can help with. Whether you want me to refresh one room, style what you already own, or decorate your home for the season, we can create a look that feels warm, beautiful and personal without going overboard.

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
📞 813-545-9969
📧 [email protected]
🌐 batesdecorating.com

Let's make your home feel like the season—without losing what makes it yours. ❤️

08/25/2026

Décor Trends I’m Loving… and a Few I’d Leave Behind

I love seeing what’s new in home décor, but I’ll be the first to say—just because something is trending doesn’t mean it belongs in your home.

Your home should feel like you, not like you walked into a furniture showroom or copied the latest picture on Pinterest.

Here are a few trends I’m loving right now:

❤️ Warmer colors — Creams, warm beige, taupe, soft greens and earthy tones are making homes feel comfortable and inviting again.

🌿 Natural textures — Wood, stone, linen, baskets and woven pieces add warmth without trying too hard.

🛋️ Rooms that feel collected — I love mixing old and new pieces instead of buying an entire matching furniture set. A home should look like it developed over time.

🎨 More personality and color — After years of gray and white everything, I’m happy to see color making its way back into our homes.

🖼️ Décor that actually means something — Family pieces, artwork you love, travel finds, books and things that have a story will always beat filling a room with random accessories.

And a few trends I’d probably skip…

❌ All-gray everything. Gray can still be beautiful, but an entire house of cool gray can feel cold.

❌ Too much of a theme. You can have a coastal home without a seashell in every corner. 😉

❌ Perfectly matching furniture sets. Mix it up! Your pieces should work together without looking like they all came out of the same box.

❌ Decorating every inch of the room. Sometimes the thing a room needs most is simply less stuff.

And the biggest one…

❌ Buying something just because everyone else has it.

If you love it, use it. If you don't, skip it.

That’s really my approach to decorating. Invest in the things you’ll love for years and have fun with trends through pillows, paint, throws and accessories that are easy to change later.

At the end of the day, I don't think a beautiful home is about following every decorating rule.

It’s about walking through the door and loving the way your home feels. ❤️

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
📞 813-545-9969
📧 [email protected]
🌐 batesdecorating.com

08/24/2026

A Decorating Success Story: Sometimes Small Changes Make the Biggest Difference

One of the things I love most about interior decorating is showing homeowners that creating a beautiful space doesn’t always mean starting over or buying everything new.

A room can have great furniture and beautiful pieces and still feel like something is missing. Sometimes it simply needs a fresh perspective.

By looking at the furniture placement, color balance, lighting, accessories, scale, and overall flow, you can begin to see opportunities the homeowner may have overlooked.

A few thoughtful changes can make an incredible difference:

✨ Rearranging furniture to improve the flow
✨ Editing accessories instead of adding more
✨ Bringing colors together throughout the room
✨ Improving lighting
✨ Restyling shelves and surfaces
✨ Incorporating pieces the homeowner already loves

The result?

A space that feels more open, polished, comfortable, and intentional—without unnecessarily replacing everything.

That’s a decorating success to me.

It isn't about creating a showroom. It's about helping someone walk into their home and think:

“Yes. This is exactly how I wanted my home to feel.” ❤️

Have a room that isn't quite working, but you're not sure why? Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is all it takes.

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
📞 813-545-9969
📧 [email protected]
🌐 batesdecorating.com

Beautiful spaces. Thoughtfully designed for real life.

08/22/2026

🏡 COMMON DECORATING MYTHS — BUSTED!

Think you have to follow every “design rule” to create a beautiful home? Think again.

Some of the most common decorating advice can actually keep your home from feeling personal, comfortable, and unique.

✨ MYTH #1: Everything has to match.
❌ Matching furniture sets can sometimes make a room feel flat.
✅ Mix complementary colors, textures, finishes, and styles for a more collected, designer look.

✨ MYTH #2: Small rooms should only use light colors.
❌ Dark colors don’t automatically make a room feel smaller.
✅ Rich, dramatic shades can add depth, warmth, and sophistication—even in small spaces.

✨ MYTH #3: Every wall needs something on it.
❌ More décor doesn’t always mean better design.
✅ Negative space gives your favorite pieces room to stand out.

✨ MYTH #4: You have to follow current trends.
❌ Trends come and go.
✅ Your home should reflect your personality and lifestyle, not just what’s popular this year.

✨ MYTH #5: Expensive means better.
❌ A beautiful room doesn’t require an unlimited budget.
✅ Thoughtful placement, proportion, color, lighting, and styling can completely transform affordable pieces.

✨ MYTH #6: Small furniture makes a small room look bigger.
❌ Too many undersized pieces can actually make a space feel cluttered.
✅ A few properly scaled pieces often make the room feel more intentional and spacious.

✨ MYTH #7: Every room needs to have one specific design style.
❌ You don’t have to choose between modern, traditional, French country, transitional, or another single style.
✅ Mixing styles thoughtfully can create a home that feels layered, interesting, and uniquely yours.

Great decorating isn’t about following every rule. It’s about understanding which rules work for your space—and knowing when to break them.

At Bates Interior Decorating & Design, I help homeowners create beautiful, functional spaces that feel like home—not a furniture showroom.

🏡 Ready to rethink your space? Let’s create something that’s uniquely yours.

08/21/2026

☕ HOW TO STYLE A COFFEE TABLE LIKE A PROFESSIONAL

A beautifully styled coffee table can instantly make your living room feel more polished, intentional, and pulled together. The secret isn’t adding more décor—it’s choosing the right pieces and arranging them with purpose.

✨ Use the Rule of Three
Group objects in odd numbers. Three pieces or three small groupings usually create a more natural, designer-balanced look.

📚 Create Different Heights
Stack 2–3 beautiful books and place a decorative object on top. Pair them with something taller, such as a vase, candleholder, or greenery.

🌿 Add Something Organic
Fresh flowers, greenery, a small plant, driftwood, or another natural element adds softness and life to the arrangement.

🕯️ Include Something Decorative
A candle, sculptural object, decorative bowl, beads, or unique conversation piece gives the table personality.

🤍 Use a Tray to Ground the Design
A tray visually organizes smaller pieces and makes the entire arrangement feel intentional rather than cluttered.

📐 Pay Attention to Scale
Your décor should complement the size of the table. A large coffee table needs pieces with enough visual weight, while a smaller table benefits from fewer, carefully selected items.

✨ Leave Some Empty Space
One of the biggest professional styling secrets: you don’t have to fill every inch. Negative space allows your favorite pieces to stand out—and keeps the table functional.

Designer Tip: Mix textures—glass, wood, metal, ceramic, greenery and fabric—to create depth without making the space feel busy.

A professionally styled coffee table should look beautiful and still leave room for everyday living.

Bates Interior Decorating & Design
Creating beautiful spaces that feel intentionally yours.