Having your measurements on hand is definitely in the top 10 of the most important home styling tips. There will always be an occasion that you hadn’t thought of where you need to know a measurement… it’s going to happen, if it hasn’t already happened, you can bank on it.

Let’s look at some examples just in case you can’t possibly think of one time this might happen to you:

• You duck into Target to buy a top and as you wander through the home section you see a fabulous tablecloth that will go exactly with your decor and you just can’t pass it up – but what size do you need, how big is your table?
• Or perhaps you are in Bunnings looking at storage baskets and remember you need larger pots to repot the quick growing Elephant ears plants you recently bought – but what size are they now, and how big should you actually buy?
• Say you’re in Adairs buying a gift for your girlfriends’ children and you see a gorgeous painting that would be ideal for your empty entry wall – but what size should it be, and what size picture is the right size for your wall?
• And of course you could simply be in one of your favourite local shops looking at decor and you see a side table that would work perfectly in that corner nook at home – but what size table will work, and what is the right size for that nook?

As you can see these are just a few times you need to have your measurements on hand, but clearly when you’re out and about discovering all sorts of treasures you need to be prepared. Otherwise your excitement will quickly turn to dilemma because if you leave the store without the item, it may be gone by the time you can return or the sale may be over or you may not be visiting that shop again anytime soon as it’s a journey to travel to.

This bedroom picture shows there must be giants living in the house… the bed side table lamps are enormous which accentuates the bedhead, which probably would look proportioned if not for the extra large table lamps.

Of course you have choices if you don’t have the measurements:

1:  Risk buying the wrong sized item – which you will only discover when you arrive home to see it in place. And when it is the wrong size, you will have to return it to the store and get a refund or change sizes

2: Waste precious time travelling home to get the necessary measurements – this means making a second trip back to the shop when you do have the measurements and hoping the store still has it available when you revisit.

Either way, both options fill many people with doubt about the item as it suddenly becomes a hassle which is a whole lot of bother you really don’t need in your life.

Home Styling Tip

There are actually two parts to this important tip which are as follows:

A) Measure every room and everything in them that you may need a measurement for: window frames, doors, room lengths, widths, heights, tables, chairs, bookcases, benches, cupboard height and widths for storage boxes, etc

– Keep the measurements in your notes on your phone in a good file system you understand – doors & windows, tables & chairs, cupboards, bookcases, etc

– Focus on one or two items to measure at a time to get you started and add to these over a month

And

B) If you don’t already own a good tape measure, run to the store and buy one right now! Buy a good quality, wide, metal tape measure that won’t bend in half or twist when you measure over 2 meters.

– Make sure it has a solid locking mechanism so you can let it sit flat while you write your measurements down.  Additionally it should have a clip you can slip onto your pants or skirt belt and don’t be put off by how heavy you think it feels, that’s the trade-off for a good quality tape measure.

– Then don’t leave home without it, there are a lot of items in shops that do not have the measurements on their packaging so you will be glad you have your own tape.

– And finally put your name on it so you can prove it’s yours in any store. Plus you can prove to your partner it’s actually yours while they look for their misplaced one!

This home styling tip is about always being prepared everywhere you travel. It will take the guess work away from securing those amazing finds you happen upon in stores and make updating and styling your home easy.  Because let’s face it, creating your dream home should be a fun and happy experience and now it can be a whole lot easier.