When it comes to home décor, no doubt most of us have felt the desire to update from time to time. But for those of us who aren’t interior designers, even simple adjustments can sometimes seem daunting.

“Pulling a room together and transforming the features to make it functional and stylish yet homey is not often an easy task,” notes Ideal Home.

To help readers make the best design choices, the magazine offers the following suggestions:

Make a mood board:

Study magazines, Instagram, Pinterest and other design-oriented sites and collect pictures of looks you like. Then pin them to a large foam board, along with samples of fabrics, wallpaper, furniture and other elements you love. “Creating a mood board is a great way to use your creativity to unleash any hidden design inspiration you may have subconsciously seen,” notes designer Vanessa Arbuthnott in Ideal Home. And pinning them on the board will help you see how they might look together in a room.

Concentrate on color:

Think about two colors you would like to see in your wallpaper, furniture, blinds and curtains. Then choose a third color to use for accents, such as pillows, lampshades, quilts or art. Three colors are always better than two, notes Arbuthnott.

Preview paint or wallpaper on the wall:

Colors can change drastically in different lights. To avoid nasty surprises, paint samples of the color on the lightest and darkest walls in the room. This will show you how the light affects your chosen color. If you are using wallpaper, tape samples to the wall.

Consider scale:

Look for a balance of large and small pieces of furniture in your room, along with one “statement piece” that provides a focal point, notes Arbuthnott.

Order fabric samples:

Once you have determined the look you’re after, order returnable samples of fabric. This will allow you to drape fabric over beds or chairs and pin it to your curtains and blinds. “The test will see if you’re still happy with them after a few days,” notes Ideal Home.