Oscar Bravo Home

"Thanks to Mor Furniture for Less for sponsorship and making this post available to you. All opinions are my own"

 "Mor Furniture for Less" invited me to their Miramar showroom in San Diego, California to pick my brain about my personal tips on getting a beautiful, designer look inside the homes of their customers. Not only did they ask for me to share my knowledge, the team at Mor Furniture also asked me to put my expertise into play by creating two spaces for them using any of my favorite Mor Furniture items that were available and I'm going to share it ALL with YOU! In this post, you're going to learn a few of my techniques that I use to design a room PLUS you'll see examples of those techniques through the spaces I created using my top picks from Mor Furniture! Also, I'm providing the names and links to all the furniture I used at the end of this post.

TIP #1 Doesn't matter how big or small your space is; have plenty of seating for you and your guests. 

If your space is on the smaller side, opt for a sofa with smaller tighter arms which will take up less space. Instead of a sofa and loves eat combo, opt for one sofa and replace the love seat with one or two armchairs. 

the "Waitsfield" Sofa Chaise is the perfect size to sprawl out and relax and does double duty as a pullout bed. The "Jersonlow" Swivel Chair allows you to either face the TV or your guests.

the "Leslie" side chair gives you a place to sit and put your shoes on, or maybe read a book.

Tip #2  Every seating area needs a nearby surface to sit a drink on. 

Coffee tables and side tables are a MUST! They give you a place to sit your phone or tablet on, a place to put a drink and of course a great surface to decorate. Occasional tables (smaller scaled accent tables) look great next to an accent chair and gives the person sitting on the accent chair a place to put a drink, book or smartphone on. 

the "Joville" accent table can be moved around to wherever you need it. The "Lowden" coffee table is actually on small wheels which makes it easy to move around if needed.

Tip #3 Create a style plan for your home and stick with it.

Be your own designer and create a style "map" for yourself. Create an online album or Pinterest board with a collection of inspirational images, colors, styles, furniture and home accessories that you love. Hone in on the common threads of these images and create a color scheme for your home, along with the types of styles and overall mood you want to create in your home, It's easy to be overwhelmed when you go out and shop for furniture and accessories but if you have a plan, it eliminates those impulse buys that end up looking questionable once you get it in your home. 

This color scheme was 100 percent intentional and designed by me. Notice the repetition of the wood tones and the colors green and brown. I wanted the mood of this room to be "Vintage 90's meets Natural Zen.

Tip # 4 Measure! 

If your'e thinking of buying furniture, then you MUST have an idea as to what size furniture will fit in your space. I have the measurements of every room in my home saved on my phone, along with the ideal sizes for the bigger pieces of furniture like beds, sofas, and dining tables. Also, if I'm online and I see a piece of furniture that I love, I look at the measurements of the piece of furniture and then whip out my measuring tape to see if it would fit in my home. 

Tip #5 When you're at a Furniture store, don't be afraid to ask for help and move things around.

When I'm in a furniture store, I'm not afraid to ask for help. I like to move pieces of furniture around so that I can get a good idea as to how something will look in my home and I encourage you to do the same. The customer service specialists are usually very happy to help you move items around and especially at Mor Furniture!

I'm notorious for accessorizing a space in a showroom when I'm shopping for furniture.

Tip #6 Finish your spaces with beautiful lighting.

Lamps are the jewelry to a room. Invest in lighting that is beautiful both on and off. Use warm, soft lighting that casts a cozy glow in the evenings and NEVER use cool-toned lights or "daylight" toned lights. Cool-toned light bulbs cast a creepy glow and it makes your house look like the inside of a refrigerator 🥶.

Pictured here: "Wendfield" Table Lamp in Antique Copper

Tip #7 Mix your styles but keep things cohesive with a color story.

The traditional style of this beautiful canopy bed and matching nightstands give a sense of formality to this bedroom but I wanted it to also feel young and playful so I added contemporary-style seating and lamps. Bedroom set is "Countryside" and comes in either canopy or non-canopy.

There you have it! Putting these tips into action will definitely help you achieve that designer look in your home  regardless of the size of your budget and the size of the space you're working with. That brings me to my final piece of advice when shopping for furniture: Shop from a place you can trust to have a huge selection, good quality pieces at the right prices and an amazing warranty that they stand behind. I can easily recommend Mor Furniture to you because not only have I handled a lot of their furniture pieces, I also am an owner of furniture from Mor that I have been very happy with.

Thanks friends, for reading! Make sure to save these tips in a Pinterest board for future reference 📌 Also, scroll down to the end of this post to see the list and links of all the furniture I used to create these beautiful spaces in collaboration with Mor Furniture for Less!

Bedroom:

Living Room:

Oscar