How Decor Obsessed got started
Decor Obsessed began as a stack of notes, swatches and price screenshots collected across the apartments, share-houses and first homes the editor moved through over twelve years. Most decor sites fall into one of two buckets: glossy magazine spreads of houses none of us can afford, or endless listicles that quietly funnel you toward whatever pays the best commission. We wanted somewhere in between — a place that says, "here's the room, here's the cost, here's what we'd do differently." That's the whole brief.
What you'll read here
Decor advice grouped by the ten kinds of spaces readers ask about most:
- Living rooms — sofa picks, layered lamp setups, rugs that work with kids and pets, and floor plans that make tight rooms breathe.
- Bedrooms — sheets worth the money, sub-$300 headboards, and paint pairings that warm up a cold bedroom in winter.
- Kitchens & dining — low-effort upgrades, narrow eat-in nooks, and unfussy tablescapes for weeknights and weekends.
- Bathrooms — peel-and-stick wins, mirror swaps, hardware refreshes, and the small details that lift a rental bath.
- Outdoor & patio — balcony lounges, weather-proof string lights, and container gardens that don't need a green thumb.
- Seasonal — autumn mantels, cosy winter layering, spring resets and summer touches you can put away in a single box.
- Small spaces — studios, dorms, attic flats and any home with the rule "no drilling into the wall."
- DIY & budget — projects under $50, thrift-and-paint hacks, and weekend builds that don't need a workshop.
- Plants & biophilic design — pet-safe picks, hard-to-kill greenery, and where to put what so it actually survives.
- Wall art — Command-strip gallery walls, frames that disappear into the wall, and prints that age well.
How we keep things honest
A handful of rules we hold ourselves to:
- Real rooms, not staged sets. Hero photos are shot in homes we live in or visit. When we use a styled scene we label it; when we use stock, we credit it.
- Affiliate links are disclosed up-front. Some posts include affiliate links; clicking one and buying something earns us a small commission at no cost to you. Commission rates never decide what we recommend. Full disclosure here.
- No invented ratings. If you see a star rating on this site, it reflects verified feedback from real readers. We'd rather show no ratings than fake ones.
- Old posts get re-tested. Products discontinue, prices shift, opinions evolve. We revisit older posts on a rolling schedule and stamp them with a fresh "last reviewed" date when we do.
- Credit where credit's due. If a designer, blog, book or video shaped a post, you'll find the link in the references at the bottom. Citing sources is the baseline, not a bonus.
Who's behind the site
Decor Obsessed is run by a tiny team: one lead writer who handles the bulk of the posts, and a freelance photographer who steps in for the hero shots that need more than a phone camera. As more contributors join, they'll appear with named bylines and proper bio pages — never anonymous filler.
How the site keeps the lights on
Three revenue streams, in order of size:
- Affiliate commissions — when readers buy a recommended product through our links, retailers pay us a small share. This is the biggest slice of revenue.
- Display ads — once we're approved, Google AdSense will appear on post pages in restrained placements. Ads will never run on About, Contact, Privacy, Terms, or Disclosure pages.
- Newsletter — a fortnightly digest. If we ever run a sponsored slot inside it, the slot will be clearly labelled "Sponsored." Today there are no sponsors at all.
Reach out
Press requests, brand partnerships, corrections, reader questions, or "you're wrong about velvet sofas" — all welcome. Drop a note via the contact form and you'll get a reply within two business days.