Home School, in association with Ulster Bank, is a six-part series that guides you through the process of buying a house for the first time. Let's be honest; getting on the property ladder can be daunting. Home School, presented by first-time buyer and entertainment.ie's Brian Lloyd, will demystify the home buying process and help first-time buyers not feel so overwhelmed with the process. 

Throughout this docuseries, we've been looking at the legal aspects of buying a home, looking at old versus new properties, the mortgage approval process, and what to look for in buying a home. These are all very important, but one aspect that's often overlooked for first-time buyers is actually decorating the home.

After all, so much of your time is spent actually working through everything, and decorating a home can be further down the list of priorities. I'll admit, it's something I've never really considered in all of this, but as Elaine Verdon of interior design firm Leo + Cici explained to me, it's not something you necessarily need to worry about in the first year.

Elaine and I went to work on one of her clients' homes, who was a first-time buyer. What struck me initially was that decorating is as much about finding your own taste as it is about working with the space itself. We visited some design shops, like April and the Bear in Rathmines and Pieces.ie on George's Street, to get an idea of what to look for in decorating.

As Elaine taught me, it's about taking inspiration from whatever you're passionate about, and then using that to inspire you when it comes to decorating. So, say if you're into movies (like I am, obviously), then use that as a launching point for what to decorate your home with. As well as that, another point that Elaine pointed out to me was how second-hand furniture is a great way of decorating. It's affordable, it's sustainable, and, not only that, you can find some really interesting pieces that you won't find anywhere else.

When you're ready to join the market, you'll need to talk to someone about a mortgage - and that's where Ulster Bank can help. Request a call back to discuss the right mortgage for you at ulsterbank.ie.

Ulster Bank Ireland DAC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.