Interior Design

Interior Design Dilemmas Solved: 5 Simple Tips for a Stylish Home

June 22, 2020

interior design dilemmas swatch color samples

Everyone wants a beautiful home, but getting a picture-perfect, Pinterest-worthy house is harder than one might think. Our own homes pose interior design dilemmas that can be challenging.

The good news is even the trickiest interior design problems have solutions. Here are a few of the most common interior design dilemmas and how to solve them.

Finding Your Style

Is your decorating style Farmhouse, Coastal, or Modern? Many people get frustrated because they like so many style elements that they don’t know their true style.

Instead of worrying about labels, find your own unique style. Find furnishings you love, regardless of their style. Then incorporate a few favorite family treasures.

Focus on how your family lives in your home. Soon, your style will begin to shine through.

Tiny Room, Big Style

Small rooms create big headaches for many people. Whether it’s a powder room, a tiny bedroom, or a small sitting room, these spaces pose special challenges when it comes to decor.

First, embrace color—the bolder, the better. Paint your tiny room all one color for dramatic effect, and it will actually seem to bigger.

You can also apply mirrored tiles to one wall. The reflection will give the impression the space is twice as big.

Disguise Poor Views

Not every view is glorious. Fortunately, a less-than-stellar view is easy to fix—consider floor-to-ceiling draperies. Drapes are a great way to add color and texture and even some extra drama. Go with a sheer version if you need extra light in your living space.

If your problem is outdoors in a patio area, consider growing a wall of vegetation such as a row of bushes or shrubs. Even climbing vines can be trained to grow against a trellis. This option can provide a naturally stunning solution to a problematic view.

Create Rooms in an Open Floor Plan

Open floor plans create a light, airy feeling, but they can also be impractical. Sometimes you need to create a little more privacy for sleeping or study areas.

Freestanding bookcases can solve the problem. They create a visual barrier, similar to walls. Bookcases come in a variety of heights, so you can find one that gives the right amount of privacy. As a bonus, bookcases provide extra storage space.

Another option is folding screens, which can be put in place and removed as needed. Likewise, a curtain hung from the ceiling provides quick and easy privacy.

Boring Windows

Window treatments are a primary interior design dilemma. Many people aren’t sure what to do about their windows, so they stick with neutral blinds.

Consider replacing vertical blinds with draperies for an updated look. You can call attention to a seating area or other focal point with carefully placed draperies.

Roman shades and valances can also create a polished look for windows, especially when crafted in a print fabric.

Starting an Interior Design Project the Right Way

June 1, 2020

Starting an interior design project can be incredibly daunting. If you’ve never done any significant redecorating before, you may not know where to start. Plus, with interior design, there’s often a fine line between nailing it and failing it.

Here’s how to avoid a décor disaster and make sure that you come in on budget.

What to ask before you start an interior design project

Before starting, make sure you are absolutely clear on the following questions.

Will you hire professionals or DIY everything?
Who will use the space, and how will they use it?
What are the problems and opportunities of the space as it is now?
What is your budget?
When do you want to complete the project?
What are the risks that might stop you from completing the project on time or within your budget?
Have you allocated extra money for unforeseen expenses?
What resources (including people) will you need for the project?

Create a mood board

Now you can move on to the fun part of starting an interior design project. Mood boards help you to visualize how your ideas will come together.

A popular way to create a mood board is by using an online app such as Pinterest or Canva. You can also make one by pasting images on canvas or stiff cardboard. Many designers like to pin items to corkboard so they can move things around.

Your mood board can include magazine images, paint swatches, and textures like fabric or carpet.

The best thing about using a mood board is that it costs very little. It should actually save you money by helping you make smart design choices.

Decide if you will hire an interior designer

An interior designer can help you with the following tasks.

Choosing color schemes and layouts
Visualizing the end result
Sourcing materials and furniture (often at a discounted rate)
Communicating with tradespeople
Scheduling the activities needed to complete the project
Lighting design

If you decide to hire a designer, your next job is to choose one. Ask people whose homes you admire for references or stalk local style gurus on Instagram.

A good designer will ask similar questions to the ones we covered earlier. You also need to love their previous work and feel comfortable talking to them.

Avoid common interior design mistakes

Starting an interior design project without a professional shouldn’t mean flying blind. Some common pitfalls that DIY designers often make include:

Choosing rugs that are too small for the designated space
Installing lighting that is too dim or too bright or only having one source of light
Hanging artwork at the wrong height
Going overboard on a theme
Not defining a clear focal point in a room

Fundamental advice to help you nail your interior design

Lastly, we’ll cover the two most important things you need to know.
First, cut the clutter! Most of us have far too many things. Getting rid of items you don’t need or love will make the single biggest impact on your home. It will also make it far easier to redecorate.

Second, have fun—even if redecorating seems like a huge challenge. Starting an interior design project in the right frame of mind will make everything easier.

4 Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid in 2020

May 19, 2020

Interior design mistakes aren’t just an eye-sore—they’re expensive. From the color scheme to the furniture in a room, there’s a lot to consider, and that means there’s plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong.

We’ve seen our share of home designs, and it turns out that some interior design mistakes are more common than others. Here are the four of the most common interior design mistakes so that you can avoid them.

1. Not Making It Personal

One of the most common interior design mistakes people make is not making it personal. When it comes to designing a room, you’ll want to ensure it’s personal to you.

Many homeowners read magazines or other blogs to come up with ideas for decorating. They’ll read about how turquoise is a ‘must-have addition’ to every room. Then they’ll plan out how they’re going to incorporate that color scheme and make it work in their home.

The problem is that everyone has different tastes, and as astonishing as a John Barman design scheme may be, it might not be the look that suits your home or your style.

Ask yourself what kind of person you are. Are you a more vibrant individual? Then warm colors might be what you’re after. Do you prefer solitude and serenity? Stick with home additions that’ll ensure your peace of mind. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s tailored to your needs.

2. Not Having a Focal Point

When you walk into a room, what’s the first thing you see? Not having a focal point is another common interior design mistake.

A focal point acts as the center of a room and attracts attention. Having one allows you to immediately establish the feel and theme of the room. It also helps you to choose pieces that will complement the focal point.

When you walk into a room, your eyes should immediately focus on that object or spot. Large furniture pieces or windows make good focal points. Make the focus of the room centered on the focal point, and you’ll be amazed at how much better it looks.

3. Trying to Match Everything

Another common interior design mistake is trying to make everything match. In reality, sometimes, you need a piece to stand out to complete the look of the room.

When it comes to interior design, there’ll always be that one piece that doesn’t match everything else. That potted plant in the corner might clash with the feel of the room, and you’ll be inclined to either remove it or make it fit in with everything else.

Instead of making everything match, sometimes all you need is a little bit of conflict. If there’s a piece that just doesn’t fit, why not use it as a focal point? Utilize it to complement the room and make it feel balanced.

4. Not Paying Attention to Traffic Flow

No matter how good a room looks, if you can’t walk into it, you can’t enjoy it. The fourth common interior design mistake people make is not paying attention to traffic flow.

You know you have a well-designed room when it doesn’t just look comfortable—it feels comfortable. If common entrances and walkways are being obstructed, chances are it will affect how the room feels.

You’ll constantly feel like something’s bugging you, and it might be because of that tabletop that’s jutting out. Make sure nothing obstructs common walkways so you can enjoy the beauty of your home and avoid stubbed toes!

Design A Small Kitchen With Big Style

December 7, 2019

Nobody wants to work in or socialize in a cramped, boxed-in small kitchen so we use efficient layouts, lighting, luminescent materials and other design tricks to optimize the small space at hand.

Transform Your Small Kitchen Into an Efficient and Airy Delight

In this post, I’ll take you through some kitchen-specific tips for making a small space feel bigger so you can make the most of it.

Let’s look at the footprint – what’s making the kitchen small?

First stop along the remodeling trail, we’re going to explore what’s making your kitchen feel small. Is it the home’s footprint or original design? Galley kitchens were definitely ‘a thing’ in the 70s and 80s and that can take a perfectly good footprint and make it choppy. A poorly proportioned or designed kitchen island might be cramping your style, as will appliances that were installed in ridiculous locations or proximity.

Is there anywhere we can knock out or shorten a wall to expand the view? While you may not be able to create a completely open floor plan, we may have the chance to open it up quite a bit to the same effect.

Do you have a formal dining room? If so, do you actually use it more than a handful of times per year? Eliminating or re-thinking the formal dining room space might be just the thing for taking a small kitchen and making it more expansive.

Now it’s time to play with light

Daylighting – and smartly designed lighting for after hours – is one of the best ways to brighten up a space and make it feel bigger than it actually is. We’ll do our best to add windows, expand windows or add skylights and solar tubes. Often, with smarter cabinet design and interior storage solutions, you can eliminate a bank of cabinets on exterior walls and add a much-needed window.

If daylighting options aren’t available, we’ll get rid of any outdated, boxy ceiling lights and replace them with recessed cans on dimmers and barely-there but decorative pendants so you benefit from both task and ambient lighting options.

Time to consider the kitchen layout

Believe it or not, your small kitchen is not the enemy of functionality. Even the smallest kitchens will be completely functional when the layout matches the way occupants use them. When we meet, I’ll want to talk about how you use your kitchen on a daily basis. Who cooks there? How do they cook? Which appliances do you use most? Do you have kitchen helpers or is cooking a relatively solo affair? What drives you crazy about your current kitchen?

The answers to these and other questions will show us whether the existing layout actually suits the way the kitchen is used. If not, we’ll redesign it to accommodate you in a more personalized way. We’ll also take a look at your current kitchen organization. Cabinets customized for your storage needs will condense the amount of storage space you need, and this frees up wall and air space so the kitchen looks larger.

Time to discuss color and materials

Contrary to what you’ve heard, it’s entirely possible to design a small kitchen using darker finishes if you’re so inclined. So this isn’t a lecture on how small kitchens require light colors and finishes. However, it is a lecture about balance.

In order to make your kitchen feel more spacious and open, you’ll need to balance darker and lighter finishes and try to select lighter finishes that are luminous. For example, darker cabinets will be balanced by lighter quartz or granite countertops and glass or reflective backsplash tiles. Standard cabinet boxes should be balanced by some open shelving to free up the visual space.

Organizing And Decorating Your Home Office

December 7, 2019

The home office can easily become the home dumping grounds if you’re not careful. Piles of this and boxes of that get scattered hither and yon, and before you know it you’re typing amidst chaos with nary a space to set a cup of coffee.

Believe me when I say you’ll be much more productive, and will enjoy a lower-stress atmosphere, when you decorate and organize your office in style.

7 Tips for Decorating and Organizing Your Home Office

Keep your home office stylish and organized with some of these simple tips.

Choose the right location. If you have the luxury of a extra office room, lucky you. Most homes, however, incorporate their offices into existing living spaces. Try to find a space that is somewhat our of the way, perhaps under a stairway or in an unused corner in a family or living room space. Many clients are opting to add a home office as part of their kitchen remodel, building it in to the end of a wall or as part of a kitchen peninsula or message center.
Focus on ergonomics. The more you use your home office, the more you will want to focus on ergonomics. Make sure that your desktop and workspace are at a height, angle and position that is healthy for your body. Research is showing more and more how unhealthy the seated-and-working lifestyle is for the human body. Check out OSHA’s eTool regarding Computer Work Stations and then set up your work space accordingly.
Think about color. If you’re home office is situated in another living space, your color combinations may have already been decided for you. In cases where you can repaint and decorate, think carefully about the energy you like to have around you while working before moving forward with color combinations you like. Different colors have different effects on human psyche. If you prefer to work in a more calm and soothing environment, choose blues, greens, whites or more neutral color combinations. If you want a home office environment that has a pick-me-up vibe all on its own, opt for brighter colors like reds, oranges and yellows.
Prioritize organization. As I mentioned above, the home office space – like any office space – can get cluttered pretty quickly. Is your office also going to be the place where the family’s art supply will be stored? Will others be accessing its drawers and cubbies? Think about how the space will be used and what will be stored there. You may find you’ll benefit from custom shelving and storage that will accommodate your needs. Add a few open shelves or cubbies so you have a place to add a few (a few – not a cluttered collection!) sentimental mementos and/or photos.
Define the space. Again, if your office space is located in part of the main house, you’ll want to define the space a bit more. Ideas for doing this include using area rugs to anchor your office furniture or adding an accent wall with a cool wallpaper print that is slightly larger than the outline of your desk and/or shelving or book cases.
Give yourself a little sunshine. If at all possible, make sure your home office space has access to natural light. It’s the best light source for reading, writing and computer work. Don’t have a window or skylight nearby? Consider adding an affordable solar tube. Otherwise, upgrade your lighting plan to prevent tired eyes or a dim and gloomy workspace.