interior designer

Expert Interior Design Secrets to Styling Shelves

September 14, 2020

Styling shelves is a great way to give your unique items the attention they deserve. Framed photos, books, and decorative pieces that you might otherwise keep stored away find a place at the forefront of the room, where they catch the eye.

Decorating marries style with substance. You can take something that seems purely practical and make it a stylish part of your room’s design. Shelving makes it easy to create a striking atmosphere in a room.

However, shoving everything you own onto some shelves doesn’t always work. You have think about what you want to see when you look at your shelves—and the answer isn’t a wall full of junk. Follow these simple rules to create stunning shelves.

Clear Everything Out

Shelving units are the perfect way to show off your favorite items, but you still have limited space. Choose carefully what you want on display. That doesn’t mean you need to throw everything else out, but tidying the space goes a long way.

After spending so much time curating your shelving, you don’t want to ruin the effect with unnecessary clutter.

Start with Empty Space

Before you start filling your shelves, look ahead and imagine how it might look when you’ve finished.

There will almost always be some empty space exposing the back of the shelves. Consider painting this space or filling it with a fabric or wallpaper. These finishing touches can add new layers of depth and contrast to the shelving unit.

Choosing Books

Start with the books when you’re styling shelves. If you’re a collector, try grouping them by color. If you have a limited book selection, add bits of color throughout the shelf. Using colors sparingly will make the books you have stand out.

You can stack the books or line them up on the shelf, but never have less than three together or they’ll look sparse. At the other end of the spectrum, avoid putting more than twelve or fifteen books together, or you risk making your shelves look too crowded.

Don’t be ashamed of buying a book for looks alone. Sometimes beautiful book covers can really make your shelving unit pop, and that’s what you want.

Add Sculptures and Vignettes

Sculptures and vignettes can add a lot of character to shelving units, but only if you use them correctly. While pairing smaller sculptures with books will draw the eye, larger sculptures should stand on their own. Putting large pieces in with books or other items can make the space look cramped.

It’s easy to fine unique bits and pieces to add to your shelves. They add personality to your shelves and function as conversation pieces when you have guests.

Balance is key when you’re choosing what to put on a new shelving unit. It’s tempting to fill them with everything you own, but attractive shelves take some thought. Make sure that everything on them has a purpose. By styling shelves with carefully selected items, your room can become its own piece of art.

Stay at Home Interior Design During the Pandemic

August 30, 2020

Just because you’re stuck inside, it doesn’t mean that you can’t spruce up your home. While the coronavirus keeps us all indoors, you can use the time to do some stay at home interior design.

Whether you live in a mansion or a small apartment, here are a few ideas that can help to brighten your home. Best of all, you won’t need to buy anything new.

Rearrange Your Space

Moving your furniture around can give you a whole new space. Many people never rearrange the layout of a room unless they purchase a new couch or dining table. Stay at home interior design can get you comfortable with discovering different—and better—ways to lay out your furniture.

That bookshelf that’s been in the corner since you moved in might look better on the opposite wall. When you’ve moved that, you might find that it covers up a rug that you could lay out as a focal point for the room.

Try to let yourself have fun experimenting. Look at your living room and see what furniture you can move and where. Just make sure you have help moving heavier pieces.

Transforming Your Rooms

Many people who did not previously have the opportunity are now working from home. Rearranging your home can improve productivity by giving you a designated workspace. You may be tempted to lie in bed with your laptop, but you should take this as an opportunity to do some stay at home interior design that maximizes the use of your space.

Look at the available space in each room and consider where you can get the most work done. Try setting up your desk or workspace in different rooms to find out where you feel most inspired and productive.

Plants release oxygen through photosynthesis. Putting any houseplants you have near your workspace can give your brain a boost with that extra oxygen and improve your concentration.

Don’t Forget Spring Cleaning

Summer might be just around the corner. What better way to prepare that with some spring cleaning? Some people cringe at the idea of decluttering, but working in a clean space can help your productivity and make you more comfortable.

Nothing distracts you more than a desk full of knick-knacks. How many times have you caught yourself tapping the bobblehead in front of your computer, or sorting through the cup full of pens beside you?

Studies show that your brain tries to focus on everything around it. The less it has to focus on outside of your current task, the more you will get done.

Start by throwing away anything you don’t need. Removing items you don’t use is not only a great way to declutter your house and help you focus, but it also increases your general sense of well-being.

Stay at home interior design doesn’t have to break the bank. By moving around things you already own, having a bit of a tidy, and repurposing some rooms, your home will feel like new.

Choosing the Right Appliances for Your Kitchen

August 17, 2020

Kitchen appliances can make or break a kitchen remodel. There are so many styles, features, and technology options available it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Then, there are always budgetary concerns—picking the right appliances would be easy if money were no object. Even so, it is possible to design the perfect kitchen with a little forethought and your priorities firm in mind.

choosing the right appliances for your kitchen

Here are some things to consider when choosing kitchen appliances to ensure you fall in love with the heart of your home.

Ovens & Cooktops

A high-performing, quality oven is crucial. Because ovens can have many features, it is best to focus on those you’ll actually use and the food you want to cook. A good oven will have a fan to cook food faster and more evenly. You’ll also want an oven with bake, roast, and broil features for all your baking needs.

Picking a suitable cooktop is important for both the practical purposes of remodeling your kitchen as well as aesthetic purposes. Just like your oven, you need a cooktop that gets the job done, but it certainly doesn’t hurt if it looks good, too. Try to pick a cooktop that takes up appropriate space and fits your overall color scheme.

Most cooktops have four burners, which is pretty standard for home cooking. However, if you like to entertain guests and large crowds, you may want to pick a cooktop with more burners. Then, you have to consider how easy it is to maintain. Whether you’re a clean-as-you-cook or cook-at-the-end type, you’ll most likely want clean-up to be easy.

Refrigerators

There are three fridge installation types:

Built-in
Freestanding
Fully integrated

These three options all come in a range of sizes and styles to suit your needs. You will also want to consider performance and configuration. Performance-wise, you need to choose between a single-compressor or a double-compressor unit. A single-compressor unit works twice as hard to maintain both the fridge and freezer. While double-compressor refrigerators cost more, they allow you to keep food fresher for longer.

One of the most popular refrigerator configurations is the French-door style with a side-by-side fridge and freezer. Make sure you don’t go too small when you’re choosing kitchen appliances. When you buy your fridge, you want to have enough room for your typical food storage. For two people, consider a fridge size of 12 cubic feet.

Sinks & Dishwashers

Your sink tends to be the focal point of your kitchen. Some popular sink configurations include:

Single, rectangular basin
50/50 double-bowl
60/40 double-bowl
Three-bowl

Once you know your ideal configuration, the next step is to compare materials. The material you choose affects whether your sink is resistant to scratches and stains, how you’ll clean the sink, and your kitchen’s overall look.

As for your dishwasher, you want to choose something that is efficient and fits into your kitchen seamlessly. If you use a dishwasher often, choose one that has deep-cleaning features and a variety of options. Running volume is one of the most important factors. Find a dishwasher with a low decibel rating so it won’t keep you and your family up all night.

General Tips for Choosing Kitchen Appliances

No matter what appliance you’re shopping for, there are a few general tried-and-tested tips that can help:

Don’t be afraid to mix-and-match. You don’t have to buy all your appliances from the same collection or brand.
Tailor your budget allocation to your lifestyle. It doesn’t make sense to spend a big chunk of your budget on a double oven, for example, if you rarely bake. Forget what a traditional kitchen “should” have and get what you’ll use.
Time your remodel. Many appliance retailers hold annual sales around the same time every year, such as Memorial Day or Black Friday. Time your remodel to line up with these sales to save more. Buying your appliances as a package from a single retailer also often comes with a discount.
Know your space. As appliances of all types come in standard sizes, measure your space, and note any size restrictions. It can help to draft your kitchen on graph paper. Also, note any ventilation or power requirements and where they are in your kitchen.
Stay neutral. That bright blue retro fridge may look amazing right now, but will you still love it in 10 years? With big-ticket items like appliances keep to neutral colors—silver, black, or white—so that if you choose to redecorate in the future, you’re not choosing kitchen appliances all over again. Paint colors and cabinet handles are much easier to change!

Your Interior Design Budget: Planning for Expenses

July 20, 2020

If you’re planning a new project, it’s easy to get caught up in mood boards and Pinterest ideas and forget one crucial detail—the cost. Creating an interior design budget might not be the most exciting step in making your house a home, but it is one of the most important.

Even a few extra dollars here and there can add up to an unexpectedly costly project. How do you set an interior design budget, then?

Step One: Establish Your Interior Design Budget

Determine what your actual budget is and be specific. Avoid rough ranges like “a few hundred dollars,” and opt for a hard figure to set as the maximum budget for your project instead. You can spend less than this amount but not more.

Your interior design budget also needs to be realistic—be brutally honest with yourself and set a figure you can afford comfortably. Keep in mind that you don’t have to design your home’s entire interior in one go. You can take it room by room to make the best of your budget. Start with the areas you use the most or that bother you the most.

Step Two: Budget Your Goals

Once you know exactly how much you have for your project, make a list of your goals. Ideally, you should have two lists: “needs” and “wants.”

The need list should include things the space has to have. For example, if you are remodeling your kitchen and your sink needs replaced, that’s a need. Come up with estimates for your list of must-haves to create mini-budgets, and don’t forget labor costs! It can help to price-check actual items at this stage to avoid sticker shock. Many people underestimate how much simple household items cost.

After your needs list is complete, take your estimate for those improvements, add another 10 to 15% as a cushion, and subtract those costs from your total budget. Whatever is left is for your “want” list.

Step 3: Make a Plan and Stick to It

Armed with a firm budget and a list of what you want to achieve, the next step is to plan your project. Set a timeline for each improvement on your list and what you’ll need at each stage.

It’s also helpful to draft your design at this point. That way, you can visualize what needs to be done and when throughout the process. For instance, you don’t want to bring in new furniture before you paint.

If you’re undertaking a major overhaul and haven’t done much interior design in the past, it can pay to work with a design professional. An interior designer can offer insight and ideas that are incredibly helpful when it comes to taking your ideas from dream to reality. Plus, they often have insider knowledge to reduce your budget without impacting the quality of your results—you might even be able to score more items off your wants list!

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.