professional interior designer

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.

History Of The Gingerbread House

December 16, 2019

First, there were your children’s – or your own – simple graham cracker “gingerbread” houses made in boy scouts, girl scouts or other youth group organizations as part of the holiday craft making sessions. Then, you may have created gingerbread patterns yourself one year, baking sheets of house-shaped panels, and hosting a gingerbread house making party for your children’s friends in your own home (Click Here for a recipe, pattern and icing instructions).

The scent of gingerbread baking is certainly a seasonal favorite, and what is better than mixing up a little royal icing, purchasing your favorite candies – both holiday themed and otherwise – and using them to exquisitely adorn an edible decoration? (We say, breaking it all down again after New Year’s and gobbling it all up with your favorite cup of tea…)

For many of us, building and decorating gingerbread houses around the holidays was a first foray into the world of home design – albeit an exterior version.

Before The House, The Root

While the actual craft of artistically decorating gingerbread, and making it into houses, originated in Europe, the heart of gingerbread – the ginger root – is actually a native of Asia. That should come to no surprise for those who enjoy cooking authentic Asian recipes. At some point, most likely via trade routes, the spicy, sweet and aromatic ginger root piqued the interest of palates in other countries.

Initially, the Greeks and Egyptians bought and traded for Asian ginger root, which they baked hard and incorporated into various religious practices and rituals. These traditions continued for thousands of years until about the 11^th century when, as Steven Stellingworth’s The Gingerbread Book tells us, crusaders fond of the flavor brought ginger back with them from the Mediterranean to share them back home in Turkey; this was the beginning of the longstanding tradition of delicious gingerbread – covered with incredible, icing-based artistry.

Gingerbread Became A Favorite Of Medieval Europe Confectioners

Unlike any flavor they had yet to experience, medieval confectioners quickly began incorporating ginger into their bread and cookies. Gingerbread was quickly fashioned into all manner of shapes, most notably flowers, birds, and animals. Armor was also a popular shape, and ladies often gave their favorite knights gifts of gingerbread as a good luck charm. Gingerbread men may also have their origin in this early European life, as single women were known to eat “gingerbread husbands” as a way of helping to attract the real thing into their lives.

We know that Shakespeare was familiar with gingerbread. In his play, “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” Costard remarks, “An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread…” Gingerbread became a popular ware for street vendors in Germany, who decorated the dark, heart-shaped cookies with sugared messages and designs – almost like those associated with Valentine’s Day heart candies. Only, rather than “be mine,” or, “I’m stuck on you,” German gingerbread cookies said things like, “Du bist einfach super,” which means, “you’re really super,” or, “Alles was ich brauch bist du,” which translates to, “You are all I need.”

From this cookie-based artistry, the gingerbread house was born. In fact, it’s thought that Germans were the original gingerbread house makers, perhaps inspired by the famous Hansel & Gretel fairytale, which was set in Germany’s foreboding Black Forest. If you recall, that delectable house was built by an evil witch – entirely of candy – in an effort to entice poor, lost children into her home, where she baked them into cookies.

Today, gingerbread houses can be as sweet and original as those graham cracker versions I mentioned above, or they can be as grandiose as the ones entered into gingerbread competitions that take place around the world. Visit Newsweek’s coverage of Gingerbread House Day 2019, where you can see unbelievable gingerbread creations – and be inspired to make some of your own.

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.

9 Colors That’ll Make Any Room Feel Larger

November 25, 2019

Here in the Bay Area, people get used to living on a smaller scale. Apartments and homes can require ingenuity in order to make them feel spacious. Fortunately, there are “tricks of the design trade” that can make a smaller room appear more spacious. This is typically done with color and furnishing size.

9 Color Choices and Tips To Make a Small Room Feel More Spacious

Today, we’re going to focus on color and how the colors you select can make a room feel larger and more spacious than it actually is. Here are 9 ideas to try in your small rooms.

All white. We’ll start with this one, though it’s often the only choice people think about. White is bright and open, which is one reason why it makes a room feel larger. There is another reason though; an all white room is monochromatic, and monochromatic palettes can make a room seem bigger because they blend the edges and keep it from looking compartmentalized.
Opt cool over warm. If you are thinking about adding color, especially if it’s a darker color, opt for cool shades over warm ones. Warm tones jump out at you. So, if you have warm red, orange or yellow walls, the walls will seem “closer”. Cooler colors, like green, blue and violet will have more of a receding feeling, which opens a room up a bit.
Stiffkey Blue. Want to be a little more daring? Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue is a rich blue color that will take you far from the idea of all white or all neutral palate. Ideal for a living room or bedroom, it creates a soothing ambiance.
Appalachian Brown. This one might surprise you given the fast-held belief that small rooms should always be painted light colors. Benjamin Moore’s Appalachian Brown is a rich, dark hue but it still manages to make the room feel bigger because the color is so saturated, blending a room’s dimensions. Consider using a high-gloss finish for light play and movement, and paint moulding/trim in the same shade with a slightly different finish. Don’t paint them white or it will chop it up and make the room smaller again.
Cut in a white ceiling. If you have a particularly small room and you choose to put color on the walls, cut in a white ceiling which will help to raise it a bit and give a sense of extra space.
Horizon. Benjamin Moore’s Horizon reminds us of a beach sky when the sun is hidden by the clouds. It will work with any of your furnishings and accents. The muted gray looks almost white until you put it on the walls where the softest blue peeks out.
Select smaller furnishings. You don’t have to go miniature here, but smaller (always comfortable, though!) furnishings will be more proportioned to the room, making it feel larger. Consider a love seat and svelte arm chair rather than a sectional or oversized sofa.
Curry Yellow. We mentioned yellow as a warm color, and typically it is. However, you can also find cooler shades that will make your room appear larger while still feeling much warmer than the all-white option. Porter Paint’s Fresh Curry is a good yellow option.
Shades of Spring. This is a two-for-one tip. Look out your windows and take palette cues from there. Using a shade from the outdoors will connect your interior with the exterior, making it seem larger. Benjamin Moore’s Shades of Spring is a lovely green to consider.