Home Design Tips and Tricks

Designers and decorators have access to home furnishing and decorating resources on hand when going into your home. Some of this information is passed onto you during the planning stage and the rest in never revealed; except in the finished product. What is the finished product? A warm, relaxing or glamorous home. So, when decorating your home it's important to think like a Designer!

Practically everyone looks for design ideas in magazines and books on home furnishing and decorating. At times, you might wonder how a design was created and how or if such effects can actually be achieved in our own home. Of course our rooms don't have the same architecture, room size or budget to afford those beautiful representations we often see in magazines or books. And the photographers of the rooms have a lot to do with the ultimate appearance of the designs we see. Through specialized lighting equipment and techniques the pictures we see are quite literally "picture perfect".  Have you also ever noticed anything slightly out of place or even fresh flowers or fruit?  The fact is you'll likely never see a stray book, displaced pillow, melted down candle or a pet. That is because the professional photographer or designer wants the room to look like no one lives there!  Our take is that Interior design should reflect you and your personality not someone else's conception.

So, how does inspiration add up to a professionally decorated room? Actually it doesn't. Sure you just found a nice way to place some accessories or hang pictures, but what about furniture placement, material matching, color selection, window treatments, artwork, lighting and more?  Does this inspiration really add up to your personality or lifestyle?  Or, just something you see that looks good on paper? 

Through years of learning, knowledge and experience in interior design we've compiled these tips to make it easy to find what you need.  It's our hope that you find what you are looking for, but if not, be sure to call or ask us a question online.

GENERAL TIPS TO A HAPPIER DESIGN

1. Always purchase the best your budget can afford.  Sometimes you see an item that is within your budget, but poorly made. How long will it last before you have to replace it? Keep in mind that this is an investment and you don't want to have to replace items every year due to poor craftsmanship. 
2. Have a clear idea of what you want to do before purchasing items. What is your decorative scheme? Do you want themed rooms? Think about the kind of activities your home experiences on a daily basis. Do you entertain? Large or small groups? All this information is critical for knowing how you will eventually decorate your home.  
3. Allocate a design budget and stick to it as much as possible. Budgets are a great way to avoid overspending, but they can go over if you don't plan ahead. 
4. Remodeling budgets can run over due to electrical or structural problems which are not revealed until demolition. So keep a reserve budget for such situations. How many times have you heard from someone who is having remodeling done on their home and say, "Holy cow, this is costing more than expected!" Sure, it does happen because homeowners budget only the amount the contractor has indicated. Well, the contractor can't see behind walls or floors. Expect the unexpected and you will be prepared.
5. Trace or sketch your floor plans for a better understanding of the room. Designer's always plan a room with sketches and drawings. A floor plan will also help avoid constantly moving furniture around the room to find the best position. Graph paper can be purchased at any art/craft store.                               
6. Create a color board with the furniture your contemplating and fabric samples and color swatches and place them onto a piece of oak tag. Now you have a complete view of your design plan. This is where you eliminate or add items. You will also be better able to see how everything matches and which items work better than others.        
7. Shop salvage yards or flea markets Antique and older pieces are made better and have lasted all these years. You can have a piece re-upholstered in your favorite fabric with the money you saved buying used.   
8. Purchase items during sales whenever possible; make deals to finalize the sale. Salespeople like to sell. They also like to make deals to close the sale. See if the store you are in has more than one piece or accessory that you want and make a deal with the salesperson. Often they will work with you. Sometimes they will forego the delivery charge or give a volume discount. Remember, all they can say is no. There are a lot of furniture stores; so if someone won't make a deal; someone else will. Also, buy when there are sales to get a better than retail price or buy display pieces for an even bigger discount.
9. Mix different materials. Consider the touch of leather and the feel of satin. It also gives the eye visual variety and is widely used by designers.  
10. Take a chance when decorating. Sure, there are lots of magazines with nicely decorated rooms, but is it really your taste and personality?     
11. Don't let anyone talk you into a color, fabric or pattern that you're not totally in love with. Don't be swayed by magazines, books salespeople or even designers. Carefully consider what you really like before purchasing any items. 
12. Stay away from trends. Decorating after a trend has passed can be costly. If you like trendy pieces you can intermix them with most design styles.        
13. Get ideas and inspiration from websites and magazines and keep them in a binder. You can also place fabric and color samples in it. When you go shopping take it with you to make it easier to match colors and materials or find pieces of furniture or accessories.        
14. Good design is in the details when planning a room. Moldings, cabinet handles, light and outlet switches, etc; can bring elements together and form a more cohesive appearance.                           
15. Explore all the decorating possibilities decisions. You don't want to walk into a store and find something you really like because you never went into that particular store. Explore everywhere before purchasing anything. 
16. Large, open plan rooms are hard to separate into small sections. Area rugs can do a great job of delineating areas in the same room. But, since they are in the same room they need a common color to link them together. 
17. His and her design ideas can bring harmony. It's hard when two people living together want to have completely different ideas implemented. So, you have to compromise. If he likes antiques and she likes modern . . . mix them together. It's called eclectic. Compromise is the middle ground where two different ideas become one. 
18. Take your time when making decorating decisions. The results will be better than if you rushed to get it finished. Rome wasn't built in a day. And those TV shows take a lot longer than an hour to complete those 'fast' rooms.

Let us know what tips you might like to see by calling (813) 968-1414 or emailing us with your suggestions.