ABC’s of Fine Design

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I have gotten a few emails recently about how to arrange furniture in your home. I put up a great post about this back in February that you should check out titled How To Arrange Your Furniture, fitting title huh?

This is something that many people just cant seem to do well. It’s not that they have a bad room to do it in, it’s just that many people insist on putting furniture against the wall and not out in the floor. Why is putting your furniture out in the middle of the floor a good thing? Well you can create groups of furniture that way. If you entertain alot, this is great. You guest can have their own little groups instead of trying to compete with a big group.

It’s also helpful if you have children, you can set up an area for them in the same room, but it won’t be in the walk way for the rest of the room.

So take a look at that post get some ideas, and rearrange your room with furniture out where it can be seen, not just blended into a wall.

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Everyone has one question that the have to ask when talking to a designer, where do you get your ideas from. Well I have talked to a few designers and of course being a student myself I have a great answer for that question. Travel.

Even if you are just driving to work, take a look around you. Why do you live where you live? What draws you to it? Are you just there because it’s close to work or is there something about the city you live in that you love. Everyday find one thing you like about your city and transfer that into your interior design. Do the buildings have a color or style you like? Add that style to your home. Remember good interior design also includes good exterior design.

Travel around your area and stop in a small independent shops. Find handmade items. These are one of a kind and no one else will have them. Everyone tells me they went to Italy or France and brought home this amazing vase. Guess what you don’t have to go that far, many towns and cities have people that can make items just as well or better then some of the places in Europe. You just have to look.

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One of the big trends in home living is getting a loft apartment. usually these apartments are just one big space with nothing dividing the bedroom from the living room. This can be a problem if you have people over for the night, or you just like your privacy.

If you want to create a private area room dividers are a great way to go. There not the ugly things they use to be either. They actually look really nice, you can get fabric ones or bamboo. They even come with lights in them for a dramatic effect. There are many places to get good stylish room dividers. Just do a search on the Internet or click on any of the links in this post.

I also like to use room dividers to spruce up a black wall, put a nice divider between the wall and a sofa and see the dramatic change that happens. You will love it, I promise!

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Any designer who does not appreciate or know about good food is not a very good designer. The planning of a meal and it presentation - the texture, the color, the tastes, the hot and cold temperatures - are the same concerns that affect an environment.

Robert Kime, Architectural Digest

We look at food the same way as we look at interior design. It needs to look good or right away you wont like it. It needs to feel good, on your fingers and in your hands. You need to be drawn to it, just like you are drawn to the smell of your favorite food.

When something is pleasing to the eye it automatically makes you happy, calm and relaxed. When it is not, it will make you stressed and anxious. This is one reason why the art of fung shui is gaining in popularity, it promotes piece and harmony in your home.

Many people lack good design for one reason, they don’t look at the whole room, they buy things one at a time. This can be okay if you remember when your shopping what is actually in your rooms and shop with them in mind. Many people don’t do this, they see what they like and get it. They don’t stop to think, will it fit in the room? Will it match?

A tip I have is to take a picture of your room every time you add a major piece. Keep that picture with you and look at it when your buying anything for that room, even a TV. Make your room look put together and you will find you want to spend more time in the room because it makes you feel so good.

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So many people are getting into plasma TV’s and I love it, it’s a space saver and looks much better then that old TV you have sitting there. If I had the money I would have one, then another 4.

The one thing that I don’t like about this trend is that many people do not buy the correct stand for it. If they even buy a new stand for it at all. The whole point of space saving is so that you have extra space, if you have a TV cabinet from your other heavy TV and you put your nice new plasma in it, your not saving space. Please for your own sanity buy a new stand or at least a plasma mount so that you can hang it on your wall. Now that is space saving!

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One of the most important things for an interior designer or anyone for that matter is to maintain contact with their client, their contractor or even their husband or wife. Lack of contact can really ruin a job. I know some people who have bought a cell phone booster just to make sure they can be reached at all times. Others always have a laptop handy and some access to Internet so they can be reached by email.

 Most do it yourselves don’t need to go to drastic measures but there are a few tips to keeping your project going the way you want it to. If you are hiring a contractor, call them or make sure you are on site at least every other day, and show up unannounced. That way you can make sure they are doing what you want them to. Most companies will skip out on things if they think they can. They will still charge you for these items, but you won’t find them anywhere in your home.

If your doing the project with someone, you always need to let them know whats going on or what your thoughts are, I have seen some horrible arguments because there is a lack of communication between 2 people. This not only can hurt the project but your relationship with that person. I have seen best friends, and marriages be torn apart because of lack of communication on a project.

 I believe this is the most important aspect of interior design, without communication you can not have a good, functional design.

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