ABC’s of Fine Design

There are many things you can do for your home that will make it look more appealing from the curb. Many of you know this as curb appeal. This can help increase the value of your home and other homes around you, making it easier to sell and to refinance.

Sometimes it’s just little things that can make your curb appeal better. Adding a personalized doormat can make your home more inviting and make people want to come in and visit. Of course you may just want a generic one if your trying to sell your home.

If your not trying to sell it but are just trying to make it look better for yourself. You may want to spruce up your home front exterior by getting a custom address plate. Not only do these look good but they tell a visitor that they have reached the right place. I personally hate it when homes don’t have numbers on them that you can see from the street. A custom plate can show both the address and your name. That way your guest know there in the right spot. Of course if your looking to sell your home, this again would not be a great idea, but there are address signs and other types of address accessories you can buy that are perfect for selling a home.

The last little tip I have for you is simple and really should already be done at your home. General maintenance is the key to your home looking good. Keep that yard clean and make sure the siding and windows are kept clean also. Paint your home every few years to keep it looking good and fresh.

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I ran across a few interesting ideas today. One thing that I liked was the use of fashion jewelry on a lampshade. They took parts of old jewelery and glued them to the lampshade. When they were done it looked like they had a jeweled lamp. I didn’t think it worked well where they put it, but maybe for a child’s bedroom or a craft area it would look great.

There was also an idea to use an old desk. This desk had great detail work on the back of the desk so they made it into a headboard. I loved it as you can buy a bed frame very cheep and just add a headboard. They spent no money whatsoever on this headboard.

The last idea I came across today was actually one I came up with. I had an old lamp that was just sitting around and I decided it would make a great sconce and I could put candles in it. So now I’m working on that idea. Hopefully it will work out okay. Wish me luck.

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A question that was asked during one of my classes this week was how do you design a good room for a pre-teen who loves cars without making it look childish or have a NASCAR theme.

I liked this idea so of course my brain started working and I had to share it with you. This is what I would do. I would start by finding a car shaped chair, then I would find a desk that was metal or glass. Of course it would have to hold a computer.

Then on to the bed. I’m thinking a platform bed, again that modern theme. But here is the fun part. Above the bed would be a car spoiler or maybe two or three going up the wall. They could be just decorative or serve as shelfing by putting glass shelves on top of them or under them depending on the style. Of course you could do this anywhere in the room.

Of course you could use any color scheme but if you work the fabrics into the colors of the spoilers you use it would be amazing.

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This term in class we have to change a home into a business. This is a fun idea and I think the project is going to turn out wonderfully. What is interesting about this project is how we all took a good look at the home we had to change and started space planning the existing home. I have decided that I am going to also do a layout for the existing home for my own use.

The thing that we all noticed about this home was the very small living room. This is common in some homes and I really hate it. Living rooms are where you live, hence the name. But there are ways to keep even a small living room spacious feeling and inviting. One way is to minimize the furniture. Get one good size sofa, but make sure it will fit well in the space. Find other seating that can either easily be moved out of the space or incorporated into it. Such as ottomans that are used as coffee tables or ottomans that can fit under a coffee table or other piece of furniture when not in use. Another tip is a little expensive, buy a projection televisions if you have the money it can help you gain alot of space in a crowded room.

I also would recommend light wall coverings and alot of light. Keep in mind you want the small space to look bigger, not smaller. Keep things simple and you should have a great looking space.

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Have you ever wondered why most stores look almost the same? Well there designed that way. Yes I know Duh, but did you know that this is something interior designers do? Yep those people who only know how to fluff pillows and put paint on a wall actually do come up with designs for these types of stores.

There are many chain stores out there just go to any mall and you’ll find most of them. With many of these types of stores you need to notice them out of a group. That is where an interior designer may come into play. They will chose the layout and colors. The lighting and what the outside will look like. They want something eye catching and stylish. Think of your favorite store, what drew you in to began with? My favorite is hot topic. They have a look that draws your eyes to the store, the same idea is done with the bath and body works stores. I’m not sure if an interior designer did design these stores, but they may have.

As a designer you could be working on many different things you could design a whole store around Nike golf or you could have just a section that is all about the shoes.

Interior designers do so much more then just paint. They really create a way for business to draw in there customers and make them feel like there shopping in an exclusive store.

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Many people think of interior design as something that only the rich can have, but it’s not true. The everyday person can have some design elements in there own home.

Often times people don’t feel like there home is a home because they don’t know what they like, or they know what they like but are not sure how to tie it all together.

One thing you can do is decided if you are a traditional, modern or eclectic person.

If you are a traditional person, you like antiques, older furniture such as anything from the french revolution era or furniture from the 1800’s. You like tapestry’s and rugs. You hate metal and new types of furniture.

A modern person love metal and glass and all the new types of furniture and decorations. You like anything made in the 1900’s and beyond. You don’t like older furniture and would never let it in your home.

An eclectic person likes all kinds of furniture and loves mixing it up. Many people consider this a country style, but it’s not.

Once you decide what kind of person you may be you need to learn what to look for in your furniture.

For a traditional person. Look for Louie the IV type furniture or Revolution era furniture. Click here for examples

Modern furniture is easy to find, there is so much of it around, look for anything with metal or plastic. Click here for examples

If your an eclectic person you like it all so its really anything that you like. This interior designer has a few pictures on her site of eclectic designing. http://www.marianglasgowinteriors.com/

Please keep in mind that these site do not have antiques unless they say they do. These are just examples of what the furniture may look like.

Great furniture sites

http://www.henredon.com/

http://www.lazyboy.com

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