The Glamorous Life

          Do you enjoy do it yourself design shows or have a knack for pulling things together in your own home as well as for friends? If you've ever thought about the idea of becoming an Interior Designer, you may be surprised to know that although it has its rewarding moments, it is not the glamorous profession most imagine it to be. The life of an Interior Designer is not just simply selecting pretty colors and fabrics, but it is often very hands on and labor intensive. 

          Spending many hours working on a project from beginning to end and problem solving as issues arise are all a part of the end result and ultimately a happy, satisfied client. Some designers spend hours in a hot warehouse literally getting their hands dirty, unboxing, lifting, loading, and moving heavy furniture from place to place. A majority of a designers job is the coordination of subcontractors. A few responsibilities involve meeting with clients, planning, selecting colors, materials and finishes, measuring, creating decorative treatments, and working with a workroom to have treatments fabricated. Also, a designer may hang wall decor and window treatments and pull together a room or a whole house while implementing good design principals and techniques. Estimating treatments and working with a budget is also very important. 

          A good designer has to be knowledgeable and savvy of the marketplace and know the quality of products that are offered in order to narrow down choices for their clients. Although there are many facets to interior design, developing working relationships that turn into friendships with clients, and seeing the entire project evolve into a beautiful end result is very rewarding.

Going Gray

Going Gray

      If you keep up with the latest trends, you can't help but notice that gray has become the new neutral in the Interior Design market. The new paint color to replace tan, beige, and taupe of the past has evolved into shades of gray. From the lightest and palest hue to the darkest charcoal, gray is all around us. Gray upholstery, drapery, rugs, and accessories have saturated the market. Gray is even become wildly popular in solid surfaces such as tile, marble and granite and is also being used on cabinetry. Cool. crisp, and sophisticated, gray is used in settings that reveal very monochromatic room decor in which every item in the room are shades of the same color. However, if you want to add warmth and pop to the sometimes very serene palette, a bright color thrown into the mix can add much needed excitement. Gray works well along side most strong saturated colors such as lemon yellow, orange, turquoise, red, pinks and even cobalt blue.  

                                                                    

Spectacular Small Spaces

How to Decorate Small Spaces

     How do you decorate a small space and make it beautiful, comfortable, and functional? Keep it simple! When you have a small space every piece of furniture becomes a focal point; therefore, each piece should look great, but more importantly, the space has to function for its purpose and your needs. It is always best in a small area to use minimum furniture with maximum function. Often pieces of furniture, as well as certain areas in the space, have to serve multi functions  For example, a daybed may serve as as sofa as well as a bed. A built in cabinet with shelves may also be utilized as a desk. An extra closet or cubby may also be an office area.
                                                                           

     When your space is being used for several tasks it is also good design to delineate each area in some way to define as well as set apart the separate areas. There are several ways you can divide a space between living and eating, sleeping or office work. Creatively hang a curtain, place a shelving unit or decorative screen between areas or use more permanent architectural elements such as columns, glass or brick wall partitions to form instant "rooms".  You can also simply use furniture arrangement, rugs, or artwork on the walls to further define each space. Just because your space isn't spacious doesn't mean you can't use some of these design tricks to make it turn out spectacular! Just keep it simple!

Define : Transitional Style

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is Transitional Style?

 

 

          Transitional Style is the combination or blending of the traditional and contemporary styles. It is a cleaner more simplistic, yet sophisticated style with a lack of ornamentation and decoration; however, it is not cold and impersonal. Transitional furniture features straight as well as curved lines to represent a masculine and feminine marriage creating classic, timeless design.

 

          There is a lack of color in this new style using mostly neutrals such as browns or grays, but where there is a lack of color in fabrics, texture takes up the slack for needed warmth and variety. Accessories are minimal using repetition and symmetry for balance and unity. Finishes can be mirrored, silver or gold often even with natural rustic elements mixed in again for texture and added depth. Transitional style is the fresh approach to finally taking a step forward in interior design in a traditional based society.

 

          

 

 

 

Creative Containers

 
When creating flower arrangements the first thing to select is the container. Floral arrangements are much more than flowers placed into a clear glass vase.  The container should be just as important as the material to be placed inside.

 

Consider shape, color, size and scale of the container selected. Also choose the material the container is made of - wood, glass, or metal - the possibilities for unique vessels to create in are limitless. Most of all, be just as creative with the container as with the flowers. When the floral design is finished it should be a unique composition and become a piece of artwork in itself.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Inspiration

      NATURAL INSPIRATION

 

 

What inspires you in the natural environment you observe and experience each day? The beauty of the green earth, the vibrant colors of the flowers of spring, the white snow on the majestic mountaintops, the flow of the river ocean tide, peacefulness and glow of a setting or rising sun in the blue sky or the twinkle of the stars like diamonds in the dark of night? Let that inspiration filter and overflow into your home décor to create an interior environment that will inspire you daily. Whether your inspiration is reflected in your paint colors or the color palette of the fabrics on pillows, bedding and drapery. Or maybe it is unique accessories chosen. Even simply setting your dining room or breakfast table can become a work of art.

 

Pictured here is beautiful décor that may inspire you.

 

                                                 Floral and accessories inspired by spring

 

 

                          A tablescape that reflects the colors of the ocean, coral and sunshine!

 

 

Current and Creative Christmas - How to easily update your Christmas tree!

Current and Creative Christmas Tree

 

 

     It is very easy to update your Christmas tree this year without having to toss out every thing you have collected over time. A few simple tips will make your tired tree fresh and new, as well as interesting and beautiful  once again.

     Focus on color, texture and adding dimension to your tree. To create this look you may have to edit and add to only a few of your existing ornaments. For a new COLOR scheme, try using only one or two colors together - a combination of red and white, or champagne and copper or turquoise and silver for example. Think about using only your largest ornaments and then mix in TEXTURE. Smooth, shiny ornaments mixed with matte or glittered finishes. Also, layering textured mesh fabric or ribbon or bulap wrapped within the tree creates more depth. The most fun and current three DIMENSION effect to add are picks. Select only two or three styles of picks to use and then get 7-9 of each one to make your tree full. Choices are endless from gittered or natural sticks to snowy evergreen branches to large glittered leaves or large pinecones. Stick them in the tree projecting out and downward or make a topper extending upward toward the ceiling. Mixing natural items along with the glitz is also a new trend. Yes, burlap and glitter do look good together at Christmas! Carry these same ideas  into other areas of the house that  you decorate such as the mantle or front door to form a unified continuity in your décor and make more of an impact. Use the same colors and some of the same materials throughout. Make sure you fill your tree full, and most of all, have fun creating a new and current Christmas! Happy Holidays!