My Design Thinking Process At Work!

When choosing any element that I would like to add to my home I go through a process. 

Some might think it is too planned or calculated, but having been in this industry for over three decades I have learned that any good design needs a plan.

Often home decorators get so excited about something they see, or a new trend, and they go out and buy the new element without thinking of where it will go in their homes, or how it will marry to other pieces they already have.

If you are purchasing a little knick-knack it would be no great loss if it doesn't work. If you are buying something that is more costly or a permanent fixture then you really need to think things through.

Recently I decided that a very small area in my home needed a bit of sprucing up. It is an area most people might ignore, and to be honest it could be ignored.

The only problem is I sit and stare at this area ever single night when we are watching TV.....

To the left of our TV there is a little entry hall that leads to the master bedroom. It is a nice little separation area from the main living area and gives a bit more privacy to our room.

Things I need to consider before moving forward..........

The TV niche will have molding added to it in the very near future so it will look and feel more finished. The door opening will also be wrapped with molding.

In this little hall area I have room to put my antique table and mirror....

You actually only see this table when entering the hall or sitting at the far end of the great room.

You will also notice the horribly placed thermostat. If it had been place to the far right the wall could be addressed more easily.

(The thermostat is about a foot away from the door frame.)

So what do I want to do this time and what is my plan?

The first step is to I look at the overall area and I  take notice that the entire area visually includes the fireplace, TV and hallway. This whole wall reads as one unit and therefore must be treated as one wall.

REMEMBER!.....

 When making decisions on adding an element to a room look at the entire area you plan on changing and notice how your change will  marry to the entire design. 

I can not stress this one step enough!

A big mistake home decorators often make is to just think about the one area they want to change, and they get all excited and caught up in the moment. They quickly go out shopping and buy things before really thinking them through. Once they bring their new found treasure home they soon discover it does not work at all.

Think of it like this.......

It is like when we get dressed, we think about the main pieces we are wearing and then the accessories, shoes, purse and how we will do our hair and makeup. It is the whole picture we are thinking about. Just imagine if you chose a different look for each step I just spoke of. You would look like a hot mess. The same goes for your rooms and the areas you are decorating.

Since my small little hall is part of a bigger picture I need to keep that in mind. 

I like a simple look so I keep things a bit more minimal that some might think looks right to their eye. For me I must have a clean, fresh look and a nice easy visual flow.

So here is what I plan on doing.....

I would like to add a frame of molding on the entire wall similar to what is above the fireplace ......

This same frame molding will also be added to the TV niche so there will be a nice flow and continuity to the entire wall.

I would like to add one more element.....

A hanging light fixture!

 IMPORTANT!!

Now this is where I have to think beyond the one wall. Now I need to look at the lighting I have in this part of the house including the entry hall since there is a a visual flow from the entry hall all the way to the great room. It is somewhat of a shot gun house.

These are all the fixtures in the great room including the fixture for our entry hall which is pictured first.

My thinking has to go even a little further in this planning process. 

You can also see the dining area. I have future plans for that area, and I have a few fixtures I am contemplating when we address this area. However I need to keep them in mind as well when making any other lighting choices....

Choros by circa lighting

Ritz Natural Aged Brass

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You can see I am adding some brass accents. This is all in the plan since you will see the entry hall first which has some brass fixtures, then you will see the dining room, and then the great room.

This is a mock up I did using the cohasset sconces.

Cohasset aged brass sconce by Hudson Valley from Bellacor

 I told you there was

 a lot to think about! 

Now that I have all my ducks in a row, so to speak. I can start adding some of the possible light fixtures to the whole picture.

I will be showing you some of the choices I have in mind in my next post and I will add my final three choices to a mock up so we can really see how it all plays out.

As always....

 

 

 

Do YOU Wish You Could Start Decorating All Over!

 

When it comes to your home's rooms, have you ever said,

" I wish I could start all over!"? 

If we are being honest we probably have all said that at some point, but the reality of the matter is most of us do not have the budget to do that.

So what CAN we do?

Actually there are a lot of things we can do, but first we need to have a plan so we spend our time, energy and money wisely.

I am talking about a plan that will help you  work with what you already have with a few new additions.

STEP ONE

Remove all elements except your main furniture pieces from the room.

Now step back and ask yourself a few questions:

1. Is there a good flow in my room?

2. Do I need all the pieces in the room? If the answer is no, remove the unnecessary piece right now.

3. Arrange furniture pieces for the best flow, and use in the room. Don't be afraid to take pieces from other parts of your home. Shop what you already own.

4. Be creative, think outside the box. 
 

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STEP TWO

Look around to see if you have enough lighting in the room. Here is a formula for you to figure out just how much you need...

1. Now that you know how much lighting you need place necessary lighting around the room. Keeping in mind to use floor lamps, table lamps, sconces and over head lighting.

2. This is a good time to make a new purchase if you need to brighten up your space, and update the style. Try getting something that is a bit more modern in shape and a lighter color or a reflective metal.

 

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ALL UNDER $300

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ALL UNDER $100

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STEP THREE

Look at your walls do you need a fresh coat of paint? Where do you need to add mirrors or paintings?

1. Mirrors are wonderful to reflect more light in a room and they can also enlarge a space.

2. Keep in mind the shape, color, style and size of the mirror you are using. Your mirror can introduce style, texture and color if chosen carefully. Don't be afraid to add a floor mirror, it is like adding an extra window.

3. It is very important to remember that not every wall needs something on it. If you want someone to stop and look at the wall then put something on it, otherwise leave it empty. 

Many homeowners make the mistake of adding something to every little sliver of wall that they have. It is not necessary!

4. All rooms need a place for the eye to rest so having an area without something placed there is a good idea to keep the eye flowing around the room.

5. When selecting a color for your walls, be sure to bring home the color chips and then decide on which three you want to get a sample pint. Get some poster board and paint a large sampling on the poster board using at least 2 coats so you get the full pigmentation of the color.

6. Place your sample board in the lightest area and the darkest corner to see how it looks before making a decision. 

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STEP FOUR

Every room needs something that is alive, plants or flowers will fall into this category.

1. Choose 2-3 areas where you might add a plant or a floral arrangement. Use real whenever possible. Nothing can look as tired as a dusty artificial arrangement of unrealistic flowers or plants. I like to add a live plant in corners to bring life to an otherwise dead spot in the room.

2. It is nice to have a certain area that you always have fresh flowers. Remember you can add greenery to a vase from you yard and it can look beautiful. Fresh flowers are so inexpensive at your grocery store just about anyone can have them in their homes.

 

STEP FIVE

Time for accessorizing. Decide if you are a less is more person or a more is more person. Look around to see where you need color or texture.

1. Only bring back the elements that you absolutely love. Sometimes it is time to retire certain elements in our home. Remember you can always rotate them in and out of your room.

2. Vary the textures in your accessories, mix up rough, shiny, dull and smooth textures. By varying textures you will have an interesting room.

3. Freshen up the fabrics on your pillows this can be done seasonally as well. It is fun to bring in new pillows to change out a rooms look.

 SPRING

WINTER

 

 CHRISTMAS

 SUMMER

If new purchases need to be made I always like to choose the least available pieces first. This would be area rugs and main furniture pieces.  Once you have those pieces then you are ready to choose the others.

Sometimes all we need to do is make a few purchases to freshen things up. 

One mistake some homeowners make is they just keep adding the new with the old  without editing the room first. That can be a big mistake and you just might end up with a hot mess of a room if you do that.

Before making a purchase first you have to be attracted to it, and then ask yourself where you will use it. Place it there in your minds eye. If you think it will work go for it!

Instead of thinking about what you can't do now, think about what you CAN DO!!

Enjoy The Process of:

Making your room look like a new room!!

 

 

Time To Add A Touch Of Spring To Our Homes!

 

Spring has definitely arrived in California. 

We have had some glorious Spring weather this week!  

So what does that mean?

Time to bring out some touches of Spring in the house. I am still waiting on some pillows to finish up the room, however I just could not wait to add some yellow to the room.

Here is my vision for our room.....

This is what it looks like so far....

Notice I got my touch of  pink in the room without having to use pink pillows.

LESSON TO BE LEARNED:

If you love a color think about using it in small increments in the room in 2-3 areas.

If I were to have used a blue and yellow book the composition would have looked contrived, by adding a different accent color such as the pink it gives a better visual flow and keeps the eye moving around the room effortlessly.

I still have to find my piece of interest for the top of the book. I have a few things in mind.

If you noticed there is not one matching pillow in this whole room, yet it works. If you keep in mind the scale, colors and patterns being used in the room you can make it go together without actually matching.

Being somewhat of a traditionalist myself, and loving symmetry I find it hard to not do matching bookend pillows, yet over the years I have learned when to match, and when to vary my patterns. I think not matching, but coordinating makes for a more interesting room.

 So when you decide to change up your pillows, keep in mind the placement of each pillow and where you need to add certain colors in order to not make the room looked too contrived.

KEEP IN MIND!:

1. Use varying patterns and scale in the fabrics.

2. Coordinate fabrics,you don't necessarily have to match them.

3. Use a different color accent in 2-3 places in the room in order to not make the room look too contrived.

Now go and....

"Enjoy The Process Of:

Making your own room look like SPRING