Saturday, May 29, 2010

What are your design needs?

You see all those do it yourself shows and they make it look so damn easy decorating a room. Trust me, you are not alone if you find it difficult. If you are like me, you are attracted to so many different styles how do you know which one is right for you? Mid Century Modern, Scandinavian, Traditional, Contemporary, Transitional, Country (American, Brittish, French…). Aaaahhh, I love them all!!!!!! Relax, there is no right or wrong style BUT does the style match your lifestyle? This is what I had to ask myself prior to decorating my home.

This is where a decorator can help. We sit down with you and discuss your tastes, your likes and dislikes. Most importantly, we discuss your lifestyle (how YOU really live), because, a design isn’t going to work if it is totally opposite of your natural lifestyle.


Take a look at the rooms above, it's a clean streamline look that can be bold or subtle. What do you think? Do you like it? Some o you may not. It might come across as cold. I like it!!! To me it’s calming. However, this would NEVER work in my house. When I get home from work, I put my messenger bag on the floor next to a chest of drawers that I have in my foyer and plop the mail down on top of the chest. My kids take off their sneakers and put them on the floor next to my messenger bag. Drape a coat on the back of that sofa, pile mail and newspapers on the dining room table, or put a tote bag or a laundry basket on the floor at the foot of the bed and you will have disturb the blance of the design! This pristine style works when everything is in place. I love these rooms…mm mmm, but it’s not for me and my family!

How do you really live? Be honest and don’t let outside forces sway you. We have been programmed since birth how a house should be decorated. Times have changed and so has lifestyles since Victorian times or even the 50s, so why do we cling onto these old fashioned decorating rules?


When was the last time you used your dining room? I can guarantee the holidays or maybe a family members birthday. After that, your table is abandoned to collect dust for the remaining days of the year. As you probably read in many blogs, people are turning their dining rooms into libraries. Why not? Go grab your laptop and now it’s a home office, too.


The spare room, designated for guests. All fine and dandy if you have out of town friends or family members from other countries constantly visiting. If you’re big on crafting, why not turn it into the ultimate crafting room. No more lugging items back and forth from storage bins every night.

Have a closet that you don’t use? (I know I don’t but I’m sure someone out there does), turn that into an office or sewing room. Believe it or not, I knew somebody who turned two double closets in her upstairs hallway into a spare room for her grandchildren. When the kids are not there and closet doors closed, it looks like a regular hallway closet, but open the doors and you will find bunk beds and storage drawers. Each bed with it’s own reading lamp. I thought it amazing.

Interior decorating is an art not a science and there are endless design possibilities in your home if you really just dig deep inside and see what you truly need and like.

If you have any design questions contact me or your local designer for help.

5 comments:

  1. WONDERFUL post! I have learned these lessons the tough way , loads of money,time and effort wasted ...have learned now just cause I like it or even love it, does not mean it belongs in my space.Wish I had learned this a very long time ago!

    As you could see in my photo album on FB, still trying to 100% figure out what works for me, but am getting closer. Reading blogs like yours help greatly!

    *LOVE all the colors you used in your text!!

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  2. Some very nice ideas for uses of different rooms!! I made my living room a dining room! If you're not using a particular room for it's original purpose..do something original with it! I,too,love the page heading...beautifully done!!

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  3. Okay...off topic! How was the cake??

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  4. I am moving into a new place and will be using one of the closets for an office, I love this post! Thanks

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  5. And I read backwards...I never use my dining room either. It is all made up and cozy, but has a ton of things on the table and chairs....laughing at the laundry basket on the floor by the bed, me too!

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