Your TOP 5 Questions About Interior Design Answered

The #1 question…What color should I paint my walls? (or something about paint color)
Paint and colors can be tricky if you don’t know what you are looking for but my number one thing is DON’T be afraid of color. Color can bring new life and emotion to any space. Remember when you are picking out colors that there are a lot more colors in each color than just the one you see at first glance. When you pick up paint chips at a store, put each one alone on a plain white piece of paper. This is the best way to see each one’s true color tone (colors feed off of each other so the point is to isolate the color). Another tip…SAMPLES! paint samples on the wall or on a large piece of paper and tape it up on the wall. View possible paint colors on different surfaces and in different lights to see how it is affected. Or you can hire us for a Color Consultation (wink wink) and we can take all the guesswork out of it!

The #2 question…Where should I put my furniture? (or any question about the best way to arrange furniture in a space)
This is kind of a TRICKY question to answer generally because every house is different depending on your specific floor plan and furniture. So here is my tip: MAKE IT FLOW! You should have an easy walkway to EVERYTHING you need to get to in the room. So if you have to walk completely around a piece of furniture to get to it…it might be in a bad location.

Question #3 is usually about style…Types of styles (ie contemporary, mission, traditional, etc.)
Many people have questions about “what is my design style” or “what style should I use in my space.” To be honest, I don’t think you need to know a specific answer to this question BECAUSE most of you know what you like when you see it. That is KEY! As you are designing your space don’t worry about fitting within a design style box, this is NOT necessary. The most beautiful rooms that I see are not about the specific style but the character and love the room emits.

• Make your room feel as though it has been collected through time. Don’t go to furniture store and buy a SET of living room furniture; buy the couch and then find different side chairs, and use an antique stool as an end table, etc.
• When trying to decide if two items will go well together in a room, look at each item and ask yourself, “what does this item evoke emotionally?” Think of character, emotional, and descriptive words. If both items convey similar emotions they should work well in a space.
• Mix the old and new…it gives CHARACTER to your space (check out THIS eclectic home tour from Better Homes and Gardens and see how they mixed the old and new)

Also, check out this article about Eclectic vs Collected…it has GREAT info and images.

#4 is about how to/where to hang art and pictures on the wall?
First of all I HONESTLY believe there is no right or wrong way to hang your art BUT if you want some ideas check out THIS post about picture frame layouts. The thing that is tricky with design is there are MILLIONS of ways to do the same thing and when you study design, they may give you some “rules” on how to do certain things but then the number 1 rule of design is that rules are made to be BROKEN!
Have you heard people say all picture frames should match? What do you think?

Example #1 Here is a beautiful room with all matching frames. And yes they look great when they all match…BUT…

Doesn’t this look AMAZING too? I love the eclectic yet sophisticated look.

If you aren’t ready for that, try getting different style of frames and paint them all the same color to get a unified look.

• DIY – if you can make some things yourself to save some money DO IT! Plus think about when people come over and say oh I love this pillow and you can say “oh yeah…I made it.”
• Shop CLEARANCE-look for those bargains!!!
• Collect things over time. You do not need to have your dream house finished in a week…take your time and collect pieces that you will love for a lifetime.