Interior Design Tips

An interior designer faces many of the same questions when faced with a residential client.  Issues such as theme and fundamental style are not frequently an issue with the home client.  But there will always be concerns about painting walls, the furniture currently inside the home, and of course the floors.  There are tips to alleviate concerns and questions regarding these specific design problems.

"What about this color of paint? It is too bright/dark/soft/etcetera."  The first and best tip to eliminate concerns about paint choices is to purchase a sample of paint to place on the wall.  Then, there will be a true understanding of what the actual appearance of a color will be. However, many colors - especially darker ones - attain their true beauty from the look of the entire wall after being layered with several coats of paint.

Trust a color pallet and a designer, but of course only follow intuition.  A color that is

difficult to stomach may settle eventually to delightful surprise, or it may lead to a

horrible bellyache.  Only cover a wall with a design's color that will provide security and

happiness in a homeowner.

"Should existing and endurable furniture be reupholstered?"  An excellent tip to be

considered: evaluate the furniture for style and value versus the cost of the

reupholstering.  An antique chair that fits the feeling of a formal living room that was

purchased for many thousands of dollars would be an excellent candidate as long as

replacing the original upholstery did not degrade its value or worth.

"I don't know what to do about my floor."  Decisions about floor designs should be based

on a person's budget, the room's use, and personal preference.  Certain floor treatments

are incredibly expensive, such as hard oak floors, and they may not be practical in an area

where stomping kids thrash through the interior.  Carefully weigh options such as dying

carpet or laying rugs over existing hard floors.  It is all a matter of personal preference.

Actually, all interior design should be a matter of personal preference. It is not worth any

expense to put something in a home that will force a homeowner to cringe every time he

or she looks around.