Here is a smattering of some of the more popular questions I’m asked regarding interior design.
How can you make a room bigger without moving walls?
Follow the saying, “less is more.” Keep color palette monochromatic and pattern to a minimum. Too many color or pattern changes cause the eye to stop & start, which breaks the room into chunks and can make the walls close in. This extends to furniture and accessories too, use what you need not all you have.
According to interior design legend Billy Baldwin, “If you want to lift the ceiling, paint it darker than the walls – anywhere from one tone darker to almost black.” Super dark ceilings give the illusion of space like a nighttime sky, though this is not a good option if there is only one window exposure.
Photo via Sherrill Canet Interiors
How do you start when decorating for the very first time?
Start with a favorite poster, a pillow, even inexpensive colored glass vases from Ikea. Find something to use as a color key which will road map your color palette. Give away or sell any furniture or home decor items you do not love. Invest in the best sofa or chair (your everyday seating) you can afford.
Instant color palette
Photo via Ikea
How do I develop a room style?
Look at design magazines, design books and websites such as Hooked on Houses and begin to make a folder of what appeals to you. You’ll begin to see a pattern emerge in colors and furniture styles. Notice if you like clean strait lines or curves. Take note of consistent themes which would work in your home.
Photo by Sara Richardson via House and Home
What colors are the easiest to work with?
Colors you actually like and not forced by a trend. Blue is the most universally enjoyed color and it has many possibilities. If you like red it doesn’t mean your home has to be filled with red walls but it can appear in more than one room.
But will I like it in 10 years?
If I had a dollar every time I get this question, I’d need a bigger jewelry box. I call this a “mom-ism” one of those mom comments stuck in the back of our heads which often seem a product of the depression era mentality. Invest in classic design for daily use furniture and you’ll never make a mistake. For home decor items stick with inexpensive and you can afford to be a little trendy because these items will change over time.
