If you're planning on trying your hand at some interior design at home, maybe for the first time, then here are a few handy tips to help you out.
Consider your budget: always make sure you have a good idea of how much you want to spend and that you account for all the items you'll need before you start purchasing. You don’t want to run out of money and be left with a half-finished project on your hands. If you need to reduce the costs, then where can you cut new purchases out? Stick with your old mattresses for example, or repaint some of your existing furniture.
Know your capabilities: don’t decide to knock down walls and install custom furniture unless you have the skills to do the job. Getting professionals in to rectify a botched job could cost more than paying them to do the work in the first place.
Think about style: if this is your first go at home decorating, then pick out something easy in terms of colors and patterns. This probably isn't the time for making a great statement which could go horribly wrong! If you need some help, ask in a local décor, furniture, or home goods store about what goes together or enlist the help of a friend whose home décor you admire.
Practical versus Pretty: don’t forget about the
Sarah Van Arsdale - If one of the purposes of good design is to lift the mood, then the designer's job has become much more challenging in the past couple of years, with the bad economy dragging everyone's spirits down. Those of us in the design field know that a beautiful, well-lit room, furnished with harmonious pieces, awash with carefully-chosen color, will help cheer the heart and lift the soul.
So, when things are looking grim, we just need the right color to perk us up… Okay, it isn't really that simple, but we all know that color really does influence mood. And Pantone, the color authority, has announced its color for 2011, and it's one that's sure to lift everyone's spirits, if not their bank account balances: honeysuckle.
Pantone describes honeysuckles as "a dynamic reddish pink." It's got a tone deeper than pink, but brighter and paler than red. And yet, it isn't too sugary-sweet; honeysuckle is an intense, strong color—strong enough, perhaps, to cheer us up when we need it most.