The past several blogs we have talked about color, and though I can go on and on about color, I will circle back to it another time. For this post, I would like to talk about new construction and remodeling.

Building a new home or tackling a remodeling project can be intimidating and scary thanks to the countless decisions that your builder or contractor will already be asking you.  Having an interior designer on staff during this process insures that there is someone paying attention to the aesthetics and making sure that the overall use of the area is kept practical. To do this, we have to answer certain questions pertaining to your space.

I’ll start with the two biggest questions.

1. What is the room going to be used for?  Will it have a dual purpose? When during the day will it be used and for what type of function?  Knowing these questions will help with the lighting of the room, the surrounding sightlines (if you are sitting on your sofa, will you be looking at your toilet through the bathroom doorway) and help give the room a purpose.
2.  What furniture is going to be used and how the furniture should be placed?  This will help you determine the flow of the room and how people will be moving around in it.  When deciding on furniture, the size of the pieces will matter when you are looking at the room’s flow and its use.

 
Now that those questions are being answered, here are a few more things to think about.

1.  Where is the best places for light switches and when to use dimmers?  Usually it is pretty obvious where you want to have your light switch but sometimes having two light switches in a room is easier than running across the room to turn on the light. Dimmer switches are great in some rooms where you would like to control the brightness levels or for mood lighting.  The dining room is the best example for the use of dimmer switches.  I also have 2 dimmer switches in our living room where one set of lights are above our TV so when dimmed it makes for better movie viewing and another switch to dim the lights above our sofas.  This allows me to have the sofa lights on so I can work or do crafts while watching a movie with dimmed TV lights.
2.  Where will the Christmas tree go? (That is coming from a person that likes to decorate for the holidays!) Now, I say Christmas tree, but it can be any holiday decoration or anything your family might add to a room for a brief period of time, that if you plan ahead, you can make it easier for you. For me, another thing would be a place to overwinter some of my potted plants I have outside in the warmer months. In my living room, I have an outlet that has its own switch which means the outlet doesn’t work unless I flip a switch for it. I wanted this outlet because it is the outlet I plug my Christmas tree into and having it on its own switch allows me to quickly turn on and off my Christmas tree with very little effort.  Love it! The outlet can always be used outside of the Christmas season just by flipping the switch. I also have electrical outlets above my kitchen cabinets which allow me to put up decorative lights or illuminated décor without having any cords that hang down.  Again, I have a designated switch just for those outlets so they are easy to turn on and off.

 
These are just a few details that easily get overlooked when designing a home or renovation because there are so many bigger issues to address. But these details are important because they can make living in your home more comfortable and tailored for your lifestyle.  Interiors designers can help guide you on all the details and ease up the decision making process!  Here’s to a happy home!

Are you afraid of using color in your home because you're worried about making it flow? Don't be! A different color in each room can be both striking and cohesive!

​It's simple, let's break it into an easy ratio- 6:3:1. Start with your main color. In our picture above, its a deep teal. This color will cover around 60% of our room. In our example room we have deep teal on our walls, our sofa, and in our accessories. Next, you want to bring in an accent color in 30% of your room, so we have a yellow chair, ottoman, throw, and accessories. Lastly, throw in a third color to keep the room from seeming two-toned. Use this color in 10% of the room. In this room we have red in our pillows, lampshade, and accessories. 

It's best to keep your colors to a minimum which is why we recommend using three. You want to make an impact without overwhelming the room. That being said, neutrals such as black, tan, gray, cream, and white should not be factored into your three choices when used in small doses. Also, don't be afraid to use art or accents that have a variety of colors because they are going to only make up 1% or less of the total color of the room.

Now, the part most people find tricky is blending multiple rooms in their house together. Again, it's much easier than you think! Take at least one of the colors in your first room and bring it into the adjoining room. You can use that color as the 60%, 30%, 10%, or even the 1% or less. Just including one of your previous colors will allow your eyes to make the connection and give your home a more cohesive look.

Here are a few more examples of rooms designed using the 6:3:1 ratio.