This section of the blog will be devoted to the subject of designing and decorating. I will be adding new material from time to time, so be sure to check back.
Though I don't profess to be an expect in any way, I have read countless books, more magazine articles than I could have ever imagined, and researched for hours and hours, on the topic of interior decorating. Sometimes I learn important pieces of information from exploring these avenues, and sometimes I get wonderful inspirations. And there are other times when I am fortunate enough to come up with some of my very own ideas.
Part 1 - Your imagination and taking down the walls
The first topic I want to approach is the issue of where to begin when decorating an entire house or apartment. There are so many factors to consider when taking on a job like that; at times it can be overwhelming. It will be to your advantage if you take your time, and if every decision is thought out carefully.
So, where to begin, that is the question? To make it easier, there are a couple of tools needed that will help get the process underway. The first one is a journal. You can keep magazine clippings and sketches in your journal. It's also a good place to keep track of colours you are thinking about, the budget you are working with (including sales receipts from your purchases), and any other decorating ideas you have. With the amount of decisions you are going to be making, it can be so easy to forget even an important detail, so having a journal is essential.
The second, and one of the most important tools you will need, is your imagination. When we built our house, I visualized what colours would look best, and decided against different colours for different rooms, as that would be too busy for my tastes. I wanted something that would be cheerful, even on a gloomy day. I wanted something that would be tranquil, after a long day at work. I didn't want everything to match, but wanted a smooth flow from room to room. Finally, I wanted to have a neutral background. Throughout my research I was drawn to rooms that were painted white, and this would become my blank canvas against which interesting furniture pieces would stand out. However, I also wanted to have some contrast, so I decided to have light coloured wallpaper in a few of the rooms in our house. I made a note to make sure any wallpaper I chose had a background of white, and white became the connecting colour in each room.
The most common mistake made when decorating a home is treating each room as an individual space instead of as part of an overall design plan. Not every room has to be the same colour, but having a connecting element will ensure a nice flow between all the rooms. The structure of most houses is open enough that different rooms can be seen from the same place, as the above photograph demonstrates (from House to Home), which makes colour coordination all the more important. I suggest you choose three shades of one colour and work with those within your home. The unity will create cohesion between the rooms, and the diversity will create contrast and definition of the space.
As you proceed with your decorating, continue to keep the big picture in mind.
As I was planning the different rooms in our home, I tried to imagine what the house would look like if all the walls between each room were non existent. If all the walls were gone, and everything still looked cohesive, then I knew I was on the right track. You can see from the above photograph (Decodir) that even though there are two distinct spaces without wall separations, each look works well, both individually, and together. Picturing your own space without walls, using this photo as a bit of a guide, will give you an idea of how to use your imagination and will allow this concept to work for you.
Your imagination will be your number one tool as you continue to picture the end result throughout each step of the process.
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