Inspiration.............Eye Candy.............Decorating Ideas
We all love inspiration, that's why we read so many blogs, right?
And when we stumble upon great eye candy, we get excited.
And decorating ideas, well, let's get real, we're all looking for them at some point.
Don't you love it when you find a website that has all of that in one spot?
I know I do.
I'm like a kid in a candy store every time I find a new site with lots of decorating inspiration gathered in one spot. Let's me know I can hunker down for a while and browse through ONE SITE for a long time and be able to build my inspiration files.
What is Design Shuffle you ask?
It's a social networking site for interior designers, architects, home decorators, or enthusiasts that just love interior design. It's filled with lots of interior design and decorating ideas from top tier design talent around the world.
I've asked the gals behind Design Shuffle to come and share some of their handy tips on pulling together a well decorated home for yourself.
So here they are. Take it away!
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Hi there Make Mine Beautiful readers. We're glad to be here talking to you about tips to keep in mind whether you're planning a single project in your own home, or doing a complete decorating overhaul. Since Polly is a designer herself, we've asked her to chime in with a few of her own tips along the way.
The principles of interior designing can bring about a marvelous and pleasing change to your house if correctly applied. You can choose to have professional designers take care of your designing needs, or you can very well do it yourself if only you do your research to find great interior design ideas and complete your homework before you start bringing down the walls.
Effective Interior designing is all about knowing yourself and knowing what you actually want from your home. Since revamping and remodeling your home is a very expensive venture, you cannot adopt the hit and miss approach. You need to be very sure about your requirements, your choices, and your ultimate vision of transformation.
From choosing the colors to choosing the tiles; from designing the kitchen to revamping the bedroom; from selecting the rugs to selecting the window blinds and the lighting, you have to be sure about your choices by looking at things from an artistic as well as a practical point of view. Creativity should be accompanied with practicality, as form and function both play an equally vital role in interior design. You will need to understand the science behind interior designing, and grasp the concepts behind the art of interior decorating in order to give your home a complete makeover that will stay fresh for years to come.
Here are Some Interior Design Tips That Will Come In Handy:
- Before diving into revamping the house, refer to as many interior design magazines or interior design ideas on the net as possible.
Polly Tip: Start building your inspiration files as soon as you know you have a project on the horizon.
Polly Tip: Start building your inspiration files as soon as you know you have a project on the horizon.
- Maintain a scrap book with ideas and pictures of things that have caught your eye so you can get inspiration and ideas from them when needed.
- Take each room one at a time and create a separate vision for each room, keeping in mind its dimensions.
Polly Tip: Keep a set of basic room measurements in your files at all times. Be sure to include all doors, windows, and closets. You never know when you'll find the perfect piece of furniture, and you need to be able to know if it fits.
- Adding good pictures to the background gives an artistic touch.
Polly Tip: Look for art that really appeals to you. If you select a subject you truly connect with that has a color palette you prefer, then you will enjoy that art for many years. Also pay particualer attention to the scale of the art vs the size of the room.
Polly Tip: Look for art that really appeals to you. If you select a subject you truly connect with that has a color palette you prefer, then you will enjoy that art for many years. Also pay particualer attention to the scale of the art vs the size of the room.
- Ensure that the space and color combinations complement each other.
Polly Tip: Consult a color wheel if you need help with understanding color combinations.
(Michelle Workman Interiors)
- A dark and dull house is uninspiring and uninviting. So, do not compromise on lighting effects. Add chandeliers or a few sconces to add that extra dimension.
Polly Tip: Lighting is everything in design! We'll cover this in depth in a future blog post.
- A dark and dull house is uninspiring and uninviting. So, do not compromise on lighting effects. Add chandeliers or a few sconces to add that extra dimension.
Polly Tip: Lighting is everything in design! We'll cover this in depth in a future blog post.
(Brooks Design)
- Try to keep your interior design project cost effective. It will not do you any good if the project is worth more than the house itself.
Polly Tip: If you know your current house is not your forever house, then put the bulk of your funds into items you can take with you when you go, such as great furniture and rugs. If you know that it is your forever house, you can be a bit more lenient about that, but still be reasonable about pricing your house out of the market for your neighborhood. In other words, put good money into your lighting, but don't spend thousands of dollars on a fabulous tile for an 8 foot strip of backsplash.
- Add simple plants and show pieces to add to the aesthetics of your house.
- Try to keep your interior design project cost effective. It will not do you any good if the project is worth more than the house itself.
Polly Tip: If you know your current house is not your forever house, then put the bulk of your funds into items you can take with you when you go, such as great furniture and rugs. If you know that it is your forever house, you can be a bit more lenient about that, but still be reasonable about pricing your house out of the market for your neighborhood. In other words, put good money into your lighting, but don't spend thousands of dollars on a fabulous tile for an 8 foot strip of backsplash.
- Add simple plants and show pieces to add to the aesthetics of your house.
(Irene Bruth & Isobel Miller)-
- Antique and vintage interior décor pieces are always in style.
Polly Tip: Eclectic interiors have exploded in popularity with the expanse of decorating blogs. Try mixing antique and vintage pieces into your current decor for a fun and unique spin on your current style.
- The kitchen is the heart of any home. Design your kitchen with the help of kitchen design ideas from several sources while keeping both comfort and practicality in mind. Here are a few different kitchen ideas fresh off the press to get you started.
Polly Tip: Schedule at least one consultation with a kitchen designer in your home. They are trained to help you get the most use of your space, and many times they will give you ideas that may otherwise have never occured to you. You have no obligation to complete your project with them, and in many cases, they will sell you the plans they drew up for your project.
- Antique and vintage interior décor pieces are always in style.
Polly Tip: Eclectic interiors have exploded in popularity with the expanse of decorating blogs. Try mixing antique and vintage pieces into your current decor for a fun and unique spin on your current style.
- The kitchen is the heart of any home. Design your kitchen with the help of kitchen design ideas from several sources while keeping both comfort and practicality in mind. Here are a few different kitchen ideas fresh off the press to get you started.
Polly Tip: Schedule at least one consultation with a kitchen designer in your home. They are trained to help you get the most use of your space, and many times they will give you ideas that may otherwise have never occured to you. You have no obligation to complete your project with them, and in many cases, they will sell you the plans they drew up for your project.
(Brooks Design)
(Granada Tile Melanie Stephens)
- Large patterned tiles are proving to be popular, or if you are more into rugs, hand knotted or wool area rugs with large patterns are a good idea for maximum impact for your floors.
Polly: Couldn't agree more!
- Colors can be used with great effect to change the tone and ambiance of any room in the home. So, study the effects of colors in your home before finalizing them.
Polly Tip: Test items and paints in your home whenever possible. You would be amazed at how different something may look when you take it from the store into your own lighting situation.
(Thomas F. Fallon Architect)
The trendiest colors of 2011 are: Honeysuckle, Coffee, Vintage Wine, Citrus Yellow, Black Pearl, Spicy Brown, Teal, and Indigo.
Polly Tip: Infuse a few of these into your decor for added spunk. All fun colors, and I can't wait to see rooms start exploding with them this year!
Polly: Couldn't agree more!
- Colors can be used with great effect to change the tone and ambiance of any room in the home. So, study the effects of colors in your home before finalizing them.
Polly Tip: Test items and paints in your home whenever possible. You would be amazed at how different something may look when you take it from the store into your own lighting situation.
The trendiest colors of 2011 are: Honeysuckle, Coffee, Vintage Wine, Citrus Yellow, Black Pearl, Spicy Brown, Teal, and Indigo.
Polly Tip: Infuse a few of these into your decor for added spunk. All fun colors, and I can't wait to see rooms start exploding with them this year!
- Going green is in. Eco-friendly cloth fabrics, furniture, flooring materials, and energy lighting alternatives are the latest addition to interior décor fashions.
- As with any other branch of art, interior decorating and designing knows no limits.
- As with any other branch of art, interior decorating and designing knows no limits.
You have the choice to follow trends or create something of your own that could turn into a trend.
Stop by Design Shuffle today to find some great inspiration for every room in your home.
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Thank you so much for the great tips!
I hope you've gotten some good pointers from the Design Shuffle gals.
What questions do you have about your next design project?
Im taking on new cases to discuss on the blog for Designer Fridays, so let me know.
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