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Lighting choices
and placement can make all the difference in
the world in a dark room. Introduce low wattage
lamps into the space to warm the room up a bit.
Choose sheer window treatments so you can take
advantage of the sun’s light throughout
the daytime. Mirrors are a wonderful choice
for wall treatments in poorly lit rooms due
to their reflective qualities. Light colored
wall treatments will reflect light as well.
Just remember, if you want light, think light.
Lighter colors and lighter textures create lighter
spaces!
Low ceilings are a problem that is confronted
in many older homes. It is easy to create the
illusion of height in such rooms by applying
a few general rules of thumb. Use window-to-floor
window treatments alongside low lying furniture
to create a ‘tall’ feeling.
Place wall hangings lower and use contrasting
lamp sizes. Try items such as miniatures on
tabletops and use larger, dominating pieces
for floor lamps. When accessorizing, try to
create the same type of contrast using small
accessories throughout the room in comparison
with large, almost disproportionate ones. The
illusion this creates is very realistic.
Once any problem areas have been addressed,
it is time to begin planning the general design.
Lighting is a key factor in designing and should
always be a primary focus of thought. Soft,
translucent lights create a warm, personal environment
that is ideal for areas such as living rooms
or sitting rooms. These types of areas are also
great for bedroom lighting arrangements as well.
Bathrooms should relay a mixture of the cozy
and relaxed lighting option alongside a usable
set of work lights to aid in general
bathroom activities. Save lighting options such
as open bulb lighting or halogens for kitchens
and other similar spaces that require working
light. Always remember when inserting permanent
lighting fixtures to try and direct the source
of the light towards an area of the room that
you would like to focus attention or highlight.
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Wall treatments are another key element to interior
design. If you are unsure of a color, before
actually painting the walls, paint a large piece
of cardboard and place it onto the wall next
to a window or other architectural piece in
the room to see how the color lays.
This is especially helpful because it offers
a preview of how the paint will appear after
it dries. Many wall treatment techniques are
growing more and more popular as good alternatives
for messy wallpaper applications. The color
and treatment that you choose for an area’s
walls should be the underlying basis of the
entire room’s theme or design.
It is crucial for you to make good choices in
order to wind up with an appealing, sturdy overall
design. Flooring decisions should ALWAYS be
made considering the type of usage they will
endure and what surface type fits the clients
needs the best. Tile, while being an extraordinarily
versatile and easily cleaned floor type is often
quite costly and difficult to maintain over
an extended period of time. Wooden floors are
beautiful although they generally require a
greater amount of upkeep. Linoleum is relatively
inexpensive but does not last a very long time.
Carpet is soft and comfortable although it is
the most difficult to clean. Each type of flooring
possibility has it’s own unique set of
pros and cons and these should be weighed carefully
when planning a floor space for a particular
client.
Furniture is the primary ingredient in the batter
of interior design. It can make a room or break
it. Large pieces such as sofas should be chosen
according to versatility rather then design
and should be moderate in color and general
in form. Save your more non-traditional pieces
for less expensive items that will be easier
to change if you were to choose to do so in
the future. More traditional, simplistic designs
can be accented or polished up by adding bold
colored and textured accessories.
If you are interested in choosing or purchasing
an item with a little more ‘character’,
do so with pieces such as tables, lamps, and
floor chairs. These items are expendable and
can always be exchanged out for other items
at a later time.
Placement of the furniture is essential both
in creating a livable space and also the visual
representation of that space. In living areas,
it is a great idea to focus seating areas towards
opposite points in the room, thus creating two
spaces in one.
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Too much or two little furniture can make a
room overcrowded or too bare. The placement
of the items of furniture in conjunction with
the overall usage of the room is essential.
A good rule of thumb is to keep walkways thirty-six
to forty-eight inches from piece to piece in
order to allow for adequate walking room. Each
of the defined space should be complimentary
to the other pieces included in the layout of
the room. Beware of ‘corner shoving’
and the instinct of placing furniture against
the wall. Rather, create a feeling of intimacy
by placing the pieces facing one another and
centering around focal points or other areas
of interest.
All of your basic items of design have been
composed now and placed. It is now time to ‘put
the icing on the cake’ by adding complimentary
accessories to the room to tie the design together
and add a personal touch. Elements such as color,
texture, and shape come into play here more
strongly then at other stages in design. A proper
balance of solid colors and textured prints
creates an illusion of ‘more’. The
use of only solid pillows or other accessories
offers a more simplistic, sophisticated feel
to a room.
Try mixing it up and see what type of results
you come up with. If your theme is focused around
bold, bright colors, take advantage of lighter,
quieter ones as accessories to offset the starkness
achieved from the bolder choices. If your room
is based on a more neutral colored theme, set
it off by using very bright and bold colors
that stand out from the neutral tones in the
background. Also, be sure to implement textures
into your accessories in order to evoke different
feelings or moods in your room.
The proper choices for accessories can add glitter
and dazzle to an alreadywell-designed room and
provide just right finishing touches to bind
the design together.
Make proper choices in each of these design
stages and you will end up with a design that
is both complimentary to the lifestyle of the
person who will be using the space as well as
being visually pleasing to all who enter.
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