Do-It-Yourself Room Design: Where to Begin?
When designing a room in your own home, is to approach the task as a
professional designer would. Many do-it-yourselfers take the
serendipitous approach to interior design. Their starting line is a
professional designerÌs finishing stretchÛthe furniture store. Once
there, they are at the mercy of the salesman, who is unlikely to ask if
the dining room is large enough to provide at least two feet clearance
behind all the chairs, or if the upholstery of the new wingback will
complement the fabrics and color palette in the room.
Begin instead with the basic tools and mindset of a professional
designer. Give yourself a budget and stick to it. To determine your
budget, get estimates by calling two or three craftsmen who specialize
in whatever tasks you need to hire out, such as carpeting installation,
and visit home-improvement stores to get prices on materials. If you
have Internet access, you also have instant access to extensive
furniture catalogues. Search through these and get a grasp of what
materials, styles, designs, and dimensions appeal to you, and note the
price. Add another ten- to twenty-percent to your total to cover
unexpected costs (which occur so often they really should be ÏexpectedÓ costs.)
With your budget in hand, list your wants and needs for the room and
prioritize your list. Doing so will help you determine your actual
starting point. For example, if you know you want this room to be blue,
youÌll want to start with selecting your color palette. If, on the
other hand, your biggest problem with the area is that it feels too
small, youÌll want to focus on the dimensions of the furniture and on
visual tricks of the trade. (Fabric patterns, wall colors, and mirrors
can work wonders!).
A couple of dollars spent on graph paper, paint samples, and swatches
during the initial planning stage can save you hundreds of dollars and
immeasurable frustration later. Create your own designerÌs presentation
board, consisting of an accurate ÏbirdÌs-eyeÓ floor plan (remember to
include all outlets, heating and ventilation ducts, doors, and
windows), samples (such as tile, carpet, paint, fabrics), and pictures
of the furniture. To visualize the finished room, itÌs also very
helpful to sketch, with as much detail as possible, how the finished
room will look from two or more angles.
As you make your fiscal decisions, put your money where your eye is.
For example, an uninteresting and inexpensive drawer knob is fine when
itÌs attached to a dresser located in a corner, or if atop the dresser
thereÌs an eye-catching porcelain vase or antique lamp. If, however,
the dresser is directly opposite the bedroom door or is at the foot of
the bed where it will be the first and last thing youÌre likely to see
every day of your life, upgrade the knobs. A little detail such as
unique and attractive hardware can be an inexpensive means to improve
the aesthetics of a built-in or furniture piece.
When we spend a portion of every day in a given setting, we become so
familiar with the way the area looks that we stop paying attention. To
jar yourself out of an inattentive mode, enter your room from the door
or direction that you use the least often, or go to a different vantage
point and close and then open your eyes. With fresh eyes, note where
your focus initially fall and what subsequently draws your eye as you
scan the area. These are the places on which you need to concentrate
your efforts. Get rid of or upgrade the eyesores. If thatÌs impossible,
use redirection to pull the attention to a nicer feature. To redirect
focus, use the basics: Large items initially draw the eye, as does
whatever object is directly in front of our entranceway. Bright colors
are also focal points, as are sharp contrasts, shiny objects, and
motion. Wall troubles? Use a spectacular throw rug. Hate the
upholstery? Slip covers and throw pillows. Low ceiling? Crown moldings,
borders, and gorgeous draperies. Also, never underestimate the power of
the perfect sconce, or a beautiful frame to draw the eye.
Determine which furnishings you want to keep. If some particular
possession is perhaps a tad unsightly but has sentimental value, for
heavenÌs sake, keep it! Fix it up, or let it be the proverbial
conversation piece that will be worth its weight in gold when
entertaining guests. If you truly love that enormous pink-and-jade
basket from dear old Aunt Betsy, design your room around it, even. Our
homes are our personal havens and refuges where we should always feel
free to be who we are and to express ourselves.
My final piece of advice is this: Every room in your house should
contain at least one item that you absolutely love. Design everything
else around that item, and you can turn the entire room into a space
that you absolutely love.
Copyright © 2004 Leslie Caine
Leslie Caine is a certified interior decorator and author of DEATH BY INFERIOR DEMAND, a mystery novel from Bantam/Dell that features interior designers.
For more information, please visit the authorÌs website at www.lesliecaine.com
|
