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Health & Fitness

If Bad Decorating Was A Hanging Offence, There Would Be Bodies Hanging From Every Tree


Have you already divided your furniture with your spouse/ex-spouse or are in in the process of deciding how to divide your possessions?

Listen and learn. it’s time to consider the design elements for your new space – following are several design tips and tricks of the trade to help get you started.

DESIGN STYLES – Whether you plan to renovate down to the studs or just want to revitalize your existing space, creating a style binder helps develop focus and represents a visual language for what you might be considering. Perusing design and fashion magazines for inspiration and direction collect images that appeal to you. Look for patterns; do you prefer traditional or contemporary? Warm or cool colors? Quiet or vibrant textiles? Avoid thematic rooms and tired decorating clichés but don’t be afraid to combine design styles, mixing humble materials with more luxurious ones is a contemporary approach to great design. If you prefer using the web, houzz.com and pinterest.com are good tools for developing inspiration boards that you can share with others.

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RUGS - Ideally, begin the decorating process with your rug. When you start with a great rug as the anchor and foundation of a room you can build off it using the color, texture and the pattern. While there are a lot of different opinions on placement and size, a general rule is that all furniture should sit on top of the rug. If this isn’t possible, the front legs can rest on the rug with the back legs on the floor. Try to avoid using area rugs that are too small and stick to natural fibers like wool – they are better quality and will last longer. If you are on a budget, sisal, jute and seagrass are always stylish and chic options.

PAINT - Painting is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to transform a home. As color affects our mood, determine if you are someone who likes warm or cool colors and choose a palette that makes you feel good. Always do a 1’x1’ sample on each wall in the room and evaluate them in both the day and night time before making your final selection. Depending on the light you have, what you thought was a soft, warm cream, could turn out to be a pale, baby pink for example. To create serene spaces use a monochromatic tone-on-tone palette in quiet neutrals, then make it interesting by using a wide variety of textures. Alternatively, try dark colors in smaller rooms – it makes them look bigger and delivers on dramatic appeal. When it comes to paint, you get what you pay for and that said, Benjamin Moore is the best quality latex based line on the market with 3,500 color choices now including low and zero VOC options.

WALL COVERINGS – Wallpaper increases visual interest by adding pattern, texture and accent color to a room. It is also an efficient and bold way to define a room style quickly. For example an abstract print establishes a contemporary style, while a small floral suggests a traditional or country style. A general tip: use patterned wallpaper to strengthen a room, and unpatterned paper to soften a space.

FURNISHINGS – After the editing and purging process, mix it up. While each room and piece of furniture had a purpose in the past, each new room can have a new purpose based on what is important to you in this chapter of life, so try separating furniture and moving it into a different area. Doing this first will give your space new character immediately and you may need less for your home than you initially thought. Meanwhile, you can always have a quality piece re-upholstered or re-finished affordably if it needs to be changed. In selecting new furniture, both comfort and style are primary. If one of these elements is missing for you, it’s not the right choice. There are a lot of great looking options that are completely uncomfortable to sit in, so always think carefully about how you're going to use the piece before you buy. It’s also a good idea to know what size furniture you need when you are looking for something new. There is nothing worse than waiting for something to be delivered and have it not fit once it arrives. On arrangement, instead of pushing furniture against the walls, try pulling furniture away to create more intimate conversation areas. This is particularly important in living rooms and family rooms. And though some people are hesitant to show the backs of furniture, there's no reason not to if they are finished well. Additionally, make sure that every chair or sofa has an accompanying side table - it makes for more inviting spaces. Stools are also great accent pieces as a flexible place to perch a tray with drinks or as extra seating.

 

WINDOW TREATMENTS – It’s no secret that window treatments can be expensive but are necessary to complete the finished look of a room. While custom window treatments come in endless design choices from material to header to hardware style, these options present a considerable price difference when compared to semi-custom options and off-the-shelf curtain panels. If fully custom window treatments are not in your budget, consider high quality retail options like Smith & Noble and Restoration Hardware. If you have existing window treatments that can potentially be re-cut for your new space, contact a reputable professional to get an opinion on how to best execute that possibility - exact window measurements are imperative for this. Don’t bother bringing along solar and roller shades, they rarely fit and can’t be re-sized.                                                                                     

LIGHTING – Light affects people psychologically, so good lighting, natural and artificial, makes a space more cheerful. It's best to have a combination of overhead, ambient and task lighting so use table lamps, floor lamps, accent lamps, chandeliers, sconces – whatever you like, just be sure there is a mix. It will provide more light as well as make the room and everyone in it look better. Selecting the proper size for a chandelier can be difficult because there are often no points of reference from which to gauge. An excellent trick is to take the width of the room in feet, double it, convert it to inches and that will give you the minimum dimension for your chandelier’s diameter. And when installing a chandelier over a dining table, traditionally the base should hang between 30” – 36” above a tabletop.

ART - There is no need to spend a fortune on a museum piece but a work of art you love can become the item that defines the room through color and or movement. Remember that there is power in numbers and that grouping framed pieces together makes a big impression. For example, hanging six pieces in a grid over a sofa gives the impact of a much larger single piece. Generally, artwork should be hung at about eye level. Obviously this varies from person to person, so use your judgment but it's better to err on the side of lower over higher. A beautifully framed mirror can also be used as art and is recommended especially if your room is dark.

ACCENT PILLOWS AND TEXTILES – Pillows are one of the easiest ways to experiment with color and pattern so be sure to add them for visual interest and layering. Using color and texture can change the tone of the room and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Make different prints work together by tying in color, and always include a soft blanket for cozy moments on the sofa.

DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES – Show your personality by artfully displaying collectibles or objects related to your personal interests. Organize accessories around similar colors and display groupings of like objects with like objects.  Keep in mind, accessories are like a woman’s jewelry, you never wear it all at once. A solid rule of thumb is to edit your accessories so that you never have more than 20 percent out at a given time. If you do not have a lot of decorative pieces, consider bringing in repeated multiples to make a quick and more formal statement. Alternatively, bring in seasonal accessories and decorations for a more casual approach. In either case, surround yourself with memorabilia that makes you feel good.

Through this process you will hopefully come to realize that your home is a tool for manifestation and recognize it as the place where you can nurture yourself and grow. To solidify your fresh perspective, it helps to continually remind yourself of the central principle that everything is connected. It’s simple really – what do you want to experience? Harmony, Connection, Renewed Sense of Self? Begin by clearly setting your intentions then create these qualities in your home and your life experience will follow suit. Knowing that we’re part of everything and honoring this knowledge through our choices and actions breathes a renewed sense of beauty and meaning into our lives. Now is your opportunity to embrace it.

Kate Cummings is the founder of Freestyle Restyle, a unique interior redesign practice in the New York metropolitan area. For more information or to get in touch, go to: www.freestylerestyle.com


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