10 Tips for a Successful Decorating Project

Photo Courtesy of House Beautiful

Ponder this for a few minutes…

I love that quote and it’s so true. Think about it… what makes a house a “home” is what each person uniquely brings to their own space. Every home is different – a reflection of who we are and what we love. Starting a decorating project is often daunting, but it doesn’t have to be – take a breath and enjoy the process. These ten tips will help you create a space you love…

1. Dream, explore, discover! Take some time to look through magazines, web sites, and newspapers; randomly clipping things that catch your attention. Don’t over think it too much. This will help you find an inspiration picture and ideas you may want to incorporate. Don’t be so sure that you and your spouse, partner or roommate are worlds apart. Designing for the sexes is not always as hard as you think!
2. Know your space. Whether reading a floor plan or drawing your own floor plan, understand your room. How does it feel? How do you want it to feel? What will you do in this room? You can have beauty and function in every room! 
3. Develop a plan. Look at your house as a whole and then break down each area. Whether doing a single room or a whole house; this is important. Set a budget and priorities. Inventory the items you own that you will keep, and create a wish list of what you’d like to put in each room.
4. Get Organized! Keeping your project organized will save you time and energy. Keep everything in one place so you can grab it for shopping, meeting with contractors and finalizing selections. 
5. Pick a starting point. Whether an inspiration picture, a piece of art, furniture that you love, or a favorite paint color; choose it and go from there. Still overwhelmed? Select the finishes for walls and floors and then work on the focal point or area of the room and spread out from there.
6. Don’t be afraid – especially of color! Everyone makes mistakes, (even the professionals!) but you’ll never know if you like it if you don’t try it. The biggest fear for many is picking paint and matching colors. When using the age-old “squint test” it’s easy! Click for more about the squint test. 
7. Furniture. Arranging furniture shouldn’t overwhelm you. With a floor plan and some “rules-of-thumb” you’ll save your back and discover that arranging furniture is fun! 
8.  Remember ceiling! We all know we need to think about the floors and walls, but often forgotten is the ceiling. Ceiling details are a great way to add special touches and character to a room.
9. Lighting. This is key element of every space that is often forgotten. There is day-to-day lighting, task lighting, accent lighting are equally important a room that both functional and beautiful. Lighting can make or break a room.
10. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Often neglected or eliminated because of budget, accessories are ever so important. They define the personality of the room. Plant ledges, mantles, tabletops, etc.  are key places to create interest and tell the story of your home. Approximately 15-25% of your room budget should go towards accessories – this is not the place to negotiate. 

Happy Decorating! xo Amy

Decorating And Design Questions Answered

Do you have a decorating question? I'd love to answer yours!

 

I love to answer Decorating and Design Questions…I don’t know why, I just do. There’s always a special twist or a question I haven’t had before and I enjoy finding a solution or offering advice. I have several Ask Amy questions to catch up on, but yesterday I tackled a handful!  

A few fun one’s lately included Teisha asking if I could come organize her house after I did mine, but I pretty much told her I may not be fully functional by the time I complete mine….haha! Calgon…come take me away 🙂  I also had a few things to say about men and pink to Aime over at mammaloves, hopefully I didn’t offend any of my male readers, but seriously, do you really think most men are even going to notice a touch of pink here and there? I don’t think my guys would! Now mess with the TV and THAT’s a different story!  

To see all my words of wisdom,  visit this link  Have a Decorating Question? Ask Away! to see most of the design questions I’ve answered over the last couple of years. I still have a few to  answer, but sit down when you have time and explore. Perhaps you’ll find the answer to a question you have. I’d love to hear if you agree or disagree with my thoughts – who knows, together we might find an even better solution!  Enjoy! xoxoxo Amy  

Thanks to Ike, I’m inspired to talk about Lighting – It’s really as simple as 1…2…3!

 

I really never anticipated that Hurricane Ike would affect us here in Ohio. Who knew that on a perfectly  muggy, yet brilliantly sunny Sunday, ole Ike would rear his ugly head and bring us up to 74 mph winds propelling us into blackness. Never having been even close to hurricane like winds, it really took a while for it to sink in as to what was happening. Of course the combination of downed trees, a blackout, lost shutters, flying shingles, and a broken window at my home alone, finally got my attenction.

Today is Friday, and still there are over 100,000 people here without electric. In fact I read that across 7 states, 3,000,0000 people lost power. We were pretty lucky actually compared to the devastation that has been wrought in Texas, more less New Orleans a few years ago; they are all in my thoughts and prayers today as I write.

My aunt finally got her power back on Wednesday night and she could finally see the world around her. She said It reminded her of the famous World War II song, When the Lights go on around the World Again,. As the street lamps came on and she could see her neighborhood once again at night she was intune to the emotions that light can bring.

This brings me to the topic here, that I think so often that lighting is taken for granted – even when you do have power. Our homes are lit to provide adequate light for living. But why settle for that? Light can be so much more. There are three levels of lighting that you can incorporate into every single room in your house – this is what will help to make it a home.

  Courtesy of www.bhg.com

General lighting is always important and most of us have that in the form of sunshine during the day and overhead lighting in the ceiling at night. It’s the most basic level of lighting and is meant for daily living. I need to add that you shouldn’t discount the importance of sunshine – my father-in-law and agree to disagree on this topic. Imagine that! I walk into his home and the blinds are pulled with very little sunshine ever making way inside his home. I appreciate that he saving energy. I am all for that, but there is also nothing more energizing and uplifting that being in my home when it’s illuminated by the sun. To me, there’s no better prescription for the blues than opening the blinds on a beautiful sunny day. That’s why I like blinds that can control the angle that the sun comes in, but that still allow it enter my home – but that’s another blog!

                        

Task lighting is just as important. In a nutshell, it’s lighting that provides direct light for a specific task. You’ll find it over a food preparation area in your kitchen or next to a chair for reading. If you’ve ever tried to read a book in a dimly lit room or to see if the chicken is still pink when cooking dinner, than you can appreciate the need for task lighting. Take a few minutes when planning a room to consider what activities will take place. Are you a family who loves to play games? Do you like to watch TV and knit or relax and read a book? Providing the appropriate task lighting will make the time spent within that room even more enjoyable! 

        

Accent lighting, the third level of light is often an afterthought or really isn’t given much thought at all. This is where you can dramatically change the ambiance of your room. Accent lighting can make a room feel welcoming, intimate, and truly a place you love to be. It can be found in the form of an interesting lamp (try a 20 watt bulb if it’s not for reading), a hidden uplight on plants (less than $12.00 at Lowes), or a spot light on artwork. If I had my choice, I’d have dimmers on every switch in the house – even my bathroom. A dimmer switch is inexpensive, fairly easy to install and can turn general lighting into accent lighting with a flip of your wrist.

Take a few minutes to evaluate the rooms in you home. Lighting is as simple as 1,2,3 and incorporating the 3 levels of lighting in each room is big step towards making your house feel more like a home!