3 Things an Interior Designer Will Notice in 30 Seconds or Less
Wednesday, February 8th, 2017
Homeowners and even my own friends have asked me, “What’s it like to have your eyes?” or “Do you just repaint walls and rearrange furniture in your mind every time you walk into a room?” when I’m invited to their home for a consultation or a social gathering.
While these questions are always funny to me, they did get me thinking about how training yourself to have an interior designer’s point-of-view can help you make tasteful decisions when remodeling your home or choosing finish materials for your new custom home build.
When I first walk into a room, there are three things I always notice within the first 30 seconds.
1. The Style of Furniture
Furniture styles are as unique as the home they’re in, so it’s always an adventure to see what kind of taste homeowners have when I see a room for the first time. In addition to the furniture, I also notice the way the room is laid out and how each piece of furniture is placed in respect to the wall, windows, and the entrance.
2. Color
Color can do so much to a room (both good and bad!) and it’s one of the first things I notice when I’m walking through a home. When used the right way, bright colors add a pop of excitement to an otherwise neutral room while dark colors add a calming richness. One of the new color trends for 2017 is dark wall colors with bold jewel tones. Read more about other 2017 home design trends in this blog post.
One of the cool things about color is that it has the power to alter your perspective. In How to Boost Your Square Footage with 12 Cans of Paint, I talk about how colors that are even a little less basic can do a lot to improve a room’s aesthetic.
3. Trims & Woodwork
I love good woodwork, whether it’s floors, paneling, cabinets, beams, or trim. As the Director of Design for the past 3 years, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to try out different woodworking techniques in homes all over Knoxville and the surrounding areas. In Cherokee renovation we did in 2010, we installed custom wood paneled walls and a coffered ceiling with a built-in bookcase in the great room of the home below.
In this home build, we put up wood truss beams and a tongue groove ceiling.
We also did a dark wood tongue and groove ceiling in the outdoor living space addition of this home.
I could keep going, but you get the idea.
If you’re considering a kitchen renovation, an outdoor living space addition, or even a new home build, make sure you contract with a company that has an in-house experienced designer. Visit our website to schedule a time to sit down with me to discuss your next big project.
Not quite ready? Read what these Riverbend homeowners said about how we used interior design know-how to helped them accomplish the look they wanted.
Tags: accent colors, custom woodwork, Floor plan, furniture arrangement, furniture style, room colors, room layout, wood trims
