Home Interior Design

Interior Design Tips and Hints

2008-03-13T22:43:00.000+07:00

Interior design has often been the easiest form of self-expression. Somewhere in every person is an interior designer just waiting to jump out. This may seem unrealistic to some but most all forms of design are based in how we want our homes to feel. This brings along with it a picture of what our home is, what function it serves, and how we want to portray ourselves to others. The decorating process remains one of the great mysteries of the average person. How do we create the home we want to invite others into?

Many people have said that interior design is the process by which we connect with people, and connect with the world while staying safely within our own space. It is safe to say that through interior design, we connect with some energy, some force, and some thing that expresses who we are and how we want to live. And it is through this connecting process that we have the opportunity to use our homes to effect change in our lives.If we choose, we can become more comfortable or more expressive. Through this process, we can show others how we like to live and invite them to share part of our lives. We can focus on comfort, style, and/or art, truthfully anything we want to express.Here are the five steps to finding your style as well as some tips to implementing these styles.

Step 1: The decisions

Is your home are filled with trinkets, gadgets, and dust catchers? That you don’t need? Or are these things treasures possessions that you cannot part with for all the tea in china? These items (typically bought for time saving) end up costing us precious space in our homes. We can free up space otherwise saved for these items or display them as they are meant to show who and what you are to the world!

For example, imagine how much space is tied up in the books we bought but have never read? If you’re not going to read it, find another home for it. Donate to a library or give it to a friend that may find they will treasure it. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used something in a year, you don’t need it or want it. If the book is treasure for its beauty or worth then displaying it in a room would be much better then letting it collect dust in a box somewhere. We all need to make these decisions, love it or leave it!

Design tip #1:

Most likely, it’s on your list of things to, goes thru “things”, and has been there for months or even years. Sometimes we don’t know something unwanted because we have been putting up with it for so long and have gotten used to it. Like that pile of stuff in a basket by the sofa or a drawer in an old unused desk that you don’t really need anymore even when you have to walk around to get a wanted daily used items.

So make sure to take care of the things to do list! A good way to do this is to stand back and think about all the things you own and if you are unsure if you use an item. Place a dot sticker on it with the date. If you use that item within a year, remove the sticker. If you do not use the item within a year, find it a home somewhere that it will be used.

Step 2: Find your style

Create a clear idea of what it is you would like to portray of yourself. Perhaps you are a person into comfort and easy maintenance, or perhaps you are a creative individual who would like to use your home to highlight new projects, new relationships, or a new career. Whatever your personality, begin now by narrowing down the specific style you will be comfortable living with. Remember, being specific is the key here. Make a list of qualities, draw a picture, cut pictures out of magazines do whatever you can to get as specific a picture as you can. Find thing that inspire you.

Step 3: Assistance

The keyword here is ASK! Asking where someone got his or her ideas will not kill you! Look for ideas in the world around you. Sometimes we are afraid to ask where someone we admire shop for the beautiful things that fill their home, but if you admire someone’s interior then let them know it! Other kinds of collaboration can include asking for help to clean out your garage in order to build your new studio, asking friends to come over for a dinner party because you want to get a prospective on how your living space will be used and where people gather, or asking someone to look over your drawing and pictures, a new look into what you are trying to achieve can get some great ideas offered. You don’t have to do it alone!

Step 4: Confidence

The number one attitude you should have is confidence. This can be achieved by realizing that interior design is something you cannot fail at, become you are going to live in it! If you are comfortable, you can be confident and enjoy it. So take a look at the ideas you are coming up with and whether or not you are keeping them to use. Take a look at your ideas, pictures and drawings. They’re full of decisions you have made. Deciding what you really want gives a wonderful feeling. But don’t take my word for it tries it out!

Interior decorating tip #2:

Many stores have wallpaper books with great images to go with the wallpapers. And magazines have ideas, too

Step 5: Take the first step

Start arranging and stepping back to see what you have done! Buy something you love and put it in the place of honor and work from there. Once you have de-cluttered and arranged just go for it! Anyone can do interior decoration. If you want to go by a rule, look in books and follow the steps. Many good interior-decorating books will tell you the difference between art deco and Elizabethan and most have steps you can follow. So you have many options and can get your home to be comfortable for you. So jump in and let your personality shine!
These five steps are designed to help you be more open to your own style and the inspiration that the world holds for you. If you work with these steps, you will be able to find a balance of comfort and design while avoiding some of the stresses and find yourself in a real sense of home that you love. Good luck! ... Read more

How to Start your Interior Design Business

2008-03-13T19:17:00.001+07:00

Starting any business is never simple, but it doesn’t have to be as complicated as many people think. A lot of what is needed is actually fun. You have to understand that much of starting any business requires you to be a salesman. You have to build yourself and your company up.

You must get a business number and registration. You can check your government listings for the correct number. You must also check with your local accountant to see what needs to be done about taxes etc.

You must also decide if you are going to be a home business or if you are planning to run a studio for a lease. Make sure to purchase all of the necessary materials. Some items you can get for free if you know where to look. Here is a list of some of those materials.

What you will need

Color swatches for paints and fabrics ( you can get many of them for free from local paint stores if you ask).
Fabric samples are a necessity (you can get them for free from your local furniture store).
Interior design magazines for client perusal (it helps them get an idea of what they like).
Furniture catalogues (free from furniture dealers and retailers).
Fine arts catalogue, get them from art galleries.
Kitchen and bathroom catalogues. Basically get catalogues from everybody that deals with furniture, art, and lighting stores.
Photos of your work, and signed recommendations (remember you get them from family and friends when you are just starting out).
Your portfolio (always have a copy of your portfolio).

Tips for Building a Portfolio with Little or no Professional Experience

Ask Friend or family to let you design a room in their house, and take pictures of your work for the portfolio.
Get your friends and family to write letters of recommendation for you or list themselves as references.
A leather binder or photo album can be used to hold all of this information until you have better resources.
If you have them, copies of your credentials should be placed at the front of your portfolio to assure your future clients that you are qualified.
Put your best work forward. Do not show any work that you are not proud to have done.
There are of Course a couple of items that Interior designers always have on hand at all times. These are rather necessary, even if you are just starting out or want to get started.

Here is a list of some of the things that will be invaluable to you as you start your own Interior Design business. They are simply ways of helping you know what to do to get a possible client base.

Sell yourself - You will want to sell the public on your services and abilities. Do as much promotion as you can. Go everywhere that you can think of that hosts design events, and set yourself up as a contender.
Mingle - Try to meet as many different types of people as possible. Go to golf and country clubs with a load of business cards on hand. Be sure to have your portfolio on hand in case you get any bites. Go to all of the popular events in your area and start talking to people.
Start-Up Help - There are many places that you can go to get help with start up money. This only applies to people who are seeking to lease a studio outside of the home. Check your local government or business assistance programs.
Establish your Position - You want to ensure that you can let your community know that you are out there. Handing out flyers, offering special discounts or free services to your neighbors can let the people get a sample of your work. It is a good way to get your neighbors to spread the word.
Build your Clientele - I cannot express too much, the importance of approaching homeowners and businessmen with your ideas for refurbishing their spaces... Read more

The Meaning in Design

2008-03-13T17:51:00.003+07:00

Much like the history of art, the history of interior design has had numerous styles, movements and the political and social developments that have informed or challenged its evolution.

Encyclopedias define interior design as: planning and design of man-made spaces, a part of environmental designs and closely related to architecture. Although the desire to create a pleasant environment is as old as civilization itself the field of interior design is relatively new, this seems on target for most home designs.

Since at least the middle of the 20th century, the term interior decorator has been so loosely applied as to be nearly meaningless …Meaningless? Maybe since the word eclectic has become a household word.

Interior designers use their education, creativeness, and experience to help plan the space and furnish the interiors of private homes, public buildings, and business or institutional facilities, such as offices, restaurants, retail establishments, hospitals, hotels, and theaters.

Professional designers can tell you if a chair is a Greece. Rome. Byzantium. Dark Ages middle Ages. Gothic. Moorish. Spanish. Anglo-Saxon or Charlemagne's Chair. Does the average person even know what the colonial period, the revival of Directoire and empire furniture, the Victorian period or the periods of the three Louis?

This may be why a lot of creative people shy away from decorating there own special spaces.

In this modern day and age people can now use their creativity to create beautiful living spaces without caring that they may break a cardinal rule of decorating. Home decorating, is a conscious effort to improve the appearance and functionality of one's living areas, in many homes and living spaces. This means that we can break out of the styles of the past and create our own areas of comfort and style. Really know what you want as a home, want it, and you can work out any scheme, provided you have intelligence, patience and perseverance.

What is eclectic? Eclectic is basically made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources, like mixing an Elizabethan chair next to a Queen Anne stool. As part of the ever-increasing quest for individual expression in decor the eclectic style has emerged as a favorite among homeowners that want to decorate the world around them.

This gives us all freedom to decorate to our own taste and comfort level!

Acknowledging all schemes of interior decoration and insisting that what makes any scheme good or bad, successful, or unsuccessful is the fact that it is planned in reference to the type of person who will live in it. If you are to be living in it then you can do anything you want.

In planning your house after arranging for proper wall space for your various articles of furniture, keep in mind always that balance will be needed and must be at the same time conveniently placed and distinctly decorative; convenient for the individual along with the family.

One is astonished to see how often the careless placing of one piece upsets the actual balance of a room. One chair in the flow of traffic or a tipsy lamp next to a door can really ruin a good-looking design. To help you make smart choices, look thru books on decorating that discuss traits, preferred room dimensions, available options for furniture matching, and other helpful decision-making information. Often e-books and other online resource can point out good hints and tips to really get you started.
With this in mind and ideas fresh, I suggest lots of thought and some research before starting out on this great endeavor, but with a plan in hand roll up your sleeves and get going! ... Read more

What Do I Need To Be Interior Design?

2008-03-13T17:14:00.000+07:00

The first thing that you are going to need if you want to be an interior designer is the passion for it. You must ask yourself is whether or not designing homes and/or properties is something that you could feel passionate about. To find out ask, yourself these questions.

Do you constantly rearrange the furniture in your own home?
Do you often have ideas about friends and families homes, and what would make them look better?
Are you finding that people often ask your opinion about their own homes, and what you think may make it look better?
Do you like planning the rearrangement of your home before you do it?
When decorating your own home, do you find yourself wondering how best to incorporate colors into your space?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, than you already have the passion to become an interior designer. These questions merely touched on the very thing that drew you to this book in the first place. It just helped you realize that you were right in doing so.

The second thing that may need to become an interior designer is the interest. This basically explores whether or not your actual interest is genuine. Many people consider a great many careers before they develop a genuine interest in choosing one. We know that you have the passion, but does that passion mean that you have enough interest to follow through? I have some more questions for you to answer if you really want to know if the interest is really there for you.

Do you feel the need to learn how best to coordinate the colors in your room before you seek to change them?
Do you seek outside advice from professionals on how best to accent a particular object or color?
Do you seek to know the history behind a particular style of décor when you notice one?
Do you find yourself wondering what sort of planning went in to the creation of a glorious room you’ve been in?
Would you prefer to read a design magazine above any other? (Modern Living, or Country Style Home)
Do you think that Martha Stewart is nothing compared to you?

Again, a yes answer to any of these questions means a yes to your interest. But there is another aspect of interior design that must be covered. You may wish to be a certified interior designer. If that is the case, you will need to get a formal education in this field... Read more

What to expect when Getting Started Interior Designing

2007-10-01T21:16:00.000+07:00

When you are just getting started in any business, you can expect to have to do a lot of leg work to get a clientele base. This is not easy, and requires a great deal of people skills from you. You will have to go out there and meet every person that you can think of.

You should expect to encounter a lot of rejection from consumers, as well as competition from other designers. Many times, a potential client will want to place your work and estimates against others. If you can, offer to outbid everyone that you can, but be careful because a client may not tell you the truth about the bids. It is good to try and check with the designers about their bids. Some will tell you.

As a new Interior Designer, you can expect to get a lot of resistance from potential clients. You can expect to spend a great deal of time and money on building up your name. You may have to lower your estimates at first. You may have to spend some money by advertising your services in your local newspaper or penny saver... Read more