interiordezine

What a difference a new paint job makes

2009-11-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

What a difference a new paint job makes!For all of you wanting to find a quick fix to refreshing your interior or a client's, then a new paint job comes highly recommended.We have just had some painting done to our home to tidy up wear and tear and I can't believe the difference it makes. We haven't changed any colors, simply had another coat of paint applied and the house looks good as new!

Do Feature Walls Still Spin Your Wheels?

2009-10-05T02:19:00.000-07:00

Do Feature Walls Still Spin Your Wheels?This is going to be a short blog post as I want you to comment on what you think about feature walls.I recently visited a house, it is about 10 years old and crammed with feature walls. I found the hairs on my arms rise as I moved from room to room, it really was not a nice feeling.The problem with the feature walls was the contrast, or too much of it. Off

The Importance of Quality Curtains

2009-09-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Quality CurtainsI know I go on and on about this topic, but it is one of those pet hates - cheap and nasty curtains. They really bring down a good design. It is the finishing touches of interior design or decoration that people notice, no matter how much detail you put into space planning and architectural features they get left behind when you see poor curtain selection at the

How to Walk Your Client

2009-09-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

How to Walk Your ClientI hear you say - "what?"I know it sounds weird but I am quite serious. You need to learn to walk your client through the design process. This means starting from scratch as if they a complete design virgins. And like life, they will never tell you if they know nothing about design as they won't want to look inadequate in your eyes. Let's face it, the reason the client

It's the little things that count for interiors

2009-08-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

It's funny how, as an interior designer, I get annoyed at the smallest of details when I am out and about. I am currently writing this from a laptop in hospital and have noticed so many little design faults in the way it is laid out and the detail in the planning.The first thing that I noticed in the room was finding a basin to wash my hands in. There are signs up everywhere about washing your

Trends in Interior Decorating and the Environment

2009-07-23T02:16:00.000-07:00

Trends in Interior Decorating and the EnvironmentThis is a topic which I have very strong opinions. I get asked frequently for advice on what the current trend in interior decorating is. It is pretty much impossible to answer. With the way the world is now, we have access to the Internet, international television, global magazines and we can now readily access designs and ideas from other

How to Have Fun with Your Interior Without Spending a Cent.

2009-06-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

How to Have Fun with Your Interior Without Spending a Cent!In the current world financial situation, money no longer grows on trees! Did it ever?Money is a lot harder to come by, people are afraid of losing their jobs, worried about their financial future and less likely to be committing to making major changes to their home interiors, but that doesn't mean we have to sit back and put up with the

How do you become a professional interior designer?

2009-06-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

How do you become a professional interior designer?This is a question that I get asked frequently by readers. It is very difficult to answer because all countries have different criteria. So I will give you a brief overview of how I see the path to becoming an interior designer.Firstly you need to have the desire and passion for interiors, if not you will never make it through the learning

Where do Interior Designers get their Ideas from?

2009-05-18T04:51:00.000-07:00

Where Do Interior Designers Get Their Ideas From?I am constantly being asked this question, and I must admit, that as the years go by I start to feel that I struggle to come up with something new and original myself. I think that this is because I am a conscientious designer who takes the time to get to know my client and strives to create something unique and original each time. What is original

Interior Decorating Quiz

2009-05-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Interior Decorating QuizThis time I am writing about new things on our website.We now have an automated quiz on interior decorating. How cool!Go and test your knowledge on interior decorating here.Then send me your results to go into the draw for a mystery prize.There will be more quizzes coming, as they seem to be popular with our readers, as they are fun, easy to do and educational.We also want

Kitchen Design - the Fridge, the Freezer and the Microwave

2009-04-16T03:21:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Design - the Fridge, the Freezer and the MicrowaveI know this topic doesn't sound riveting, but it is important in kitchen design. After just returning from holiday and living in a holiday house, I realized just how often I used the freezer. This house had the freezer outside in the laundry or wash house as some people call it. The was a rather large refrigerator in the kitchen itself,

Helping Hand for Creating Color Schemes

2009-04-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Helping Hand for Creating Color SchemesCreating color schemes sounds like an easy thing to do. Just look at a few swatches and pick a few colors! I once met a designer, who did exactly that, and I can tell you that the end result was awful. All the work that had gone into the architectural and interior design was ruined by the choices of color. It looked awkward and unconsidered and very

How do you Survive the Global Recession as an Interior Designer

2009-03-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

How do you survive the global recession as an interior designer?Times are tough out there for everyone, so I am going to give you a few tips on how you can weather the storm and come out the other side with your business stronger.Below are some tips or ideas on getting the most out of your business and staying a float in the current economic market. You can choose to do some or none, it depends

Sorry for all the emails

2009-02-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

I apologise to you all for the mass of emails sent to you.I have no idea what happened, I just changed the feed on the blog, then all of a sudden it started sending out emails to everyone.I cannot apologise enough. Sorry, sorry, sorry.Please stay subscribed, it was an accident and I will investigate into how it happened to make sure you aren't annoyed like this again. I am very conscious about

Is There Anything New in Furniture Design?

2009-02-09T01:11:00.000-08:00

Is There Anything New in Furniture Design?After just returning from Sydney, Australia visiting the Australian International Furniture Fair, my answer is a big NO!I don't know about you but I am so bored with copies of original 20th Century Furniture Designers. They may now have a different leg, or a slightly narrower arm but the original design concept is nothing new. Have we gone as far as we

By Passing the Interior Decorating when House Hunting

2009-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

By Passing the Interior Design when House HuntingWe have been looking a houses over the last few months and I'd just like to share a few tips with you from an interior designer and architectural designer's point of view when it comes to assessing the house from the inside.Tip One: Don't be fooled by great interior decorating. Close your eyes and imagine all the furniture and artwork, decorations,

Interior Decorating for Christmas

2008-12-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas is the one time of year that almost everyone changes the decor in their home.For better or for worse?That is often up for debate, but I know from experience that watching people decorate their homes for Christmas brings them a great deal of pleasure. From the simplest wreath on the front door to the whole house being lit up like a Christmas tree, the scope of Christmas home decorating

Choosing Color By Name - A Good Decision or Not?

2008-11-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Choosing Color By Name - A Good Decision or Not?I have just come back from a meeting to choose some colors for an office fitout, and I am amazed. I must say after all the years of choosing colors for interiors, I have just been introduced to a new method.This method has no particular theory behind it except that they liked the names of the colors and they looked good side by side.In New Zealand

How to Cure Interior Designer's Block

2008-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

You have heard of writer's block, but what about interior designer's block?Boy, it's worse by far.Why?Because people employ us to be creative and we don't have years to do it like some novel writers have, we can't just walk away and come back in a few weeks. People are waiting for something exciting and new, a creation that will fulfill their dreams, and they want it now. They want fresh new

Texture - The Designer's Best Friend

2008-10-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Texture - The Designer's Best FriendImagine a world without texture?It would be flat and without interest.Color alone would not be enough to make it look appealing.So we have to remember texture as a vital word in the interior designer's vocabulary. By ensuring we add texture to an interior, we can pretty much guarantee that there will be something to look at in the room! This photograph is a

Savor the Moment!

2008-09-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Savor the Moment!Over time I have talked about putting design projects together, taught you all things about interiors, discussed pitfalls of some clients, the importance of documentation, and I have just realized that I have never touched on the most important thing about being an interior designer or decorator......Admiring the finished product!So what I want to talk about today is to make sure

Free Curtain and Drapery Design Ecourse Online

2008-08-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hi loyal readers!You can be the first to sign up to our new free ecourse in Curtain and Drapery DesignFind out what is involved in this free curtain design and drapery ecourse here.If you enjoyed your ecourse in Interior Decoration, then you will love this!What's the free ecourse all about?Curtains are a major part of home interior decoration and design, so it is vital you gain these skills as an

You are only as Good a Designer as Your Client Brief!

2008-07-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have completed the interior decorating ecourse, you will know how I stress about the importance of "extracting"a good client brief.It has hit home again this week!We have been working on a project through a project manager, who took the client brief and gave it to us to work on. It was focused on existing fitouts that the client had done that worked and didn't want to change

Please Help Me with Curtain Design!

2008-07-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Help me!I am currently writing a brand new ecourse for you.....Curtain Design!I was over half way through when I had a brain wave! Why not ask you, my future curtain design ecourse reader, what you want to learn.So before I set my ecourse in concrete and send you out all the details, I want to make sure that you will be 100% satisfied with what you will learn.I know I complain often about the

A room in it's underwear is not the finished product!

2008-07-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

A room in it's underwear is not the finished product!One of the hardest things to deal with when an interior design or decorating project is underway is the client making comments and wanting to make changes because they aren't sure that what they see is what they had expected!This can be draining on time and your energy.What I suggest you do is tell them at the beginning to have faith in your