10 Tips for a Successful Decorating Project

Posted on June 18, 2012 by DishOnDesignGal

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…

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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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

Have a Decorating Question? Ask Away!

Posted on February 22, 2008 by DishOnDesignGal

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Are you struggling to draw a floor plan? Have a question about decorating a specific room in your house or just plain stumped? We LOVE to answer decorating questions! Ask away – you can even e-mail us a picture of your room with a specific question. Jayne and I love to share our passion for decorating. Don’t forget to check out the decorating tools and articles on our website as well. We even have free budget forms and Grid Paper that you can print to use for your project.

How to Draw a Floor Plan (and why it’s so important!)

Posted on November 5, 2007 by DishOnDesignGal

To some people, the thought of drawing a floor plan may sound overwhelming, but in reality, it’s actually pretty simple with the step by step instructions below. Once you try it, you’ll wonder why you waited this long and you’ll find that your project ultimately will be much less stressful when you have a floor plan to reference.

There’s a good reason why professional designers and decorators start a project by drawing up a floor plan, and it’s because a floor plan truly is the foundation for a room that is functional as well as beautiful. Additionally, a floor plan will help you to determine not only what furniture will fit into the space, but what is the best furniture arrangement for that room. Whether you’re buying new furniture or using exisiting, it’s much easier (and fun!) to draw your floor plan and do multiple furniture arrangements on paper as opposed to breaking your back moving heavy items and then discovering out it doesn’t work.

Floor plans are important in the fact that they allow you (and prompt you) to really think out the space; planning for seating, lighting, electrical outlets, cable boxes, traffic flow, and more. The biggest problem that most people have is actually understanding a floor plan and feeling comfortable with it. The best way to understand how a floor plan applies to you is to imagine yourself in that room. Pretend to walk through the door. Look around and start visualizing each wall. Is there a great fire place that you want to hang a beautiful piece of artwork above? Consider making that the main conversation area around the fireplance. Perhaps on another wall there are two large windows with a gorgeous view – consider that area for a smaller conversation area or gametable for a secondary seating option that capitalizes on the view. Pretend that you are in one of the seating areas. Is there a lamp for reading? An outlet to plug in that lamp? A table to set down a drink? Is there enough room (3 feet) to walk between the furniture?

To sum it up, drawing a floor plan can be the difference between a so-so room and a room that everyone wants to spend time in. Imagine yourself living, playing, and relaxing in that room. Have fun, be creative, relax and get started. I think you’ll discover that with a floor plan in hand, decorating just got a little easier!

Click on the link below to our website and scroll down to the bottom right of the page, you’ll find printable step by step instructions to drawing your own floor plan. Additionally, you’ll even find a convenient download to print off free grid paper to help get you started. http://www.assistantproductgroup.com/APG-2/index-3.html Good luck!