1.Account for function
2. Mood and
3.Personality in any decorating project with these pointers.
A
beautifully decorated interior not only functions well but it creates a mood or
a feeling and shows off the personality of the family that lives there. It's
attention to these three important ingredients — function, mood and personality
— that ensures decorating success.
Before
painting and rearranging, spend some time thinking about your family and how
you live. Look through magazines for inspiration and pull out ideas or rooms
that appeal to you. Gather things from around the house that make you feel good
and study them carefully for color cues and perhaps a clue to the mood you're looking
for in your home. This is the beginning of a well-planned and decorated living
area.
As
for the rest, let's start with function.
Function
Decorating
is more than just eye appeal — it's making a room really work for you. Here's
how to do it, element by element:
1. The focal point: Sometimes rooms have natural focal points (places the
eyes travel to immediately upon entering a room) — a fireplace, a bay
window with a view, maybe even a built-in bookcase. If the room doesn't
have a natural focal point, create one with a dynamic piece of art or a
colorful area rug.
2. The furniture: Determine whether the furniture satisfies the functions you've planned for the room. If a piece isn't working or if it's too large or too small for the size of the room, get rid of it or trade it for something else around the house that may be more appropriate.
3. The lighting: Lighting should be selected for the functions of the room as well as for visual appeal. Every task will require either direct lighting from a lamp or indirect lights that simply brighten the room for conversation or TV-watching. Accent lighting — floor spots, track lighting or recessed spotlights — enhance texture, color and room details.
4. The furniture arrangement: Draw your room on graph paper. Measure and mark
electrical outlets and switches, vents, windows and doors. Measure your
furniture and place it in your floor plan. Generally, the main furniture
pieces are directed toward the focal point, keeping the major traffic
patterns open. Fill in with pieces you'd like to have that may or may not
be available now. Be sure to balance high and low pieces as well as heavy
and light ones around the room.
Mood
The
mood or feeling of a room is created by your choice of colors, the style of
furnishings, the amount of texture and pattern you choose and your accessories.
Since there's so much to think about when creating a mood, establishing a theme
through the selection of an inspiration piece can make this portion of a
decorating project much more fun and interesting. Here are the factors you need
to address when setting a mood:
1. The inspiration piece: The easiest way by far to decorate is to start with
some source of inspiration. A decorative pillow, a favorite scarf and even
a magazine photo are good places to begin. Select your inspiration piece
wisely, and be sure it makes you feel good when you look at it. It's the
basis for selecting your theme, colors, patterns and textures.
2. Theme: Analyze your inspiration piece and develop a theme
name for it. For instance, a needlepoint pillow with a botanical design on
a black background may inspire a title like "formal botanical
garden." Be descriptive with your theme name and all sorts of
supporting ideas will come to mind. Botanical prints, striped walls,
greens and floral colors, formal fabrics and furniture, dark woods and
black accents all fit this particular theme.
3. Color cues: Color should always support the theme. Many times, the
colors that are most appropriate are found in the patterns and design of
your inspiration piece. Generally, it's best to choose three colors in a
room: a dominant color, used for walls, carpeting and fabric backgrounds;
a secondary color, found throughout the room in fabrics and accessories;
and an accent color, used sparingly to give energy and excitement to the
room.
4. Patterns: Stripes, checks, florals and plaids are just a few of
the patterns to consider as you continue supporting your theme. It's all
right to mix patterns as long as you do three things:
- Keep the background color the same.
- Make sure all patterns share the same colors.
- Vary the scale or sizes of the patterns.
6.Furniture: Aside from being functional, your furniture plays an
important role in supporting your theme. Some pieces may function well but
their style or color may stick out like a sore thumb. Try to salvage it
with slipcovers, tablecloths or paint. If it's a lost cause, remove it
from the room.
Personality
Here's
your chance to put your personal stamp on a well-planned room. Here are some
strategies:
1. Accessorizing: Pictures, vases, pillows and area rugs are all
integral parts of a great decorating plan. Generally, they should support
your theme, but allow more flexibility here; an antique picture frame
could add wonderful variety to a contemporary room. Accessories are
located on walls, mantels, furniture, tabletops and floors; they can be
paintings and photos or pillows.
2.Whimsy: This is optional in your decorating scheme, but it can
counteract any sterile quality that may have been created by strictly
following all the guidelines. A beautiful country sitting room may get
some relief from a playful quilt placed over the fireplace.
3. The unexpected: Interest doesn't have to be whimsical; it can simply
be something unexpected in a room, like a brightly-painted ceiling.
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