S-T-Y-L-E: 

5 Simple Steps to a Beautiful Home

By Judy May, IFDA

Owner & President, Fantastique Designs LLC

About Judy Mayxml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Style!  Whether your taste is traditional, country, contemporary, shabby chic, eclectic (or something in between), you undoubtedly want your home to have style.  Many believe you can’t have style unless you spend lots of money and hire an expensive decorator.  Fortunately, that is not the case. 

Simply by following five “STYLE” steps, your home CAN have style – with or without a decorator – AND even within the constraints of a limited budget.  All it takes is a little creativity and, of course, your time.  The five steps to “STYLE” are:

            Step 1:              Study & Assess Your Likes & Dislikes

            Step 2:             Take your time; Add Texture

            Step 3:             Add Your Personality       

            Step 4:             Create a Functional Furniture Layout & Lighting Design

            Step 5:              Enjoy!

Read on to explore the “STYLE” steps in further detail.

S = Study and Assess Your Likes & Dislikes

First, you must identify your likes and dislikes.  That may require some “study” on your part.  One of the best ways to identify your likes and dislikes is to browse through home and garden magazines (for example, Traditional Home, Southern Living, Elle Décor, Town & Country, etc.), tearing out the pictures of rooms that appeal to you.  Then, place those pictures in folders designated for each room of your home (for example, one folder each for the living room, dining room, master bedroom, basement, etc.).  If you engage in this exercise, you will be in good company:  professional designers do this all the time!  Not only will your pictures serve as a source of inspiration for you, but also as a method for you to identify your style preferences. 

After you have prepared your folders, review the pictures in each of them.  If, for example, you are thinking of re-doing your living room, start with the “Living Room Ideas” folder.  As you review the pictures contained in that folder, answer the following questions:

• What in particular do you like about each picture? 

For example, after studying the picture, you may determine that you like the style of the furniture.  Or, perhaps, the wall treatment.  Or, it may be the upholstery or the area rug.  Or, perhaps everything that you see!  Whatever it is, take note of the things you might like to emulate in your own space.

• What is your personal style preference?

      As you review the pictures you’ve collected, try to discern the style you gravitate to.

      Identifying your style preference will give you a starting point as you shop for  furnishings and accessories.  Below is a summary of styles and terms that describe them.

                        ·  Traditional (cherry wood, formal, rich fabrics)

                        ·  Country (antiques, pine, collectibles, cozy & warm feeling)

                        ·  Contemporary (clean lines, dramatic, stainless steel appliances)

                        ·  Romantic (soft, elegant, ruffles & lace)

                        ·  Oriental (high style, dramatic colors – often red)

                        ·  Southwestern (earth tones, textures, artifacts)

      Some of you may be saying to yourself: “Wait a minute.  I like some aspects of two styles.  Are you saying that, when redecorating, I must stick to one style?”  The good  news is:  no!  In fact, there is a name for your particular style: transitional or eclectic.  This means that you can mix styles – within reason, of course.  Designers    mix styles all the time.  They just make sure that the styles that are featured in any one room are complementary and work well together.

• What color palettes do you like?

      As you review the pictures contained in your folders, you will undoubtedly see a  pattern emerge with respect to color.  If your style preference is contemporary, you  may find that you like bold colors.  On the other hand, if your style is traditional, you may find that you appreciate earth tones or more neutral colors.  Whatever your preference, take note so that when you venture out to purchase paint, you have some  idea as to what you’re looking for.

     One final word on color.  Generally, men prefer one color on the walls – white.  Men typically cannot envision how “an actual color” would look on the walls.  They are just plain scared of color.  If this describes your spouse, there may be a way to  convince him to consider something other than white:  choose a color that you would like to see on the walls and buy a quart of paint in that color.  Then paint one wall in the room in that shade and allow you and your husband to “live” with that color for about a week.  This is a great way to test a new color since it allows you to see how  the color looks on your wall during daylight and at night (as well as with artificial light).  If you end up deciding to go with a different color, you need only paint over

      the rejected color. 

• Why does this room “work”?

       Have you ever really examined the pictures that appear in house and garden magazines?  If not, you may be surprised by what you see.  Indeed, you will likely find that the side table you thought was decorated with priceless antiques and exotic accessories is adorned instead by inexpensive items that just happen to be  grouped together beautifully.  For example, if you peruse any decorating magazine,  you will undoubtedly find the following vignette on a side table:  a table lamp placed  atop a couple of vintage books piled one on top of the other, alongside a picture frame and small vase with a simple bouquet of flowers.  Surely this is a look that you could create – and rather inexpensively!  The reason these items “work” is the way they are arranged.  Study details like this so that you can recreate them in your home.

       The same goes for furniture.  If you have been unable to place your family room furniture in a way that “feels right” or “flows,” take the time to examine designer family rooms that you’ve torn out of magazines.  You can learn a lot simply by taking the time to study how designers arrange furniture. 

Finally, as part of your “study” efforts, you may choose to walk through one or more model homes.  They are a great source of inspiration and decorating ideas.  You may even consider taking a camera with you to take pictures of rooms you particularly like.  Or of furnishings within a room (for example, window coverings; wall treatments; flooring, etc.).  These pictures can then be given to your designer, decorator, seamstress, etc., which will allow you to avoid any miscommunication as to the look that you are trying to create.

T = Take Your Time & Add Textures

Next, come the two “T”s:  take your time and add texture. 

First, you must take your time.  Too often, I’ve seen people attempt to tackle an entire house – instead of taking it room-by-room.  This would be an overwhelming task even to a seasoned designer.  By taking your time before jumping into a particular project, you not only stay focused and better organized, but you also have an opportunity to evaluate how you “live” in that space.

It takes time before you and your family get a sense as to how rooms will be utilized.  For example, will your living room be used on a daily basis or will it be reserved strictly for entertaining?  Will your Master Bedroom be used only for sleeping or will you be reading there at night?  Will a portion of it be used as office space?   How about the kitchen?  Will you use the desk for housing the day’s mail or would it be better served as a spot for the family computer?  Typically, these questions can only be answered after a family has lived in a space for a period of time.  So do yourself a favor:  take your time before planning a significant project.  In the long run, this approach could save you thousands of dollars and the hassle of having to redecorate sooner than expected.

The second “T” is to add textures to your space.  Texture is important in every room because it adds interest and puts the finishing touch on a space.  Too many smooth and shiny objects – or too much rustic and nubby objects – becomes tiresome.  Accessories are a great way to add texture.  For example, texture can be achieved simply by placing  throw pillows of varying textures on a sofa.  Even a pattern can be used as texture in that many prints give the illusion of dimension, adding depth to a decorating scheme.  Refer to your “Idea Folders” for other ways designers add texture to a room.

Y = Add Your Personality

Your space is something special:  unique only to you!  So make sure you have incorporated your personality into that space.  For example, if you love a particular color, feature it in your room.  Or if you are a collector, make sure to prominently place your collections.  When placing your collectibles, make sure to group like-items together.  For example, if you collect miniature coffee cups, place them together on a shelf rather than placing two cups here and another three there.  Similarly, if you have a collection of brown glass vases, feature them together in a niche or on a tabletop.  By placing similar items close to each other, you will create more of a visual impact, which will help to give your room a true “designer’s touch”. 

Remember:  by adding your personality to a room, you truly make it your own.  Ultimately, this makes the room more engaging for you, but also more interesting to your family and friends!

L =  Create a Functional Furniture Layout & Lighting Design

If you’ve completed the first three steps, you’ve come a long way toward creating a beautiful and stylish space for yourself.  Two things you cannot overlook, however, are a functional furniture layout and lighting design.

Furniture Layout

Furniture layout is, perhaps, the most important aspect of a design.  Before you can decide where furniture should go, however, you should sketch a scale drawing of the room.  This is not the onerous task that it may, at first blush, appear to be.  After measuring your room, simply re-create those dimensions on a sheet of graph paper, with one foot equal to one square on the graph paper.  Be sure to show windows and door openings as well.  With your floor plan completed, you can then determine the size of the furnishings you would like to purchase and their placement.  If you will be keeping the furniture you already have, measure and draw your furniture – drawn to the same scale as your floorplan.  Place these on your floorplan, moving them around until you come up with an arrangement you like.  Remember:  it is much easier to move paper furniture than the real thing!

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you create your furniture layout:

• do not line walls; instead seek to create intimate conversation areas throughout the room (lining walls is the number one mistake made by non-designers)
• accentuate a focal point in a room (for example, a fireplace in the family room or bed in the master bedroom)
• be careful not to over-fill the room with furnishings; sometimes less is truly more
• consider pulling a sofa against a wall a few feet out into the room to put a console behind the sofa;  place plants, flowers, pictures or knick knacks on the console to create a unique and somewhat unexpected feature in the space
• consider adding an upholstery-covered ottoman instead of the standard wood or glass coffee table; not only can it serve as a coffee table, but can act as an ottoman or extra seating when entertaining

Lighting

There are three types of artificial lighting:  general, task and ambient lighting.  A well-designed room incorporates all three.

General lighting is what you would expect:  fixtures that provide overall lighting to a space.  This type of lighting would include fluorescent or recessed lights overhead.  Task lighting is lighting that assists you in performing specific tasks.  Examples of task lighting include a desk lamp (to enable you to write letters, do homework, etc.), a table or floor lamp (to enable you to read without straining your eyes) or under cabinet kitchen lighting (to enable you to illuminate the kitchen counter as you work).  Finally, ambient lighting is lighting that provides an accent.  For example, ambient lighting could be distinctive track lighting illuminating a favorite painting above a fireplace or strip lighting above a soffit.  Keep all three types of lighting in mind as you work to create a new and beautiful space in your home.    

E = Enjoy!

After you’ve followed these steps and created a room bursting with style, ENJOY your new space!  Don’t rush on to the next project.  Take time to enjoy your efforts.  For example, if you wanted to create a living room suitable for entertaining, start planning your next get-together!  If your ideal living room was a place where the family could come together at the end of the day to enjoy each other’s company, make it happen!  Start using the space the way you always dreamed!  Indeed, if you’ve followed the five steps discussed, you won’t be able to help yourself.

Let me Know of Your Success!

After you’ve implemented these steps and created the space of your dreams, contact me at judy to tell me about it!  I always enjoy hearing not only about the result but the efforts it took to get there.  Happy Decorating!