Transforming Ordinary Into Fabulous

As a designer I can tell you that what brings life to any room is color, pattern and texture.  Without these three elements, used in the proper amount, a room is downright boring.  One can take an ordinary piece of furniture, such as this plain chair from IKEA, and make it fabulous!!!!  Find a fabric that speaks to you and use it on a chair, or a pillow on the sofa, a window treatment, or somewhere in the room where it will have an impact.  Just adding one new item to a room will have a tremendous impact.  Visitors will think you have re-done the entire room.  Don't you just love the color and movement of this fabric?   

Stimulating Creativity With a Visit to NeoCon

I recently attended NeoCon (National Exposition of Contract Furnishings) at the Merchandise Mart, in Chicago, IL.  As a designer it is so important to keep the mind stimulated and creativity fresh.  Attending  a design exposition is one way it can be done.  It was great to see new product and talk to the various company representatives.  One product that caught my attention was "paperstone", counter tops made from recycled paper.  Now the recycled paper counter tops have been on the market for a couple of years, but when they first came out there was a problem with the color fading.  This has been perfected.  Paperstone is a sustainable composite surface, a "green product".  It is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and proprietary petro free resins.  The product is distributed by Northstar Services.  On display were tops made from shredded money, playing cards from Las Vegas and the most interesting one of all, coffee beans and burlap sacks from a coffee company.  I was told the tops could be made from just about anything.  One of the designers I went to the show with asked if fabric scraps could be used and they said absolutely.  Just think of all the possibilities!!!  To find out more about this product visit the web site:  paperstoneproducts.com     

Choosing The Correct Paint Color

Color is a very important element of a room, it helps set the mood.  Color will bring your space to life and add interest, so don't be afraid of it.  Some people have an eye for color, others not so much.  When I worked at Betty Johnson's Interiors in Kohler, WI, we were lucky to tour the Baker Furniture Company in Michigan.  We were told that no man over the age of forty works in the artistic finishing department because men over the age of forty loose their ability to see color values.  Sorry guys, I don't mean to insult you, just make sure you consult a woman before making your color selection.  One of the most common mistakes I see people make is choosing a color that is much too intense in comparison to the furnishings of the room.  In order to avoid selecting the wrong paint color for your home, here are some important points that will help make the decision easier.

1. Never choose a paint color in the store without taking a paint chip home to view in your room. 
2. Instead of buying paint to sample on your walls, ask the paint dealer or your designer, to order you several 8-1/2" x 11" samples of the colors you like.  (These samples are a trade secret.)  Tape them up on the wall and view them during different times of the day.  The samples are free to the dealers and it will save you the cost of buying paint that you will end up not liking.  
3. Even the most simplest colors of beige and white will vary tremendously from cool to warm and reflect light differently in your home.  
4. Be careful of the finish.  Unless you are trying to create a special effect, a high gloss paint will give your room a cheap, tacky look.
5. The color you pick needs to relate to something in your home, a pillow, artwork, bedding or an accessory.  There is a large palette of paint colors to choose from and it is much easier to pick the paint color to match some item in your home then it is to pick fabric or artwork to match your paint color. 
6. Dismiss the idea that dark colors will make your room feel smaller.  

Good luck and happy painting!

Welcome to the birth of my design blog.

     What can I say, I am an Interior Designer and I love what I do!!! It is a wonderful feeling to be able to say that about one's profession.  I look forward to starting a dialogue with you on design ideas that will be useful to you in your own home.  Having worked in the design field for 17 years, I have been very fortunate to have acquired experience in all facets of the profession.  From high end residential (where I started), commercial work in the hotel business, model home merchandising along with the public spaces that it entails to real estate home staging, I have learned a lot.
     I acquired my Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in Interior Design, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  What sticks with me more than anything from my education is to always design for the ideal.  Start out by looking at each room as an empty slate.  Ask yourself, if I could do anything and have an unlimited budget how would I approach this project?  The most creative ideas will be generated when you look at it from this perspective.  You want to give your mind the opportunity to explore all the possibilities, then go back and look at your budget, the conditions you cannot change and make the adjustments.
     It is my goal to give you interesting and helpful information that will lead you to making your house the home you envision it to be.