Budget Is Not A Four Letter Word

We received a guest post entitled “Tricks for Decorating on a Budget”.  We suggest that a better title would be “Establishing Your Design Budget”.  S Interior Design has prospective clients fill out a Client Profile. One of the questions asked is  how much the client is comfortable investing in their project.  A list of ranges are shown to chose from.  Without knowing the level of investment, we cannot make sound design recommendations. Is it an IKEA level furnishing project or a high end strictly custom project? Something in between?

Before embarking on your design project whether a professional interior designer is involved or not, it is a very good idea to assess what you are ready to spend on the project.

Photo Credit: Homebuyers Centre

As there are two sides to everything, the same goes for decorating. On one hand the prospect of having the home refreshed, bathed in new colors and equipped with several new pieces of furniture is definitely a reason for joy, on the other, the preparations are certainly not.

If you have set yourself with a task of redecorating your home and are not in a situation to spend much money, you should know that it can be accomplished according to your wishes and within budget, all it takes is some research, time and taste.

1. Stay within budget. The first thing that needs to be done is determining the budget. Once we know how much we can spend, it is easy to choose within a specific range of items. Things we will pay more for are those that we do not replace so often, like couches, sofas, dining room tables and larger furniture. These are used the most, so they must be of higher quality. However, you can save even on armchairs, dining room and coffee tables, shelves or night stands if you decide to reupholster them.

If there is nothing you can do with your furniture, before resorting to buying retail, you can visit a garage sale or eBay. You can sometimes get a bargin, especially if you go for second hand items which you can transform on your own. (are you creative and handy?)
2. Accessorizing. Guests should feel the owner’s character the moment they enter the home, which is why special attention should be paid to the entry area or hallway. It is easy to stay within the budget by placing a fruit bowl in the hallway or an interesting key stand. Coat hangers, shoe racks, framed pictures or souvenirs from the travels can tell a life story if they are the right color and placed the right way.

Home accessorizing does not have to be expensive. An affordable way of redecorating is using accessories such as cushions, covers, throw blankets, curtains, glass shelves, vases and picture frames for getting the new look of the house.

What is also gained is a possibility to change the interior seasonally or whenever we feel like it without much effect to the home budget. This is easily done by changing accessories or replacing the smaller decor items with the one of different color, but still according to our mood, season or current trend.

Photo Credit: Flickr

3. Rearrange furniture. When people get bored with the furniture they have, instead of starting with redecorating and spending additional money, redesigning the furniture layout is something to consider.

The sense of novelty can be achieved by making one piece of furniture central and organizing other items around it. Changing placement of the flower pots, decorative baskets or paintings from one room of the house to another will instantly refresh the home and give it a dash of originality.

Whenever there is a wish to change something, we can start by changing the focal point of the room. We can also do this by making some other pieces of the furniture stand out through lighting.
4. Renting appliances. If you need a new appliance and you do not have the money to buy it immediately, you can always rent it. With rent to own stores, you have the option of having an appliance for a weekly or monthly fee. There is also an option of signing a contract which will guarantee owning the appliance after a certain time period, with the amount you paid for renting deducted. On the other hand, if you decide that for some reason you no longer need it, it can always be returned.

The reasons why we redecorate are many, from moving to another home or apartment and having a clean start, to just replacing the old furniture with new. However, there does not have to be a reason for redecorating other than indulging the need for creating our private sanctuaries and expressing our creativity.

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Oriental Rugs De-Mystified

Below is a guest post about Oriental Rugs. My grandmother, an antiques collector had fabulous Oriental Rugs through out her home. Of course as a young child I had no idea how amazing they really were. The guest post below explains a bit about the Oriental Rug and what to look for when purchasing one.

Guidelines for Selecting the Best Oriental Rugs from Sales
Oriental rugs are considered to be one of the best rugs as they add beautiful hue to any room. These are generally hand woven rugs and come in rich colour, texture and intricate. The rugs are unique and expensive and no two rugs come in exact similar pattern. These handmade pieces of arts are generally made of wool and silk and a worth buy for your home. Many stores and online shops have huge collection of oriental rugs and offer rugs for sale. To select the best of the rugs, following tips can be useful.

Know the vocabulary
The dealers of oriental rugs generally use their own lingo and jargons for describing their stock. It is easy to communicate with them if you learn some of the vocabulary before. Also negotiation about the price becomes much easier when the seller and buyer speak the same language.
There are certain key words those are used much in this business:
• Field: It describes the background colour of the rug
• Border: This is the particular colour and pattern that surrounds the outer rim of the rug.
• Medallion: This term is used to describe the circular or diamond pattern present on the field of rug.
While selecting a rug for your home, concentrate more on the field colour, as this is important to match the hue of your room.

Select the rug of proper size
Oriental rugs are generally larger in sizes and used for covering the major portions of the floor. There should be two- three feet area left free around the rug. Though there is no hardbound rule for this and you can use your own aesthetic sense for decorating the room, but it is still better to buy a rug of proper size, otherwise it might destroy the beauty of your room. Some small sized oriental rugs are also available that enhance the look of certain corners or accent a piece of furniture.

Feel the material before buying
A good quality oriental rug should have fabric that feels smooth and soft, not brittle and hard. Make sure to avoid the rugs which are soft and too shiny, as there might be a chance that these rugs are treated by chemical materials and have less durability.
Older rugs are more expensive
The rugs which are more than hundred years old are considered antique and those which age between seventy-five to hundred years are semi-antique pieces. Generally the prices of rugs go up with their age. Make sure that there is no damage or faint colour before buying an antique rug, as it might reduce its value. If you are buying antique or semi-antique oriental rugs, ensure their proper care. Buying oriental rug can be a good investment and resale value will gradually go up if properly maintained. The newer ones are easy to replace in comparison and need lesser effort for maintenance.
Get information about the knot-count
Knot count is a term for oriental rugs that is equivalent to the thread count for quality sheets. Knot count means the number of hand-tied knots present in each square inch of the rug. The rug becomes more expensive with increased knot counts.
If you follow simple guidelines to buy oriental rugs, you can select the best one  from the rugs for sale. To redefine the interior decor of your home, oriental rugscan be a good option and investment.
Summary: Many oriental dealers offer rugs for sale. Buying a good oriental rug is not easy, since you need to know certain rules for good selection.
Author’s Bio : Diyana is the owner of a renowned antique shop of London. She has many antique pieces in her store, like furniture, jewelery boxes, lamps and rugs. She buys beautiful pieces of oriental rugs from the dealers of Turkey and puts the rugs for sale. Diyana also writes regularly in different blogs and websites about different antique goods.

Candice Olson & Area Rugs

How exciting–2 of my favorite things in the world of design COMBINED!

Candice Olson is one of the ‘celebrity designers’ I truly admire.  She has partnered with Surya rugs and designed a line of rugs for them exclusively.  Attached is a short video of Candice talking about her inspiration for her beautiful new rug designs.

Here is a link to her rug designs

And a  picture of one of my favorites

A Guide to the Latest Interior Design Trends for Flooring in Your Home

When we were approached to host this guest blog, about one of our favorite topics, flooring, we jumped at the idea. Choosing the proper flooring from a functional and aesthetic point of view (always consider both!) is one of the most important items when re-modeling or simply re-decorating. Selecting the perfect hard or soft flooring helps to bring a room together and to unify the overall design. Sometimes for us, it all starts with the flooring and we design-out from there.

The three biggest current trends in the flooring industry are reviewed in this post and there is a suggestion that we are entering a new and hopefully more positive atmosphere with regard to consumer attitudes and desires.

Sustainable flooring is now a particularly important issue to a lot of people, and as a result, manufacturers are focusing on eco-friendly ranges and consumers are now certainly taking the environment in to consideration with their purchase, and thereby making a statement at the same time as acquiring a beautiful floor covering.

There maybe a few signs that the end of the recession may be in sight, in any case, consumers are looking to make plans to improve their surroundings and maintain or even raise the value and desirability of their homes. This is prompting a welcome increase again in new homes being built and a rise in home renovations, both requiring new flooring and pushing demand higher.

It seems to be a more widely held belief that products such as solid wood floors and high quality carpets will add to the value of your home and these choices are now seen as an investment rather than just a purchase.

With brighter news for the economy and the environment there is no surprise that the flooring style of the moment is all about bright colors.

Although interior design trends have mainly focused on neutral shades in recent years the mood and purpose for home improvements has changed and fewer people are now decorating with the intention to sell and are now more likely to want to put their own personal touches to a home.

Selecting flooring in your home is significant because the color, texture and pattern of the floor will set the mood for the rest of the room’s design. Many designers call their designing model the “floor-up” model for this very reason. When selecting a color, texture and pattern for your floor, consider the overall design you wish to pursue in a room, and select flooring that will compliment the walls, trim work and furniture.

If you are a person who changes furnishings often, you are best advised to select a neutral floor, which will easily work into any decor. This will protect you from purchasing a new floor to fit in with your design change. Ideally, a floor like hardwood could be purchased to accent the room’s trim. These floors typically look good with any furnishings. Select a hardwood that is a shade lighter, or a shade darker than the wooden trim in the room to give the room depth, and create distinction between trim and the floor. Generally, dark woods with a high sheen are considered appropriate for formal rooms, like a dining room, while lighter woods with a more natural finish are preferred in rooms with a rustic decor, or a less formal purpose, like the living room.

In an area where there is heavy traffic, or where there is a risk of water damage, avoid both wood and carpet. Instead select a tile, laminate, or vinyl flooring that will both hold up well to use and clean easily. In a bathroom, take the time to look at the permanent fixtures. If they are bright white, the floor is an opportunity to include a splash of color. If the existing fixtures contain color, a more neutral flooring is appropriate and will prevent clashing.

In an area like the kitchen, there are a lot of other design elements to consider when selecting a floor. Most importantly, the counter tops and cabinet fronts should be considered. Also, if the kitchen has canister sets, family heirloom kitchen elements or other existing decor, the colors already present in the room should be considered. Select flooring that can be worked into the room in other ways. If you are laying large tile, find one that is similar too or complements a small tile that can be used as a backsplash. If you are laying laminate, take a sample of your countertops and look for a laminate flooring that closely coordinates in terms of texture and color.

No matter what furniture and decor is in the room, remember that the floor takes up one-sixth of the visual space, more than any other uninterrupted space, with the exception of the ceiling. Select a flooring that ties all the furniture, decor and natural elements of a room together. Try to find flooring that contains the same color palate as the walls, the room trim, or the furniture. Avoid colors that are too bold, especially in small spaces where they will become overwhelming. Consider the room’s natural or artificial light source, and consider how that will affect the appearance of the flooring after it is installed. Finally, take home samples of the flooring and see how it looks in the room before purchasing enough to do the whole space.

 

About Suzanne Lasky, Allied ASID
Suzanne Lasky, Allied ASID, is the owner and founder of S Interior Design, the exclusive provider of Pawprint Design Services™. Suzanne works with her clients to develop a winning combination of design elements that result in warm, comfortable and functional spaces that reflect each client’s personal style. Suzanne and her team specialize in residential, contract and hospitality interior design, from simple color selections, to office build outs, to restaurant, spa and hotel designs. Suzanne shares her years of expertise through the power of social media. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and at this blog. To speak to Suzanne about your interior design needs, please call 480-220-4659 or visit her website at www.sinteriordesign.com.