I just left the home of a new client. She has a beautiful, large home on an amazing wooded plot of land in Southeastern Massachusetts. She came to me because she wanted to freshen things up since her last redecorating project about 15 years ago. She asked me questions like “Do I have to get all new furniture?”, “What are the latest colors?”, “Is wallpaper back ‘in’?”, etc….
I took a step back and really thought about how the media is constantly bombarding us with information (some good, some not so good). They tell us what we should put in our home, and what we should take out, only to have it change again a little while later!
It really made me think about the message we’re sending, as professionals, to our clients. Isn’t it our job as Interior Designers to create an aesthetically beautiful space FOR OUR CLIENTS? Maybe that means the color of the week won’t work in their home, or that they may not want wallcoverings back on the walls they painfully repaired and painted after years of old wallpaper!
Let’s bust some of these new design ideas and go back to what our job really is – to design for OUR CLIENTS! Let’s be creative. Maybe, that means working with what you have, but present it in a fresh, new way!
My clients often ask me what my design style is, or what I like. I try to explain that it’s not about me…it’s about what YOU love and how can I take YOUR vision and make it beautiful!
Incorporating the premise that “form follows function”, I take into account the ages and lifestyles of my clients to make not only a room that is beautiful, but one that is functional and represents the personality of my client.
Let’s bust those old design myths once and for all! Here are my top 5 “Don’t Follow the Rules of Interior Design”!
1. Go trendy.
Why would anyone want to spend tens of thousands of dollars renovating, only to have it “out of date” before it’s even finished. Splurge on the classics and save on the trendy. Keep the trend in the accents!
Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams
I LOVE these chairs – add one to your decor to add a little pizzaz! Just something like a simple chair presented in a fresh, new way is all you need to add that little bit of “trend”! If you tire of the fur, recover it!
2. Go for the new “hot” color.
Do you even like that color? Take a look in your closet and see what you find. Chances are, that’s your palette. Those are the color combinations you’re happiest with. Use the hot new color for pillows, flowers, or easily changeable accents like window panels!
Jonathan Adler
3. Go wallcoverings
If you’re over 40, chances are you grew up in a house with wallpaper and watched it get removed and replaced by painted walls. It’s hard to think about going back down that road. Well, you don’t have to. The wallcoverings of today are not the wallpapers of yesterday. That doesn’t mean you have to cover every wall in your house with them! Maybe try a powder room – use a big bold print and make a statement. Perhaps an accent wall in a dining room is all you need to make a big change.
Farrow & Ball
4. Go for the style of your Interior Designer
Why would you want your house decorated in any style but your own? It’s his or her job to help you bring the things you love into your home in a way that’s right for YOU.
Jonathan Adler
5. Go mismatched
Yes, the days of matchy-matchy are over (thank goodness!) but that doesn’t mean we have to go the opposite extreme. There should still be some symmetry, repetition, and rhythm in your room, and a good Interior Designer will help you strike that balance.
Wisteria
Now, I hope you’ll “Go for YOU”, and design what’s right for you to make your home into YOUR castle… not a room out of a sterile magazine!
Later, we’ll share all the ways you can bring YOUR personality into your home!