ARTICLES

Decorating (or Redecorating): Where Do I Begin?

Start by identifying what appeals to YOU.
• Flip through your favorite design magazines and earmark anything that
appeals to you- don't filter out things that you think won't work in your room
- go with your initialreaction.
• Tear out the pages and place them in a notebook or keep them in a file.
• Review the pictures and let the images provide you with a starting place for your
vision of what you'd like the room to be.

Spend time thinking about the following:
• What are you going to use this room for?
• Who is going to be using the room?
• Will children use this space?
• Will be pets allowed in this room?
• How do you want the room to "feel"?
• Will there be a television in the room?
• Do you need storage space or a display area?
• How much seating will you need in this room?

Begin by selecting at least one of the room's more expensive items - usually a
sofa, rugs, or the window treatments.
• If you can't afford to redecorate every few years, go with neutral colors for large
upholstered pieces (like your sofa).
• Use the hot new colors in your accents (like pillows or throws), so that you can easily
replace them when trends or seasons change.

Draw a floor plan of your room to scale.
• Mark off the intended location and make sure each piece of furniture will fit the space.
(before bringing it home.)
• Remember to consider the width of door openings and stairs (especially if there's a
turn) for larger pieces.

When choosing furniture consider the scale – how high, how deep and how
wide each piece is.
• If you want a serene feeling, look for similarly scaled furniture.
• When furnishings are out of scale— the rug is too small for the space or one piece of
furniture is too large — the room won't feel comfortable.

When you’re purchasing furniture, don’t settle for something that’s not what
you want -- you don’t have to purchase an entire roomful of furniture at once.
Establish the basic look and feel of the area, and let your style and décor evolve over
time.

Choose a paint color for walls that enhances the look of these expensive items
and contributes to the mood you’re trying to create.
Remember, the goal of the paint color is to make everything else in the room look
good!

Remember that a beautiful home has a sense of continuity as you move from
room to room.
Maintain similar tones and themes throughout the house, or ensure there are
elements that continue from one room into the next.

Pay close attention to the lighting in the room.
• Make sure that you have task lighting focused on what you'll be doing in the room.
• Incorporate table lamps, sconces, floor lamps and library lights to create interest in
different areas of the room.
• Convert your light switches to dimmers to ensure the appropriate ambiance.
Be brave and stick with your original vision, provided you've given it careful
thought. If it's a chocolate brown family room you really want, beige will never
do. Go for it!

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How to Arrange Furniture

Place the largest pieces first.
In furniture arrangement of any room, the major piece for the primary activity of the room
must be considered first - the sofa in the living room, the bed in the bedroom, the desk in
the office. This piece in most cases should face the focal point of the room. The focal point
can be a view window, fireplace or, as is often the case, the television. Large pieces should
be evenly distributed so as not to put the arrangement of the room off balance. Leave space
around them for the best affect. In selecting these pieces, keep the architectural shapes of
the room in mind. To echo a curved bay window with a curved sectional sofa or curved desk
is pleasing to the eye and makes the furniture arrangement much easier. The following
information should assist you in choosing effective room design techniques.

Next, place those pieces relating to the main piece.
The room arrangement must make your activity comfortable and convenient as well as flatter
your furniture. Think about the use of the room as you arrange the furniture. If you typically
eat or drink there, is there a place to set your cup or plate down? Is there enough storage for
books or CDs? If the room is used for socializing, is there enough seating and is it
appropriately arranged? Wherever possible keep pieces of similar scale together. A small
occasional chair would look better next to an accent table or floor lamp than next to a large
overstuffed sofa. Try to balance pieces of furniture opposite one another. A pair of
upholstered chairs is visually more balanced across from a sofa than a pair of small scale
occasional chairs. Mix straight lines for interest in a room. A round table or curved chair
breaks up the monotony of an otherwise linear furniture arrangement. Balance the number of
wood and upholstered pieces. Mix hard and soft surfaces by adding rugs or fabric covered
tables to a room otherwise filled with wood, metal and stone.

Add accent pieces for secondary activities.
Furniture arrangement for a secondary use adds function to a room. A reading corner in a
bedroom or a game area in a family room can be created with a minimum of space. A long
empty wall can be made into a focal point by grouping pictures over a long narrow table.
Place a desk under a window to take advantage of the natural light and view. Place a curved
item in a corner to soften the angle. A corner cupboard or curio cabinet is a wonderfully
functional piece that adds character to the room while displaying your favorite collection.

Place your furniture where it looks best.
Be aware of the light in the room when deciding on where to place your furniture. A dark
cabinet may disappear in a dimly lighted alcove. Bright pieces may seem garish under a
picture window. Break up the horizontal lines of the room by mixing in taller items. A
secretary or bookcase against the wall, a high back chair next to the sofa or a pair of lamps
on a credenza will give the eye some variety and improve the view. A sofa may be placed
diagonally in front of a corner that has been softened by a plant or screen.

Be aware of traffic patterns.
You can direct the flow of traffic through furniture arrangement. Leave a minimum of two and
a half feet for walkways and avoid flowing traffic through a conversational grouping if
possible. Guide the traffic around the room's perimeter to create a less disruptive
environment. Be aware of the usage of adjacent rooms in laying out your floor plan and flow
colors from one adjacent room to the next when they are visible from one another.

Let your personality shine through.
Ultimately, your home is an expression of who you are. Design your rooms so that you are
comfortable, with a realistic eye on your own taste and habits rather than relying on a
picture from a magazine. After all, you’re going to be living there.

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Questions to Consider Before You Decorate

Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice or an experienced designer. When
it comes to starting a project the information you'll need to start decorating is the same.
Here are some questions to consider before you begin a project. The answers and the
issues they bring up can help you decideon what to include, and what to leave out, of
your room.

1. What am I going to use this room for?
It may be basic, but figuring out how a room will be used can provide clues about the
furniture to include. It is obvious, for instance, that in a bedroom a bed will be needed
as well as tables or nightstands. You may also have room for a dresser, entertainment
unit, armoire, or seating area. Yet adding activities -- perhaps you'd like a dressing area
or exercise area -- will require both space and appropriate furnishings that you'll want to
include in your plans.

2. How often do I plan to use this room?
The answer to this question may help you decide everything from budget to color. A space
that you’re not going to use verymuch should usually eat up less of your budget. It might
also be a room where you can try bolder color or a furniture style that is different from the
rest of your home.

3. How much light does this room get?
This answer may give you ideas for a color scheme and will definitely help you make
decisions about window treatments. A hot corner room will full sunlight may be a candidate
for a cooler color palette and light-controlling window shutters. If, on the other hand, your
room is a dark space that never sees the sun, then you might choose warm color to brighten
it up and airy window treatments to let in every bit of light possible.

4. What is my favorite color and how can I use some of it in this room?
Ok, so you adore pale green but your husband thinks it looks like a wet dishrag. In this case
you may not be able to paint your living room pale green, but you can look for a fabric, area
rug, or accessory that includes a variety of colors, including your favorite green. Use this item
as a starting point. You may end up painting the room tan and getting the leather chair that your husband wants, but your carefully added touches of green will be there for you. Remember that background colors are often just that, and accent colors are the focal points in your room that
will catch your eye.

5. What is my favorite outdoor location, vacation spot, or building?
Give this idea a few minutes of attention. Did you think of the beach, the mountains, or a cozy
bed and breakfast? What is it about your favorite spot that you like so much -- is it the color,
the mood, the style? How might you create this feeling in your room? If you choose the beach
as your dream location then you might use a sandy colored sisal rug, sky blue walls, deep blue upholstery, and bowls of shells as accessories. Or you might want a nautical theme, a seaside
cottage look, or a pale palette of shell pink.

6. How can I arrange the furniture so that it looks best?
Although not every decorating technique applies to every project, the following tips can help
get the ball rolling if you don't know where to start. Here's a mini-course on arranging your furniture:

• Find the room's focal point and use it to center your furniture.
• Don't block natural pathways into and through your room.
• Place the largest pieces of furniture first; midsize next and the smallest pieces last.
• Place your tables and lighting next to seating pieces.
• Try to balance large features (like a sofa or fireplace) with a similarly sized element in an
opposite location.
• Keep your seating areas within a square that's between 8 and 14 feet across.
• Think of an area rug as an island within the room and use it as the foundation for a
seating arrangement.

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