It's that time of year that causes us to refelct on a our lives and want to make changes. Our motto at sajInteriors is "Change your home Change your life!" If you are feeling the renewal and redecorating bug, hopefully you will find these ten tips very useful. Happy decorating!
1.Find inspiration. This can come from anywhere. Look in magazines for ideas, HGTV and FLN Networks have a ton of design shows that offer great inspiration as well as great design tips. Tear out favorite photos from magazines, get pics from internet. get postcards of artwork, color chips, that favorite scarf or pillow are also inspiring. maybe it's your favorite flower, or cologne packaging. All of these things can inspire a great room. Find pics of your fantasy room, you may not be able to duplicate it but you can certainly incorporate some aspects of it.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
3. What's your style? Gather all of your pics and ideas together, you will see a common theme. Do you see masculine, feminine, clean, tailored, traditional, modern, bohemian, or cottage? Like most people you probably have a mixture of several styles and that's fine. This step just helps you pinpoint so that you can focus on what to look for when shopping. As you flip through magazines or an item in a store, ask yourself, "Do I love this?" If you cannot honestly answer "yes" then don't waste your time or money.
4. Consider how you will use the room. Be honest about how you live. If you don't use your formal dining room that the builder "designed" for you why waste the real estate? If a game room is what you really want then design accordingly. Practical needs always trump style. This photo is a FABULOUS way to mix the practical needs with incredible style!
5. Assess your stuff! This is a biggie, you have got to take stock of what you have. When I go into a clients home one of the first things I do is photograph. I take pics of everything, seeing each piece separately gives me a clearer vision of what needs to happen. When I am redoing my own home I still photograph everything. Sounds crazy, right? For me, the pics give me distance from items that I "see" every day and this allows me to be more creative so I can honestly assess my needs. These pics can also help you clear away unnecessary clutter, you can pile your pics into keep or give away stacks!
6. Draw up a floor plan. Look at the main parts of your room(bones) and decide what will be your focal point. This can also show what needs to be downplayed as well. Look at traffic flow. This is a great way to play around with new floor arrangements. make small cutouts of your furniture and try something new!
7. As Kenny Rogers sang, "You better count your money" and in decorating there is NO greater mistake than underestimating what things will cost. Figure out what you can spend and be realistic! If you are remodeling it will ALWAYS cost more than you think, so add a buffer to cover those unexpected costs. Make a list of your wants and needs this will help you determine your budget. Also, decide on what approach you want to take, i.e. do everything at once ,one room at a time, or a piece at a time.
8. Research, research, research! This is very important. Once you have an idea of what you're looking for, find out what's available. "You better shop around" says Smokey Robinson and so says ME! There is so much available. Check out websites,design blogs, window shop with your camera, buy home design magazines for more resources. Get paint samples and fabric swatches. Keep this all in a box for later use.
9. Create a design scheme. Consolidate all of the information that you've collected. Have images of your favorite pieces from magazines, or photos that you've snapped in stores or from websites and put it all together. Designers call these "Mood" boards. This lets you see at a glance how everything will "feel" when pulled together, hence the name "Mood" board!
10. Make a decorating schedule. Even if you don't like the "To Do" list, this step can be very helpful in saving time and money. Make a list of everything that needs to be done and/or ordered. Know when to order the sofa, the chairs, the rug, etc. Hire the painter, send the bench to the upholsterer. Breaking your project down in steps is what every decorator does. This prevents you from feeling overwhelmed as well as makes sure that no important steps get overlooked
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Brown + blue bedroom: Lacquered turquoise dresser + Farrow & Ball's 'Mahogany'
Brown + blue bedroom: Lacquered turquoise dresser + Farrow & Ball's 'Mahogany'
Originally uploaded by xJavierx
Monday, December 14, 2009
1929 Armstrong Linoleum - Turquoise Living Room
It looks like Turquoise was also the "Color of the Year" back in 1929 as well!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Color of the Year!
Pantone has just announced Turquoise as the 2010 Color of the Year!
"Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well being"
A team of 8 color forecasters work for Pantone, based in Carlstadt, NJ. Twice a year the company serves up a rainbow of nearly 2000 shades, tones, and tints, its color gurus announce which ones are hot!
For more information on this fabulous process go to http://www.pantone.com
"Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well being"
A team of 8 color forecasters work for Pantone, based in Carlstadt, NJ. Twice a year the company serves up a rainbow of nearly 2000 shades, tones, and tints, its color gurus announce which ones are hot!
For more information on this fabulous process go to http://www.pantone.com
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
don't even ask :-)) (Poland, Sopot)
The Photo of the week!
These 2 buildings really look like this. No Photoshop! There is a jazz club and a restaurant inside it. This is in Sopot, Poland
These 2 buildings really look like this. No Photoshop! There is a jazz club and a restaurant inside it. This is in Sopot, Poland
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
One of the things that I am blessed to be able to do is work with great people in the industry and collaborating with them to bring the very best to our clients! Mike Mitchell runs his own very successful painting business here in the Little Rock area. He is extremely well organized,professional,and courteous. I always enjoy and look forward to an opportunity to work with Mike. Our latest project together was for a local couple, the Washington's, who have a beautiful home that they decorated themselves. They knew they wanted to update the paint colors in their spacious home, but weren't sure which colors would be right to preserve the integrity of their home, yet still show off their prized collections. We all sat down together and worked out a paint plan that would accomplish their goals.The Washington's not only love the outcome but were very impressed with Mike Mitchell and his team's incredible attention to detail. You can see a small sampling of Mike's work yourself. Feel free to contact him for a consultation at 501-626-8767
Monday, November 23, 2009
IO-metro Grand Re-opening!
If you haven't been to ANY IO metro furniture store yet, YOU are truly missing out, however, if you live in Arkansas and you haven't been to the Little Rock store YOU are truly doing yourself s HUGE disservice! Not only is "IO metro a different kind of furniture store" as their slogan says but it has become THE go to place for great design ideas and resources! When you enter the store you are blown away buy a huge wall of mirrors, 820 to be exact! and not 1 but 3 flat screens jammin' to the latest as well as retro videos! This store has always been ahead of the pack for unique products, now they have gone through a major remodeling and introduced a unique furniture line, 1492,one of a kind finds that look as if they've been collected over time. This line is exclusive to the Little Rock store. They have an amazing art gallery that creates a "store within a store" kind of vibe. Go check it out in person and if you do not live near one, go check out their site at www.io-metro.com
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Amazing weekend!
I have been so "Tardy for the Party" crazy busy and have not stayed on top of this blog, so many awesome things happening in the world of design here in Little Rock! With the new grand re-opening of IO-metro it has been crazy busy. I have some AWESOME pics to post that I took. I posted some pics from another source but I have more to add! One of my projects is VERY close to completion and one that seemed to be dragging along has picked up speed again! I am getting ready for Turkey day, I can hardly wait to relax with family. Will post soon, in the meantime remember, "Changing your home will change your life!"
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Ultimate welcome!
Dreamweavers, a local textile importer/exporter company, has some of the most amazing textiles and accessories. Go visit their website and sign up for their email lists and receive special notices of their warehouse sales to the general public. www.dreamweavers.com
Monday, November 9, 2009
Library
And you too can be this organized!
Tip #3 for our Countdown to Thanksgiving! cleanup is to repeat Tip#2 for each room. Also, you will need to spend at least 15 minutes before you leave in the morning to tidy up! I cannot leave my home without giving it this 15 minutes! Turn off the TV 15 minutes early, get up 15 minutes early DO whatever you need to do to give yourself this treat! Yes, I said treat, I spend my 15 minutes on the room that I will see upon my arrival in the evening. You see, when I come home and see that clean room it inspires me to tackle the other rooms. I also spend 15 minutes before going to bed as well, because I don't want to see a mess when I wake up. To me, these 15 minutes are little treats that I give myself. It makes my cleaning time lighter because everyday I am staying on top of it.
Tomorrow we'll talk about when I slip up and get lazy as we all do at one time or another!
Tip #3 for our Countdown to Thanksgiving! cleanup is to repeat Tip#2 for each room. Also, you will need to spend at least 15 minutes before you leave in the morning to tidy up! I cannot leave my home without giving it this 15 minutes! Turn off the TV 15 minutes early, get up 15 minutes early DO whatever you need to do to give yourself this treat! Yes, I said treat, I spend my 15 minutes on the room that I will see upon my arrival in the evening. You see, when I come home and see that clean room it inspires me to tackle the other rooms. I also spend 15 minutes before going to bed as well, because I don't want to see a mess when I wake up. To me, these 15 minutes are little treats that I give myself. It makes my cleaning time lighter because everyday I am staying on top of it.
Tomorrow we'll talk about when I slip up and get lazy as we all do at one time or another!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tip #2 for getting organized before Thanksgiving!
Tackle one room at a time. Go to the room that causes you to feel the most negative emotion. That's right, a room can evoke negative emotions! You know the one that you don't want your friends and family to see when they come and visit. The one that you make a thousand excuses why it's not what you want it to be when those friends and family accidentally see it anyway! Organizing this room will give you greatest satisfaction and inspire you to do the rest. Picture in your mind how you want to feel when you enter this room, plan where to start in that room. Start with one drawer or shelf at a time. Sort things into three piles; Give away, Throw away, and the"Can't Touch This" pile(more about that later). The Give away pile is obvious, but the deal is you must give away those objects that you absolutely do NOT love! If you don't love it, it will not evoke those positive feelings that you want to have in this room, so LOVE it or give it to someone who will! The Throw away pile is for items that are broken(beyond repair),hideous,dirty(beyond cleaning), and things that nobody would love! The third pile is for those items that you CAN'T touch for 1 week! You know those items that you "need" one day, that your spouse's sister/brother's best friend's cousin-in-law gave to you because he read this blog, got organized, and passed his junk on to you stuff! Yet you can't bear to part with it, well put it in this pile, leave it in this room for one week, but here's the deal you cannot take anything out of this pile for one week, after that you must decide if you LOVE it, if you don't give it away. Tip #3 tomorrow
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tea cup LOVE Inspiration
Who does NOT love or want an organized home? We ALL do of course. How do we achieve this? More importantly, how do we KEEP it organized? Everyday I will post some tips that worked for me. Take anything that you can use, and throw back whatever you cannot use. This is not "One size fits all!"
TIP #1 Give yourself a deadline. Plan to throw a Happy Organized Party, or plan a garage sale and make some cash off of your junk, I mean treasures! You can set a date for either one of these or think of something to do in celebration of your New Found Orderliness! Why go through all of that hard work and not have people over to enjoy the fruits of your labor? You will need to post this date somewhere visible. You need to see it everyday as a reminder. Your planner is a good place, but you need to see this date in your face constantly. Try your bathroom mirror or fridge. During this time close your eyes and envision what your newly organized room looks like. Think about how happy you will feel every time you open the door to this room.
Tomorrow Tip#2
TIP #1 Give yourself a deadline. Plan to throw a Happy Organized Party, or plan a garage sale and make some cash off of your junk, I mean treasures! You can set a date for either one of these or think of something to do in celebration of your New Found Orderliness! Why go through all of that hard work and not have people over to enjoy the fruits of your labor? You will need to post this date somewhere visible. You need to see it everyday as a reminder. Your planner is a good place, but you need to see this date in your face constantly. Try your bathroom mirror or fridge. During this time close your eyes and envision what your newly organized room looks like. Think about how happy you will feel every time you open the door to this room.
Tomorrow Tip#2
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
THE HAGUE: PALACE GARDEN
How can you go wrong when you choose the colors of nature for your dining room this holiday season. Isn't this just spectacular? Imagine these colors in fabrics for your chairs. Can't you see these colors in vibrant porcelain glazed dinnerware? In auburn tinted stemware? In beautifully patterned carpet under the table? In scented candles with the fresh smells of cinnamon, pumpkin, or hazelnut? And to top that beautiful table just a branch laying right down the center with leaves full of these beautiful colors of Fall! What time shall I arrive for dinner at your place?
Orange paint: Designers' favorite colors
These colors are FABULOUS for your dining room now, especially for the upcoming holiday season. You can rest assured that these colors will look FABULOUS throughout any season!
Neutral living room + painted ceiling + global chic: Design by Nathan Turner
Neutral living room + painted ceiling + global chic: Design by Nathan Turner
Originally uploaded by xJavierx
Ideas for small spaces: Bright green + gray + small tables
Who says you have to use "White" in small spaces?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
New LOOK for IO metro!
This chair is a great accent chair for your livingroom or bedroom. This would look great in a corner with a fabulous lamp for a cool reading nook, or two of these flanking a fireplace or across from a sofa. the possibilities are endless!Find this at http://www.iometro.com
Friday, October 23, 2009
Okay, weird, I know, but I just saw the movie Twilight for the first time, my daughter kept bugging me to watch it! I get it now, I see what all the hype was around this movie, I get it now. However, I could not help but be completely mesmerized by the two main characters( Edward and Belle) faces, not because they're beautiful, because of the paleness of their skin! I swear I want to go paint a room chalky white, hang beautiful silvery gray velvet panels and have a midnight blue faux fur rug on the floor. Inspiration can come at the oddest times! I loved Edwards family home in this movie, that cool and funky loft with the FABULOUS Plexiglas stair railings! Did u see that huge canvas with those vivid colors on their wall? As u can see I really loved this movie for several reasons. . . just don't tell my daughter!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Working on a new construction of a 5000+ square foot home, the trim and crown moulding is just about done and then the floors go in! I am so excited to see this. there will be Travertine, Marble, Granite, Hardwoods, and some very cool Porcelain tiles throughout this home. This is a big job that will take about a year to completely furnish and design. This project is big and a whole lot of hard work is going into this, but this has been to date one of the most fun and creative projects I have had. I will post pics to show the progress step by step.
In the last couple of days I have been blessed to have two added clients: One of the reasons that I LOVE what I do so much is because of the people that I get to hang around. It is really nice to be able to help someone make their space exactly as they want, to bring their vision to life. My hope is that we, in this profession can really count our blessings and be grateful. I love what I do so much that I could really do it for free! I WON"T do it for free, but I could. I remember reading all sorts of books that talked about "Doing what u love and Loving what u do." I honestly thought that was a load of u know what! LOL I mean really? I had to have bills paid, my husband and I as u see in my profile have 5 children! How could I do what I love AND love what I do AND get a check? I didn't believe it on the surface, but deep down I always longed for it and now it is with me. I live an AMAZING life and I succeed truly by God's mercy.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
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