Resolution #5

I will not be afraid of color.

Earlier this month Terrie started a series on color.   Be sure to read it as the posts provide a great overview of  decorating with color.  The first one helps you better understand the language of color and how color impacts your decorating decisions.  Then each following week’s post takes an in-depth look at an individual color, first examining  red and the following week delving into blue, with other colors planned for upcoming weeks. 

This series take the fear out of color selection and helps you move confidently from safe and bland to beautiful and colorful interiors.

Resolution #6

I will work through each decorating layer and continually reference back to my goals, budget and color scheme.

Bouncing from one feature of your room to another and one decorating idea to another results in a hodge podge room.  The easiest way to ensure your finished room appears visually cohesive, meets your needs, suits your wants and fits your budget is to build it layer by layer, with constant reference back to your goals, budget and color scheme. 

Work through the decorating process in the following order:

1. Walls & Architecture - walls, ceiling and architectural features. 

The walls and ceilings are the shell of your space – the wrapping for the room you plan to decorate.  These large expanses form a foundation upon which to build the rest of your room.  Take a close look at the walls and ceiling – consider the lengths and height.  Are they flat or do they angle, protrude or indent?  You need to consider how to use them and how to decorate them to achieve your goals.

The architecture defines the shape of the room and its embellishments.  Examine the size, finish and placement of the fireplace if there is one.  Does the room already have  moulding on the floor, walls or ceiling that works with your planned room or do you need to add or remove some?  Consider the windows, paying close attention to the size, placement, view and impact on the room.  Are there bookcases, shelves, window seats or other built-ins to incorporate?  Which features do you want to highlight in your design and which do you want to hide?

Test your wall color with your floor samples before completing layers 1 and 2.

 Photo by Dean In SF,Flickr

 2. Flooring – what’ s underfoot?

Like the walls and ceiling, the floor provides another large expanse in the room.  How you want to live in the room, the activities that occur in the space, your preferences and your budget all impact your flooring decision.  Choices include:

• Hardwood                                          
• Carpet Tiles                                      
• Tile
• Linoleum and Vinyl                   
• Laminate                                            
• Carpet
• Peel-and-stick Tiles                    
• Cork                                                        
• Concrete

3. Furniture – upholstered, partially upholstered and non-upholstered.

Upholstered furniture includes sofas, love seats, chaise, ottomans, chairs and sometimes dining chairs – anything covered with fabric or leather.  Non-upholstered furniture (also known as case goods) might include a media cabinet, coffee table, trunk, armoire, lamp table, dresser, night stand, hutch, buffet, side table or dining table – anything without upholstery.  As you might guess, partially upholstered is a combination of the upholstered and non-upholstered – like fabric covered chairs with wooden arms and legs.

This room includes upholstered, partially upholstered and non-upholstered furniture and custom window coverings that perfectly highlight the room's architecural window wall and high ceiling.

Photo by Posh Living, LLC, Flickr.

4. Accent Fabrics and Window Treatments – have a little fun.

Accent fabrics are a great place to have fun with pattern, lots of color and wild little touches that would be too much on a big sofa or chair.  Use accent fabric in toss pillows, table runners, dining chairs, lamp shades and fabric window treatments like drapery panels, valances, roman blinds, roller blinds and cafe curtains.  Window coverings are also available in non-fabric options, including mini-blinds, cellular shades, woven woods and shutters.

5. Lighting – don’t skimp.

Too many homes lack good lighting!  One overhead light and a table lamp do not provide enough light for a living room.  Almost every room looks better with adequate lighting and should include: 

• General and Ambient Lighting- general lighting fills the room with a broad plane of light, usually from overhead fixtures like recessed lights, track lights, chandeliers and sconces.  Ambient light throws light against a surface such as a wall or ceiling and reflects the light back into the room, like a torchere lamp or recessed lights that “wash” the walls around the perimeter of the room.  Tip:  put them on dimmers!
• Spot Lights or Accent Lights - focus attention on an object such as a piece of art or sculpture with narrowed or intense light. 
• Task Lights- enable you to easily complete tasks with near and focused light.  A table lamp or floor lamp provides good reading or writing light and vanity lights provide light for personal grooming.  Under cabinet kitchen lights help with food prep.
• Mood Lighting - this light creates a sense of coziness and is purely decorative or mood setting.  It might include back lighting objects on a shelf or rope lights on top of a ledge or even dimmed sconces.
• Candlelight – candles provide a warm, flickering light for leisurely dining or a bit of romance or elegance on a coffee table.  A bonus of candlelight – it’s flattering!
• Up Lighting -  is a type of ambient lighting and accent lighting in that it shines  from the floor up toward the ceiling and highlights an object in the process.  Small up lighting floor lights are magical behind plants at night and dramatic behind folding screens and sculptures also.

Accent spotlight highlights a glass vase while themed accessories and hanging art complete the visual. (photo by Terrie P)

6. Accessories and Plants - add your unique stamp and a little life.

Just as a necklace and earrings add interest to an outfit, accessories and plants add interest to a room.  They are the unique touches that define the room as yours.  Accessories become clutter if there are too many of them scattered about the room and by themselves.  Consider grouping accessories for impact, paying attention to varying their heights, their color, a theme (sea shells and driftwood with a white candle say “beach”).  If an accessory is large it can stand on it’s own – and a few well chosen large items will have more impact than a cluster of tiny pieces.

Plants add life and softness to a room.

Photo by SWYOUSEF, Flickr.

Plants add life to a room.  A large plant easily fills a dark corner that doesn’t quite work for a piece of furniture.  Flowers brighten a table and a bowl of apples or lemons adds color quickly and easily.  If you have little light in your home, travel a lot or simply have a brown thumb, silk plants are your answer.  The trick, however, is to buy very high quality fake plants and make sure their color is the same as that provided by mother nature (no blue blossoms!). 

Pulling It All Together

As you work your way through these 6 decorating steps remember to faithfully check back to your goals, your budget, and your colors so each layer works well into the overall plan.  After you put your last accessory in place and step back to peruse the room you’ll be pleased with all you’ve accomplished.

And remember – if you get stuck or have problems along the way, you can always turn to Resolution #7:  I won’t be afraid  to ask for help.  Contact Your Decorating Hotline by commenting on a post or email us at solutions@yourdecoratinghotline.com.  We’d love to help!

Resolution #3

I will set a  decorating budget   by <insert date> and stick to it.  

Before you start decorating you need to know your budget (how much can you afford to spend) and how you’re going to allocate the funds to complete your goals (see Resolution 1 ).    Set a date for completing a written budget – it’s a step you don’t want to skip. 

Creating a written budget helps you think through what you need to meet your goals so you end up with a finished project that delights you.  It also keeps you on track, helps you make good decisions, and, believe it or not, sparks your creativity.

Items you need to budget for vary project by project and depend on the extent of your plans (e.g. knocking down a wall costs more than working within the current footprint).  General items to consider might include:

Make the most of your budget. Photo by Alan Cleaver, Flickr.

• Paint and painting tools (rollers, brushes, drop cloths, painters tape)
• Wallpaper and tools (rollers, paste, brushes, cutting blades)
• Trim (baseboard, crown or cove moulding, door trim)
• Flooring (removal or refinishing old,  installation of new)
• Window or door replacements
• Window coverings (drapes, blinds, shades, panels, valances)
• Lighting (overhead, ambient, task, highlight)
• Furniture (new, reupholstered, repainted, from somewhere else in the house)
• Appliances (stove/oven, microwave, refrigerator, garbage disposal)
• Cabinets and Counter Tops
• Plumbing Fixtures (sinks, faucets, tubs, toilets)
• Hardware (door handles, door knocker, cabinet pulls)
• Art and Plants
• Accessories (toss pillows, candles, vases, area rugs, picture frames, etc. )

Be realistic about your budget but know you don’t have to spend top dollar or buy everything brand new. Less money just means you need more creativity.  When thinking through items for your budget expenses ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I already have this  in the house, garage or attic? 
2. Could I find this at a garage sale or a thrift shop?
3. Can I wait until I find this on sale?
4. Is this something I could make or repurpose from something else?
5. Do I need to hire someone to do this or can I do it myself?

Answering these questions helps you decide where you really want or need to put your money and how you can get the big ticket items you want by saving money in other areas.

Once you’ve created your budget – use it!  Take it with you when you shop, refer to it when trying to decide between two items you like, and track your purchases against your budget so you know where you stand as the project progresses.

Resolution #4

I will determine appropriate time-lines.   

Now that you’ve decided on your project and goals, prepped your space, and set your budget, your next step is setting deadlines for yourself.  Determine how long you need to complete each of your goals and the overall project by considering:

Create deadlines for your project goals.

•  Construction time  
• Availability of contractors
• Your available project work time and your skill level
• Order fulfillment and shipping
• Availability of funds

 Break a big decorating project into smaller tasks with associated time-lines and then meet each timeline.  Even if your project is small and involves only you, milestone deadlines  help motivate you and allow you to see progress.  If you wait for a single big chunk of time to do the entire project you may never get started. 

Setting time-lines is a bit of a juggling act.  You don’t want to rush the decorating process (time-lines that are too short often result in ignored budgets or shoddy workmanship).  You need to leave room for evolution (during the process you may discover something you want to add or change) but you also don’t want to procrastinate or stall either (a reason to set a definite date for yourself).  Estimate the time needed for each step of the project as best you can and then work your on your goals within the time allotted.  Adjust your overall time-frame as milestone deadlines are met earlier or later than expected.

Tracking your time-lines allows you to see progress on your project and enables you to adjust critical deadlines when needed (you don’t want the carpet layers to show up with your brand new carpet as originally scheduled if you’re still putting up crown moulding and haven’t even started painting the room).

Next

Now that you’re “Ready” (Resolutions 1 and 2) and “Set” (Resolutions 3 and 4), the next step is “Decorate!”.  Next Thursday we’ll dig into Resolutions 5 and 6 so you get on your way to successfully completing your first 2010 Decorating project.

Sign up for YourDecoratingHotline.com’s  free daily emails (see the right hand menu) and you won’t have to worry about checking back for the final 2010 Decorating Resolutions post - it will arrive in your inbox as soon as it becomes available.

For some, resolutions are top-of-mind for perhaps the first 30 or so days of the New Year and then fade into oblivion…sometimes because they seem overwhelming, sometimes because they have no deadlines, sometimes because they’re overly ambitious, and sometimes because it’s hard to break old habits. 

DECORATING RESOLUTIONS MADE EASY

In order to avoid these pitfalls I’ve made a list of decorating resolutions that are short, sweet and easy to use. I want 2010 to be filled with decorating successes for you so I’ve bundled the resolutions under the umbrella “Get Ready, Get Set, Decorate!” There are only 6 resolutions and they are do-able! 

GET READY

Resolution 1:  I will define my decorating target and determine my goals by <insert date>.  Don’t make this overly complicated, just pick the room or area of your house you want to work on (don’t take on the whole house as one goal!) and decide how you want to use the space and how you want it to look and when you want it done  - then write that down.

Writing your decorating goals and timeline helps define and refine your thoughts.

Writing it down helps you clarify your thoughts and make them real while providing a reference to turn to each time you need to focus your decisions.  For inspiration gather pictures of the same type of room from magazines and online sources, visit model homes, examine public spaces (building lobbies, restaurants, salons), stroll through furniture stores to evaluate  displays, and watch HGTV.   

Resolution 2:  I will get rid of clutter and make repairs to my selected space by <insert date>.  To make room for the new decor you need to get rid of the old that doesn’t work.  If you don’t use it or don’t love it then get it out of the room – find a new place for it, donate it, give it to a friend or if it’s broken or worn out, throw it away for heaven’s sake!  Make needed repairs to the room or even the new decor will look shabby – clean the carpet to get rid of stains,  replace a missing handle, clean out the fireplace, fix the loose brick or tile, patch the nick in the wall, etc. 

GET SET

Resolution 3:  I will set a  decorating budget   by <insert date> and stick to it.   Even if your budget is limited you don’t have to limit your decorating ideas, sometimes less to spend means more creativity!  In addition to shopping for your decorating project consider reusing or repurposing items from other parts of the house, check out garage sales, visit thrift stores, swap accessories with a friend,  and barter your skills for something you need.

Set a decorating budget and stick to it.

Resolution 4:  I will determine appropriate time-lines.   Definitely set reasonable time-lines.  If you wait for a big chunk of time to do your entire decorating project you may just keep putting it off because it is so huge.  The old adage “How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time” applies here.  Break a big decorating project into smaller tasks with associated time-lines and then make sure you meet each deadline  you’ve set!   Don’t rush the decorating process, leave room for evolution, but don’t stall either.

DECORATE!

Resolution 5:   I will not be afraid of color.  Don’t stick with beige or white out of fear.   Pick a color scheme you love and one that supports your decorating style and lifestyle.  For tips and details be sure to read  Terrie’s blog post series on color - it starts next Monday.

Resolution 6 : I will work through each decorating layer and continually reference back to my goals, budget and color scheme.   Make your decorating easy by staying on track as planned and working in this order:  walls and architecture, flooring, furniture, window coverings,  lighting, accessories and plants. 

I LIED

I lied – instead of 6 resolutions, there are actually 7!  The last is:  I won’t be afraid to ask for help!  YourDecoratingHotline.com is here for you!  If you have a decorating question or find yourself stuck along the way, simply ask us for help by commenting on a post or emailing your question to solutions@yourdecoratinghotline.com.  We’re here to help you enjoy your decorating journey by inspiring, encouraging, sharing and supporting your decorating adventures in 2010.

Use these seven resolutions to give your decorating some direction, boost, and promise this year.  You can do it, so where will you start – your bedroom, living room, entry, family room or…?  Share your decorating resolutions,  your dilemmas and your results with us.  Together we’ll fill 2010 with decorating successes.

Happy New Year!