DESIGN TIP #3: 10 TIPS TO FINDING YOUR STYLE

Having trouble deciding on a design style for your home or space? Use the below tips on how to find your design style. I found these useful tips by Designer Karen McAloon, HGVT host of Find Your Style and Design Remix. Hopefully these tips will help you find your design style.

1.Multiples. Do you have multiple items of the same color, shape or style around your house? This is one big "tell" I look for as I look through clients' homes. A kilim rug in the front hall, a kilim rug in the bedroom, another one in the living room? That means that you like kilim rugs. It sounds way too simple to be that easy, but most people stop seeing their style even when it's right in front of them.

2. Form over function. Do you work on a desk that is too small, but can't bear to replace it? Have a couch that is crazy uncomfortable, but it's still in you living room after all these years? That broken clock that's still up on the wall? Take a good long look, because this is a dead giveaway to your personal style. There is something you love so much about this piece that you have chosen its form over your need for function.

3. Where you shop. Do you browse the same store all the time, even when you're not looking to buy? Does a good flea market make you heart pound with excitement? Where you look for your furnishings speaks volumes about your style. New, used, found, handed down from family; where your furniture comes from represents your style.

4. Art. What you have chosen to hang on your walls says something about you. Art is purely personal, not tied to function or need and therefore is usually the best indication of your style. A vintage movie poster means you probably like classic lines in furniture, while an abstract lithograph likely means that modern design is your bag. Flea market oil painting of someone else's relative? Eclectic is your style.

5. Most recent purchase. A French country dish towel that caught your eye in the store, or an impulse buy of a Tiffany-style lamp that you thought you'd never like, but do. The last thing you bought for your home is a fantastic indicator of what your style is, especially if it is design departure for you.

6. What unites your stuff? Do you have terra-cottas, rusts and warm yellows all around your house? These are the sun-kissed colors of Mediterranean design, so you should look for rough-hewn wood tables, terra-cotta lamps and vases to polish up your style. Does all your furniture have lean, sharp lines, and you don't have a single thing on your mantel? Your style is thoroughly modern. Whether it's color, scale, shape or era, the uniting element in your home is the best place to start when looking for your style.

7. What's your favorite hotel? This is my secret weapon in finding a client's design style. Always stay in cozy country B&Bs? Like the modern city high-rise hotel? Or do you go more for the traditionally furnished places? Hotels have clear design styles, so use them to help you find YOUR style.

8. Odd man out. When there is one piece different from everything else in your room, take note. Chances are, this is one style you like, but are afraid to fully venture into.

9. Travel. Where you chose to spend your vacations, and what you bring back with you are great style indicators. Always go to Mexico on your holidays and have a full set of cobalt-blue wine glasses? You like the hacienda look. Love your family vacations at the beach and have jars of seashells in your bathroom? Coastal cottage is your style.

10. Best room in the house. What's your most fave room in your home? Look to your best design work and repeat it. There is nothing wrong with having all your rooms designed similarly. In fact, it can bring a calm and serene feel to your house.

DESIGN TIP #2: CREATING YOUR OWN ARTWORK

Art completes every space but often it can be expensive. Well instead of buying art why not become the artist? Even if you are not artistic you can still create an awesome piece that fits with your space and your personality. It's easy and inexpensive. Here are some ideas.


PAINT ON A CANVAS

Supplies you will need: Canvas, Acrylic Paint, Paint Brushes, Painters Tape (optional)
Purchase a canvas at any art supply store. They come in all sorts of sizes so that you can choose the perfect size for your wall. Ranging in price from $10 and up depending on size and brand. Rather then using expensive oil paint, substitute with acrylic craft paint. They come in a variety of colors, blend well and adhere to the canvas just as well as oil paint. You can find acyrlic paint for as low as $1 per bottle at art supply stores. Pick out a few colors that tie in with other accents in the space. You can paint something abstract or you can use painters tape to create borders, lines, blocks or anything you want. Anything goes when it comes to artwork. I suggest doing a practice drawing on paper before you start on your canvas. Now all you need is paint brushes. To the left is a painting that I did for my master bedroom. I used painter's tape to create the lines and separation between the colors. This painting cost me $12 to make and fit perfectly with the theme of the space.


PAPER ART

Supplies you will need: Picture frame, Scissors, Scrapbooking paper (2 solid colors or patterns), Double-sided Tape, Trace paper

Find a pattern that you like, it can be anything! Trace the pattern using the trace paper then cut it out to use as a template. Take small pieces of double-sided tape to hold the template to your scrapbooking paper. After you cut out your pattern carefully remove the trace paper leaving the double-sided tape on your cut-out. Add a couple more pieces of tape to your cut-out and adhere it to the second sheet of scrapbooking paper. Purchase an inexpensive frame or recycle a frame that you are not using. To the left is a paper art that I created. I traced the two leaf patterns from my pillow sham and used two colors that tie in well with the space. These two pieces of art cost me $26.


Creating your own art can be very inexpensive, just watch your local art supply store sale ads for the supplies you need. I always try to buy my supplies on sale. Beside being way cheaper then art you can purchase, you are creating an original piece of art and you get to have fun doing it.

Hopefully this will inspire you to create your own art for your space!

Kristina

DESIGN NEWS: CALIFORNIA TOWN GETS GREEN, EARTHQUAKE-SAFE TOWN CENTER

Check out the below link to an article by Interior Design. If you are green friendly or like architecture you will enjoy this article. I love both so I had to share. This structure is amazing! ENJOY!

http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6630491.html?nid=2068

DESIGN NEWS: NEW PRODUCT BY PLUG LIGHTING

Check out this cool new wall sconce by Plug Lighting. (www.pluglighting.com)

At first glance, the La Dodo appears as a segment of wall that has been peeled back to reveal an unexpected light source. You can apply any finish to this recessed wall sconce to match the surrounding wall, producing a seamless effect. It takes a 42-watt fluorescent or 150-watt halogen bulb. Energy efficient and perfect for a modern design. Minimalists will light up for this new product!

TIP #1: USING DRAPERY TO ENLARGE A SMALL SPACE

To make a small space appear larger then it is choose window treatments that are long enough to hang from the ceiling to the floor. This will draw your eye to the ceiling which gives the illusion of a larger space. For example: A space that has 9' ceiling heights should have drapes at least 108" long. Your color choice for window treatments is also a important factor in a small space. Stay away from dark colors because they make a room fell smaller. I would recommend using a neutral, white or light color.

For a more dramatic look you can choose an even longer length that allows the drapes to "puddle" on the floor.