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Posts Tagged ‘DIY projects’

Let Your Design Take Flight – How DIY Interior Design Can Work

Thursday, September 8th, 2016

FFDM Brentwood Collection

FFDM Brentwood Collection features this dining room set that fits perfectly into these glass walls and stone flooring. The picturesque outdoors can be seen while enjoying one’s first cup of coffee in the morning or while dining with loved ones in the evening.

One of the biggest benefits of doing interior design by yourself is lowered cost. Most DIY designers might not have wholesale access as well as discounts from furniture and textile shops yet the money they save could be enormous. Materials that go with small budgets can also go a long way when the DIY enthusiast is able to find the sources himself.

If you really want to learn to become a DIY designer, then you have to know the following –

  • Have a good idea what the basic principles are in interior design.
  • Be able to use these principles inside your home.
  • Be able to plan the redecoration process, step-by-step.
  • Be able to figure out the budget that would be most suitable to the project.
  • Organize materials, ideas and design inspirations.
  • Choose an overall theme, color and focal point inspirations.
  • Add accessories, décor, as well as personal touches with ease.
  • Transition spaces to be able to maximize usefulness.
  • Print fundamental design materials or have them downloaded for future use.
  • Design floor plan worksheets.

Now that you know these guidelines, it’s time to update to the latest trends or to set up a lasting style that you’d enjoy for a very long time.

Approximately 50% of Americans have not updated their home design in five years. About 9% have not updated in 10 years or so. The irony here is that about 20% of these homeowners admit to being satisfied with their home’s current décor. Still, this is a practically small number compared to the 120 million other homes.

 

Hooker Furniture Home Entertainment Sanctuary Two Piece Entertainment Group

Hooker Furniture Home Entertainment Sanctuary Two Piece Entertainment Group will fit naturally in a shabby chic setting.

Designing Shouldn’t be a Chore

DIY interior design can be done according to the homeowner’s schedule. The design plan can expand and be altered much quickly. For example, if a homeowner takes on a custom tile job, then he can reschedule the renovation till he learns from a tile installation class. Working with an interior designer means working with someone who has other clients. This may lead to limited interactions especially when you have someone who is quite popular.

A homeowner can basically source his own materials and pick colors as well as finishes on his own. Most DIY designers do not create their own textiles but they can roam around and look for fabrics in multiple stores.

Simple Designs That Work

Sometimes, you don’t have to tear down walls or paint an entire room just to say that you’re altering the design of your home. Make a unique photo display by updating your family photos. Use black and white photographs and some bright-colored tape.

Find some of your favorite photos then use editing software to turn them all to black and white. Print them on glossy paper to add visual on your walls. Place them horizontally or vertically according to your design plan. You don’t have to use the same size for all photos. Use different sizes then tape them onto the wall.

Another design that you can use is the monogrammed string art. You can use the modern graphic versions or the ones that bring a retro, 70s appeal.

You can also visit some décor shops and look for some floral china art. This can be used as a wall art. Just add a custom stencil such as a monogram then hang as a unique wall art.

Designing can get a bit overwhelming especially when you are scheduled to have drastic changes inside your home. Expect to feel stressed at times but don’t forget to have fun, too. Designing, after all, is both art and science so use your brain and your heart to come up with styles that would captivate.

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The Design Addict: Benefits of DIY Interior Design Projects

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

1586-90966-BRN Swell King Shelter Upholstered Bed: The airy atmosphere here achieved can be your next project or your project with an interior designer.

1586-90966-BRN Swell King Shelter Upholstered Bed: The airy atmosphere here achieved can be your next project or your project with an interior designer.

As soon as you have figured out what your home would look like, the next big question is – should you do-it-yourself or hire an expert? Or is it possible to have the best of both worlds?

Interior design was not a known profession before the 20th century. Back then, homeowners designed their houses unless they were royalty who had people doing things for them. A lot of people still think that you still need to be a palace dweller in order to hire a designer. Others are simply afraid of the cost (or at least the perceived costs). Still some think not of the cost but are afraid that the result might not reflect their preference or taste.

Advantages of DIY Projects

Designing your home simply means that you won’t have to hire someone and pay him to do it for you. The results will also show your personal taste and you can proudly take credit for all of your work. If you have done a DIY project in the past and were successful, then you shouldn’t have trouble doing it again.

Whether the DIY project works for you or not actually depends on your strengths. It is as simple as knowing what makes you tick and finding the items that define what you like.

DIY projects can be done in phases, more often than not, as the funds allow. You also don’t need to explain what you want to a complete stranger.

The Downside of Doing it Yourself

Primarily, you could mess the project up and if you are working on a bi-budgeted project then you might have to live with the errors for many years. It’s either this or you pay a hefty amount of money just to make the nightmare go away.

You must have the ability to visualize. If you believe that you’re not the creative type then you have to recognize the fact that you need help.

FFDM Highlands Collection

FFDM Highlands Collection

Working with an Expert and Being a DIY Enthusiast

Or you could go down the less traveled path of working with a designer or a decorator. Two heads, as the saying goes, is always better than one so this cooperative thing should work for the better. There are many alternative working arrangements that you two could consider.

Perhaps you could consider hiring a decorator who is paid by the hour. This expert should be able to help you plan the layout, seek out the right kinds of furniture, shop for fabrics and select the right colors. After you get help on these things, you will be better able to execute the plan on your own. Of course, not all designers would sign up for small assignments, hence, find the ones that are paid by the hour.

You can design the project on your own and eventually hire a pro to guide you throughout the selection process.

If working with an actual designer makes you feel uncomfortable, then you can always go for a virtual designer. There is now a growing number of interior designers who are now posting their portfolios online. You can get in touch with them, send photos of your proposed floor plan, then ask for their professional fee. You can do all these without even meeting them in person.

You can also work with someone from a furniture store. There are shops that offer decorating or designing services. Some will work with you on the project – free of charge – for as long as you buy furniture from their shop. If you really love the furniture shop and the pieces that they sell, then, obviously, their stuff is the way to go.

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The Interior Designer vs. You: DIY or Hire a Pro?

Tuesday, March 29th, 2016

Jonathan Louis Norton Living Room Collection: This living room balances the vibrance of the bright colors and the subdued look offered by the neutral pieces.

Jonathan Louis Norton Living Room Collection: This living room balances the vibrance of the bright colors and the subdued look offered by the neutral pieces.

Are you now at a stage when you have figured out what you would want your house to look like? If so, have you also come to the decision as to who would decorate your new or remodelled home? Will you hire a professional interior designer or would you take on a DIY project?

Back in the day, it was just the nobles who had the notion to decorate their homes but they always hired someone else to do the job for them. You don’t have to live in a palace or be a noble just to enjoy the services of a decorator. You also should not fear the cost that much.

Your concern in hiring an interior designer could also be because of your fear of a result that does not reflect your tastes anymore.

Some homeowners immediately collaborate with a professional designer while others hesitate or are simply confident with their decorating skills.

There are downsides and upsides in hiring an interior designer or in doing the project yourself. It is really up to you to weigh the consequences.

Figure 1FFDM's Boulevard Collection: The warmth of food is balanced by the water element and green leaf in a glass vase. The white cabinets house the most beautiful collections. As for accessories, what could be more interesting than the distinctive modern chandelier and silver cubed candelabra?

FFDM’s Boulevard Collection: The warmth of food is balanced by the water element and green leaf in a glass vase. The white cabinets house the most beautiful collections. As for accessories, what could be more interesting than the distinctive modern chandelier and silver cubed candelabra?

Advantages of DIY Interior Design Projects

The best reason to decorate your own home is that you love designing things. Your creative side just won’t say no to a project.

An advantage to this, apart from showing your artistic flair, is that you don’t need to pay anyone else to do the job. Add to this the glorious fact that your design will surely reflect who you are. As for the bragging rights, you also take full credit for the project since no one else pitched in their ideas.

Should you feel pleased with your living room design, then go ahead and carry out the project throughout the rest of your home. Where your do-it-yourself project takes you depends a lot on your strengths. If you are the kind of person who knows what he wants, then you are bound to love your creation.

DIY projects can also be done according to levels or stages or as funds allow.

The Downsides of DIY Projects

Primarily, you could mess up the project especially if you have no idea what you would want to include in your design. You have two choices when this happens – you can either live with the mess that you have created or you can invest another large sum of money to correct the error.

Errors in interior design are quite common which is why you gotta have the ability to visualize. You are either an effective creative artist or you’re not – it’s that simple. If you have trouble visualizing and putting creative projects into full gear, then you absolutely need help.

Lastly, DIY projects can be time and fund consuming especially when your learning curve is too steep.

The Upside of Hiring a Designer

Hiring a pro means you have a larger selection of furnishings, wall coverings, fabrics, and trades people. The designer has cultivated many professional relationships with tradesmen so you could potentially own a home that is tailor-fitted to your lifestyle and taste.

A designer can also save you money by doing the project correctly from the onset.

The Downside of Hiring a Designer

It’s always about the cost. It can be costly to work with an interior designer as it is an intimate process that could take months, even years to complete. If you pick the wrong kind of designer, then you end up with an adversary rather than an ally who would affirm all of your design decisions.

Hiring someone who was on the cover of an interior design magazine does not automatically mean that he or she is the right professional to work with. You need to find someone that you can trust and communicate with. You should also discuss your budget upfront as this is one of the most common causes of arguments between a homeowner and the designer.

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