COLOR CONSULTATIONS! Help Selecting Interior or Exterior Paint Colors

 

Selecting the right paint color is a daunting task for most.  Here are two ways to get the job done.

Option 1: 

1. Do it yourself.
2. Try to narrow done your basic color desire down to one or two basic colors (blue, green, red, yellow).
3. Go to one or all of your local paint stores and gather up samples. This can be the hard part, because the lighting in the paint store is different than in your home.  When you select a color that you like at the store, chances are it will look different at home.  So, get A LOT of samples.
4. During daylight, look at the paint swatches in on each wall of the room.  Depending on lighting, it can look different on each wall.  If you’d like, you can look at them again at night.
5. Hopefully, a couple of the colors will  look good to you. If yes, I would suggest you go back to the paint store(s) and get a few more swatches of the same color, if possible – order large swatches, or get a sample of the paint to test.  If you decide to get a sample of the paint, you have three choices.  1.  Paint it right on the wall (be sure to do a swatch on each wall – lighting again), 2.  Get a piece of poster sized wall board from your local box store and paint it – then you can move it around the room with out having to paint swatches all over your walls, 3. Most box stores now carry designer sample boards, they are about the size of a piece of paper.  Get 4 and paint all of them and place on each wall. Do this for all colors you are considering.
6. Hopefully, you’ll love one of the colors.  If so start painting!
7. If not, go back to step 2 and do it all over again … and again … (if necessary) until you find the perfect color for you.

Option 2:

1.  Hire a professional and get a Color Consultation.  Someone like myself will come to your home and bring all the swatches to you.  I typically carry ALL the swatches for 2-3 different brands of paint.  Depending on how many rooms and how many colors you select, it can take as little as 1 hour, most take 2-3 hours … and you’re ready to start painting immediately!

If you’re located in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact me for more information about getting a color consultation.  If you’re elsewhere, contact me anyway – I can probably refer you to someone.

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

Decorating On A Budget

Some people say were in a recession, but when it comes to our homes, most of us have an uncontrollable urge to remodel and decorate!  So, what do you do in times like these if you don’t have the money to do a full remodel but you just can’t take it anymore?   Here are a few budget decorating ideas that you can either hire someone to do without spending a lot of money and some other things you can do yourself.

1.  Paint!  Paint is probably the most cost effective and design efficeint things you can do to update your home without spending a lot of money.  Even if you hire someone, the cost is low compared to other remodling expenses, but if you paint yourself … it’s down right cheap!  And the best bang for your buck!

2.  Interior Redesign!  Maybe you have a room you never use, or a room that just doesn’t feel or look right, maybe your bored with the room, but you may or may not want to go out and purchase some furnishings to change the look of the room.  Hire an interior redesigner to REDESIGN your home/a room using what you already own and love.  A redesinger will redesign just one room or your entire home.  You decide, based on your wants, needs and budget.  Another best bang for the buck!

3.  Update your accessories.  Try changing out your throw pillows, accessories and art.  This can change the look and feel of your home …maybe just enough to make your decorating urges go away for a while.

4.  Change out your art.  I know, you always hang this piece over your fireplace and that piece in the living room  – change it up.  We get so used to seeing them in the same place that we stop seeing and enjoying them.  Make it fun and invite a friend over (one who’s taste you like) and take down all of your art and then together take turns holding up different pieces in new and different locations.  It’s fun, costs no money and you’re home will look and feel refreshed.

5.  What budget decorating projects have you done?  Please share your experiences here.

Two Households in One

Recently, I did a design consultation; which will be Redesigned next week.  The home was full of two different styles of furniture and accessories (his and hers).  When they got married they merged two families and two sets of furniture. Each of them downsized their belongings only keeping what they loved, but they were unable to blend the two styles … that’s why they called me.

When I looked around the home I could tell which things were hers and which things were his.  The home didn’t feel welcoming and it was driving them nuts.  My goal was to find a way to blend their two styles togethr instead of having a room with her stuff and a room with his stuff.  They had been trying to do it themselves and were not getting anywhere.   We decided to start with the living and dining room. He loved the room and she hated it.  We needed to find a way to keep his things alive but add enough of her style to make her happy too.  I made a few suggestions and they loved all of my ideas and even said “I would have never thought of that” … We scheduled a date for me to return to the home and make it all happen. I sent them out ot purchase a few specific accessories so we could pull it all together.

It’s always amazing to me how the energy can change in a room just by coming up with a plan.  I can hardly wait to redesign that room.  I’ll post some photos once it’ complete.

Jill Denton

Changing Spaces

925-998-7747

One-Day Interior Redesign

For the first time ever, I am offering a discount on my One-Day Interior Redesign Service.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area in … Alameda, Contra Costa or Santa Clara County, I am offering $100 off an Interior Redesign on three or more rooms in your home, when you have your Interior Redesign completed in March 2008. 

Call NOW, to reserve your day before I’m booked solid!  Call 925-998-7747 and say you want the blog discount.

Jill Denton

Re-Design

Re-Decorate, Re-Arrange, Re-Do … Redesign it in 2008!

Most of us, like our things.  Maybe you like your furnishings, but you’re tired of your art or accessories (or visa versa).  Maybe you want a new look but for whatever reason, you don’t want to go out a spend a ton of money.  Well, you don’t have to go out and buy all new to get a new look anymore.  Just Re-use what you already own in a new, fresh and differnt way by getting an Interior Redesign.

In just 3 hours we transformed this room using what the homeowners already had in their home!  It went from cold and uninviting to warm and welcoming!  They loved the new look!

Please feel free to post a comment or contact me if you have ANY questions what so ever about Redesign!

Jill

Changing Spaces

Arranging furniture in a rectangular shaped room

I’ve had so many people contact me about arranging furniture in a rectangular shaped room!  This is one hot topic!  It all comes down to space planning.  If you’ve got a good eye for space planning, do it yourself (see my other article on “How to arrange furniture in a rectangular shaped room“).  If not, call in a professional Interior Redesigner. In 2-3 hours (for an average sized room with an average amount of furniture and accessories) an Interior Redesigner can transform your rectangular shaped room. 

I have people contact me who say, “We never use that room”, “I don’t like the way it feels in the room so we don’t spend any time in there” and “You could blow that room up and none of us would miss it.”  Don’t waste your valuable space.  Let’s turn it into something you’ll love and use.  Don’t wait another day! Contact me and get that rectangular shaped room redesigned!

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

Do You Have Good Traffic Flow Inside Your Home?

 

One crucial part of design is traffic flow.  A room not only needs to look good, but it needs to have good traffic flow. 

Have you ever stepped into a room only to be blocked by a piece of furniture.  Not too long ago I went to a friends home.  It’s decorated very Pottery Barn style.  From the entry, you walk down a hallway to the family room where you run right into the back of an overstuffed chair.  I literally had to side step around the chair to get into the room.  While I did a little dance around the chair my mind began rearranging or “Interior Redesigning” the room.  Overall the room was laid out well.  It was just the one overstuffed chair that created a problem. 

Click on the “Good Traffic Flow” link below and you’ll see two sample layouts but first, let me explain.  The top layout is BEFORE, and you can see the open doorway that leads you into the chair and a round ottoman in another corner.  In the AFTER layout, you’ll see that by just switching the over-sized chair with the ottoman, the flow into the room has greatly improved.  One thing you can not see on the layout is the difference in height of the chair and ottoman.  Where the back of the chair visually blocked the entry, the ottoman visually lets you enter the room.  Good Traffic Flow

Traffic flow is essential for comfortable living; as well as, comfortable viewing for those of you who are planning on selling your home.  Dana Dickey says: “Control the flow! If you have a problem with traffic flow, bump into things and do not like the way your rooms feel, then a potential buyer will FEEL the same thing. Proper placement of furniture is essential when buyers are looking at square footage. Remember why you bought the house and try to change what doesn’t work.” Source: Inside Redesign LLC

How about you?  Do you have any traffic flow problems in your home?

Jill  Denton ~ Changing Spaces

Top 5 Reasons to Get an Interior Redesign:

5.  Interior Redesign fits any budget. 

4.   Interior Redesign works for any style.

3.  Interior Redesign gives a designer look to any room.

2.  Interior Redesign uses what you already own and love.

1.  An Interior Redesign  is completed in just ONE DAY!

Contact Jill Denton at Changing Spaces for more information about getting an Interior Redesign for one room your your entire home.

Decorating Trends for 2008 II

Beams are back!  Remember those dark brownish black beams from the 70’s?  In the late 80’s and 90’s everyone painted their beams white to make them disapear into their ceilings.  Well, guess what?  It’s time to make them look like what they are – a beam.  Okay, so the color they used in the 70’s is very dated and we don’t want to recreate that look, but we do want a beam to look like a beam.  Why?  Because it is a architectual element that adds interest and appeal to your space.

Nowadays, you’ll find beautiful beamed ceilings in new custom homes and beautifully restored beamed in vintage homes.  It’s the homes in between that need some love.  Here are a few easy solutions.  1. Paint the exisiting beam brown.  It could be as easy as selecting the right color, or take it to the next step and add some wood graining.   2. Surround the beam with a wood veneer.   3. Place a ”Faux Beam” over an exisitng beam or just put some up where you want to add them.

The beam is there to stay, it’s not going anywhere.  Everyone knows it’s there so don’t fight it … make it the best it can be … love it!

Does Your Home Need An Interior Redesign?

 

Ask yourself the following questions:

- Do you have a room you rarely use?

- Are your tired of the “look” of you home?

- Do you feel there’s no way to rearrange a room?

- Do you have a room that just doesn’t “feel” right?

- Do you want a new look but don’t want to buy all new things?

- Have your furnishings been in the same places for 3+ years?

- Have you combined households and it’s too crowded?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you are a candidate for an InteriorRedesign. Contact Jill Denton at  Changing Spaces to schedule a consultation.