How to Decorate Spaces for People


When it comes to decorating your home, forget about the empty, lifeless rooms you see in interior design magazines and books. Instead, you should concentrate on designing all of the rooms in your home as backdrops for the people who will be living in those spaces. Here are a few simple techniques for designing dynamic spaces:

Don't be afraid to leave some empty spaces in your rooms. Empty space allows for breathing room and lets the most important items in the room shine -- the people who live there!

Avoid large patterns in your fabrics and wallpapers. As a general rule, use no designs larger than your palm, because they will interfere with the appearance of people in the room. Using smaller patterns on walls and furniture will mean that friends and family won't have to compete with bold patterns for attention.

Use paint colors that complement people's skin and eye colors. For light skin colors, use yellows, pinks, and beiges. For darker complexions, yellows, olives, and tans can make people look great.

Use textures that stimulate the sense of touch. Look for textures that are nice to caress, such as velvet, chenille, or satin. They'll create a feeling of being pampered.

Always choose comfort over pretense. Just because a sofa looks great doesn't mean it's comfortable. When you visit a showroom, remember that in order to truly test a piece of furniture, you need to sit on it for awhile, until you feel totally rested. Only then will can you get a realistic feel for its support and comfort level.

Your home is meant to be a place for people, and if you always keep yourself, your family, and your guests in mind, you'll be well on your way to designing spaces that will be more comfortable and emotionally appealing than the staged photos you see in magazines and books.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm


MORE RESOURCES:

Telegraph.co.uk (blog)

War, peace and interior decorating
ABC Online
The interior decorating was finished in time for the president's Oval Office address to the nation about the end of US combat operations in Iraq. ...
J. Scott Applewhite/Associated PressNPR
Oval Office redone during Obama vacationUPI.com
Oval Office RedesignedNBC Washington
Big Journalism (blog)
all 650 news articles »


Gateway FX6803: PC With a Fast Foundation Needs a Little Interior Decorating
Washington Post
As has become a sort of tradition on the performance desktop charts, Gateway has brought another iteration of its FX-series desktops to the market, ...



Riverview resident loves working with colour
Times and Transcript
Respected for her prowess in the interior decorating and design industry, this Woodstock, Ont. native is a former schoolteacher who found her second career ...



NHL.com

Is It In Your Blood? Rooms
NHL.com
You've got until September 28th to do some interior decorating and submit your photo. The winning photos will be posted on September 29th. ...

and more »


Technorati (blog)

Interior Design Tips
Technorati (blog)
One of the cheapest ways to get a high-end interior decorating look is to reupholster your own furniture. To have a professional reupholster your furniture ...



Big Freedia brings bounce to San Jose
San Jose Mercury News
While Freedia often plays five or six gigs a week, she's kept her day job, running the interior decorating company Da Diva's Creations. ...

and more »


Businesses welcome elbow-to-elbow festival crowd
Hometownlife.com
Carla Marshall, owner of Accessories Shop, 511 S. Washington, said she spent the week working on the interior decorating to draw a crowd. ...

and more »


DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts

Oval Office Makeover: Pimp My Office
DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts
I'm sure that this bad acid trip will be praised as a “progressive” approach to interior decorating considering the FLOTUS' amazing taste in clothing as ...



Former CFO of a Texas engineering firm sentenced for embezzling over $3.7 million
Examiner.com
... of real estate in Houston and Colorado, and expenses related to the construction, landscaping, and interior decorating of a home in Estes Park, Colo. ...

and more »


The Ultimate Interior Decorating Guide
Tom Wilt News
This home decor and interior design e-book nearly sells itself because this decorating guide really does teach people how to place their furniture. ...


Google News

Interior Design Dallas | Home Decorating Ideas | site map
Web Design | Search Engine Marketing
© 1998-2008