High End Furniture Look, on a Tight Budget.
High-End Furniture furniture makers aren’t swayed by the Economy today, but the average furniture buyers are.
Here is an example of taking a Designer look and re-creating it, at an affordable price!
Barbara Barry Collection High-End Collection Discount “Look-a-like” Collection
Approximate Cost $28,000 Approximate Cost $3000
Wow!!! A $25,000 price difference and the look is practically identical. And most of the items in the “look-a-like” side are shipped free as well.
Wouldn’t you like to makeover your home with a High-End Designer look for a fraction of the price? Any look is reproducible………
Contact PC Design LLC at pcdesign@mac.com.
Tags: Advice, budget decorating, Budget Design, cheap but chic, cheap decorating, cheap interior design, Decorate on a budget, Design on a dime, Home makeover, inexpensive furniture, inexpensive tips, Interior Design, Interior design style, reproduce a furniture look, repurpose
Most people today, classify themselves as “Transitional” in their Interior Design Styles (or what some of my client’s call, “the Pottery Barn Style”).
Let’s delve into the meaning of “Transitional” to find out if this style best represents you!
We go back to the unforgettable, and I say this with great respect, catalog that is received in the mail by millions of people weekly………..Pottery Barn.
As quoted from their website; “Pottery Barn began in 1949 as a single store in Lower Manhattan, and is founded on the idea that home furnishings should be exceptional in comfort, style and quality. Our in–house designers draw their inspiration from time–honored models in America and around the world to create unique collections…..”.
While this isn’t a Blog about Pottery Barn, they are one of the most widely viewed home decorating catalogs in the world and are, the best, Visual example of simple, neutral and elemental design qualities out there. Other places to find “Transitional” style furnishings are at your larger department stores and larger chain furniture (some discount) super stores.
Transitional decor, blends “Traditional” Style with “Contemporary” Styles to make distinctive, classic, yet comfortable Design. The primary influence is “American” with sleek lines and rounded profiles, rich prints with minimalistic approaches and very affordable options. Items aren’t overstated for the rooms, but sized in proportion to them.
Colors associated with this style are muted neutrals; blends of creams, taupe’s, chocolates (neither to masculine or feminine). There aren’t many additional adornments to furnishings, like fringe, tassels or “frills”. Nailhead is often used as contrast for trim on upholstered pieces. Typical fabrics used are; Suede, Corduroy, jacquard, leather, chenille, cotton, twill, woven and tweeds.
Accessorizing takes a back seat in transitional design. Crisp, clean black or white framing and monochromatic artwork, hammered metals, natural wood, geometric shapes. Accessories that are ornate, fancy, elegant or over-the-top are limited to one (or none) per space. Keeping things simple, but interesting, is primary.
Transitional lighting includes, understated, unadorned chandeliers, ceiling fans with adjustable lighting, pendants that seem to fade in rather than stand out in contrast to cabinetry and lamps that carry a classic yet simple style with an updated feel.
Next, Interior Design Style Revealed………. “Contemporary”.
Tags: Advice, cotton, decorating styles, Design Styles, diy transitional design, furniture like pottery barn, interior, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Design Tips, Interior Styles, neutral colors, neutral decor, pottery barn, pottery barn design, suede furniture, transitional design, transitional interior design
Home Improvements for $100 or Less
Paint one wall a darker neutral to really make your room shine — and increase its drama, style and value.
Tip 1: Spend an hour with a pro.
Invite a realtor or interior designer over to check out your home. Many realtors will do this as a courtesy, but you will probably have to pay a consultation fee to a designer. Check with several designers in your area — a standard hourly fee is normally less than $100. PC Design LLC offers these services starting at $25/hour.
In an hour, a professional can give you lots of ideas for needed improvements. Even small suggestions, such as paint colors or furniture placement, can go a long way toward improving the look and feel of your home.
Tip 2: Inspect it!
Not every home improvement is cosmetic. Hidden problems like deteriorating roofs, termite infestation or outdated electrical systems can negatively impact your home’s value. Hire an inspector to check out the areas of your home that you don’t normally see. Small problems, like a hidden water leak, can become expensive headaches if you put off repairs. A little investment now can save you loads of cash later.
Tip 3: Paint, paint, paint.
One of the simplest, most cost-effective improvements of all is a fresh coat of paint. Newly painted rooms look clean and updated — and that spells value. Neutral paint colors appeal to the greatest number of people, therefore making your home more desirable. On average, a gallon of paint costs around $25, leaving you plenty of money to buy rollers, tape, drop cloths and brushes. So, buy a few gallons and get busy! PC Design LLC offers color consultations for four rooms starting at $50/hour.
Tip 4: Cut energy costs.
If you think your utility bill is a fixed amount, call your local utility company to find out. Many energy providers offer free energy audits of their customers’ homes. They can show you how to maximize the energy efficiency of your home. A power- and water-saving home will conserve your money now, and is more valuable in the long run. Plus, you can use the money you save for more updates!
For more great ideas….contact PC Design LLC or check out the original article at:
http://www.frontdoor.com/Sell/10-Ways-to-Increase-Your-Homes-Value/1233
Tags: Advice, Budget Design, Decorate on a budget, decorating styles, Design Styles, Home Improvements, Home makeover, inexpensive tips, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Design Tips
Posted by PC Design on Apr 6, 2009 in
Interior Design Tips When you think of the style, French Country; you think of France, in the Provence Region. You think of old French Chateau’s in the country with rolling hillsides and romantic french accents.
French Country is a category of Design within the Country theme. There are many attributes to the “Country” them (depending on the provenance, country, city you are taking influence from), but we will get into that in the future.
French Interiors hold a romantic yet casual feel, with pleasing colors of contrast, wood and upholstery mixed together and Natural elements used to accent Architecturally.
Color is one of the first things that pop into your mind when you are thinking about what French Country entails. You think of mustard and burnt reds, oranges, grassy greens and deep dark hunter green, powder blue and sunny yellow. Don’t forget about the stylish Black & Whites as well.
One of the first elements used in French Country Design are “Natural” materials. Rough stained items (otherwise known as Rustic). Woven chair seats of straw to give a “rough” texture. Distressed wood with flowery carving. Old, distressed wood repurposed to make furniture. Stone Flooring with cotton throw rugs. Stone or brick fireplaces with large openings and iron accessories to the side. Plaster walls (or faux plaster walls) to give the aged effect of the outside coming in.
Distressed wood with straw seating.
This armoire is made out of antique door panels from France (sometimes referred to as a “Knock-down” armoire).
Rustic furnishings are a key element in this design. Wood panels, old french milk crates, hand carved pottery, distressed tables, white wash (milk painted) finishes, carved sofa’s with tall legs, wood and upholstery mixed.
The one item you CAN’T forget in a French Country Design, is the timeless Rooster. Used in many different facets throughout the home; from chandeliers, to pottery, to clocks, fabric linens, tableware and more; this icon is one element you cannot be without when designing your home with this beautiful theme.
Other elements (or icons) used are; olives, grapes, lavendar, cows, copper accessories (especially pots & pans), sunflowers and vintage wine items. Things you would think of, or have seen on the French Countrysides.
White, yellow and cream grounds stand as the popular choices for fabrics with the design in bold contrasting colors, as in toile. Most carry a cream or white background and then red, black green, blue and orange as the design. Window treatments are ornate and layered in fabric or simple with decorative trim.
If you find that you lean toward the French Country style, give it a try. It is cheery, “Green” in today’s standards if using items (like the antique armoire above) that were previously used in a different manner and fun to coordinate. Accessories are easy to find, due to the popularity of the style and searching through flea markets and old antique shops will surely bring out your creative side.
Be sure to watch for the next….Interior Design “Style”……. Revealed! Au Revoir!
Tags: Advice, Decorating in French Country, decorating styles, Design Styles, French, French Country, French Country Design, French Country Sytle, French Design, Home, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Design Tips, Interior Styles, Style
Posted by PC Design on Mar 31, 2009 in
Interior Design Tips What does lighting do…besides the obvious?
Lighting adds style, function, and mood to a space.
How do you know if your Interior is lit properly? Glad you asked!
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
1. Can you walk thru a room without tripping over anything?
2. Does light bounce off surfaces creating a soft glow?
3. Can you read the newspaper in your favorite chair? In bed?
4. Does the fixture ENHANCE your home’s Interior?
The first thing you need to do before you add any lighting…is to define the PURPOSE of the room.
The second, is to establish the area’s main lighting needs.
And, Third, is to create Lighting “Layers”.
Types of lighting:
Overhead lighting: Chandelier & Recessed
Task: Reading lamp & Desk lamp
Ambient (Accent): Floor lamps, Table Lamps (for enhancing the overall mood)
**Quick & easy Lighting change.**
Change the shades on your Dining Room Buffet Lamps.
Take the old, drab, outdated shades off the fixture (should be very easy and slide right off) and add new, updated shades with a punch of color or beaded design.
Examples of lighting
Table Lamp Floor Lamps Buffet Lamps
Pendants
(traditional) (non-traditional)
Chandeliers
Wall Sconces
Uplight Recessed
Track Cable/ Tech Lights
The key to lighting is making sure you have enough; and still be able to create a variety of moods, through the different lighting layers.
Tags: Advice, Buffet Lamps, Chandelier, decorating styles, Floor Lamps, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Design Tips, Layered lighting, Light sources, Lighting, Lights, Pendant lights, Recessed lights, Room lighting, Table lamps
Posted by PC Design on Mar 27, 2009 in
Interior Design Tips,
Uncategorized Traditional Design evokes a feeling of understated elegance with classic style, history, symmetry, wood casegoods and gilding.
There are many different periods that create the “Traditional” Style, including; Chippendale, Federal Colonial, William & Mary, English, Biedermeier, Gothic, Georgian and many, many more.
As an overview of the Traditional style, the time periods consists of the 18th and 19th Century. Heavy in wood finishes (mahogany, cherry), pieces with decorative inlay using wood, mother of pearl and gold.
Legs of wood pieces, like dining tables, occasional tables and sofa’s can tell you a lot about the period as well.
Paneling on walls, tray ceilings, ornate ceiling medallions, and large decorative wood trim are Architectural elements to look for in Traditional settings.
Ornate mirrors dress up walls over fireplaces or standing alone on large high walls.
Fabrics associated with Traditional design include; Floral, Toile’, diamond pattern, plaid, heavy tapestry and trims edging out the upholstery. Nail head is also a popular way to finish off upholstered sofa’s in the Traditional style. Tufting used to be associated only with the Traditional style but is making a comeback in the “Soft Modern” style.
Colors associated with Traditional styles include, bright cheery pinks, sunny yellows, grassy greens, and also heavier colors such as; hunter green, dark blues, and deep burgundy. Wall colors tend to be softer, allowing the upholstery and wood casegood pieces to stand out.
Window treatments tend to be a bit heavier in style with a large range of coloring and patterns.
Decorative wallpaper is also widely used when decorating in the Traditional Style. Stripes, floral, scroll design and mini-prints.
If you would like to find out more…email pcdesign@mac.com to get details on the style that interests you the most.
Tags: Advice, decorating styles, Design Styles, Interior design style, Interior Styles, Traditional Design, Traditional Style
Posted by PC Design on Mar 18, 2009 in
Interior Design Tips The Eclectic, Interior Design, Style is NOT a mish-mash of styles thrown together haphazardly. It’s a style with a deep thought, mixing patterns, color, line, scale, theme and texture.
This room combines traditional and asian inspired elements with neutral colors and a punch or red used as an accent and well placed balancing the room.
This room incorporates natural elements with solid sleek surfaces and metal with contemporary leather upholstery.
This setting includes african wood panels, modern furnishings, asian elements with the lighting and a traditional flair with the area rug.
This room has a great Modern feel with added bright asian accessories and contemporary fabrics and artwork. The 70’s style lamp with the tall shade and the 60’s Dresser adds a real simple but unique look to the room… especially adding the white lacquer floating shelves above.
Eclectic, is one of the most unique styles, creating an environment, much the same as a painting on canvas does. It might consist of collections from areas traveled around the world, antiques, accessories of a specific theme, furniture of different periods with a common element, modern and traditional items mixed together and neutral colors with a bold color mixed in as accents.
Eclectic is not a formal environment. You most often see the Eclectic style used (not necessarily on purpose) in people decorating their first apartment or home and are collecting furniture from various sources; your parent’s basement, a friend’s hand-me-downs or thrift store finds.
The Harmony between the elements must create a flow and have a purpose. You may have an old English style chest you found at a thrift store that would work great against a wall in your living room, but it needs a coat of paint. You have occasional tables that have an ebony finish on each side of your sofa. You then, might want to spray the chest a lacquer black finish and update the hardware to give it a fresh look and have it “flow” with the occasional tables.
This would be a great chest to paint and add some unique glass hardware to it.
There is the unique detail at the bottom but still simple enough to go with everything.
The same thing can happen if you find an old lamp at a thrift store that needs a little love, but you like the shape. You have collected white porcelain vases that are displayed on your shelving. An idea would be to spray the lamp white and find a coordinating white shade (or go for a bold shade that coordinates with an accent color you are using in the room).
Lamps painted white and adding a modern shade with a punch of color.
Lamps found at a Thrift Store, slightly different in height, but could be painted and have a bell shaped or drum shade placed to coordinate them.
There are so many options of things you can do, it’s just a matter of opening your mind to the possibilities.
Tags: Advice, decorating styles, Design Styles, Eclectic Design, Eclectic style, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Styles
Posted by PC Design on Mar 9, 2009 in
Interior Design Tips What is your Interior Design Style? Would you know if asked?
Probably not! Many of my clients can’t.
They tell me they love that “Pottery Barn” style. Did Pottery Barn know they created their own individual style? Probably! Not only do they flood your mailbox with tons of catalogs (and many…variations of the same catalog just in a different order), they have stores located in most populated cities in the U.S.
When I have initial Client Consultations and have asked them to pull magazine pages of what they like…90% of the time, a Pottery Barn catalog is in the mix.
There are so many options out there, you shouldn’t limit yourself to what EVERYONE has access to. The first key to any purchase is to have a plan. Within that plan, you must have a “Style” to guide you so that you don’t have a mishmash of items that don’t flow together and serve no purpose to you, other than as dust collectors.
If you can’t define your “Style”, don’t worry, that’s what we, Interior Designer’s, are for. They should be able to tell you right away after you describe, show or tell them about the look you are trying to achieve.
In this next series, you are going to gain insight into the many different styles out there AND, see examples of items that coordinate, flow, create, beautify and enhance the overall appeal of your home.
Today’s “Interior Style”…..
MODERN.
The Modern style, “Modern Movement” in proper terms, was developed back in the 1920’s. Frank Lloyd Wright is probably the most famous example, for his “Modern” Style of Architecture.
Back in the 1920’s, people thought the “Modern Movement” was too bold in style and found it uncomfortable and too sparse. Clean, bold lines dominated the style and were carried through from the design and detailing of the room to the upholstered pieces that were used for seating. White, one of the most common “Colors” associated with this style, emphasizing it’s clean, clutter-free look; has broaden these days incorporating many more colors into the palette beyond that traditional choice.
The best way to add the drama into a Modern Design today, is by incorporating Paint, the most changeable and cost efficient element. Some popular Modern color choices today are; Lime, Tangarine, Zinc, Taupe and Camel. These colors, when placed next to a nicely painted white semi-gloss trim and ceiling, POP! They are sharp, pleasing to the eye and coordinate with almost anything you put with them. The one thing you need to be careful with in a Modern design, is making these colors work into the color scheme without overpowering the overall design.
For example, when you paint your walls Tangarine, everything else in the room might be various shades of a “Chocolate” color and the only other place you will see that tangerine, may be in that glass bowl on your Cocktail Table, or as an accent in a painting above your Chenille sofa. Everything else in the area will be subtle, solid in color and clean lined with very little, if any, curves.
Metal accents, Glass, plain Fabrics, minimal Accessories and large Artwork, also describe design aspects you will find in any Modern Design.
The Architecture of the home within a “Modern” Style finds:
Flush Shelving, giving you an “Incorporated into the Wall” look.
Barely there Fireplace mantels (if any at all).
Recessed lighting (eliminating the needs for additional lighting while reducing clutter).
Minimal Trim/Woodwork. You may find the only wood trim work you have, at all, are the baseboards that run throughout the home.
Most windows, large in scale, will be naked (no casement and most likely undecorated) incorporating that sleek, unadorned look into that Modern Design, creating a sweeping, uninterrupted view.
Metal railings for sweeping staircases.
Stone, wood or concrete flooring are also widely used in the Modern Style.
Next “Style” revealed…………”Eclectic”.
Tags: decorating styles, Design Styles, Interior design style, Interior Styles, modern, modern design, modern style, styles
