interiordezine

How to Have Fun with Your Interior Without Spending a Cent.

2009-06-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

How to Have Fun with Your Interior Without Spending a Cent!

In the current world financial situation, money no longer grows on trees! Did it ever?

Money is a lot harder to come by, people are afraid of losing their jobs, worried about their financial future and less likely to be committing to making major changes to their home interiors, but that doesn't mean we have to sit back and put up with the status quo. We can have fun and change our interiors without having to spend a cent. We just need to get a little creative! Here are some ideas on how you can make your home feel like it has had a makeover without spending a cent.

shift furniture into different rooms, it's amazing how a change of environment can make a piece of furniture look completely different
rearrange your artwork on the walls, reposition mirrors - these help change the light in your room and depending on where you place them, can make a room feel larger
clean your walls. I know this sounds too simple, but over time all the little knocks and bumps leave marks, from experience your existing walls can look like they have just been repainted if you give them a good scrub. I use sugar soap - brilliant stuff
take down your curtains and give them a vacuum (Hoover - or whatever you call it in your country) Spot clean them, and as for above, they will look much brighter and look as good as new.
have a chat with your neighbor and see if they want to swap any home decor for a few months until you both tire of it again. This could be an area rug, artificial flower arrangement, decorative pots, sculpture, wall hanging, vases, coat stands, foot stools, cushions, basically anything that you are sick of looking at. Instead of storing it in the garage or throwing it away, share it and when it comes time to swap back, you may have created new feelings for it!
some banks, stores and credit card companies offer rewards points or dollars. Have you thought about using those to get a few new decorative items for your home. An easy way to have the feel good factor of something new without having to part with any money.
dig to the back of your linen cupboard and pull out the towels that never get used, bring them to the front and it will feel like you have new towels for your bathroom.
the same can be said for bed linen, sheets, duvet covers, pillow slips, cushion covers and bedspreads. We often have more than one but forget about them stuffed down the back of the cupboard, clean out the cupboards and see what you can drag out, mix and match them in your different rooms and you have a new look! Check for throw rugs and cushions that may have been stored away, drag them out give them a dust and find them a new home and store your existing ones back in the cupboard!
look in the garage for things that have been put away. Pack up things in the house that you have had enough of looking at, and swap them over. These could be floor standing lamps, side table lamps, collections of glass figurines, children's crafts that you just couldn't part with, and could provide a talking point now they have grown up, a stack of vintage suitcases that you didn't know what to do with, place a linen cover on top and use them as a side table, similar thing with old hat boxes
paint the outdoor pots a different color, let's face it we all have paint lying around in our garage, take it out and give the outside a revamp, perhaps paint the front door a new color, or the letterbox
make a feature wall from spare wallpaper, if it's textured you could always paint it to add color, or just paint a wall and make it a feature

Well those are just a few ideas to get you started. You can take on the challenge and give your home a quick makeover by using some of these ideas, I bet you will start to think of more as you get started. If you do, add them to the comments at the bottom of this post and share them with us.

Have fun!

find more interior decorating tips

How do you become a professional interior designer?

2009-06-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

How do you become a professional interior designer?

This is a question that I get asked frequently by readers. It is very difficult to answer because all countries have different criteria. So I will give you a brief overview of how I see the path to becoming an interior designer.

Firstly you need to have the desire and passion for interiors, if not you will never make it through the learning period.

Secondly, you need to be able to access quality education. This is easier said than done, and I get asked frequently to recommend education facilities worldwide. Unfortunately I do not have intimate knowledge about global interior design education facilities and who is best in each region, but I can give you some tips on finding the right education facility for you.

find out from you local interior design institute or association what are the minimum requirements for you to become a registered or practicing interior designer in your country, then make sure that the education facility will provide you with that opportunity as a minimum.
find out the time frame and make sure it fits with your current lifestyle.
find out the price of the course and make certain that you are getting value for money by comparing the curriculum of different facilities available to you against how much they charge and how much tutoring time you will receive. (Here are two places on the interiordezine.com website where you can search for design schools and find education facilities.)
check if they offer you one on one tutoring or question and answer time or are you just set assignments to answer and then receive grades. Feedback is very important for interior design as it is a creative vocation, and not simply black and white, yes or no answer education.
ring around local interior design practices and see if you can get some work experience and make sure it is the desired vocation for you. If this is not possible, call them on the phone and ask what sort of education and experience would they require to employ an interior designer at their practice. This will start to give you an idea on how hard or how easy this journey will be for you

Thirdly, test the water! As I mentioned above, contact a local interior design practice. Ask if they would be happy to have you "hanging around" whilst you are studying to learn and get some real experience of how the industry works, this is so important, because interior design is not just about making interiors look good, there is a great deal of planning, paperwork, client interaction, and management involved and these areas can be very stressful, so if you aren't an organized person, being a professional interior designer could be a struggle for you. Try short courses on interior design or areas of interior decorating that interest you, get some background training and make sure that you want to take the step to become a professional interior designer. Obviously interiordezine.com is a great place to do this testing as we offer you free ecourses on interior decorating, color and curtain design. These ecourses are extensive, cover a great deal of information and give you the wonderful opportunity of making sound decisions on your future. If you partake in these ecourse, enjoy them and feel the desire to learn more, then your decision is made. Get out there and become a professional interior designer.

Finally continuing education, as an interior designer it is vital that you constantly keep learning about your industry. It changes constantly like any other area that has trends and fashion.
At interiordezine.com we offer a website that will help back you up on your learning, you can do your research there, search for product and materials information, learn about fittings and fixtures, get ideas for brain storming design concepts, learn the "lingo" of designers by using the glossary and get prompted by our newsletters to read something of interest about interiors and keep your creative mind active.

So to conclude, some countries do not have any form of registration to become an interior designer, whilst this is good for you, it also means that the industry in your country could have "cowboys" or unprofessionals. This means that the industry will probably have a bad reputation, no set standards or guidelines which makes it difficult to quote or estimate for projects as you don't know what your opposition will be pricing on and the consumer often does not have realistic expectations. The best thing to do here is set your own standards, get a good reputation and by word of mouth you should be able to succeed. For the countries with quality registration practices, then you know that if you pass, you have a high quality education and are employable, and the industry should have a good name.

I hope that this will provide you with some tools to help guide your career. If anyone has comments about any education facilities that have been to and liked or disliked, then feel free to share them with us by commenting below.

Chris Brown, is currently writing a new website specifically designed for professional interior designers. He wants to know what information would be useful to you in your current position. He will be covering areas like project management, contractors and consultants, marketing your business, presentation drawing, drafting and documentation, contracts, construction, CAD and more. If there is anything that you can think of that would be an advantage to you as a professional, then please make a comment below, or fill out the poll on the left.

Sorry, I know this is a long post, but if you have a few spare moments could you please vote for us as the best education website at the vote for us link. Scroll down to best education website and put interiordezine.com into the space and send off your vote. Thanks in advance!

Where do Interior Designers get their Ideas from?

2009-05-18T04:51:00.000-07:00

Where Do Interior Designers Get Their Ideas From?

I am constantly being asked this question, and I must admit, that as the years go by I start to feel that I struggle to come up with something new and original myself. I think that this is because I am a conscientious designer who takes the time to get to know my client and strives to create something unique and original each time. What is original? Interior design and decorating has so many influences, be it historic, ethnic, locational, budgetary, personal, environmental to name a few.

Where am I going with this train of thought?

Good question, I'm not sure myself, but I do know that the longer you are in the interior design and decorating industry, the harder it becomes to create really great interiors. It is like any good relationship, you start to take things for granted over time and things become average and boring, they lack passion and direction and you think you know it all. This starts to show in your work.

So how do you put back the spark into the relationship between you and design?

You have to go back to the basics and find out what inspired you to be passionate about interiors in the first place. I have been doing this recently whilst updating the website. I have been looking at photos of interiors from all over the world and remembering what inspired me in the first place. A beautiful Trompe l'oeil ceiling in London. This one room got me thinking and started my passion for interiors.

Here is a photo I just found that reminded me and got me enthusiastic again, recharged my batteries you could say. Gave me inspiration to get out there and start researching for different looks and styles, get back into the heart of design and see how vast and varied the designs are around the world.

As a side note here while I remember: To all of you who have added your photos to Interior-dezine-pix.com, I say a big thanks, as it was refreshing to see so many inspiring designs coming through. Keep up the good work. Feel free to go and look at others work and make comments and get fresh ideas.

I suppose the answer to the question posed to me "Where Do Interior Designers Get Their Ideas From?" is that they come from all over and they come in bits and pieces. Designers have creative minds, they are also very visual and are constantly storing design ideas. (If you have done one of my ecourses then you will know I tell you to keep a scrapbook or notebook of things that you see to keep as a reference guide for brain storming design ideas.)

When they take a walk in the park, they see colors and textures, organic forms
Visit a furniture store, fabrics and timbers can spark ideas
Read magazines, photographs trigger new concepts and question new ways of thought
Visit websites, see the world of design, step outside your locality
Travel, see and smell new colors and scents, learn customs and local design
Dare I say it - Watch TV, you can travel from your living room these days, the experience is not as tactile as the real thing but a great way to get ideas.

So how an I help you to keep your design ideas fresh and flowing?

By guiding you to pages on the interiordezine.com website of course.

If you want to get ideas of different interiors to get you thinking and expanding your current design scope then visit the following pages.

Bathroom Design Ideas
Bedroom Design Ideas
Kitchen Design Ideas
Color Scheme Ideas
Curtain Design Ideas

I hope this will help you keep your inspiration and passion for interior design and decoration.
If anyone else has other ideas, feel free to add them in the comments section, as I can always do with more inspiration!

Interior Decorating Quiz

2009-05-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Interior Decorating Quiz

This time I am writing about new things on our website.

We now have an automated quiz on interior decorating. How cool!

Go and test your knowledge on interior decorating here.

Then send me your results to go into the draw for a mystery prize.

There will be more quizzes coming, as they seem to be popular with our readers, as they are fun, easy to do and educational.

We also want to get some recognition for our website, so if you have a few moments and you love our website, could you do us a big favor and make a vote for our website, or two if it lets you!

Please vote for us as your favorite education website

scroll down the categories to find the category
Best Education Site Sponsored By ... Toshiba

Put in www.interiordezine.com and press send and you will be giving us your vote. Thanks

Kitchen Design - the Fridge, the Freezer and the Microwave

2009-04-16T03:21:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Design - the Fridge, the Freezer and the Microwave

I know this topic doesn't sound riveting, but it is important in kitchen design. After just returning from holiday and living in a holiday house, I realized just how often I used the freezer. This house had the freezer outside in the laundry or wash house as some people call it. The was a rather large refrigerator in the kitchen itself, but the freezer was outside.

As a mother with young children I use the freezer often. Whilst away my youngest child happened to slam his fingers in the door, at home it takes me 10 seconds to grab the frozen gel pack out of the freezer and bang it on his hand! I had to run outside and grab the ice having to leave him screaming in pain. I know that this isn't something that happens frequently through out the day, but just think, we were there in autumn, so ice cold drinks or ice blocks, ice creams weren't high on the list of desires for us, but in summer, you would be running outside every time you wanted to put ice in your drink, or grab an ice block (not sure what else to call these, in New Zealand we say ice block meaning a frozen ice cream or flavored ice on a stick) and it would drive you crazy.

The microwave was stuck up on a shelf so high above the hob, that I could hardly reach the controls, let alone safely get food in and out of it. A disaster waiting to happen.

So what is my point? My point is that even though you think you may not use something in your kitchen often, you can be surprised if you actually count how many times you do.
This all comes down to planning and design. For example, in my last three kitchens, for some reason the microwave has always been overlooked. The first time because someone else designed the kitchen and the microwave had to sit on the bench, the second the cabinet maker or joiner decided to redesign the pantry making the required space for the microwave too small, so it never fit in the hole, and my current kitchen, the cabinet maker or joiner once again had a bright idea to change the style of doors from bi folding to outward swinging, now every time I open the doors to use the microwave, I have to make sure someone isn't coming through my kitchen door as the doors to the microwave cupboard hit the door and they get a door stopped short in their face!

Sounds great for a designers kitchen doesn't it, and do you know how often I use the microwave from when we originally planned the kitchen work space? About 10 times more than I ever had, because now I have children I spend 5 times more time in the kitchen making snacks as well as meals, kids eat constantly!

So what I really want to highlight is to not overlook what we see as everyday kitchen appliances and just place them where they fit, we need to consider how much and how often we use them and make sure that we provide enough space for them to be incorporated into the kitchen workflow, or triangle as some call it.

Kitchen design looks easy when you see the end result, but as I have just experienced, looks can be deceiving, the kitchen needs to be workable, and boy do you realize it quickly when it doesn't!

We are in the process of writing an ecourse on kitchen design, so if you are interested stay tuned, as we will keep you updated for when it will be available. If you have a minute to spare, you could fill out the poll on the top right of this blog and tell us what interests you want to learn about in kitchen design. We want to make sure we deliver what you want to learn.

So if you found my post riveting you could go and learn more about refrigerators and freezers,
or take a look at some kitchen design critiques and see what you think of the designs and layouts here.

Helping Hand for Creating Color Schemes

2009-04-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Helping Hand for Creating Color Schemes

Creating color schemes sounds like an easy thing to do. Just look at a few swatches and pick a few colors! I once met a designer, who did exactly that, and I can tell you that the end result was awful. All the work that had gone into the architectural and interior design was ruined by the choices of color. It looked awkward and unconsidered and very unprofessional, if I was the client, I wouldn't have been happy.

Interior designers and decorators don't just randomly pick colors because they like them, they make well considered choices based on color theory and a good client brief of what the end expectations of the project are. That way you are guaranteed to create an interior that works for your client.

If you are interested in working with color, be it as a professional or if you just want to learn to do it for your own home decorating, then I will give you a helping hand. I have a free ecourse on color available that goes through all the aspects of creating color schemes for home interior decorating and design.

To learn more about what you will learn visit Free eCourse on Color for Home Decorating and Design

or fill out the form below

How do you Survive the Global Recession as an Interior Designer

2009-03-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

How do you survive the global recession as an interior designer?

Times are tough out there for everyone, so I am going to give you a few tips on how you can weather the storm and come out the other side with your business stronger.

Below are some tips or ideas on getting the most out of your business and staying a float in the current economic market. You can choose to do some or none, it depends how well your business is currently faring.

Take out your financial accounts and review them, find out where most of your outgoings are are see where you can trim them.
Streamline your office supplies, do you really need that cute little embossed leather bound folder to take to meetings or would a clipboard do? Get your real necessities delivered so you don't impulse buy.
Streamline your travel commitments. Think ahead, could you call in at suppliers on your way to work or way home, could you make your appointments to coordinate so you don't have to go to and from the office in between, saving you time and money.
Use the Internet and the telephone to source your products and suppliers. I know you love to "window shop" and get the feel good factor, but try and do as much as you can from the office.
Get sales representatives to come to you with their product for a project. If they want you to specify it, then they can spare the time to come and show you what they have and why you should use it. Let them work hard to sell it. It saves you time and money driving around the town visiting all the showrooms.
Visit the library for your design magazine browsing. Magazines are a cost that you could for go for a while until the economy picks up again. You will be surprised by the titles you find and international magazines available.
Use any down time wisely, go through your old magazines and make up scrap books for your clients, group together styles of bathrooms or kitchens etc to save you time with your clients at a later date when you are brain storming to find their particular taste, likes and dislikes.
Get your clients to sell their old things they no longer need in the room you intend on redesigning or decorating, this will make them feel better about going ahead and doing something new now as it will reduce the costs and hopefully encourage them to go ahead with the project instead of waiting till financial times get better. You will be surprised how many people will out bid each other for your clients old curtains at online auctions!
Think reupholster instead of buy new, this can also make a project more feasible for a client. Reuse items they already have, repaint or refinish joinery, furniture and picture frames, new cushion or pillow covers, new tiebacks for existing curtains, check the garage for hidden treasures.
Use this time to set up a website and start getting yourself listed in local design directories. Ring all your past clients and update their details and start a database so you can keep in touch with them, it's much easier to work on existing relationships than find new ones. A simple newsletter or blog will do, hey just like me!
Focus on building relationships with current clients and offer incentives for positive word of mouth referrals.
Have a look at how you market your business. Is it working? Can you measure how much each new client costs you to get? If not, try something new.
Network! Network hard to get more clients, join community clubs, offer a free service in a high profile area, your local school perhaps, provide them with a free color scheme and then promote it like crazy! Nothing over the top like design a new building but something that will make an impact and get people talking about you.
If you need to employ extra staff but don't want to commit in uncertain times, then hold and get help from an eager student or two and give them work experience. You never know, you may find the person that you want to hire at a later date this way, and it is helping out the design community by giving students a chance to get experience in a design business.
This is the biggest and most important tip I can give you. DO NOT DROP YOUR FEES! You need to keep your professionalism. By dropping fees you actually make it harder for yourself to survive. You need to work longer hours to make the same money you did before. Then it only takes one client not to pay and you are in trouble.
So a way to keep your fees the same and make sure you keep your clients paying you is to offer them a payment plan. This way you all get a good deal. They pay in small amounts as you work, and you know if they miss payments then you stop working on their project. You don't lose a huge fee, and you don't give them free work, allowing you to work on projects where the client is paying you!
If your clients dry up a little, use the time to study in an area that you feel you have a weakness, we all have one! Perhaps CAD, or something for the future to do with sustainability. This will increase your repertoire for when you get busier again.

I know there are probably many more tips I could provide, but I need to get back to work and make some money too! The Global Recession has reached New Zealand!

If you want to find out more ways to streamline your design business and get it working for you, Chris Brown has written an ebook encompassing all areas of a design practice. You can read more about it here.

If you want to get studying for free you can always sign up for the interior decorating or curtain design ecourse we provide. Yes I know you are all waiting for the color ecourse and the kitchen design ecourse, I have no excuses, they are still underway, the website redesign has taken a lot longer than we expected, so stay subscribed and I will keep you in touch.

If you didn't get the latest newsletter, then you won't know about the free toolbar you can download from the website. This gives you quick and easy access to our website when you need it. A great way to keep up your learning in your downtime! You can find the free toolbar here.

Bye for now and best wishes for surviving the global recession.

Oh and feel free to add any ideas that you have for getting through this difficult financial times in the comments, the more ideas the better, if we all do our best to make positive changes, the economy will pick up so much faster.

Sorry for all the emails

2009-02-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

I apologise to you all for the mass of emails sent to you.

I have no idea what happened, I just changed the feed on the blog, then all of a sudden it started sending out emails to everyone.

I cannot apologise enough. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Please stay subscribed, it was an accident and I will investigate into how it happened to make sure you aren't annoyed like this again. I am very conscious about how many emails I send, and this is an invasion of your mailbox. Thanks for your understanding.

Thanks for your time.
regards
Lee Brown

Is There Anything New in Furniture Design?

2009-02-09T01:11:00.000-08:00

Is There Anything New in Furniture Design?

After just returning from Sydney, Australia visiting the Australian International Furniture Fair, my answer is a big NO!

I don't know about you but I am so bored with copies of original 20th Century Furniture Designers. They may now have a different leg, or a slightly narrower arm but the original design concept is nothing new. Have we gone as far as we can go with contemporary furniture design?

Every now and again I see students pushing boundaries to create a piece of furniture art, a new chair, marketable and saleabale? Unfortunately not, but I think it is great that students have the passion and desire to want to make history. I just wish the manufacturers would jump on board and get in behind the young designers of today. They may be already somewhere out there, if anyone knows of any programs, let me know and I will promote them, because I really would love to see some innovative and inspirational pieces of furniture become available to us.

As for the furniture I saw in Sydney, if it wasn't for the wonderful new fabrics, they all looked the same as last year and the year before.

I better write here, that this is my opinion only, and I have access to New Zealand and imported furniture designs and I see what international stores sell online. I don't mind being told that I am wrong and talking a load of rubbish. If anyone can prove that there are new and innovative furniture designs out there then please let me know and I can then spread the word and make every other designers life a brighter place!

So I dare you, prove me wrong!

If you want to look at classic 20th Century furniture designs and learn about the furniture designers and their creations then visit modernfurnituredesigners.interiordezine.com

By Passing the Interior Decorating when House Hunting

2009-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

By Passing the Interior Design when House Hunting

We have been looking a houses over the last few months and I'd just like to share a few tips with you from an interior designer and architectural designer's point of view when it comes to assessing the house from the inside.

Tip One: Don't be fooled by great interior decorating. Close your eyes and imagine all the furniture and artwork, decorations, floor rugs removed and then picture your furniture in the same room. How good does it look now?

Tip Two: In today's modern world we need power outlets or sockets everywhere, especially in the living room, kitchen, bedrooms and garage. Check that there are enough. You don't want to have to use multi boxes and overload your electrical system, or upgrade it, it can become costly very quickly.

Tip Three: Open and shut everything. Sounds crazy but it will drive you insane once you move in to find that the window in your bedroom won't open, or worse still won't close once you have opened it!

Tip Four: Turn on all the faucets or taps, check out the water pressure. There is nothing worse than being used to a high pressure shower in the morning to wake you up, then find you now have a lovely trickle of a low pressure system shower.

Tip Five: Make sure the hot water cylinder is large enough for you and your family, you don't want to get caught short of hot water. Especially if you are the last to shower in the family!

Tip Six: Stand in the kitchen and pretend to prepare a meal, move around it, get the feel of it, does it feel comfortable, is there enough bench space, storage, room for your refrigerator, microwave, appliances? You spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so if it doesn't work well or has major flaws that can't easily be resolved, then do your sums. It can add on quite a bit of money if you have to buy new appliances to fit into your new kitchen, or make joinery or cabinetry alterations.

Tip Seven: Make sure if it is a family home that you have at least two WC's or toilets. We just stayed at a home with a single WC in the bathroom, my husband was in the shower with the door locked and one of the children was "busting". Not a good scenario to be in, but a good reminder of what a family needs when looking for a new home.

Tip Eight: Don't be fooled by a fresh paint job and color scheme. Look deeper, the house may feel instantly clean and tidy, but imagine yourself doing the housework. The paint job usually means that you forget to look at the condition of the flooring, so remember to look down and around.

Tip Nine: Interior decorating can disguise many undesirable features, curtains are a great example of this, open up the curtains or blinds and check out the view or lack of! Check that you bedroom window is not on the street boundary of a busy road for everyone to look in and the noise to keep you awake at night.

Tip Ten: Stop take a seat and listen. Is it quiet? Should it be due to it's location, does the neighbors drive way go right next to the children's rooms and they have teenage kids with cars that come and go all night?

These are a few things that we have come across and want to share with you. Some maybe relevant, others not, but it gets you thinking about the house, apartment or flat, what ever you may be searching for. Don't be bamboozled by great interior decorating, look deeper as you will always add your own interior decorating flair when you move in anyway.

What I am expressing is to make sure you check out the bones of the house and then you can make it look beautiful and your own once you move in if you have a good structure to work with.

Happy House Hunting!

Articles of interest
House on the Market? - Tips for selling your house
Improve the Curb Appeal of Your House

Interior Decorating for Christmas

2008-12-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas is the one time of year that almost everyone changes the decor in their home.

For better or for worse?

That is often up for debate, but I know from experience that watching people decorate their homes for Christmas brings them a great deal of pleasure. From the simplest wreath on the front door to the whole house being lit up like a Christmas tree, the scope of Christmas home decorating is vast.

Why do people go to so much trouble to turn their homes into living, flashing Christmas trees?

I believe that it is because they love to see the delight in people's faces when they see what they have done. A smile is a contagious disease! Once there is one, it usually gets passed along pretty quickly. Christmas isn't all about giving and receiving as many young today believe. It is all about new beginnings, reflection, families, happiness and of course merriness, why else do we all say "Merry Christmas".

This year I have seen my daughter get so much pleasure from making Christmas decorations to give to her friends and family, she is like a machine, she loves it. She no sooner finishes one card or decoration, delivers it, and gets the happy response that drives her to keep making more! Making people happy is like a drug for her.

I think that this is why, year after year, we pull out the boxes of Christmas decorations, add a few new ones to brighten up the ones that are starting to fade and start decorating our homes inside and out.

Personally, I find Christmas decorating very therapeutic, it gives me time out with my family unfortunately I have had to move over as head designer of the Christmas tree as my daughter now has her own opinion on how it should look and which lucky decorations get to make it onto the tree. We have started to have an eclectic look as the children make new decorations to add each year, I used to be so fussy about our Christmas decorations but now as the years go by they are starting to provide happy memories of when each and everyone was made and given to me with love from my two children.

So in these difficult global financial times, don't give up on decorating your home, spread the smiles and merriness and remember all the things that you have to be happy about and as a special gift from interiordezine.com go to the homepage and download two free Christmas songs.
Both written by my talented husband Chris Brown, one performed by him "Paper Gold".

So off you go, enjoy some Christmas music and don't forget to spread some cheer with your Christmas interior decorating!

Choosing Color By Name - A Good Decision or Not?

2008-11-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Choosing Color By Name - A Good Decision or Not?

I have just come back from a meeting to choose some colors for an office fitout, and I am amazed. I must say after all the years of choosing colors for interiors, I have just been introduced to a new method.

This method has no particular theory behind it except that they liked the names of the colors and they looked good side by side.

In New Zealand we have a paint company called Dulux, they have created a color palette where the colors are named after places in New Zealand.

My clients chose their colors based on New Zealand locations! Yes, I am amazed, and I must admit it was quite refreshing for a change to have all the color theory that I have ignored and this new way of choosing colors revealed.

Obviously I did have some input into guiding them to their color combinations, but if it didn't have the right name they weren't interested.

So who needs an interior designer when we can choose the color scheme by the paint color name?

Everyone does because we still have to put all the colors together into a schedule and specify the types of paints to be used and where they need to go but today has reminded me of an important aspect of working with clients, they want to have input and if they can "feel" that they have done it themselves then they are so much more proud of their interior than if they have just been told what colors they are going to get.

So don't forget the client, be open to new ways of choosing colors, and for a refresher on your color theory visit color.interiordezine.com

Have fun using colors for your interiors.

How to Cure Interior Designer's Block

2008-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

You have heard of writer's block, but what about interior designer's block?

Boy, it's worse by far.

Why?

Because people employ us to be creative and we don't have years to do it like some novel writers have, we can't just walk away and come back in a few weeks. People are waiting for something exciting and new, a creation that will fulfill their dreams, and they want it now. They want fresh new ideas, something different to everyone else, and why shouldn't they get it?

They should, but sometimes you feel that you just don't have anything more to give. Your ideas have dried up, the brief you have to work with is boring and uninspiring or worst of all you just can't be bothered. Oh no......what do you do?

What do you do when you just can't create anymore?

Take a holiday!

Yes, go and do something completely different. You don't have to jump on a plane and take a weeks long vacation, but take some time out and recharge you batteries. Have a change of scenery. Go somewhere you wouldn't normally go, visit the library or museum, sit on the river bank, visit the beach, go for a walk in the forest, bungy jump!

Do something outside your comfort zone, find something exciting to do and get the adrenalin going again. Buy yourself flowers, eat a whole box of chocolates, try some spicy food, visit a restaurant you normally just walk past, absorb some other cultures, join a group activity, get involved in something different.

I guess what I am trying to say is re energize yourself away from interior design. Forget about it for a while and that way when you come back to the project that gave you designers block you will be able to approach it with a fresh perspective on life, you may see the project in a different light, and just wait, you will start to see all sorts of new and interesting ideas pop into your head, the brainstorming of ideas will start to flow again!

I speak from experience. Personally when I get designer's block, I go to the pool! I swim and it is amazing how the experience of floating, moving through the water and hearing it gurgling in your ears cleans out your mind and I come out rejuvenated and full of enthusiasm and ideas, I don't know what it is but just getting away from the office and everything design related makes a big difference. This works for me, but everyone is different and you will find your own designer's block cure over time. I hope this has given you some ideas for when it happens to you!

I haven't got any specific articles on the website related designer's block but if you want to read more about creating you could visit color and nature or how to create a color scheme, the design process or just go and have a browse at interiordezine.com

Bye for now.

PS. I hope you have all signed up for the curtain design ecourse!

Texture - The Designer's Best Friend

2008-10-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Texture - The Designer's Best Friend

Imagine a world without texture?

It would be flat and without interest.

Color alone would not be enough to make it look appealing.

So we have to remember texture as a vital word in the interior designer's vocabulary. By ensuring we add texture to an interior, we can pretty much guarantee that there will be something to look at in the room! This photograph is a good example. The rock or stone wall surrounding the fireplace has provided a textured focal point to the room. If you glance around the room you will also find more subtle textures, area rug under the dining table, textured floor, ribbed ceramic urn with a plant. Imagine the room now with flat surfaces in their place? Let's look at another example.

Texture once again the focal point, the woven reed coffee table is where your eye is lead to, even though the bold blue of the sofa also appears dominant. Remove the texture from the table and replace it with a solid white lacquered block coffee table and what would the result look like? Flat and Boring.

So next time you go to create your interior color scheme, just remember to make sure you add a little texture in there and you will be certain to achieve an even better result than you had imagined.

If you want to get more inspiration on texture read color an nature

Have fun experimenting with texture and interior design!

Savor the Moment!

2008-09-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Savor the Moment!

Over time I have talked about putting design projects together, taught you all things about interiors, discussed pitfalls of some clients, the importance of documentation, and I have just realized that I have never touched on the most important thing about being an interior designer or decorator......

Admiring the finished product!

So what I want to talk about today is to make sure that you make the effort to "Savor the Moment" of your completed design or decoration. Visit it, take photos, thank the contractor and client, and most of all feel very proud of what you have achieved. It takes a special skill to visualize what a room can look like and then make it happen.
Never underestimate your skills. It doesn't come naturally for most people and that is why they employ an interior designer or decorator.

Make sure you keep a "Brag Book" or a portfolio of your work, so you can show it to prospective clients, it's also great to flick through when you do get one of those bad clients that make you doubt your skills, and you can reassure yourself that you have what it takes!

So take a few moments at the end of your project and pat yourself on the back....well done and don't forget to "savor the moment". All your hard work has paid off.

Ok, end of moment!

Get back to work!

Ha, ha!

PS. I hope you have signed on for the new ecourse on curtain design, go and take a look, keep learning!

Free Curtain and Drapery Design Ecourse Online

2008-08-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hi loyal readers!

You can be the first to sign up to our new free ecourse in Curtain and Drapery Design

Find out what is involved in this free curtain design and drapery ecourse here.

If you enjoyed your ecourse in Interior Decoration, then you will love this!

What's the free ecourse all about?

Curtains are a major part of home interior decoration and design, so it is vital you gain these skills as an interior decorator or designer.

With this ecourse you will learn how to take a client brief (some of you have already perfected this!), how to decide on which style of curtain you need, how to deal with unusual window shapes, the basics on how to hang curtains with tracks and rods, the type of curtain headings, choosing fabrics and how to tie in your curtain design with the remainder of your interior color scheme. All you need to know about curtains and more!

Go take a look and get back into learning now !

kind regards
Lee Brown
www.curtains.interiordezine.com

You are only as Good a Designer as Your Client Brief!

2008-07-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have completed the interior decorating ecourse, you will know how I stress about the importance of "extracting"a good client brief.

It has hit home again this week!

We have been working on a project through a project manager, who took the client brief and gave it to us to work on. It was focused on existing fitouts that the client had done that worked and didn't want to change too much as the formula worked and once when it had been changed, it was a disaster. The budget was also a major part of the design brief, and was an achievable figure but no way over the top! So we set to work on this project, keeping things similar but adding fresher new ideas, not too far from the existing fitouts as requested.

We though we had done a great job, as it is always difficult to design to a tight budget and create something with originality and flair that is not much different from the existing.

We experienced a first for us and it threw us into turmoil! They hated it......every little detail was not what they wanted!

How could we get it so wrong?

We went over the brief and were sure we had done everything that was requested!

So we felt bamboozled!

But guess what?

We have now met with the client, and he has walked through everything he wants in the project and it is totally the opposite to everything in the original client brief!

So what a relief for us, the designers who hate to get it wrong, especially when we preach so much about finding out what the clients expectations are. We felt a little silly!

He wanted something, new, vibrant, with design flair, budget wasn't important, the design and originality was critical, minimalism with features of texture and color.

So now that we have got inside the clients head, let him show us what he likes and the feel of the space that he wants to achieve, I am sure that by this time next week we will be presenting something that fits perfectly to the new client brief!

So I want to stress again the importance of this as a designer or decorator, it will save you time and heartache in the long run.
To refresh your memories visit Successful Interior Design

The Design Process

Free Downloadable Client Brief Form

....and remember that you are only as good a designer as your client brief!

Please Help Me with Curtain Design!

2008-07-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Help me!

I am currently writing a brand new ecourse for you.....Curtain Design!

I was over half way through when I had a brain wave! Why not ask you, my future curtain design ecourse reader, what you want to learn.

So before I set my ecourse in concrete and send you out all the details, I want to make sure that you will be 100% satisfied with what you will learn.

I know I complain often about the amount of emails I get (they are great, keep them coming, it's just I can't always guarantee a reply!), so this time I am asking you to make comments after this article and then I will have all the information in one spot!

I have also set up 2 polls on the right hand column of this blog so that you can simply click on the answer to a couple of questions.

You can visit the curtains.interiordezine.com website to see what you think is missing and let me know! Or if you have any questions about curtains, list them up below and I will work them into the ecourse.

I realise that many of you are as busy as me so this request is obviously not compulsory, but if some of you could spare a few minutes, even a few seconds to click on my poll, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for your help in advance, and I will be back to you really soon with a release date for the ecourse!

Enjoy your weekend!

PS added 21.8.08
Ecourse ready.....look below!

A room in it's underwear is not the finished product!

2008-07-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

A room in it's underwear is not the finished product!

One of the hardest things to deal with when an interior design or decorating project is underway is the client making comments and wanting to make changes because they aren't sure that what they see is what they had expected!

This can be draining on time and your energy.

What I suggest you do is tell them at the beginning to have faith in your expertise. Then during the project remind them that you know what you are doing and when the job is finished, you will then love the end result! Don't back down and make changes willy nilly! This will compromise your design, but if you believe they have a valid point or some of the items specified are not available and you have to make subtle changes, then go ahead, but in general, stick to your scheme.

Remember if it looks good on paper, then it should look good in real life!

What I mean here is that you have already been through your design process, taken your client brief so you know what your client needs, and gathered up all your options and weeded out the things that don't work and kept what does. You have collated it and made your color board and it looks great. This process takes time and by the end you have created a well considered interior design or decorating scheme and it looks good. So stick to it and follow your design instincts.

I know from years of experience that it pays off. When I was younger I just wanted to please everyone and would often end up making ridiculous compromises and then at the end everyone was disappointed, the jobs didn't have the design flair that they should have.

I am now stronger and more forthright with my clients and ask them to trust me! Believe me it makes life easier! After all you have done your homework!

One way of remembering this is to think of when you get dressed to go out at night. You start by putting on your underwear, then you add pants, skirt, dress, shirt ie another layer, then you add a belt, tights, socks, shoes, boots, scarves, jumpers, jackets, gloves, vests, jewelery, hats, .....now if your partner walks in when you only have your underwear on and says, oh, I don't like that outfit! What would you say? I'm not going out in this, I am not finished dressing yet! Wait to see the end result!

See what I mean, a room in it's "underwear" is not the finished product!

Read more about the design process here

Confusion over Interiors Looking Even

2008-06-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Confusion over interiors looking even

What do I mean?

I will explain.

I currently have a client with a building that has numerous different width windows in the same room. He is very concerned about how I am going to get them to look even.
Does this make sense? Not really, the only way I can make them look even is to change the position of the windows. I can however make them look balanced in the room. This is the key word. We are installing drapes at the windows and I have make a sketch of where the drapes will sit, I have strategically placed them so that the room will look balanced to the eye. The windows are all still odd sizes, but by using drapery we have created a rhythmic and balanced wall, you don't notice the different sizes of the windows, and I am sure my client will be able to rest easy! I had better be off now to show him how I will make his interior look "even".

Just a little something to remember when decorating interiors!
for more information on curtains visit curtains.interiordezine.com

Redecorating on a budget - learn how to save money without reducing the quality.

2008-05-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

As you may well know by now, I like the finer things in life when it comes to interior design and decorating. Sometimes, more often than not these are not in an achievable price bracket for me! I know I am not alone in this, so I thought I would share how I achieved high quality without the high quality price tag in my own home! This sounds strange coming from an interior designer, but I always think of my client's budget when I design, and of course, scrutinize it even more when it's my own!!

So how did I get what I wanted for the right price? Simple, careful planning, and taking my time.

What I did was decide on the look I wanted to achieve, then I made a note of how I was going to do this. What were the key factors in the design that would pull the interior scheme off?

Then I waited, this is the magical factor in achieving the quality that you want at the price you can afford. Others may call this shopping around, but how many times have you impulsively purchased something and then the week after it was reduced by 25% ?Just think what else you could have purchased with the savings of 25%?

You simply need to keep an eye open for what you need, monitor it at the retail stores, check online auctions, this is a great way to save money, frequently wholesalers list their products online and have an auction with a reserve or a buy now price, usually cheaper than purchasing retail. Then check for second hand or as I like to call it preloved items, quality at a much reduced price, often a preloved leather lounge suite is just what you are looking for, already aged and worn in, something that would have taken you years to get the same look!

Now you will know what the items you want are worth and how much you are willing to buy them for, this casual shopping in your own leisure time has saved you hard cash!
Now when you are passing the department store and you see the lounge chair you desire, you can check the price tag and feel comfortable buying it as you know it fits your budget and you are getting it at a suitable price, or admiring it and walking on by, knowing that in two months it will be the right price for you! You can find things in an online auction and put them on your wishlist, and when they come up, you will have a good idea how much to bid. This price saving is all able to be achieved because I have allowed my project to be facilitated over time.

This is all very well, you say but what if you can't wait? What if you want your renovation to happen all at once? Well, you will just have to do all that homework quicker and make decisions faster, this will add a little to the end price, but a major savings can still be achieved.

My project is still not completed, but so far, I have saved myself, $4,000.00 on a lounge suite from the original I had first desired! $2,500 on dining room chairs, and they are even upholstered in a beautiful fabric already! But just as well I hadn't ordered the curtains as due to this lovely upholstery fabric I now have to change the drapery fabric to something a little more subdued, so that is my next mission, checking out fabric prices! It is important to be able to subtly change your scheme as this allows for you to achieve the look you want and still get the quality. The lounge suite is even better that the original I had selected, and then I have managed to get 8 chairs instead of the 6 I had originally budgeted on.

So it just goes to show you that good things come to those who wait, and of course to those who plan carefully!

for interior design tips visit design tips and helpful hints

Stair, Staircase or Stairway? What do you call it?

2008-05-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is a common question, which name do you use? I use all of them and I don't think it matters!

To me they all mean the same thing, I guess it all comes down to what your parents taught you! If anyone knows other wise, feel free to comment below!

The reason I am discussing stairs is because I have recently been up to my armpits in stair terminology. I have just made live a lovely little website on stairs, it is in it's infancy, like all our little websites, but I have loads to keep adding to help everyone with their stair design education.

There are examples of staircases, with comments about their makeup and design features and pitfalls, the definition of a stair, parts of a staircase, the differences between stairs, ramps and lifts and in the future there will be information about ergonomics of stairs, lighting for stairs, materials for use on stairs and many more photographs of staircase design ideas.

So instead of reading this, move over to the stairs website and see what you think for yourself!

You Must Choose Quality Fittings and Fixtures For Your Home

2008-03-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

When it comes to what you can see in a room, make it look good! When it comes to what you can touch in a room, make it quality!

There is nothing worse than visiting a lovely big new home that your friends are proud of and you turn the lever of the door and it springs back at you! Ugh, cheap hardware. I say this as a designer but also a lover of things that work in a home interior.
Firstly, using the door hardware example, it is an expensive item no matter what, but a few extra dollars per door can make the experience of opening and closing a door just that much better.
Secondly, just think how many times a day this happens? How long before the economical (cheap) hardware wears out? Then you have to replace it all. Good quality hardware in high use areas is essential, not only because it feels good but because it will save you money in the long run. Think about the faucets or taps in the kitchen, main bathroom and laundry, how often do you use them? All day every day. It's not such a hard decision is it really. What about light switches?
I went to visit a home that was built the same time as ours, approximately five years ago, we thought it was a bit bigger than ours and we could spread out a bit more! Well after we replaced all the light switches and power outlets that had cracked and gone yellow and brittle, the light fittings that had fallen off the wall, the wallpaper that had peeled off, broken basins and toilet seats, cracked tiles, stained carpet, should I go on.....? How much would that cost? Crazy! If the products had be specified to even a small level of quality, they would still all be of sound working order, who wants to buy a house and have to replace all the fittings and fittings in a five year old home, not us, false economy for the original owner, we moved on!
So what I am trying to say is shop around for quality, it does cost more, but it is out there and it really is worth while, especially if you our your client want to stay in your home long term.

For more information on fittings and fixtures , bathroom fittings and fixtures,

Can we ever choose the perfect floor product?

2008-03-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

Can we ever choose the perfect floor?

I am totally disillusioned. With all my experience and product knowledge, I still get goose bumps when a new floor product is laid. Will it live up to expectations, is it worth the extra cost, can I repair it if it gets damaged....the questions are endless.

I have just experienced a scenario that I thought I would share with you, because it was my worst nightmare as a designer. The client moves into their newly renovated home only to find that the floor looks like it has been attacked by razor blades! It is the sunniest room of the house where every little deviation is visible. This wouldn't have been so bad to handle if the contractor had informed me of the problem, oh, no they were trying to fix it before they told me in conjunction with the client, so I was left out of the loop. Not a good look as I turned up with new fabrics because the original fabrics specified for some of the curtains were unavailable. I must admit, I felt very unprofessional and instantly on the back foot. The other problem was that they had moved in and didn't want contractors hanging around trying to fix it, which is understandable.

What did I do in my professional capacity?

I rang the experts, the product supplier and got them to speak directly to the client, then we decided that it wasn't in an acceptable state and that an insurance claim would have to be made to replace it with a new flooring.

What we think had happened was the cleaners had scratched the vinyl when they did the final tidy up after the builders left. Oops, it really was a mess. The contractors had done the correct procedures all the way through, they had covered the flooring so that it was not damaged, so for them to find it this way also took them by surprise.

So the moral of the story is, make sure that the building owner and the contractor have insurance to cover any little mishaps that may occur along the way in a project, and have faith in your flooring choices, it is very rare that something like this happens to a sturdy and hard wearing flooring product.
Hard Flooring Products,
Semi Hard Flooring,
Stone Flooring,
Clay Based Flooring,
Carpet
Timber Flooring

Home Sweet Home and the Bed Snob!

2008-01-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I know I am a little late with that message but I am just back from holiday and haven't been near a computer for some time!

What I want to talk about today is how a simple thing like your comfortable bed can spoil you for life and that you don't appreciate it until you leave and stay in a hotel, motel, caravan, tent, someone else's home, holiday home....the list goes on.

I haven't slept properly for weeks.....so please excuse the spelling mistakes and bad grammar!

The reason I haven't slept is because I have been away from home, visiting people around the country and site seeing the beautiful New Zealand. There is the obvious reason I haven't slept, a foreign bed! I felt a bit like Goldilocks, this one is too hard, this one is too soft, but unfortunately the remaining was not just right, like the story says, it was too bouncy. Anyway, I would wake up stiff every morning, and tired, then there is the bathrooms, showers, toilets etc, especially when we shared ablutions at a camping ground! It is amazing how different from home these places can be, but I won't go there as you would probably stop reading at what I would describe!

I am starting to feel like a bed snob! If there is such a thing. I came back from holiday and crawled into my bed exhausted, and slept like Goldilocks! Lovely crisp cotton sheets, soft down pillows and duvet, wool mattress, I think everyone should pay particular attention to their bed, after all we do spend so much time in them! But now I am afraid that I do suffer from bed snobbery! I just can't be satisfied with anything else, I have ruined my holidays for the rest of my life! Perhaps if I can teach everyone else the importance of a well designed bed then it may just catch on, and I might find the odd good nights sleep!

Anyway, if you want to read more about types of sheets and types of pillows you can visit our bedroom website. I will be adding more ways to turn you into a bed snob too! I know you all want to experience the Goldilocks perfect bed story!