What's your style?

Did you know that the most important thing about decorating isn't really about decorating at all?  What?  That doesn't really seem correct, does it?

It's actually about creating a home that reflects who you are. This is the place where you feel nurtured, relaxed and "at home." Sure there remains simple design rules, but good design is about you and your family.

The following quiz was created in a spirit of fun and is not to be taken too seriously. 

Simply circle one letter for each question. If none of the answers are exactly right, pick the one that comes the closest.

1. Your eccentric great-aunt Matilda gives you a birthday present. She offers you a week's stay at one of her vacation homes, and she will pay all expenses and travel costs. You choose:

a. The charming cottage on the coast of Maine
b. The pied-a-terre in Paris
c. The penthouse in Manhattan

2. Your favorite spot to read is:

a. A windowseat covered with squishy pillows, overlooking the garden
b. An antique wing chair with a cup of tea close at hand
c. A classic leather and steel chaise with the lights of the city twinkling below

3. Your best friend is getting married. You invite the happy couple and a few other close friends to your home for a celebration dinner. You set the table with:

a. Your collection of unmatched old silverware and a vintage tablecloth
b. Your grandmother's gold-edged porcelain china and Battenburg lace napkins
c. Sleek stainless flatware and pure white china on a gleaming glass table.

4. When you visit an art museum, your favorite pieces are:

a. American folk-art
b. English or French landscapes
c. Modern art and photography

5. You are most likely to get flowers:

a. By picking wildflowers from the side of the road
b. From your garden
c. From the florist

6. Colors that you love are:

a. Soft colors from nature
b. Rich jewel tones
c. Tone-on-tone neutrals

7. You might see yourself collecting:

a. Vintage toys
b. Antique pitchers
c. Sea glass

8. The pet of your choice is a:

a. Golden Retriever
b. Himalayan cat
c. Saltwater aquarium

9. You and your friends want to get together for a monthly activity, but everyone doesn't agree. Your choice is:

a. A pottery class
b. A chamber music concert series
c. An independent film series

10. Your idea of a fun day of shopping is:

a. Flea markets and craft fairs
b. Antique stores and art auctions
c. Designer boutiques

How did you score?

There are no wrong answers!  All the answers are correct!  No matter what basic style suits you, you can incorporate anything you love when decorating your home.  Just remember there has to be a rhyme or reason for decor.  It needs to make sense to the space.

Mostly a's: Country Casual

You like to surround yourself in relaxed comfort. You prefer to put your feet up and snuggle into your furniture. You are a sensualist and care that you and your loved ones feel good in your home. Fabrics to choose will include denims, plaids and flannels. Mixed patterns will appeal to you more than a more matched formal look. Look for easy-care upholstery fabrics, natural, quiet floor coverings, and a touch of whimsy in your accessories.

Mostly b's: Traditional

Your tastes tend to be more formal and refined. You find beauty in things that are finely crafted. Your home is likely to include a gracious blend of antiques and quality reproductions with an air of gentility and grace. You may choose from such classic styles as period French, Chippendale, or Queen Anne. Even Oriental touches can be included in your decorating style. Matched fabrics fit a formal look. You may also like to choose fabrics with a bit of sheen, such as silk, damask, and glazed chintz. Your colors are rich and mellow. Symmetry and balance appeal to your sense of order. Your accessories often include loving mementos of your past.

Mostly c's: Contemporary and Refined

You are aware of the world of design and appreciate the elegance of simplicity. Your style is sleek, minimal, sophisticated. You have the ability to carefully edit your surroundings so that each element is balanced and serene. You are aware of the impact of color on your decorating and use it deliberately, boldly and with flair. Trim, unadorned shades, blinds and shutters look great in your home. Or you can use loosely draped free-form curtains to soften the edges. Smooth textures like lacquer, glass, mirrors and polished wood work in this style. You choose your accessories with an eye for distinctive lines and for integrity of form and function.

Two combined or a little of all three: Eclectic

You know your own tastes and prefer to combine the best of a number of design periods and styles. The eclectic style can be an exciting adventure, discovering the relationship between Art Deco Bakelite furniture knobs and the colors of an antique quilt. You prefer to gently bend the rules a little, enjoying the thrill of making your own statement. If you find that your answers tend, even slightly, toward one of the categories above, though, it is good to keep it in mind. One of the challenges of an eclectic style is creating harmony. As in any good piece of art, understanding the theme is essential. You may find it easier to decorate if you consider yourself eclectic with a contemporary theme, for example.

Have questions though?  Please feel free to contact us!  We love feedback.

Happy Decorating!

How To Enchance Your Kitchen With Unusual Backsplashes

No longer are the days where backsplashes are of simple tile, or the turn-up return piece from the countertop.   Today backsplashes are becoming the feature of the kitchen or bathroom, and demand attention.  

Depending on your décor style you can use a variety of materials, finishes and colors for your backsplash to coordinate with your space. Here are suggestions on how to choose a backsplash that will enhance your kitchen or bathroom:

Be Usual:   While ceramic or porcelain tile still remain the most common materials chosen for backsplashes there are several other options to choose from. Mosaic tiles that incorporate glass, ceramic and stones give an artisan feel, and custom mosaics can be one-of-a-kind. Glass tile is a beautiful solution to dark kitchens/bathrooms. The reflections of light off of backsplashes keep the room bright and stylish.

Think Ouside-of-the-Box:  Want to create a unique and different feeling to your room?  Metal backsplashes that use tin or metal ‘looking’ mosaics can add sparkle and a modern appeal. If you enjoy bold colors, opt for sharp contrasting color to the cabinetry or to the countertops. For added drama, use darker grout with metal backsplashes. For a more subtle look, use lighter grout to blend aesthetically.

Choose a backsplash that uses a flat surface: In many kitchens, granite slabs, concrete and glass backsplashes are a common substitute to segmented tiles. Flat backsplashes give your eye an uninterrupted view and work well for high ceiling kitchens that have expansive space. When using stone on vertical surfaces, ensure they are installed correctly by a general contractor or stone contractor.

Natural stone: For a more rustic look, natural stone can have a more chiseled and uneven feel. This is perfect for bathrooms and kitchens that want an organic and natural aesthetic. Corbelled tile looks more like stone or rock, and doesn’t have any specific pattern. Pair natural stone with travertine, concrete, or slate countertops for a gorgeous and rustic space.

Opt for new shapes: A great way your backsplash can change a space is by choosing backsplash patterns that aren’t just rectilinear. Ceramic and glass tile come in random, polygonal, and shapes that have curves instead of 90 degree angles. Consider using these types of backsplashes where you want to add creative energy and conversation in the room.

Backsplashes are a great way to make a space come alive with color, or get subdued with soft tones. Choose your style and be creative. For under cabinet counters, use lighting to brighten the work surface, as well as bring your backsplash alive. The most common mistake in putting up a show stopper backsplash is not providing ample light to showcase it!

Happy Decorating!

How to Creat an Outdoor Living Space

Create an Outdoor Living Space You Will

Enjoy Year After Year . . .

The rise in casual outdoor entertaining has made having an Outdoor Living Space a must-have for many areas of the country.  And with the warmer weather and lingering days upon us, what better time than now to create an oasis in your own backyard or patio/deck.

When you are designing an outdoor space remember to think of it as a room, using the same design principles you would use for an interior room plan.  Just as there are design elements for the interior of your home, outdoor living design needs to consume the same impression.

Elements of Outdoor Living:

 1.  Create Unity

When you decide to design your outdoor living space, you need to consider the rest of your home and yard, and create visual unity between the indoors and out through your color scheme and furniture style.

2.  Set the Mood with Color

What kind of mood do you want to create in your outdoor living space? Just as paint or wallcoverings make the interior room unique and create a vibe, so can the use of color personalize your outdoor space. This is the time to look at your yard and consider the elements that you intend to keep. Then you can build off of that.

For example, if you have flowerbeds full of wildflowers, formal lawn furniture will look out of place, as would rustic outdoor furniture set among formal hedges.  While a Japenese "zen" garden looks best with teak or bamboo furniture.

 

3.  Create “Walls”

While outdoor walls can be retaining walls and such, they are more often than not, something entirely different. The function of the "walls" is to define or divide the outdoor spaces. Outdoor walls can be trees that line a certain boundary, or that mark the corners of one of your outdoor rooms, etc. They can be fences, rock, wood, vinyl, picket, wire;  or even can be patches of grass leading to an outdoor "room".

4.  Divide your outdoor space into rooms

It’s not much different than the interior of your home - each room (area) serves a purpose.  Do the same with your outdoor spaces:

• Create a "kitchen" area for grilling/cooking that would lead to an outdoor dining room.
• A beautiful flagstone walkway that leads you and your guests to an outdoor living  room complete with a fireplace.  
• While another walkway could guide you to a private seating for reading.

You want to encourage conversation so arrange your furniture in an interesting and inviting way, avoid lining up your seating against a railing or wall. Lamps, accessories and something hung on a wall all help to give your space the look and feel of a room. An outdoor rug can anchor your seating or dining area and give some warmth and color to your space.

Are you looking for a private retreat or do you do a lot of entertaining? This is another element that will influence your outdoor living design.

5.  Choose the right lighting

Lighting creates atmosphere and ambiance.  Even a small amount of lighting can change an outdoor space dramatically.  It should be subtle to enjoy the evening, but you want to be able to see, also.

Take note to how the rest of your home’s décor is.  Are you formal?  Eclectic?  Rustic?  Lighting has come a long way for outdoor spaces.  Is it so crazy to hang a chandelier outside? 

Probably not.

6.  Accessorizing

No room is complete until you have accessorized, and the outdoors is no exception.  Ideally you want to bring the indoors out. By choosing furniture, pillows and accessories that are similar in color and weight with your interior décor. 
 

Beautiful pergolas or gazebos will get the maximum look by adding outdoor drapes. Outdoor sheers on porches and cabana areas will add a bit of whimsy as well as privacy.

Adding colorful cushions to the seating will add drama, as will candlesticks, area rugs, vases, lamps and more.  Just be consistent with quality. Ultimately the outdoor furniture and accessories you select should be compatible with the overall quality of your landscape and home.

Not only have you created a beautiful extension of your home, you have also increased the usable space of your home, and are likely to increase the value of your home as well.

How To Mix Traditional and Contemporary Design

At first the thought of placing traditional and contemporary designs together seem impossible ~ as if you are breaking all interior design rules! But, in actual fact, with a little time, effort and creativity, the process can create a home that is both stylish and comfortable. It can be an ideal way to show your own personal style, rather than adhere rigidly to only one particular look 

The two designs not only can co-exist in the same space, but also complement one another beautifully.  When it comes to mixing and matching traditional and contemporary always remember that less is best. 

Use the 80/20 rule:  

As long as 80% of your interior is unified by the same style,  same period or same philosophy, you can deviate with the other 20%.

You need to have one style dominate the other.  Design a space that is predominantly traditional or predominantly contemporary. You may prefer a classical room with some modern features, or a contemporary space with antique accents. Allow one style to dominate, to avoid creating a mishmash of styles that conflict with, rather than complement each other.

The trick is to find commonalities between the pieces.  It could be similar lines, coordinating color tones, textures, complementary palettes or synergistic shapes.  You need to focus on either harmony or contrast; that is, create a space that is calming and peaceful or vibrant and exciting. 



Traditional and contemporary designs can be tied together by a common color palette.  For example, an ebony or black traditional piece can go well with white modern furniture.  The colors (not the design) create the common tie. 

The same applies with a particular texture or shape.  Such as a traditional table with contemporary chairs in the same wood finish. For an eclectic - contemporary look, place contrasting items together; for example, a traditional sofa with colored metal and glass occasional tables.

Finally, be sure that the different styles of furnishings won't complete in scale.  Even though the two pieces may look great individually, the wrong one can dominate the room if it is too tall, too wide or too broad.  Two high-backed chairs next to a sweeping, low sofa will seem "off", and look out of place; rather than conmplementary.

Remember to keep it simple and don't overdo the two designs.  Too much and you will have visual chaos, and not the inviting room you were after.


 





What's Hot & What's Not

In Home Decor

Though we are half way through the year of 2009, the decorating do's and don'ts remain a popular topic among many of our readers. Professional trend watchers do it to make a living, but most people just want to know what's hot, what's not, and the decorating do's and don'ts.

Number one on our list is taking more risk with interior colors. More color in richer tones, larger scaled art, mixing materials. We know these aren't new ideas, but with a little imagination you can make a statement in any room.

Eco-friendly products remain strong with today's consumers. Materials such as bamboo, grasses, subtle organic patterns of plants or water themes, cooler restful use of greens, blues, lavenders, along with the use of colored glass as an accent. Eco-friendly style isn't going anywhere but it will get more luxurious with high-end items getting the "green light."

Details - Patterns - A Mix. It seems we have been neutral for too long. The meshing of different styles, color, patterns and personal expression begins to enhance many homes. Using rich varieties of textures in fabrics, mixing wood grains, painted finishes, metal finishes have given us the freedom to break away from "matchy" - "match". Originality is back. A sense of modern meets tradition.

Better Use of Proportions in a Room. Playing up architectural features, varying heights of lamps and key furniture pieces. Instilling minimalist design with clean, yet warm, uncluttered and meaningful furnishings. Gone are the days where we believe more is better. Clients are focused on value and beauty with a flair of simplicity.

Dimensional art and framed objects. Wall decor remains a relatively low-cost way to change or refresh the look and feel of a space. Imagine replacing a dull, worn-out picture with a vibrant, exquisite framed piece of art ~ an instant face-lift to any room.

Hot Color Trends. Nature, the economy and fashion plays a role in what colors dictate the current trend for home decor. Today, we are seeing the use of:

• red, but not the bright fire engine red. Instead the hues are of rich brown-red paired with earthy tones of brown, green or gold.
• purple - but soft heather purples balanced with creamy off-whites.
• slate and coral - be bold with fiery coral, cooled by slate grey and arctic white; this scheme is as modern as they come.
• earthy shades such as browns, tobacco, taupe remain strong.
• greens are still in the palette. The hues of green are raw and nature-inspired.
• black & white - a timeless color scheme that many are turning to.

With all of these choices, just about anyone can find a trend that suits their personal style and way of living. Remember, home decor can be as individual as you are.

How to Hire an INTERIOR DESIGNER

Are you facing decorating dilemmas?

Choosing the right professional to help you in your interior design projects or remodel of your home can be an overwhelming project in itself.

You will be spending many hours together so feeling comfortable with one another is a priority. Not to mention, you want to be sure your are hiring a knowledgeable, creative and compentent professional.

Begin by asking around. Perhaps a friend or family member who just had their living room remodeled and you love the look. Ask for the designer's name. Referrals are a wonderful source because you are receiving a qualified designer from a satisfied client.

Interview the Candidates. Before the initial meeting think about how you'll explain your style. Compile pictures of your treasured items, photos from design magazines you like or any ideas you may have.

Don't be afraid to ask the interior designer questions. Such as:

• Can I see your portfolio? Look for variety. You want someone who can adapt to your style.
• How involved can I get? You do not want to hire a dictator, so look for someone who's accepting to your likes and dislikes, and is willing to your involvement.
• What is your education and experience? Many excellent interior designers didn't receive formal education but learned their skills in other ways. Ask about it. An interior designer who continues to expand their experience and training through continuing education is a designer serious about their business. Let's face it, interior design is ever-changing, and you want to be sure you have hired a designer who knows today's design elements.
• What interior design organizations do you belong to? Designations with accredited interior design organizations demonstrates a designer's eagerness to achieve the highest mark of the professional standard of design.
• How are your fees structured? Fees vary from designer to designer. It could be an hourly fee, a flat design fee or a combination of both.
• Can you provide names and phone numbers of previous clients? Working with an interior designer is a very personal experience. You want to be sure that the designer you choose is professional and personable.

Now expect questions from the interior designer as well. After all, you're not the only one trying to figure out if the person across the table is right for you.

Be prepared to answer a series of questions constructed to tell the designer how the residence is used.

The Difference Between An INTERIOR DESIGNER & DECORATOR

We are often approached by those who desire interior design services, but are unsure where and how to hire the right candidate.

Choosing the right professional can be overwhelming and does require a little research on your part, but is a step that should not be neglected.

First, you must understand the distinction between an "interior designer" and a "decorator". In many states, interior designers must be state licensed with specialized training before practicing. However, in Ohio this law does not apply, which means "anyone" can call themselves an interior designer. Therefore, you may not be hiring a highly qualified, educated designer.

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) defines an interior designer one who is professionally trained to create a functional and quality interior environment. In order to be a member of the ASID the designer is qualified through education, experience, and an examination.

The American Society of Interior Designers is a highly regarded organization and selective of their members.

"Interior Designer" and "Decorator" are often used interchangeably, as if they are identical professions. However, the two are not synonymous. Though both have the ability and talent to create beautiful spaces, as well as roles that overlap, they are different.

One of the biggest differences between the two are the interior designer has the formal education, specialized training, and appropriate affiliations, such as being an Allied Member of The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Re.Create Interiors holds such.

Interior Decorators are mainly concerned with surface decoration. Often characterized as the furnishings or adorning of a space. Yes, interior designers do that as well, but they also go steps farther. It is the responsibility of an interior designer to identify, research, and creatively resolve issues.

Many times, designers will work with sub-contractors, home builders, architects, and complicated schedules. Because of this knowledge, interior designers can help you avoid costly mistakes and often save you a lot of time.

Both professions . . . "Interior Designers" and "Decorators" can showcase creative spaces, but many times then not, an interior designer can take your project to the next level and make the area not only beautiful but functional.

Join us for our next post as we give you insight on how to hire a professional designer.

For further information on our interior design services, call 419-547-7881 or email us at re.createinteriors@yahoo.com