Smaller Scale Furniture

The trends in 2008 are changing toward furniture that is smaller in scale. Furniture in the last 20 years has increased in size and scale as the homes have become larger and the ceilings higher. Now the trend will be toward smaller homes with rooms that are separate and have a specific purpose such as a home office, scrap booking areas, or a toy room for the children.

The lines of furniture are becoming cleaner and less ornate. We want less clutter in our homes. The accessories on top of cabinets are becoming dated. Interior designers in Kansas City are hearing clients request to declutter their homes.

We can take our older furniture and mix it with newer pieces to give a whole new look in our client’s homes without having to do a complete new room.

The look in today’s furniture pieces will be cleaner lines, and natural fabrics in our upholstery pieces so that we can change our colors with ease. Wood pieces will be dark, almost a java color.

As an interior designer for over 2 decades, it is always exciting to see changes in furniture lines and color.

Lots of Carpet Choices

I sell many yards of carpet. I’ve spent many years taking seminars on what types of carpet are available and what will wear best in a particular situation. Carpet is one of the most expensive purchases we make in our homes and we want to get it right. There are so many great carpets out today. For long term use and great style, I have a cut loop. I even put carpet with color instead of white or a Johnson County beige. It really warms up a space and feels great.

Window Coverings

Window coverings are an important part of any design project. Interior designers incorporate them into all their projects. Why are they so important? It can be as simple as blinds or woven woods, or as ornate as drapery & fringe. In Europe, fabric drapery are lined & interlined and cover the windows to keep the cold out. In the United States, we simplify our window treatments. Interior designers in Kansas City are moving away from the 2″ wood blinds that have been popular in Johnson County to Roman Shades, woven woods and even putting fabric back on the windows to soften the look.

I have many clients who have nice views who do not want any treatments. I find however that at night the windows look black & forboding. I will usually do a soft treatments with a see-through fabric to soften the lines of the window and make the room more interesting. The clients love this look.

Fix up your bathroom!

With the housing market in a funk, homeowners are often choosing to stay in their homes and updating the bathroom. We help our clients with many bathrooms during the year. It is best to look at magazines or bathroom books to get ideas. You may like one style, tile from one book and fixtures from another. It is best to decide if you want a spa, casual, or dressy look. In my master bathroom, I am changing out all the brass to oil rubbed bronze fixtures because it will look best with the granite and tile I have installed. I am keeping what works and changing what is dated.

It is best to call in a professional for help. It saves time in looking for sources and an interior designer can help with the layout, lighting & other selections.

Some thoughts before you start a remodeling project.

One may think that to start a remodeling project of a kitchen, bath, family room, basement, or where-ever, the first thing is to call 1 or 2 remodeling contractors and “get some ideas”, or “get some prices”. I think that the best thing to do is to call a qualified interior designer, one that is good in space planning and layouts, and get down on paper what you would like to end up with, the scope, and a budget.

I often see where homeowners will start a project, or get several “bids”, which maybe are not comparable because each person has their own idea of what the project will encompass. In the end, the furniture may not fit properly, maybe there should have been a window here or there, and usually it costs more than planned.

A trained and experienced Interior Designer, will be able to scale out a room, make suggestions for where the furniture or cooktop or shower should go. The designer will also know what the newest styles are and where they will fit as well as what lighting or plumbing fixtures are available and will work best.

Also a qualified designer, one who frequently does remodeling projects, will be a member of NARI and can recommend a qualified remodeling contractor to best fit your project.

Arlene

Try a new Area Rug

We have some great sources for custom area rugs. Rugs with custom designs, or borders, or simply a favorite piece of carpet can be bound around the edges and used as an area rug. Lots of possibilities!

What we are doing.

We will be going to the High Point Furniture Market in April. The is the world’s largest home furnishings market showing the latest trends and most current lines of furniture, and accessories. We go there to see the latest offerings as well as to maintain contacts with the many manufacturers we can buy from directly. Many of these are speciality manufacturers not readily available in retail showrooms. This is always an exciting trip to make, and we have been going the last few years. We will have an update when we return. Stay tuned.

Arlene

What is new in the color palette for 2008?

As we move into the beginning of spring, we think about color changes in our homes. What is hot & trendy? The spa colors — blues & greens — take a back seat to the colorful burst of chinese reds, tangerines and canary yellows. These energetic colors will be paired with nature’s neutrals, adding a bit of energy to the home.