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10 ESSENTIAL TIPS DREAM

#3 – Dream and Dream BIG

Essential Interior Design Tip #3:

Dream…and dream BIG!

Why is it so important to dream?

Because the ABSOLUTE first thing you MUST do in ANY design project is create your CONCEPT. Your concept is crucial! It is the guide by which all design decisions are based.

In the overall design of your home,

Your CONCEPT = Your STYLE

I don’t want to say it’s impossible to find your style without dreaming – BUT it is. So you’d better get to it!

How do you start dreaming?

By intentionally seeking inspiration.

  • Flip through magazines.
  • Cruise Pinterest (my personal favorite).
  • Look at blogs.
  • Visit some stores (to browse, not to buy – because you already know that “shopping” is one of the last things you should do).
  • Go to a showhouse or a furnished model home.
  • Observe your surroundings and take note of your likes.

Besides getting inspired, you need to begin to visualize your room. Not necessarily how it will look, but more importantly, how it will feel.

What if you’re afraid to dream?

On the surface dreaming seems like an easy enough task. But in truth it can be quite difficult. The adult in us resists dreaming because it often seems completely unrealistic. I get it. You don’t want to be disappointed when your reality can’t live up to those dreams. Especially if you feel like you don’t have the time, money, skill, or will to even start a project.

Well that’s the beauty of dreaming for design. You’re allowed to ignore reality for a bit. You’re dreaming up a concept, not the final outcome. You’re dreaming simply to define your style. Not your whole dang room.

DREAMING is big picture.

DREAMING doesn’t do details.

DREAMING has no budget.

Beyond the dream – 4 Key Steps to REVeal your style:

  • GATHER {inspiration}
  • DEFINE {what appeals to you}
  • ANALYZE {the similarities}
  • NAME {it}

That’s right! Name it and claim it. Short and sweet. All you need is a 3-word name for your style and you’re ready to move on to the next phase of the design process.

WHAT is not as important as WHY.

What you name your style is not nearly as important as to why you name it that way. Don’t worry about whether you’ve used certain terms correctly. As long as you understand and can explain why you used them, that’s all that matters.

So how about it? Are you excited to get dreaming? Great! But I have to warn you…

Once you start dreaming, it can be hard to stop.

Which leads us to our next tip…

Essential Interior Design Tip #2: Stop Dreaming. Start Doing.

 

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10 ESSENTIAL TIPS DO! Uncategorized

#2 – Stop DREAMING. Start DOING!

I’ll admit, I can get really stuck in dreamland. It can be quite addictive. But eventually, if you ever want to get anything done, you have to stop. Which brings us to our next to last tip…

Essential Interior Design Tip #2:

Stop DREAMING. Start DOING.

Got it?…maybe not. That’s because you can’t skip straight to doing. You’d be skipping right over the most important part. In order to “do” you have to know what to do. Dreaming alone doesn’t get you there!

Dreaming is too fuzzy. It doesn’t produce anything real. As discussed in our last post, it’s conceptual. We utilize dreaming to come up with our concept, which for our homes is equivalent to our style. Our style is our FOUNDATION. Our jumping off point.

So how do you get from DREAM to DO?

The Design Process of course! Remember that? I talk about it A LOT (here and here)! About how design IS a process. It’s what differentiates design from decorating (talked about here and here).

In short, this is how I define the process:

Design = DREAM + DECIDE + DO

DECIDING is that crucial phase between DREAMING and DOING. It’s what propels you to DO!

DECIDE = the absolute “heart” of the design process. Skip this and your room will flat line!

Once you’ve defined your concept, REVealed Your Style, it’s time to move on.

You’re done dreaming!

It’s time to take that inspiration and turn it into something useful. Time to DECIDE how to turn those DREAMS into reality.

“Exactly what should you DECIDE?”

  • Which room?
  • How much to spend?
  • Your timeline?
  • What activities need to happen in the space?
  • How many people should be accommodated?
  • How should the room feel? Evoke emotion? Express your style?
  • What are your space limitations?
  • What can you reuse? (Tip #7 : Shop Yourself First)
  • What should you buy new?
  • What are your storage needs? Electrical? Plumbing?…
  • Do you need a contractor? If so, how will you obtain bids?

I could go on, but you get it! This is where MOST of your decisions are made. I say “most” because as you start DOING there will be unforeseen occurrences and you will again have to make some decisions.

But the idea is the more decisions you make beforehand, the more smoothly your project will go. The happier you will be with the whole process!

Conclusion

Do NOT short-change the DECIDE Phase. This is where majority of your time should be spent. This is where the MAGIC happens!

I repeat:

DECIDE – It’s the HEART of any design project!

It’s time to stop DREAMING and start DECIDING. Only then can you get to the DOING of creating and enjoying that DREAM room!

And finally we’re on to the Numero Uno Tip. The one you’ve been so eagerly awaiting…

Essential Interior Design Tip #1: (You’ll just have to view it next to find out)

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RULES of Interior Design Uncategorized

Wait A Minute…You Said There Are No Rules!

By this point you might be thinking: Wait a minute Kim!…

According to your own rules, there’s nothing that you ALWAYS have to do to make a room work. There are “no rules.” But now you’re saying that you ALWAYS have to use these Principles of Interior Design.

Wouldn’t that mean Principles are really just Rules?

No.  And here’s why…

Because a “rule” is a definitive action or non-action, like you must “always DO something” or you should “never DO something.”

The Principles of Interior Design are not actions, they’re feelings.

Feelings that are created through design. Feelings that can vary slightly or greatly between people and cultures. There are no set-in-stone rules for creating these feelings.

However there are several tools that are used in many different ways to evoke them.

These “tools” are better known as “elements” and there are infinite ways to incorporate and combine these elements in order to design a successful space. I’m sure that you are familiar with them, but just in case…

Elements of Interior Design:

Line, Space, Shape, Texture & Value, Color & Light

(We’ll revisit these Elements in more detail in future posts).

Another important tool in the design process, perhaps the most important tool, is the CONCEPT.

You see in a design project, all of the Principles will exist to some degree, but they will not exist equally. You must choose which ones to emphasize and which elements you will use to achieve that emphasis. All of your choices and design decisions should be determined by your concept, which simply put, is the main idea for your space.

When dealing with your personal home,

Your Concept = Your Style.

So the very first thing you should do BEFORE starting any design project is to determine your concept. Define your style!

I hope this all makes sense. What it really boils down to is that all well designed spaces have a sense of order to them. A purpose.

Order can only be achieved by emphasizing certain Principles, determined by your Concept or Style, using the Elements of Design.

The possibilities are endless! That is why I say there is nothing that you ALWAYS have to do, or should NEVER do.

Literally – There are NO RULES!!!

I hope you’ve enjoyed REV’s “Rules” of Interior Design series. Please check out our next series Design vs. Decoration…it’s a good one!

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REV-Up! -Kim

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