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Color Theory of Interior Design

posted 770 days ago6 Comments

Color has a psychological effect on your mood depending on the shade and intensity of the hue. If you want to achieve a certain mood and overall feeling for your room, let color theory by your guide.

Massucco Warner Red Living Room

Red symbolizes fire, associated with passion and importance. This color stimulates conversation in a room, which is perfect for a living room or dining room. If you want to spark a little more romance, place red accessories in the bedroom. Just don’t go too overboard with this color in your bedroom because it will be hard to relax and sleep.

Blue is peaceful and calming which is perfect for a bedroom or spa like bathroom. Studies show that the color blue actually lowers blood pressure and slows down heart rate.

To energize and uplift your mood, add a punch of yellow to your room. Bright yellow symbolizes happiness, joy, energy, and optimism. You can feel the vibrancy in this living room right through the screen! However, don’t make yellow the dominant color because too much of this hue can have the opposite effect of laziness and caution.

Turner Davis Interiors

Cheerful orange will surely add excitement and joy to any room. It’s happy nature evokes a child-like exuberance, which makes it an ideal color choice for playrooms, family rooms, kitchens, and creative spaces.

Design 4 Interiors - Collins Bath

Green is the color of life, nature, and harmony. This hue tends to have healing and soothing qualities, great for bathrooms and bedrooms. I designed this bathroom with nature in mind. The customized blend of bright green, turquoise, white, and grass green mosaic tiles give a lively yet calm mood in the space. Green symbolizes wealth and prosperity so you can’t go wrong adding a bit of greenery around your home, especially in an office.

Traditional Home

Purple is the color for luxury, wealth, and sophistication. Muted lighter tones bring forth a soft soothing mood perfect for a master bedroom retreat. Love, love, love, this lavender bedroom featured in Traditional Home Magazine…it is so luxurious and serene. Brighter shades of purple spark creativity which is optimal for kids rooms, craft rooms, and offices.

Yes, black is a color too. It represents power, sophistication, and elegance. Black is best used in studies, libraries, offices, living rooms, master bedrooms, and dining rooms.

While some might think white is the absence of color, it also can be a reflection all colors. This color is symbolic of purity, innocence, and tranquility. Adding white to a bedroom, living room, or kitchen creates a feeling of cleanliness and soft elegance.

Now that we went through all of the colors and their meanings, what hue are you?

Have a bright colorful day!

~Stephanie Day

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5 Ways To Overcome Your Design Fears

posted 789 days agoComment

You have been dreaming about redesigning your home for ages, but one four letter word always seems to get in the way…FEAR. It’s the most common reason why people steer clear of starting new seemingly unfamiliar projects, only to make up excuses like, “Where do I start”… “I can’t afford a makeover” … “What’s in it for me” … “It’s going to take forever.” Here are a few tips on how to overcome fears and turn your dream design into reality.

1) Keep Your Eyes on The Prize – If you continue to focus on all the things that stand in your way of making your dream room become reality, chances are it will remain in your dreams. Visualize your desired result and imagine how you will feel in your finished room. When you focus on the outcome, overcoming roadblocks become easier and even more enjoyable.

2) Design & Conquer – Ever heard the ‘ol saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day?” This is because it wasn’t and your home makeover most likely won’t either. Break your project down into stages, and conquer each stage in a reasonable amount of time. It might not get done in a day, but surely less than you had thought.

3) Embrace Mistakes – Let’s face it, no one is perfect. So many of us get discouraged when we make mistakes and use it as an excuse to abort mission on projects. Own up to your faux pas and learn from them. This will make your next design venture easier in the future and enable you to offer expert advise for friends and family when they endure similar situations.

4) Create an Incentive – Another famous excuse for avoiding a home makeover is finding the value of importance. By creating a list of all the benefits of redesigning your space, you will find a clear incentive that will drive you to the finishing line.

5) Bring in an Expert– If you are afraid of having an undesirable outcome, hire a professional to give you an expert opinion. Designers have years of experience under their belt and can help you achieve your design goals with great results, giving the confidence you need to push forward. You can also get design assistance with Day Design & Decor’s services.

When taking the inititative to realize our own fears and making conscious efforts in overcoming them, your goals become more attainable. “Walk in the direction that you look” is the motto I learned from my Grandma. It has helped me keep focused on my goals and achieve most of them. Now, push fear aside and take a step towards creating your dream room.

What is holding you back from redesigning your home? What would you do to your space if fear didn’t stop you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Your fearless designer,

Day Design & Decor

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Furniture Reviews – Crate & Barrel Axis Sofa

posted 810 days ago3 Comments

With so many furniture companies switching to e-commerce websites and closing their showrooms, it can be tough to really know what you’re buying without seeing it in person. Since I practically live at furniture stores I’m going to put best selling furniture pieces to the test, giving you the low down on quality, comfort, and value. Check out my very first video review on Crate & Barrel’s Axis Sofa.

To purchase this sofa visit crateandbarrel.com and order directly online.
Happy Shopping!

- Day Design & Decor

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Top 5 Ways to Save Money on Home Decor

posted 817 days agoComment

When it comes to buying furniture and accessories, things can definitely add up. So, how do furnish your home on a tight budget? Here are a few clever ways to save on home furnishings without breaking the bank. All you need is additional time for treasure hunting, creativity, and willingness to work on DIY (do it yourself) projects.

#1 – Thrift and Second Hand Stores

Shopping at thrift and second hand stores is a very cost effective way to find loads of cool stuff for your home. Although, most of the furniture there needs updating so you might have to use your imagination to see the potential of each piece. Occasionally you can find things in perfect condition at low prices. Some stores like Goodwill, have half off sales on certain days, so make a call to check on their next sale date. The trick is to arrive right when they open for first dibs on the best furniture pieces. Thrift stores are typically non-profit organizations so you can feel good about your purchases since it’s going towards a good cause.

#2 – The best things in life… can be free!

If you’re strapped for cash, FREE is always nice. My top resources for complimentary home furnishings is the “free stuff” category on Craigslist or Freecycle. Some people just want to find a good home for their furniture and post them on these sites. What better way to save money!

#3 – Classified Ads

Another effective way to save on furniture is to search classified ads in local newspapers or online. Craigslist and Recycler are the most popular classified websites. One of my friends furnished her entire apartment with cool finds from Craigslist. With a little patience and persistance you could do the same thing.

#4 – Estate and Yard Sales

Going to estate or yard sales is the ultimate treasure hunting experience. You can find furniture in wonderful condition at very reasonable prices. These sales are usually on the weekend and picked over by the early afternoon, so you’ll have to set your alarm clock early in order to get the best steals. My mom attends yard sales quite frequently and always finds incredible pieces worth more than she bargained for…literally! Her tip is to drive around wealthy neighborhoods and look for signs early in the morning and check out at least three sales. Moving sales are the best, because these people are on a time crunch to get rid of their furnishings. They are usually more than willing to bargain prices with you too.

#5 – Refurbish What You Already Have

Transform your old piece of furniture with a fresh new finish, upholstery, or decorative accents to update the look. You can easily upholster a dining chair cushion with a staple gun, piece of foam, and a few yards of fabric. Sometimes, fabric stores will have sales on remnants up to three yards, which is ideal for upholstering a stool or side chair. Slip covers are a quick, cheap, and easy way to change the look of your sofa or arm chair. If you have a piece you think has potential but have no clue how to update it, our designers will come up with a few good concepts for your furniture with our Design Analysis. We can also pick out finish or paint colors for each piece and directions on how to apply it with our Color Palette option.

Best of luck bargain hunting for your home. “A man who both spends and saves money is the happiest man, because he has both enjoyments.” – Samuel Johnson

- Day Design & Decor

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How to combine your decorating style with your partners

posted 832 days agoComment

It’s official! You have moved in with eachother, embarking on relationship bliss. But wait, how are you going to decorate your home with two obviously contrasting styles and mismatched furniture? Typically, men and women have polar opposite home decorating ideas so blending styles can be a bit complicated. Here are a few tips on how to integrate your ideas with your partners and still have a well designed home.

Tip #1 - Selecting Furniture

Men tend to be drawn towards furnishings built to stand the test of time, while maintaining maximum comfort. They go for functionality over design, where as women prefer the look and style of a particular piece. So when you and your mate are shopping for your room, opt for well designed furniture that is stable and reliable. Find good looking and sturdy pieces at Pottery Barn, Room and Board, Ethan Allen or Bo Concept.

Tip #2 – Colorizing.

Picking out paint colors can be grueling when couples don’t see eye to eye. The majority of men gravitate towards a more muted neutral color palette such as tans and browns. Women seem to be attracted to colors that are bright, pastel, or the latest trend in magazines. The best way to meet in the middle when it comes to selecting hues is to mix and match colors. Popular combinations are chocolate brown & berry red, yellow & grey, taupe & spa blue.

Compromising is key when it comes to designing a home together. Talk to your partner about your top five needs and why they are important to you and listen to theirs. More than likely there will be a design solution that will fit both of your desires.

Tune in this Friday and we’ll show you designs that unite masculine and feminine styles.

With decorating love,

Day Design & Decor

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Get Organized!!

posted 864 days ago2 Comments

Being an artist, I naturally follow the stereotype of having poor organizational skills. That is precisely why there are professional organizers in the world like Coriann from www.brightlivingnow.com to make sure your home is operating like a fine tuned machine. There are many reasons why you should consider hiring a professional organizer at least once in your lifetime. An expert can set up a working system to help you get on the right path to keeping your place neat and tidy. Professional organizers see it all and aren’t judgmental about their clients level of organization so don’t be embarrassed about your mess. I asked Coriann her thoughts on what everyone should know about organizing.

Tip #1 – Baby Steps

If you think you have to tackle all your clutter at one time it will feel overwhelming and chances are you won’t do it. Start with one pile, one corner, one closet, etc. Each step will bring you closer to your goal of being organized.

Tip #2 – Purge Your Clothes 2x a Year

To help you figure out what you wear and what you don’t, turn all your hangers the opposite way (hook facing out.) When you wear something hang it back up correctly (hook facing in.) In a few months anything hanging on hangers that are facing out you know you aren’t using and could donate.

Tip#3 – Organizing Won’t Break the Bank

Don’t feel like you have to spend a lot on money on organizing products to get organized. Organize your desk drawers with plastic food containers, they come in all sizes perfect for paper clips to note pads. Organize bathroom drawers with clean tin cans, perfect for cotton balls, Q-tips, and hair bands.

Tip #4 – You Don’t Have to Be Perfect To be Organized

Life is crazy and hectic and sometimes you just don’t have time to put your shoes away that very second. Let yourself off the hook, there is too much pressure to be perfectly organized 100% of the time. The key is knowing exactly where to put those shoes away when you do have a second, and knowing exactly where to look when you need them again.

Visit Coriann’s website and check out her marvelous transformations of before and after photos as well as more helpful tips on keeping your home in an more orderly fashion: www.brightlivingnow.com

Here’s to an organized home and year!

Day Design & Decor

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Ring in the New Year with a New Room

posted 876 days agoComment

With 2011 right around the corner, it’s time to whip out a pen and paper and start writing down your resolutions for a great new year. I’ll be sharing my top 5 interior design resolutions this week so stay tuned for helpful tips in turning your 2011 goals into reality. In the mean time, enjoy this coupon for 20% off any Day Design & Decor service good now until the end of January, 2011.

Happy designing,