Kitty's Project Notebook Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home : Episode KIT-325 -- More Projects »
Kitty Bartholomew visits three designers to discover how they approach decorating a room. - Fernando Diaz first chooses his color palette and then purchases the major pieces of furniture. He finishes with accessories, following the rule "less is more ."
- Kurt Cyr uses the space's basic architecture to help determine the direction in which he will go with color for walls and draperies, since these two areas will contain the largest amount of color.
- Amy DeVault settles on a theme or motif first, and proceeds from there, choosing shapes, colors and accessories consistent with the theme.
According to Bartholomew, the most important step in decorating is pre-planning . She recommends the following tips: - Start accumulating decorating magazines, from current subscriptions and the newsstand-and from garage sales and flea markets.
- Go through the magazines and rip out the pages you want, circling ideas that appeal to you or that make you think of other ideas. Then toss the remainder of the magazines into the recycling bin, so they don't overtake your home.
- File the pages in file folders, stored in a cabinet or a box, using your own categories: "Solutions for our bathrooms," "Colors I like," etc.
- Buy an inexpensive spiral notebook, one that is "3 subject" or "5 subject" and has four or five envelopes on the dividers.
- Reserve one envelope and section of the notebook for each room or project--kitchen, for example, or "painting the walls."
- Take photos of every room you plan to decorate from all angles, and post them in the notebook or store in the envelopes.
- Use a measuring tape to record the size of the windows, doors, floor plan, fireplace, and so forth in each room. Note the specifications in the notebook, and carry it with you whenever you shop or travel where you might come across a flea market, swap meet, salvage store or antique store.
- Also take the book with you to the craft supply store, paint store, and lumberyard.
- As you see things that might fit in with your plan--or might inspire you--take their dimensions on the spot, and take pictures, and file in your notebook.
- Then go home and take your time planning things out, before you buy anything or commit to any project. The visuals and the accumulated information makes it easier to share with your spouse, too.
- Use the notebook envelopes for bids that you might get, receipts, paint swatches, fabric samples, and so forth--striving to keep all those things in one location for ready reference.
- Use the back of the book to write down relevant phone numbers.
- As time goes on, you could go on to get more sophisticated binders with plastic laminate sheets, but when you're first starting out, don't go to the added expense--the notebook works great!
Guests Amy Devault
Interior Designer, Amy Devault Interiors
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
Phone: 310-450-6626
Fax: 310-450-6667
Kurt Cyr
Interior Designer
E-mail: kurt@kurtcyr.com
Website: www.kurtcyr.com
Also in this Episode
| |
)
