Divinely Refined Interiors

Divinely Refined Interiors
One-Day Redecorating for Stylish, Functional and Comfortable Rooms

Divinely Refined Redecorating Ideas

QUICK TIP:

Get organized: When looking through your magazines, as soon as you see a picture you like, rip it out and put it in a large envelope or file folder. It doesn't matter if the folder is organized by room (or at all!) but what is important is that magazine doesn't get thrown in the recycle bin before you get your picture.

A few of my favorite sites:

Decorati
Better Homes & Gardens
Traditional Home
Veranda
Ava Living

Finding Inspiration for Your Redecoration

Recently, one of my best friends was visiting me from out of town and after a few days of chatting about our kiddies, we decided to talk about another one of our favorite subjects: decorating. Specifically, we talked about the dilemma she was having decorating her dining room.

She has lived in her current home for two years. When she moved from North Carolina to her new home, she basically transferred her exact dining room scheme to her current home, adding a small architectural detail (wainscoting). Even though she loved her dining room in her previous home, she had decided that she was not comfortable with it in her new home. She said it felt stale and something about it just wasn’t right. On top of that, she thought she had made a mistake adding the wainscoting before really thinking it through (tip alert! – this is where thoughtful planning is so important).

It was an interesting conversation because as we talked about her challenges in the room – even without me seeing it -- I could pinpoint many of the decorating mistakes I always talk about with my clients. Ultimately her biggest challenge was that she had no inspiration for her space, which was frustrating her because she did not know how to choose color or other furnishings for the room. I advised her that before she goes forward on anything else, she needs to find inspiration to lay the foundation for her design plan.

You do need to have a set idea of what you want to accomplish or do in a room. Inspiration is what stimulates or moves you to the point of creativity. The greatest designers and artists will tell you that “inspiration came from…” and give you a place, object, person, color or feeling from which they drew.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, anything or anyone.

To continue with the example of my friend and her dining room, the following are ways to find inspiration:

Atmosphere: What kind of feeling do you want when you walk in the room? What are things you think of? Have you traveled anywhere that inspires your space or do you have a personal item that can bring feeling into the room?

Look at other items in your room that “have to stay” (furniture, art and accessories) – how do want to work them in? Are there any unique features (colors, style) that you can play on?

Colors: What are the color inspirations for the room? A rug, upholstery, art, accessory, views?

Furniture: My friend wants to purchase a new dining table and knows exactly what she wants. An easy, perhaps unoriginal approach would be to look at vignettes of the table and other furnishings in the room and see how they have been used. What furniture, colors and accessories are present? How can you draw from that to create something unique in your own space?

The view from the room: What do you see when you look out the window? Or across the room to an adjoining room? How do you want to incorporate any of that into the room where you are working?

Browse books, magazines, websites and yes, movies and TV shows: This is a great way to get inspiration for a room. Because I have DVR capabilities, I just pause the video/show that I am watching and write down what I like about the room.

Even if you need professional help to get your redecorating done, that's ok. At least you are starting with something you like, and/or has meaning to you that you can pass on.

Last month, I talked about the importance of making a plan and thinking about your priorities when embarking on a redecorating project. But, you need creative elements in your design plan too. That is what makes each room unique. So take some time and have some fun finding inspiration for your next redecorating project!

Happy Decorating!

- LeeSa Page, IRN and Owner, Divinely Refined Interiors