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Pre-planning & setting a
budget.
Beginning a project
is an exciting thought for some yet daunting for others. Whatever your
view the first thing is to get the planning right, to know what you want
to achieve overall. We hope the ideas that you pick up here will help with
the process. The main things to consider may seem obvious but they are
absolutely vital.
| Setting a budget often gets overlooked but
it's
important for you to let your painter and decorator know what he has to
work with as far as materials are concerned. Perhaps you don't have the
budget to do everything in one go, in which case you can work through the
priorities and get the most important parts completed first.
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Colour Coordination
First on the list is colour coordination.
Walls, floors, ceiling and furnishings and even furniture itself. Our
decorators can all help you with colour charts and material swatches. What
is your style, what mood are you trying to create? Are you
planning a formal layout or something more casual? Do you like country
decor or are your more traditional?
The easiest way to choose a Colour scheme
is to pick out a material with a print whose Colours convey the feeling
you hope to accomplish in your room. Then decide how bold you want to be - if
you are feeling daring use the lightest Colour as your main Colour in the
room - for those who want a more harmonious calming Colour scheme pick a
neutral tone. This does not have to be in the material but pick something that looks pleasing with the Colours you have
selected so far.
What is Your Style and Mood?
If you have been thinking about your
project for a while you might have bought some magazines and
have seen some pictures of the ambience that you hope to convey. If
you haven't done so yet go to the shops and look through some of the
decorators magazines pictures. Pick one or two styles that appeal to you.
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Sketching a few layouts If you have not employed the services of an
interior designer it is a good idea to do a few sketches of the layout of
the room. This can help greatly with the thought process in considering
the colours of any furniture you already have or may be planning to buy.
Say for example a heavy brown leather sofa was going to be against a
particular wall, what colour should the wall be?
What if the furniture was moved around a
bit. The point here is that once you have sketched the layout for the
furniture you can more clearly think about the colours to use. It is also
important to highlight the focal point of a room. Perhaps it's a Fireplace
or large bay windows opening to a terrace or patio.
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Lighting & ambience
This is something you absolutely must
discuss with your painter and decorator before any work begins. Lighting
can have a major impact and will affect how well various functions can be
performed in a room. Would you like to have wall mounted lights, up
lighters or central lighting? Whichever you choose, perhaps a combination
of all three, be sure to have a dimmer switch installed as the variance of
light can alter the mood of the room. This is important because a
qualified electrician should install those fixtures before any painting or
other wall papering begins.
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materials for large upholstery pieces it is best to stick to
solid rather than a print. Hopefully, if you choose wisely, you will have
these pieces for many years and it would be costly to have them
reupholstered if you decide to change your decor. If you want to create
more interest find a material with a interesting texture. You can
incorporate a beautiful print into smaller upholstered pieces and
accessories which can be changed without the hefty cost.
The most cost effective way to select
materials for upholstered pieces is to use materials that the retailer carries
for the particular manufacturer you have chosen. If you do not like any of
the materials available from a certain manufacturer you can try to find
similar pieces from a different manufacturer that may have a material you
love.
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Think about Exteriors too |
Then it's time to pick accent furniture.
This includes coffee tables, side tables, sofa tables and occasional
seating. If you have picked a solid material for your large pieces - go
ahead and have fun and pick a beautiful print for smaller chairs. When you
pick the material for your upholstered pieces ask the retailer for a swatch
of material to put into your design file and use them with your paint chips
when you shop for the remaining items and material for your room.
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