Timeless Design

Why do we decorate our homes and whom do we decorate for?  From ancient times people have embellished their homes.  Is it the need to experience beauty, to make our homes expressions of ourselves, to create a comfortable and functional space, or as relief from the sameness of everyday life?  Any of the above could apply in most homes.  Unless you live alone, you can’t simply decorate for yourself.  The needs of the family should be part of the plan.  If your home is a gathering place for others, they may also be a consideration.  Most of all, no matter why you decorate or for whom, living spaces should bring happiness to the people who use them.

There are more ways than one to design a home.  The possibilities are as endless as people’s personalities.  There is no right or wrong design style or color scheme, just good or bad design.  What makes you happy may be another person’s nightmare.  But with sound design principles both can have beautiful homes.

In this book I will illustrate basic design principles you can use to create a home that is functional, beautiful, and adds to your happiness, for that is the true purpose of Interior Design.

I would like to acknowledge the many workrooms, showrooms, suppliers, artists, and installers for their contribution to the finished rooms pictured in this book.  My designs were not always easy to execute but the finished product was always exactly what I envisioned.  I couldn’t have done it without all of you.


COLOR

The design element that will have the greatest impact on how you feel in your space is color.

Often people feel compelled to use the current color scheme that is being marketed.  If that is your desire, by all means use it.  But if the colors that make you feel good are not the “in” colors, use them anyway.  We can live with colors we love for years.  We don’t need to redecorate just because a new look is in.  What makes us happy is timeless.  If you simply get tired of your surroundings then of course make a change.  Some of us need more variety than others.  Don’t worry that your color scheme won’t work with your design style; any color scheme will work with any design style.  In any case, the first thing you need to do is decide what colors you like.

The key to making color work, as well as all the design principles, is balance.  An out of balance room is agitating and uncomfortable.  To achieve that balance first select compatible colors.  Whichever colors you choose, those in the same family work best together.  There are no colors that can’t be used together in the same scheme as long as they are in the same family.  These families are:

NEUTRALS
SATURATED COLORS
SHADES
TINTS
MUTED COLORS (including muted shades and tints)

Accent colors can be chosen from outside the color family.  I will discuss accents later in the chapter.

Color in plants is not counted as part of any color scheme.  It is a part of nature and can be used anywhere.  Also wood does not need to be considered as part of the color scheme.  However the wood stain must be compatible with the scheme.