Author Archives: Spike

Room Design Online

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Spike| Leave a comment

 

Room Design Online: How To Restyle Your Room For Less

room design onlineIf your home’s interior is looking a little outdated or uninspiring, it might be time to invest in room design online. A web-based design service is ideal for anyone wanting to add style and character to their property without the cost and hassle involved with hiring an interior designer. The following guide is useful for anyone interested in restyling their home for less:

How Does The Online Design Process Work?

Unlike traditional interior decorators, an online design service is done entirely via the web. Clients begin the process by filling out a comprehensive questionnaire covering requirements like budget, room measurements, preferred colors, favorite styles, design influences, number of family members, and any particular decorating problems they are having. They are also asked to send the design team a selection of photographs of the room from a range of viewpoints; three to five photographs are usually necessary.
Once you have submitted your questionnaire you will receive your own customized design feedback from a qualified interior designer within around three days. Many clients get their personalized design report back in the same day.

What Does The Service Include?

A full room design online package includes recommendations on paint colors, flooring material, lighting, room accents, furniture placement, and window coverings. It also addresses any specific spacial or decorating issues that you discussed in your questionnaire, such as making a room appear larger or brighter.
The designers also take into account that the majority of home owners have limited DIY experience, so for some of the more challenging DIY tasks, like hanging a window covering or installing hardware, handy step by step advice is provided.

Is An Online Or Offline Interior Design Service Preferable?

The right interior design service for you will depend on your specific circumstances. Hiring your own interior designer is a comprehensive but expensive option, which makes it useful for anyone seeking a full home makeover with additional project management. However for those looking for a single room decoration or working with a more limited budget, room design online is a much more preferable option.
Hiring an interior designer usually requires weeks of consultations and many personal visits. It also means fitting your home makeover around your designer’s schedule as well as your own. With an online service you fill in one easy form and once you have received your design report, you can take as much or as little time to complete the restyle as you want.

How Is The Service So Much Cheaper?

Room design online is a far less expensive service than contracting an in person designer. The main reason for is that it is not necessary for designers to spend time traveling to and from your location, so they are able to serve more customers overall and charge each client less.

Affordable decorating advice can give you the confidence needed to finally carry out your dream home makeover. It is an ideal low cost design service for anyone wanting the amazing results of a professional interior designer without the high costs and time requirements.

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Online Room Designer

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Spike| Leave a comment

 

The Benefits of An Online Room Designer

Laurie interior decorator online photoSometimes you might find decorating a room or your entire home to be a little daunting. Let’s face it, it’s a huge and important task, and you want everything to turn out perfect. That’s where an online room designer comes in. It’s great for the task, and will make life a lot easier for you. It can help you decide on exactly what color combinations, layouts and furnishings work well together and are suitable for the room you’re designing. And you get to experiment with a variety of options until you find the one that is right. By allowing you to see what the perfect design is for your room, an online room designer helps you avoid making the wrong choices that can prove to be costly. So when it comes to physically designing your room, you can do it with no regrets and won’t have to start over – you’ll save time, trouble and money.

You can create a room makeover or reinvent each room in your house with an online room designer. It’s up to you whether you want to start from scratch or choose a template to begin with. Whether it’s the kitchen, bedroom, living room, bathroom, office, you name it, you can design it online. And you’ll be able to save it and print it out as you please. The ease of use and convenience of an online designer makes it a very helpful tool when decorating your home. Really, the benefits are endless.

With an online room designer, you’ll be able to pick from a range of furniture, wallpaper, flooring materials and colors that resemble the real thing to customize your living space, without paying for them first. You can test and try out how certain types and styles of furniture look in a room. You can check out what colors and shades will complement each other and what colors to avoid. All your ideas and thoughts about how to decorate your room can come together in the one platform and you can see whether you’re making the right choices.

An online room designer will enable you to visualize your decorating plan. You can view virtual layouts from various angles and perspectives to give you the complete visual experience of a room. You can make a judgement on the functionality and aesthetics of the furniture and flooring materials. You can also observe how the furniture looks when you place it in various positions. As you know with any decorating project, the placement of furniture is very important – and it’s influenced by many factors, including the size of the furniture itself and the space in the room. You won’t have to move the furniture a dozen times or so to figure out the right positioning. You can simply use an online room designer, which is very convenient, and also precise at the same time.

Not only you will be able to visualize and ascertain the most appropriate positioning of furniture, you will be able to ensure the colors you choose do justice to the room you’re decorating. Trying out various color schemes and design elements is a very useful tool available with online room designers. Color is important in creating the tone and atmosphere in a room, and you want to make sure that you’re selecting the right combination to suit the room’s purpose.

As you can see, if you’re thinking of decorating your room, you can’t go past an online room designer. It will give you the help you need and more on deciding on the perfect way to decorate your living spaces, whether its just the one room or your entire home. You can experiment with a variety of options – furniture, colors, wallpaper, flooring materials and more – to customize the design of a room. This will give you more confidence in the decorating choices you make for your home.

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Online Interior Design Services

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Spike| Leave a comment

 

The Benefits Of Investing In Online Interior Design Services

online interior design servicesWhether you are looking to maximize the selling price of your home, decorating a room with little design knowledge, or just wanting to rejuvenate your property’s style, investing in online interior design services could be the ideal solution. Many people struggle to achieve the interior look they desire because of a lack of time and designing experience, but the idea of hiring an interior designer for just one room or a simple restyle seems overly expensive. Fortunately, the easy, fast, and cost effective services of an online designer have many benefits:

A Wide Range of Design Packages

Online interior design services can be personalized to give you as much help as you need. At the most basic level you can get advice on specific issues like paint colors or types of flooring. If you are in need of more thorough help, you can opt for a complete room makeover package instead.

Comprehensive Advice

A full design report includes comprehensive advice on paint colors, flooring, wall art, lighting, furniture, and accessories. Designers give you details about specific products that fall within your budget, where to place them for best effect, and how to install them easily. You also get advice on choosing similar products so that you can find a suitable alternative if you feel like hunting around for a bargain.

Expert Help For Less

Investing in the services of a qualified interior designer can be expensive, and for the majority of people, it is completely unaffordable within their room makeover budget. Fortunately, with help of an expert interior designer online, you can get the same professionally designed room for just a tiny proportion of the price.

Time Effective

One key advantage of investing in an offsite design solution is that all work can be done in your own time. The process does not require repeat home visits from a designer, arranging viewings, or getting workmen to fit around several schedules.

Completely customized Service

A common concern among people interested in online interior design services is whether the feedback they receive will be personalized to their specific room and tastes. At the beginning of the design process you are required to submit several photos of your room from a range of angles. You are also asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire about your tastes, design ideas, and any specific issues you may have. This information allows designers to assess what will work well in your particular room in terms of light, ceiling height, area, shape, characteristics, and preexisting features. They can also personalize your results to suit your budget, your individual style, and even your level of DIY knowledge.

Online interior design services can be personalized to give you as much help as you need whether you want a simple style upgrade or complete home makeover. Hiring an off-site online designer saves you both time and money. It gives you complete control over the design process but with all the expert help and individual advice you need to get the stunning interior you desire.

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Online Decorating

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Spike| Leave a comment

Why you Should Consider Online Decorating

 

There are many decorating tips you can receive, when you turn to the right professionals to help you with the decor in your home, or in a particular room of the home. With online decorating, you are going to be able to submit a photo of the space, the decor, color combinations, furnishings, and everything else in the room, in order to get help online, from those who have the experience in decorating, and redecorating any space of a home. With the right guidance, and when you turn to the right online site, you are going to get top tips from the professionals, and those with an eye for fashion, and a heart for great design styles in any room.

Affordable help -

With this method of online decorating, instead of hiring a local interior decorator to help, you are not only going to find the decorating tips to be extensive, you are also going to save. You will receive a package of guides, different choices for flooring, paint color ideas, and different ideas about where and how to place the furnishings in a room, to ensure the best end result when you are done. Since there are several package options, depending on what you are redecorating, you are going to find the help you get to be easy to follow, and you are going to receive more affordable pricing than you would if you were to hire a local interior designer.

Simple guidance -

Even if you do not have a knack or eye for fashion, with the right help, and the best online decorating professionals, you are going to get the assistance and guidance you need, delivered to you in a neat package. You will learn what works well and what doesn’t, they will guide you to making the right purchase choices for home furnishings, paintings, rugs, and anything else, that is going to make a room stand out. With online decorating, a simple photo you send in, can result in you receiving guidance in a comprehensive, and easy to follow manner, so that you can redecorate any space, with the help from top professionals, and people who know what they are doing. You do not have to buy extensive books, or take a course; you can get quick and easy help online, from someone who knows how to decorate, and knows what will work well in your space.

Although it is a fairly new concept, online decorating is a great way to receive assistance, training, and guidance, from top professionals, and interior designers, by simply submitting an online photo of the space you would like to redecorate. You are not only going to learn what is hindering the appearance of the space, you will also learn how to make changes, and how to make small adjustments in any room, so you can have the room of your dreams. Whether it is the dining room or kitchen, or the entire home, sending in a photo, can result in a fine new design style, great new decor, and exceptional finishes, in all rooms of the home.

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How To Design A Room

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Spike| Leave a comment

There isn’t just one proper way to design a room. Some rooms may begin with a sentimental item, some with a particular color theme, others with a matched furniture set. No matter where you start out, it is always helpful to design your room in layers. Listed here are some useful tips on how to design a room.

How to design a roomTips on how to design a room

1. Set the mood with perfect color

The perfect blend of colors can definitely enhance a space. The color shades you end up picking for your room will have an impact on how your guests feel in the living space. Colors can relax or energize the space, based on how intense they’re and how cool or warm they’re. A tranquil theme of white and soft blue makes a spacious room feel cool and collected – a charming environment for classy events. A light color carpeting underfoot warms the space and also keeps the cool shades in balance.

2. Choose comfortable furniture

It’s all about your own home and your personal space, therefore don’t compromise with ease and comfort over design and style. Always decide on comfy furniture, whether it’ your bedroom furniture or living room sofa set. This is actually the basic point you should consider while you interior design your room.

3. Choose stylish and durable flooring

Choose a flooring that delivers complete comfort underfoot and also makes a style statement too. If your choice is a less bold floor, then choose a fairly neutral floor covering that allows attention to center upon art or furniture. Hardwood flooring with rugs are the most widely used options for living room floors, but stone tile, ceramic tile and full-carpeting work as well.

4. Create a focal point

A focal point or centerpiece anchor bolts the room and also helps draw you in to the living space. A hearth is a natural center of attention; however in the majority of rooms, the television is the major focal point. An attractive view or a spectacular artwork could also serve as a room’s point of interest.

5. Plan for appealing lighting

Lighting in a room should be aimed towards setting up a calm, relaxed mood. Go for layers of light, and place light-sources in such a way that they form a triangle-like shaping to ensure proper distribution of lighting. Table lamps that spread the light down will persuade people to take a seat and relax.

6. Finish the walls, ceilings and windows

Usually, living room area walls will be given more intricate or elegant treatment than other spaces since the room is a public space. To really make it an inviting room that conveys your individuality, choose wall coverings or window treatments that reflect your own style.

7. Set up a media center

Watching television would be the main use of the living room. Whether you’ve the most recent model or even an older one, integrate it in to the room’s design making sure that it is a feature but is not dominant.

Use the above tips on how to design a room to make your room a comfortable and inviting space for your family and friends. You can also take advantage of online interior designers who know nuts and bolts on how to design a room.

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Twinkle, twinkle

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Spike| Leave a comment

Twinkle lightsDo something new with your festive decor this time around … think outside the box!  Yes, a Christmas tree decorated with your favorite ornaments and sitting in the corner of your family room is lovely, but let’s try something different this year … make more of a statement.  Hang ornaments from your chandelier, fill large vases with branches, greenery and ribbons … put your outdoor greenery in galvanized buckets with birch branches.  Frame Christmas themed photos or cards in small matching frames and hang or lean them on a ledge, in a grouping.  Decorate tables tops with candy … fill clear jars and vases with dollar-store Christmas candy and candy canes, lots of them.  Speaking of ‘lots’, just when you think you have enough mini-lights, double it!  More is always better in the light department.  Try bunching up strings of lights and stuffing them in jars, vases, hurricanes, lanterns … and then add more!

Don’t spread things too thin … choose a corner, or an area in the room and pile it on.  Grouping and layering things will have way more effect than scattering decorations here and there around the entire space.

Tuck winterberry branches into small potted evergreens, on either side of your front door.  Instead of dusting off the same old wreath every year, purchase a a real evergreen swag from your big-box store and add pine cones, winterberry, boxwood sprigs.

Buy one of those great big cylinders of shiny ball ornaments and string them together using fishing line bunching them up as you go, then lay the finished product across your mantel or console table.

Think different, think bold, think big this Christmas!

 

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Online Interior Design Services

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Spike| Leave a comment

online interior design servicesCan online interior design services really work for you? If all of the positive feedback I have received is any indication, the answer is a resounding YES.

Customers have described the experience with things like -
‘love your recommendations’
‘I’m so excited I want to run out and get paint samples ASAP’
‘I’m pretty thrilled with the finished product’
‘I’m excited to get started on this project!’
‘This has already been a fun experience, I am eager to get started.’
‘LOVE everything you suggested’
‘I did get your proposal and your advice was fantastic.’

The advantages are many -
It’s easy … as simple as emailing photos of your room, and supplying some basic information on your likes and dislikes.
It can be done on your own time … no need to set up an appointment, or adhere to regular business hours.
You never have to change out of your underwear! That is, of course, until you’re ready to shop.

The proposal is sent to you to put into action … you can choose to use as much, or as little of the advice as you want.

Yes, you could hire a pricey interior decorator to come to your home, take over and inject their own tastes, and charge for every minute spent pondering those choices and shopping for your furniture. But, to decorate a room online is a really great alternative for those of you that may have the time and muscle for some DIY projects, and who like to shop and/or bargain hunt for your own furniture and fixtures. What you really need is a professional eye to point you where you need to go.

You may spend hours gazing around your space, wondering where to start. You might spend days browsing magazines and decorating sites. You see rooms you really like the look of, you see furniture you’d love to own. You are inspired to change things up. You want to make your home the space you always knew it could be. You just DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START!

I can look at photos of your room, and immediately get a feel for what changes need to happen to give you the look you’re after. After reading your budget considerations and preferences for particular colors and styles I will set to work choosing furniture and accessories based on your lifestyle and the way in which you’d like your room to function. I will provide links to items you may want to purchase online, or visit the store for a better look. If you don’t like a particular piece I’ve chosen, I’ll look for alternatives.

Where needed, I’ll provide a basic floor plan of the space so you know where to place everything to its best advantage. Ideas for rearranging and repurposing existing pieces will be combined with suggestions for new items wherever possible. There is no space more uninviting than one where everything is brand new and matches perfectly. Rooms need loved items, warm feelings and personality injections. Take my proposals and bend and alter them to match your own personal style … make it your own!

Providing online interior design services is just one way we can take an ages old service, once only provided in person, and adapt it to the internet … where almost anything is possible now. Try it, you just might like it!

Posted in How To Decorate

Home Decorator

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Spike| Leave a comment

interior decorator checking swatchesAhhh, if only we could all hire a home decorator to work their magic and turn our homes into the beautiful showplaces we all dream of. A house full of brand new furniture and expensive fixtures and finishes would be the ultimate! But the reality is that a home decorator is out of reach for most of us, and who can afford to replace all their furniture in one sweep?
Maybe all you really need is help pointing in the right direction. YOU can make it happen, you love shopping for furniture, hunting for just the right lamp and you can wield a paint roller with the best of them! Look through decorating magazines for inspiration. Browse websites dedicated to interior decorating for beautiful room styles to emulate.
Using an online decorator might be the right direction for you. Submit photos with varying views of your space, and in return you’ll receive a proposal outlining as much, or as little, detail as you like to makeover your room. Then YOU put the plan into motion. Alter the plan to suit your tastes if it’s not exactly what you want.
Some decorators will provide a one- time consultation for a flat fee. A visit to your home to give suggestions and ideas can be extremely helpful in pointing you in the right direction. Be prepared, know what questions you want to ask, give them some sense of what style excites you. Decorators are professionals and charge accordingly … you’ll want to make the best use of their time while you’re paying for it.
Whatever source you use to get help with your decorating project … give a realistic budget. A home decorator giving you suggestions for furniture and accessory purchases based on a champagne budget, are totally useless if you are working on a beer budget. And there’s nothing wrong with the ‘beer budget’, but a decorator will only source affordable items if that is made clear to them at the outset.
A home decorator can only take you so far … you still have to ‘bring it home’. Be resourceful, be imaginative! Everyone can have a beautiful space, at any price point. Revamping and repurposing and refinishing pieces you may have lurking in your garage or basement is a great way to change things up.
The old days of searching the yellow pages are over … look for interior decorating services, or online decorators on the web. Try to find as much, or as little assistance as you want, need and can afford. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing prospect. A little bit of decorating help can go a long way toward achieving your dream of a beautiful space. It may not be as daunting of a project as you think. Let them tell you the big steps to take and you figure out the small ones. Sometimes just cleaning, tidying and organizing your things can make a big start … let the home decorator give you the big suggestions like color theme, furniture purchase and placement … then finish up with some great accessories!
Don’t be intimidated … take that first step to get some assistance … you’ll be glad you did!

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DIY Home Decorating

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Spike| Leave a comment

DIY Home DecoratingIn a perfect world, we would all be able to have our homes redecorated regularly by hiring a team of experts to sweep in and make our every decorating wish come true, while we choose from top of the line finishes and furnishings with an unlimited budget. That would be MY perfect world, anyway.
But here in the real world, interior decorating often has to take a back seat in the budget department. Yes, sometimes frivolous things like food and rent have to come first. There’s not much left at the end of the month to hire a contractor to redo your kitchen from top to bottom. You can still have a beautiful, comfortable home though … and the satisfaction of telling your friends “I did it myself!”
Use the internet as a source for instructions on DIY everything … how to install flooring and baseboards … crown molding and tile … how to sew decorative pillows and drapes. There’s no end to what talents you can acquire.
One of the easiest jobs in DIY home decorating is painting. If you can set aside the better part of a day, you can transform a room with a fresh coat of paint. Choose a paint color from one of the current designer collections, get your supplies ready and your room prepared the night before … and before you know it, you’ll be praising yourself on a job well done. Following the right professional advice, painting your kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanity can be a great DIY project for a major room redo.
Electricians can be expensive! Buy a new replacement light fixture from your local building supply store, and look up online how to install it. It’s not as difficult as you might think … just make sure you follow the instructions to the letter where electricity and safety are involved. A new light fixture is a quick update for any room … and the savings can be used toward the new tile backsplash you’re going to install in the kitchen!
A kitchen backsplash is a definite DIY project, whether you choose tile, stainless steel, glass, stick-on tiles or tin ceiling tiles. Get creative, anything that can be easily wiped clean can be used as a backsplash surface.
A great piece of leather, a cowhide or even a beautiful dhurrie rug, and a stapler can transform that worn old ottoman in your family room. Top it with a wooden serving tray and you have created a new coffee table.
If you have a sewing machine, you can sew drapery panels and even easier – throw pillows. Buy pillow forms at the fabric store, and make covers using beautiful colorful fabrics for an instant pick-me-up for the living room sofa, or the guest bedroom. Browse DIY websites for lots of creative finishing touches like original wall art ideas, and other decorative accessories.
The point here is to use your imagination, some of your spare time, and a little bit of brow sweat and you can have the satisfaction of standing back, looking at your freshly redecorated room and saying hey, I did this!

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Room Makeover

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Spike| 1 Comment

Room makeover decisionsRoom Makeover
You’re looking around the room … a room you’re tired of, a room crying out for change, a room that you just don’t enjoy spending time in anymore. It’s time for a room makeover.
A room is only as good as its components. You can paint it a beautiful color, you can change the flooring, you can buy new comfy furniture, you can add new lighting and blinds, you can accessorize … and presto, your new room! It sounds so easy … and it can be.
Paint is the single most cost effective way to make the biggest change in a room. If you can’t afford to do anything else … paint! A beautiful new paint color will transform your room. I like to call it a room makeover in a can. Paint the walls, and put back all the exact same furnishings in the exact same positions and it will still feel like a new room. Although another cost effective way to change a room is by rearranging all the furniture … even repurposing items from another room in your home.
If you have some money to spend, it’s probably time to replace some of your furniture. We tend to hang on to our furniture for a long time, and there comes a point when you have to bite the bullet and buy new. You don’t have to replace everything at once. Start with the major items, and then gradually work around them, replacing the smaller items as you’re able. Not only is this easier on your bank account, but you can spend time settling each piece in, getting used to it, and knowing what will look good alongside it.
The right lighting can transform a room. Putting a couple of grandma’s old lamps on tables just doesn’t cut it. Use differing types of lighting … ceiling fixtures, wall mount sconces, floor lamps, table lamps … for the biggest impact, and the most effective way to light a room properly. Lighting can also supply finishing touches to a room … use fixtures and lamps to add metals, woods, glass and sparkle to any room.
Window coverings are another element we tend to get a little too comfortable with … those mini-blinds you installed 15 years ago are getting pretty dusty and bent. Maybe it’s time to update. A new woven wood shade flanked by beautiful drapery panels, hanging on a new iron rod, can be a room makeover all on its own.
Now for my favorite part … accessorizing. Fight the urge to display every knick-knack you own. Just because you have them doesn’t mean you should spread them around every table top, especially smaller items. Some things just look better left in the closet. Display only items you LOVE, remember that larger items display better, and smaller items should be grouped together. You don’t have to spend a lot to accessorize beautifully … discount store picture frames on nice family photos make for great decoration in a room or hallway.
So don’t let the words Room Makeover overwhelm you … they can mean anything from a fresh coat of paint to a complete overhaul of your space. Either way it’s a great feeling to look around the room and say hey, I like this room!

 

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