Straightforward steps to an inviting home
This episode discusses the floating furniture, why it’s good for your rooms, and tips for floating furniture effectively.
This episode discusses color coordination how you can make it easier.
The easiest way to coordinate colors is to use a color combination someone else has already worked out.
That typically means finding a fabric that has colors you like in it. We’ll refer to this as your “go-by” fabric. The colors, as well as their shades, in any given fabric were selected by the fabric designer to go together. As long as you like them grouped together, then they should work as a go-by for your room. (Technically, this can be any pattern that you like. Fabrics are often convenient to use.)
The go-by fabric is going to be your color palette for your space. You’re going to use it just like an artist’s palette. Here’s how it works:
Take your go-by fabric with you when you want to change or buy something new for your room. Say I want to paint my walls. I decide want a beige color I see in my go-by fabric. I put the go-by fabric In a shopping bag, take it to the paint store, and pull out the beige paint swatches. When I find a swatch that matches the beige in my fabric, that’s the one I select.
If I want to buy a couch, then I take the throw to the furniture store. The great thing about a go-by fabric is that you don’t have to be looking for one color couch. You can hold up the throw next to any couch and see what it looks like. You may find a couch that you wouldn’t have expected to like at all, but it looks great with your go-by fabric.
The same procedure works for any new purchase of rugs, furniture, or accessories. Take your go-by fabric shopping with you and compare it to the item you want to buy. If they look good next to one another, then you have a match.
When selecting upholstered pieces, I recommend you not buy two different pieces that are the same color, unless the fabric is identical. You run a high risk of clashing fabrics. Those are fabrics whose colors are close enough to each other to look wrong together.
If you don’t feel confident about matching a color, You can cheat. Say to a salesperson, “My [wife/girlfriend/sister/mom] wants me to match the red in this fabric, could you help me?”
Using a go-by fabric is what decorators and designers are doing when they say that they “pulled the color” out of a rug or a throw.
You’ll often see a cool effect in designed spaces when the go-by fabric is prominent in the room, such as on curtains, a tablecloth, or a rug.
This episode discusses the traditional lighting rules (general, task and accent lighting), why they are misleading, and how to use lighting to create a comfortable sense of space.
Most decorating shows will tell you to include
(1) general lighting
(2) accent lighting and
(3) task lighting.
But these recommendations are propagated by light manufacturers.
General guidelines for lighting if you want to create a comfortable sense of space:
Table and floor lamps can provide general lighting and task lighting for most spaces.
Have at least three table or floor lamps. This eliminates most stark shadows.
Arrange your furniture and tables to pull your lamps toward the center of the room. Try to have them at your conversation circle.
More lights with lower lumen bulbs are better than fewer lights with higher lumen bulbs. Check the lighting in almost any swanky restaurant or bar to see this.
References:
Sense of Space
Basic Furniture Arrangement
This episode discusses the terms “proportion” and “scale” and how they will be used in this series.
Scale and proportion are often confused in the interior design world. On Roominess, we’ll talk of things being “out of scale” if ALL of the dimensions of a piece (say a couch) are too small or too large for the space.
We’ll talk of things being “out of proportion” if just ONE or TWO of the relative dimensions are too large or too small.
If you run into a scale or proportion issue in your house, try these tips:
1. Add emphasis to the end wall of a narrow space. This will visually balance the space to seem wider and not as long. You can do this with an accent color, art, or a bookshelf.
2. If your art is out of scale (too small) for the wall, group several pieces of art together. The overall grouping will appear to be an appropriate scale for the wall.
3. Art that is out of proportion with a wall (a tall thin piece of art, for instance) can still be used effectively if it is paired with other art that creates a better proportioned grouping.
4. A square or round dining table feels out of proportion in a more oblong dining room. You can (a) put in extra table leaves or (b) create a secondary furniture grouping at one end of the room.
5. If your living room is longer in one direction, align your couch with the short direction of the room if you can.
This episode discusses the fear of color and talks about three examples.
Many people are “afraid of color.” In most cases, the problem is not color, but contrast. If you run into a color problem in your house, try these tips:
1. Add more color to the room with art, accessories, rugs, curtains, etc. More color in the space will decrease the overall contrast of a room.
2. Pull color into the center of the room (rugs and accessories) to deemphasize dark or bright walls closing in the space.
3. Make sure to have enough light in the space at night to avoid colors appearing too dark.
This episode discusses the basics of living room furniture arrangement with tips and ideas.
Living room furniture does not need to be placed against the walls. Use these tips instead:
Arrange furniture using a conversation circle or oval as a guide. The size of the circle depends on the amount of furniture you’re trying to include and the scale of that furniture, not the size of the room. For one conversation grouping, the circle should be no more than 18 to 20 feet max. (Not an issue in most living rooms.)
Direct your attention to the focal points of the room.
Leave an opening toward the entrance of the room.
Matched furniture can be used to create a relationship or balance.
REFERENCES:
Sense of Space
A sense of space is the single most important concept in interior design, but almost no one talks about it.
Regardless of the size of a room, what everyone wants is not actual space, but rather a sense of space. This is a sense of welcoming and arrival, as sense of privacy and protection, as well as a sense of freedom, relaxation, and being uninhibited.
All of interior design is trying to create this sense of space in your rooms—a balance between protection and freedom.
The key is to not to define your sense of space by the walls. Examples of how to do this are pulling furniture away from the walls, properly arranging table and floor lamps so more light is in the center of the space, and creating a focal point.
The same principles apply whether you want a cozy and warm space that feels more protected, or a light and airy space that feels more free.
The Roominess series will refer often to the concept of a sense of space.
There are lots of decorating shows and magazines, but very few explain the process of interior design well.
This is the intro video for the RoominessTV tutorial series. You may be interested in the series if
(1) You don’t understand the process of interior design
(2) You already have furniture and don’t plan on a “makeover” of your space.
(3) You don’t have a budget for interior decorating. It just happens.
