Decorate Like a Pro

7 Ways to Liven Up Your Interior

It is important to feel comfortable in your home. It is, after all, where you spend a lot of your down time. Colors, textures, art work, and soft cozy seating areas can make a huge difference in how you feel in a space. Decorate like a pro!

Use The Right Colors For The Job: Decorating Like a Pro

Studies have shown that colors can effect our emotions on a subconscious and psychological level.  Warm colors like red, yellow, and orange have been known to evoke  feelings of happiness, optimism and energy, but be careful because yellow and orange can also slightly irritate the eyes and red can increase a person’s appetite. Cool colors include green, purple, and blue. Cool colors are calming and soothing. Purple is often used to help spark creativity, so it works well in a home office.  Neutral colors include black, grey, white, tan, and brown. When designing your space these colors are perfect as background colors. They are easily mixed with brighter hues to add pops of color to create interesting focal points to any room.

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Photograph Courtesy of Huntington House. Furniture and Fabrics Available at Saratoga Signature Interiors. Mix in colors that have a positive effect on your mood. Incorporate a few pops of red into your dining room to promote appetite, and work some blue and green hues into bathrooms and bedrooms to create a calm and soothing atmosphere.

Add Mirrors To Create Instant Light & The Illusion of More Space

Mirrors are a great inexpensive way to open up any living space. They can create the illusion of space, while adding instant light to any room.  They come in a variety of styles, shapes, and sizes. So you can really get creative and play with a lot of different styling options. Try sitting one on top of a buffet or hanging a couple on your walls. They also come in very handy when you need that last minute makeup check before you leave the house, so make sure you have at least one in the entry way of your home. Don’t limit your space to just hanging mirrors, mirrored chests and table tops are always in style, and they can add the perfect level of sophistication and polish to any room in your home.

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Photograph Courtesy of Sherrill. Furniture and Fabrics Available at Saratoga Signature Interiors.

 

Make Sure You Have The Right Sized Area Rug For Your Space

Area rugs can pull the whole look together, and act as an anchor for the various colors and patterns in your room, but they have to be the right size. If you are designing a space from scratch, you might find it easier to start with a rug you love and build your ideal room around it. It’s kinda like finding the perfect pair of shoes and putting together an outfit from them. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the area rug should be a minimum of six inches and no more than two feet away from the wall. For the living room or sitting area be sure to choose a rug that extends beyond the coffee table and at least under the first set of legs on sofas or chairs. Nancy Smith suggests pairing a small scale pattern on an area rug with larger scale patterns on furniture pieces in the room. In the dining room center the furniture over the rug, but don’t forget to take your light fixture into account. Choose a rug that fits the shape of the table. If you have a round table, place a round area rug underneath. A round rug in a square room can help soften the space a little. Another important thing to remember is that you want at least 30″ from the edge of the table to the edge of the rug. When you pull out the dinging chairs, you want to make sure that they do not extend over the rug. This can make it tricky for your guests to pull them back in, and it’s bad for the rug. In most cases a 9″ x 12″ rug will work, but that all depends on the size of your table. In a bedroom, rugs are a great way to make the room feel more cozy and plush. place one under the end of the bed, letting the rug extend into the room to pull a large space together. Outdoor areas can also be a great place for an area rug. You can experiment with different shapes, sizes, and textures that mimic the outdoor space. Just make sure to purchase textiles that are made for outdoor use.

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Photograph Courtesy of Huntington House. Furniture and Fabrics Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors. When you are choosing an area rug for your room, think about how you want it to feel under your feet. You may want a flat weave for the living room or dining room, and a woven rug for your bedroom. Pro Tip: Many flat weave rugs are reversible!

Don’t Use Just One Light Source In A Room

Fabric, wall-coverings, and furniture can all transform a room, but one of the most inexpensive and effective ways to freshen your space is through lighting. The proper layering of light can enhance color and ambiance. This means that just one over head light source isn’t enough. Think about how you are going to use your space, and make sure to choose lighting that is going to enhance it’s function and design. Make sure to develop a lighting plan that addresses every purpose your room may serve. Creating warm, welcoming rooms is easier with well-planned and well-placed lighting. Using bases and shades to enhance your decorative scheme can really pull together a room. All of the elements in your room should be working toward the same goal, a beautiful, comfortable, and functional interior.

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Photograph Courtesy of Huntington House. Furniture and Fabrics Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors. You can see in this photograph that there are several different light sources being used to create this look. Notice how the chandelier incorporates the color of the area rug and throw pillows. The accent lighting positioned next to the sofa adds another layer of light, while the floor lamp creates a functional focal point in the room.

Fresh Paint Goes A Long Way

 paint is magical. Whether you need to conceal scuff marks, give your space a cozy face lift, or you’re just fed up with the current look of your living room, there is nothing quite like  a fresh coat of paint. It is easy to transform your living space. Did I mention that it’s super cost effective? grab some paint and get brushing, it’s really that simple. If you want to make a bolder statement, and paint isn’t going to cut it, then you should really think about wallpaper! Wallpaper can deliver a ton of drama and style on a budget. Whether you choose wallpaper or Paint, you are on your way to a whole new look with minimal effort!

Check Out These Stunning Walls!

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Photograph Courtesy of © Thibaut Inc. Wallpaper & Prints Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors.

 

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Photograph Courtesy of Sherrill. Furniture Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors.

 

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Photograph Courtesy of Sherrill. Furniture Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors.

Accessorize & Repeat

Accessories make a huge difference in how your room looks. They add style and depth. First things first. Decide on the look that you want. Modern, Symmetrical, eclectic, rustic, or maybe you want a country cottage feel. There are so many different styles and looks out there, no wonder it gets confusing. Once you decide on the style you want, choosing accessories becomes a heck of a lot easier. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you are choosing to highlight colors, textures, and themes that you love! You have to live with it, so make sure that  the accessories you choose let your personality shine through. Nancy’s Mom used say: “when decorating think of Heaven, Man, and Earth.” You might be wondering what that is supposed to mean, but it’s actually rather simple. Work with varying heights. Heaven is high, Earth is low, and Man is in between. It helps to have groupings of objects in varying heights, shapes and textures. At the same time, there should be something similar about them. This advice seems to contradict itself, but the point is, there should be something that groups your items together, but also something about each of them that is slightly different. The goal here is to make sure everything isn’t uniform, and boring.

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Photograph Courtesy of Huntington House. Furniture and Fabrics Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors. Make shelving units and bookshelves an interesting focal point with carefully chosen accessories that show off your personal style.

 

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Photograph Courtesy of Huntington House. Furniture and Fabrics Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors.

Buy Quality Furniture

You know that old adage, “You get what you pay for.”? Well, this is never more true then when buying furniture. Looking for a bargain is perfectly fine when you’re buying the small things, but there are a few things that you should never skimp out on. Your house, your car, and your furniture. These things are investments and you really don’t want to be paying for repairs or parts year after year. Buying poorly made furniture only means that you are going to have to buy it again in the not so distant future. When you are looking for furniture make sure to find out if it is eight way hand tied, hand upholstered, and made with a real wood frame. This can save you the cost of another sofa down the line. Generally speaking, a quality sofa can last upwards of 10 years. Most people choose to replace their quality made furniture because their style or needs have changed, not because it is falling apart.

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Photograph Courtesy of Sherrill. Furniture Available At Saratoga Signature Interiors. Here at Saratoga Signature Interiors we specialize in quality made furnishings that are going to last the test of time.

 

If you are ready to liven up your living space with quality furniture and stunning style then stop by our showroom and set up a free design consultation with our design team.

(518) 581-0023