If you just moved to a house that is nothing like you, or if you are just bored of the decoration and furniture you’ve had for years, maybe it’s time to change a few things (or maybe a lot!). Here are some suggestions and ideas for you to start renovating your residence.

- Add one fine art piece to decorate

You cannot imagine how much one single piece can do for a room. Think about your personal taste, your favorite artists and the style of the room in question. Choose the perfect art piece, and it will change its look completely. It could be a sculpture, a painting, or a vase. It is better if the piece has a special meaning for you. Go to your attic and dig into all those piles of things. You will certainly find some hidden treasures that will look great in your house.

- Renovate an old piece of furniture

Do you have a desk that belonged to your grandfather, and you love it, but it looks too old and worn out? Don’t you think about giving it away! There are many ways in which you can recycle a piece of furniture and take it from ‘old’ to ‘antique’, which not only sounds more glamorous but also looks very refined. Find out about the different products that will help you to preserve the piece’s wood. A good option is to do a patina on the piece; it is modern and looks great.

- Change the lights

Changing the color of the light (for example, from white to amber) provides a new face to the room and changes the colors of the curtains, floors, and walls. Amber lights are better for the eyesight, and give spaces a warm look. Add a big  floor lamp in a corner, or reading lamp on your nightstand. You can even put spotlights in a modern room, or you can also make a hand-made shade and add it to a lamp that you already have.

- Display your collection

Have you been keeping beautiful souvenirs inside a box in your attic for years? Maybe it is time to go up there and take a look at them. Pick a few and put them on a table in your living room or kitchen. Needless to say, it all depends on the style of the room, but it is worth placing them and seeing what happens. It will give the room a new touch and you will have more space in your attic to keep other things.

- Redecorate the whole interior design

Hire an interior designer and the work will be done for you. Any interior design firm in Seattle, New York, or LA will be able to capture the client’s needs and preferences. They manage to turn simple rooms into dynamic and fulfilling spaces.

Amely Wurmbrand is renowned nationally for Seattle interior design work. Design is about innovation, perspective, quality, and functionality. Interior design is meant to be both attractive and comfortable, since it is intended to be present in your everyday life. Good designers are empathetic and will work with you to decorate your interiors in such a way that they will add personality and functionality to your house.

Interior designs, therefore, reflect the customers’ personalities and taste, with the additional touch of a professional that can guide them towards what is best and more practical when it comes to organization and decoration. If you are planning to decorate your house you might want to investigate more on interior design, what works better on different environments and what makes good design. Let’s take a look at some basic principles of interior design:

1. Balance. This is true for many aspects of life. Equilibrium, equality, balance, are fundamental for attractive design. It is created not only through shape, but also through textures, colors, space, and pattern. Balance, however, does not always mean symmetry; this is just the traditional way, also called formal, of achieving equilibrium. If everything is balanced this way, it can have boring results. There are also other forms of balance, like asymmetrical or radial balance. This latter involves an object that is surrounded by others, like a round table.
2. Rhythm. Just like in a musical composition, rhythm is essential to design. The use of patterns and repetitions creates attractive visual environments and generates interest. The viewer will recognize these patterns without thinking about them, and will seem familiar and enjoyable, non intrusive. He/she will feel compelled to look around the room, attracted by a flowing continuum of objects.
3. Points of Interest. Also called anchors, these are spots within a room or environment that you want special attention to be paid. This emphasis on certain items and areas is intended to avoid the dullness and boredom a homogeneous scenery can create. Spots such as fireplaces, windows or places with big objects can be perfect anchors.
4. Harmony. Also comparable to a musical piece, harmony represents cohesion, elements put together to signify, transmit something: a message, an emotion, a statement. Harmony works hand in hand with rhythm. While the latter conveys excitement, the former transmits serenity and composure. Harmony can be achieved by the use of a single color or its chromatic scale, even when using different forms or shapes.
5. Proportion. The Golden Section, created by the ancient Greek, is one great example of how important proportion is to design in general. Actually, the golden section or ratio, also denoted by the letter phi, is present in nature, human beings, and many artistic creations.
6. Scale. In addition to proportion, scale needs to be thoroughly considered. It represents the size of an object in relation to another or to the space in which it is located. A large piano on a small living room, for instance, will be out of scale. It is important to consider scale as a whole, and plan the position and size of objects taking into account the space they will be placed into.

The kitchen is the heart of any home.  It is where the family gets together to ask about each other’s days, to make plans and, of course, enjoy delicious home made, hearty foods.  Due to its gathering nature, it is one of the most challenging places to keep organized and clean.

The kitchen is normally used for more than eating.  It is a place to entertain, study, read, and even pay bills, thus, you need a system to help you sort out all those activities in the same space while keeping it clean and in order.

• First, take pictures of your current kitchen.  Do not fix anything, just take a picture and look at it.  You will be able to view it from a different angle and really envision how it can look if you get it organized.
• Second, remember that glimpse you had of your “new” kitchen when you saw the picture? Now is time to really visualize it serving your life in full detail.  Gather the family and brainstorm what you see the kitchen becoming.  Establish rules based on what’s important to all the members of the family but be clear on what the goal is, to clear up and organize the space.  Avoid blaming others for the mess and just look for solutions that will benefit all.  Be open to feedback and discussion and take everyone’s opinion into account.
• Third, do not rush to buy anything, concentrate on disposing.  Get trash bags and label them as: Keep, Donate, Recycle, and Clutter to Cash.  Then, follow the F.A.S.T method to sort things out:
  F- Fix a time.  Choose a time that suits everyone.  This is a family activity and everyone must help.
  A- Anything not used in 12 months… is not going to be used.  Be truly honest about what gets used or not.  Do not make up reasons to keep it and do not move it to another room.
  S- Someone else’s things.  You shouldn’t be saving things that do not belong to you.  Either return it, let it go, or ask for it to be picked up.
  T- Trash.  Have fun throwing away stuff.  Make a contest to see who throws away the most.  The goal is to keep only the things that work for you.
• Fourth, define zones in your kitchen for every activity that takes place there.  This is a great principle used by recognized interior designers in Seattle, California, NY, and many other important locations.  After using each area, it is easier to clean out, as you know where things go.  Always keep surfaces clear.  Never have a junk drawer, only buy food you will eat and check for expiration dates every three months.
• Fifth, take pictures of your new kitchen and save it as a reminder of your efforts and accomplishments.  It will be a great incentive to keep it that way and reinforce order within the members of the family.

Everyone wants to enjoy living spaces with a warm personality, where they can relax after a hard day of work or rejoice with family and friends over a homemade meal.

Although the main elements in a room- sofas, tables, chairs, and rugs in living spaces, and bed, side tables, and chests of drawers in the bedroom- are key to its general feel, the details and accents are the ones in charge of setting the atmosphere for a cozy, warm, and inviting feeling.

Many people turn to professional interior designers for help in creating their dreamed home environment, and they end up with beautiful spaces perfect for complementing and enhancing their lifestyles.  However, if hiring an interior designer in Seattle, New York, Mississippi, or any other location is over budget right now, you can still enjoy the luxury of a designed look by implementing these easy and affordable ideas:

1.  Get cool lamps.  Lighting is an easy and classy way to enhance any space. Contrary to overhead lightning, which is harsh, impersonal, cold, and uninviting, indirect light provided by beautiful and unique lamps can really turn your living spaces into calm and relaxing areas while decorating them with gorgeous lampshades reflecting your personal taste and style.

2. Choose unique wall hangings.  Not only art pieces fit your walls.  Look for special wooden objects, like trays or masks, or even fabrics, which convey a sense of style, energize and complement your personality.  Any object can work, just be creative and follow your instinct.

3.  Bring the sea into your house.  Shells, coral, and starfish always look good and give a sense of elegance to a space.  They conveys a link to nature and love for life, which are a positive signature in decoration.

4.  Get an unusual chair.  It will be a focal point of interest and, the more different and contrasting, the better!  If not a chair, it can be any object which may dominate the room and show off your character, portraying you as an interesting and unique individual.

5.  Frame notes.  Those notes your friends and family have given you, and you do not want to throw away, but have no idea where to put, frame them and show them off.  Those are powerful messages, guiding your energy and reminding you of what’s important.  Your spaces will immediately be filled with caring vibes from the people who wrote them, and these can be felt and lived.

6.  Books and books.  Nothing says cozy and interesting as books.  Besides intensifying any space’s appearance, books convey knowledge, intelligence, and balance.  Any welcoming atmosphere must contain books, these reveal yourself to your guests, showing them your interests.

7. Make it personal.  No matter how many elements you put into a room, it will never feel complete unless you include yourself in it.  Personalize your spaces with special objects from vacation trips, flea market finds, or any object that relates personally to you.  The idea is that anyone who visits you goes away knowing you a little better because of a unique element they saw on a table, decorating a sofa,or holding a picture.

The continuing changes in the way people decide to decorate their homes are, naturally, the passion of any interior designer. It is also a very interesting subject in general. Not that there is an interior designer in every one of us, but most of us do take notice of the way a room is set up, the objects or items that stand out, the prevailing color pattern. One interesting trend all over the United States and relevant to interior design in Seattle, as well, is the comeback of the personal memorabilia style.

Remember your grandma’s house with all the doilies she made displayed on the armchairs and thousands of picture frames all over the room?

Let’s say you’re a fisherman, and you’ve traveled the world to find interesting fishing experiences. You would probably have memorabilia such as “ obviously and a bit boringly “ photographs. However, there are other interesting things you might have. Let’s say you picked up a fishing rod made by a native in the Amazon: let’s say it’s a wooden rod with fishing line made from palm strings:  interesting? Well, what if we were to clean it up, perhaps put a coat of varnish on it, find a nice base or pedestal and make it a part of your living room decor? This would be an interesting-looking conversation piece that would be related to a part of your life. Now imagine filling the room with such items.

This personal memorabilia would speak of the homeowner’s trip through life; his or her passions, hobbies, discoveries, successes, adventures. The intention is to bring the visitor into the life of the homeowner in a beautiful and interesting way and, at the same time, give the room a unique and appealing ambiance.

Many people display personal memorabilia, but few know how to make it interesting to outsiders and fewer still know when to stop with the picture frames. In truth, we all have many things that would make interesting decor items- but it takes an interior designer to pick the right stuff!