Please Help Me with Curtain Design!

Help me!

I am currently writing a brand new ecourse for you.....Curtain Design!

I was over half way through when I had a brain wave! Why not ask you, my future curtain design ecourse reader, what you want to learn.

So before I set my ecourse in concrete and send you out all the details, I want to make sure that you will be 100% satisfied with what you will learn.

I know I complain often about the amount of emails I get (they are great, keep them coming, it's just I can't always guarantee a reply!), so this time I am asking you to make comments after this article and then I will have all the information in one spot!

I have also set up 2 polls on the right hand column of this blog so that you can simply click on the answer to a couple of questions.

You can visit the curtains.interiordezine.com website to see what you think is missing and let me know! Or if you have any questions about curtains, list them up below and I will work them into the ecourse.

I realise that many of you are as busy as me so this request is obviously not compulsory, but if some of you could spare a few minutes, even a few seconds to click on my poll, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for your help in advance, and I will be back to you really soon with a release date for the ecourse!

Enjoy your weekend!

A room in it's underwear is not the finished product!

A room in it's underwear is not the finished product!

One of the hardest things to deal with when an interior design or decorating project is underway is the client making comments and wanting to make changes because they aren't sure that what they see is what they had expected!

This can be draining on time and your energy.

What I suggest you do is tell them at the beginning to have faith in your expertise. Then during the project remind them that you know what you are doing and when the job is finished, you will then love the end result! Don't back down and make changes willy nilly! This will compromise your design, but if you believe they have a valid point or some of the items specified are not available and you have to make subtle changes, then go ahead, but in general, stick to your scheme.

Remember if it looks good on paper, then it should look good in real life!

What I mean here is that you have already been through your design process, taken your client brief so you know what your client needs, and gathered up all your options and weeded out the things that don't work and kept what does. You have collated it and made your color board and it looks great. This process takes time and by the end you have created a well considered interior design or decorating scheme and it looks good. So stick to it and follow your design instincts.

I know from years of experience that it pays off. When I was younger I just wanted to please everyone and would often end up making ridiculous compromises and then at the end everyone was disappointed, the jobs didn't have the design flair that they should have.

I am now stronger and more forthright with my clients and ask them to trust me! Believe me it makes life easier! After all you have done your homework!

One way of remembering this is to think of when you get dressed to go out at night. You start by putting on your underwear, then you add pants, skirt, dress, shirt ie another layer, then you add a belt, tights, socks, shoes, boots, scarves, jumpers, jackets, gloves, vests, jewelery, hats, .....now if your partner walks in when you only have your underwear on and says, oh, I don't like that outfit! What would you say? I'm not going out in this, I am not finished dressing yet! Wait to see the end result!

See what I mean, a room in it's "underwear" is not the finished product!

Read more about the design process here

Confusion over Interiors Looking Even

Confusion over interiors looking even

What do I mean?

I will explain.

I currently have a client with a building that has numerous different width windows in the same room. He is very concerned about how I am going to get them to look even.
Does this make sense? Not really, the only way I can make them look even is to change the position of the windows. I can however make them look balanced in the room. This is the key word. We are installing drapes at the windows and I have make a sketch of where the drapes will sit, I have strategically placed them so that the room will look balanced to the eye. The windows are all still odd sizes, but by using drapery we have created a rhythmic and balanced wall, you don't notice the different sizes of the windows, and I am sure my client will be able to rest easy! I had better be off now to show him how I will make his interior look "even".

Just a little something to remember when decorating interiors!
for more information on curtains visit curtains.interiordezine.com

Redecorating on a budget - learn how to save money without reducing the quality.

As you may well know by now, I like the finer things in life when it comes to interior design and decorating. Sometimes, more often than not these are not in an achievable price bracket for me! I know I am not alone in this, so I thought I would share how I achieved high quality without the high quality price tag in my own home! This sounds strange coming from an interior designer, but I always think of my client's budget when I design, and of course, scrutinize it even more when it's my own!!

So how did I get what I wanted for the right price? Simple, careful planning, and taking my time.

What I did was decide on the look I wanted to achieve, then I made a note of how I was going to do this. What were the key factors in the design that would pull the interior scheme off?

Then I waited, this is the magical factor in achieving the quality that you want at the price you can afford. Others may call this shopping around, but how many times have you impulsively purchased something and then the week after it was reduced by 25% ?Just think what else you could have purchased with the savings of 25%?

You simply need to keep an eye open for what you need, monitor it at the retail stores, check online auctions, this is a great way to save money, frequently wholesalers list their products online and have an auction with a reserve or a buy now price, usually cheaper than purchasing retail. Then check for second hand or as I like to call it preloved items, quality at a much reduced price, often a preloved leather lounge suite is just what you are looking for, already aged and worn in, something that would have taken you years to get the same look!

Now you will know what the items you want are worth and how much you are willing to buy them for, this casual shopping in your own leisure time has saved you hard cash!
Now when you are passing the department store and you see the lounge chair you desire, you can check the price tag and feel comfortable buying it as you know it fits your budget and you are getting it at a suitable price, or admiring it and walking on by, knowing that in two months it will be the right price for you! You can find things in an online auction and put them on your wishlist, and when they come up, you will have a good idea how much to bid. This price saving is all able to be achieved because I have allowed my project to be facilitated over time.

This is all very well, you say but what if you can't wait? What if you want your renovation to happen all at once? Well, you will just have to do all that homework quicker and make decisions faster, this will add a little to the end price, but a major savings can still be achieved.

My project is still not completed, but so far, I have saved myself, $4,000.00 on a lounge suite from the original I had first desired! $2,500 on dining room chairs, and they are even upholstered in a beautiful fabric already! But just as well I hadn't ordered the curtains as due to this lovely upholstery fabric I now have to change the drapery fabric to something a little more subdued, so that is my next mission, checking out fabric prices! It is important to be able to subtly change your scheme as this allows for you to achieve the look you want and still get the quality. The lounge suite is even better that the original I had selected, and then I have managed to get 8 chairs instead of the 6 I had originally budgeted on.

So it just goes to show you that good things come to those who wait, and of course to those who plan carefully!

for interior design tips visit design tips and helpful hints

Stair, Staircase or Stairway? What do you call it?

This is a common question, which name do you use? I use all of them and I don't think it matters!

To me they all mean the same thing, I guess it all comes down to what your parents taught you! If anyone knows other wise, feel free to comment below!

The reason I am discussing stairs is because I have recently been up to my armpits in stair terminology. I have just made live a lovely little website on stairs, it is in it's infancy, like all our little websites, but I have loads to keep adding to help everyone with their stair design education.

There are examples of staircases, with comments about their makeup and design features and pitfalls, the definition of a stair, parts of a staircase, the differences between stairs, ramps and lifts and in the future there will be information about ergonomics of stairs, lighting for stairs, materials for use on stairs and many more photographs of staircase design ideas.

So instead of reading this, move over to the stairs website and see what you think for yourself!

You Must Choose Quality Fittings and Fixtures For Your Home

When it comes to what you can see in a room, make it look good! When it comes to what you can touch in a room, make it quality!

There is nothing worse than visiting a lovely big new home that your friends are proud of and you turn the lever of the door and it springs back at you! Ugh, cheap hardware. I say this as a designer but also a lover of things that work in a home interior.
Firstly, using the door hardware example, it is an expensive item no matter what, but a few extra dollars per door can make the experience of opening and closing a door just that much better.
Secondly, just think how many times a day this happens? How long before the economical (cheap) hardware wears out? Then you have to replace it all. Good quality hardware in high use areas is essential, not only because it feels good but because it will save you money in the long run. Think about the faucets or taps in the kitchen, main bathroom and laundry, how often do you use them? All day every day. It's not such a hard decision is it really. What about light switches?
I went to visit a home that was built the same time as ours, approximately five years ago, we thought it was a bit bigger than ours and we could spread out a bit more! Well after we replaced all the light switches and power outlets that had cracked and gone yellow and brittle, the light fittings that had fallen off the wall, the wallpaper that had peeled off, broken basins and toilet seats, cracked tiles, stained carpet, should I go on.....? How much would that cost? Crazy! If the products had be specified to even a small level of quality, they would still all be of sound working order, who wants to buy a house and have to replace all the fittings and fittings in a five year old home, not us, false economy for the original owner, we moved on!
So what I am trying to say is shop around for quality, it does cost more, but it is out there and it really is worth while, especially if you our your client want to stay in your home long term.

For more information on fittings and fixtures , bathroom fittings and fixtures,

Can we ever choose the perfect floor product?

Can we ever choose the perfect floor?

I am totally disillusioned. With all my experience and product knowledge, I still get goose bumps when a new floor product is laid. Will it live up to expectations, is it worth the extra cost, can I repair it if it gets damaged....the questions are endless.

I have just experienced a scenario that I thought I would share with you, because it was my worst nightmare as a designer. The client moves into their newly renovated home only to find that the floor looks like it has been attacked by razor blades! It is the sunniest room of the house where every little deviation is visible. This wouldn't have been so bad to handle if the contractor had informed me of the problem, oh, no they were trying to fix it before they told me in conjunction with the client, so I was left out of the loop. Not a good look as I turned up with new fabrics because the original fabrics specified for some of the curtains were unavailable. I must admit, I felt very unprofessional and instantly on the back foot. The other problem was that they had moved in and didn't want contractors hanging around trying to fix it, which is understandable.

What did I do in my professional capacity?

I rang the experts, the product supplier and got them to speak directly to the client, then we decided that it wasn't in an acceptable state and that an insurance claim would have to be made to replace it with a new flooring.

What we think had happened was the cleaners had scratched the vinyl when they did the final tidy up after the builders left. Oops, it really was a mess. The contractors had done the correct procedures all the way through, they had covered the flooring so that it was not damaged, so for them to find it this way also took them by surprise.

So the moral of the story is, make sure that the building owner and the contractor have insurance to cover any little mishaps that may occur along the way in a project, and have faith in your flooring choices, it is very rare that something like this happens to a sturdy and hard wearing flooring product.
Hard Flooring Products,
Semi Hard Flooring,
Stone Flooring,
Clay Based Flooring,
Carpet
Timber Flooring