1. Interior Design Tips the Pros Use

2. Whether you are planning to put your home onthe market, or just want to add some style andimprove your living space, the concepts of interiordesign will serve you well. Interior design is aprofession as well as a discipline, and it refers tousing both creative and technical solutions toenhance an interior space. The way that interior designers are able tocompletely transform a room might make themseem more like magicians, but they do follow aprocess that helps make such transformationspossible. 3. Set a Budget This may seem like a given, but its surprising how many people create a vision without even thinking about money and then spend a lot more than theyd like. Before you make any purchases or create a detailed plan of the work you want to do, set a budget. Make your budget realistic for your situation, and if possible leave a little wiggle room in case you have some extras to buy near the end of the project. 4. Set Some Goals It may be tempting to run out and start buying fabricsand colors to match the images in your mind, but youhave to get yourself organized. A professional interiordesigner knows that setting some design goals is thekey to seeing your vision turn into reality. Keeping your budget in mind, make a list of thespecific goals that you want to accomplish. Yourbudget may not allow you to complete everything youwant to do, and if thats the case, prioritize your list.This way, youll at least get to the top few goals beforeyou run out of money. Many interior designers like to follow the 60-30-10rule, which states 60% of the room should bedesigned in the dominant color, 30% in a secondarycolor and 10% of the room in an accent color. 5. Gather Samples Once you have a budget and ahave set goals, its time to visit afew home design stores andshowrooms. Look for samplesof fabric, paint, tile, upholstery,carpet and window treatments.Get as many samples as youcan, and then bring them homewith you. Make some notes about howeach sample looks at varioustimes of the day, in differentlighting. Keep in mind, that if you wantyour space to seem big andopen, opt for softer colors likecream, gray and beige. Also,keep the ceiling color lighterthan all other aspects in theroom. If youd like the room to fillsmaller, look for strong colorsfor the floor and walls to help 6. Pin It Up Another important tip that the pros use before goingout and making big purchases is to ensure all of thefabrics, colors, patterns and pieces work together.Nothing would be worse than to think you haveeverything you want, only to find out that two or moreitems dont work together once youre finished. Make yourself a design board and arrange everythingon it so you can get a true sense of whether they worktogether or not. Take a little time to let it all sink in,and ask yourself if youre going to be comfortable withthese patterns and colors in your living space. Dontbe afraid to mix and match the colors a little, to helpmake the space a little more vibrant. Its also a goodidea to check back with your goals to make sure 7. Check the Lights Before you blow your whole budget on fabrics, paint,carpets, etc; its wise to consider your lighting. The lightingin the room can completely change the look and feel ofyour design job, so dont just assume everything will workout with what you have. Explore the different lighting options and how they willproject light onto the colors youve chosen for yourredesign. In some cases, you may be fine with what youhave, but its definitely a good idea to check it out. If you want the space to seem bigger than it is, look for asoft and even source of light that eliminates shadows, andtry to stay away from ceiling lights because theyll makethe ceiling seem lower than it is. If you want the feeling of a cozier space, use directed lightthat will create shadows and try out the ceiling lights youwere avoiding when making the room appear larger. 8. Make a Floor Plan As a way to find that perfectbalance and make sureeverything fits well,professional designers makea floor plan. You can usedesigner software or just usea simple pencil and paper, ifyou prefer. Sketch out where you wanteach piece in the room to go,and which colors are to gowhere. If you dont alreadyknow, measuring out thesquare footage so youllknow exactly how muchpaint, carpet and othersupplies youll need to buy.The square footage alsohelps you determine if newpieces of furniture willactually fit into the room. 9. Find a Point of Interest Most professional designers like to create asingular point of interest thats intended forpeople to notice as soon as they walk into theroom. The point of interest might be a design ona carpet, a piece of furniture or a special piece ofartwork. Sometimes, more than one point of interest isused, but you have to use caution, because toomany will make the room look cluttered and toobusy. 10. Hire a Designer While some people really do have a natural talent for interior design, most do not. If you areone of the lucky ones, following the tips above will help you get organized and turn yourvision into reality. For the majority who cant seem to get a handle on the actual design part, hiring aprofessional is always a good choice. Many people arent interested in spending the extramoney, but a lot of the time youll end up spending more through your mistakes if you try andgo it alone. Every homeowner definitely has the choice, but sometimes deferring to an expertjust makes sense. If you do choose to hire a professional, approach it like you would if you were hiring any otherprofessional that was coming into your home to do work. Ask for recommendations frompeople you know, ask around at different retail design places or look online. Once youve found a designer that has the credentials you like and fits your budget,communication is the most important thing. You must be able to accurately describe yourthoughts and visions, so the designer can make it a reality. Take advantage of his or herexpertise and ask for opinions, but also look through magazines and online to find examplesof what you want. Answer all of the questions as honestly and accurately as possible, and before you know ityoull have the space youve always dreamed of having.