YOUR ROOM

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INTHE

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Your Room In the Nude

You have some ideas on how to design your room, but you are a unsure of how to get started? You look at your space, but can’t seem to really envision your ideas? Here is why, there is too much “stuff” in the way. You know – stuff - your current furniture, lighting and accessories.

You have to strip your room to the bare bones to get to the basics, fundamentals and essentials of interior design. To start from scratch you don’t have to literally “strip” your room. I am going to show you how designers start from “scratch” by sketching your design, getting inspirations for your design and researching the right products for the function and use of your room.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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PrintFreeGraphPaper.com

Go to your local office supply store or art supply store and purchase 1. Graph Paper2. Pencils3. Ruler4. Eraser5. Furniture Templates6. Trace paper pad7. Pocket Color WheelMeasuring tape (you might have to go to a building supply store for this)

It will cost you about $30.00

T O O L S A N D S U P P L I E S

TIP: Urecht Art Supply is my favorite art store

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Space planning is the term used by interior designers to describe the process of laying out your room for the best function and flow.

If you ever looked closely at a floor plan, you may have noticed that there is a scale. It usually says ¼” equals 1’. Your newly purchased graph paper already has the “scale” baked in. Each square measures ¼” and represents one foot of area in your room. So let’s get started.

Measure the first wall of your room (don’t worry about doors and windows, we will get to that later). Place the tape measure at the base of your floor against one wall. Pull the tape out to the opposite wall. This is your first measurement. My example room is 20 feet. Count out twenty squares and draw a line. Then do the same for the remaining three walls. Now you have your room envelope, let’s add the windows and doors.

Your template may have come with door and window grids, if not just follow my example. Measure the distance from the wall to the outside edge of the window, note this measurement. Measure the width of your window and find that size window on your template or draw in the window width using the same technique we used for the walls. Do the same for the doors. The arch for the door opening is the same side as the door knob.

You can also use an iPhone app called MagicPlan, to measure your room dimensions, but I don’t have much luck with it. I think it is easier to use a tape measure.

W H A T ’ S M Y P L A N ?

Here is your room in the nude. Next we will figure out where to place the furniture.

TIP: If you want to go digital here are three of the best free virtual room planners, but believe me, drafting by hand is the best way to get your creative juices flowing............Really!!!!!IKEA (www.ikea.com)AutoDesk Homestyler (www.homestyler.com)Home Sweet 3D (www.sweethome3d.com)

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Below are typical furniture dimensions. Dimensions of actual pieces that you select may vary, but furniture that is greatly different from these examples will most likely be uncomfortable and impractical. Also, the activities engaged in and the size and the shape of the room will affect the selection and arrangement of the appropriate furniture.

TIP: For a standard 84” sofa with exposed legs and a tight back, you’ll need 14 yards of plain 54” inch width fabric.

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There are four basic principals for a room layout, but first ask yourself these questions:

1. How will I use the space: media, conversation, reading?

2. Who will use the space: children, adults, pets?

3. What are the general traffic patterns?

4. What is the focal point - fireplace, television, windows?

5. Do I need storage - bookcases, media console, toy chests?

6. How much daylighting do I have?

TIP: Remember a few simple rules when hanging pictures. A) Hang artwork with the center line 60” above the floor. This will make the focal point at about eye level. B) Group small pictures to create one unit and use the same 60” on center rule. C) Pairs of pictures should be arranged symmetrically. D) Never have the top of the artwork higher than the tops of the windows.

INSPIRATION: Find an object and let it become the guiding principal for your design. For example, do you have a vase that you love? Use it as your inspiration - such as color and shape. Find a piece of artwork that thrills you, then pick three colors in the artwork and use it as your palette. Have a favorite pattern? Repeat it in the wallpaper, textiles, sculptures, or artwork.

Consider the layouts on the following four pages. A typical room can function well when arranged according to one of these principals. Place your room “envelope” that you drew on the graph paper on a tabletop and tape down the corners. Now take out your tablet of trace paper and place one sheet over the top of your graph paper. It is time to start sketching out your room. Don’t erase, just remove the trace and put a fresh piece of trace over the graph paper and sketch some more. Keep going until you feel like you have a good space plan.

There you did it! You have the floor plan for your room. Next we will figure out how to find just the right pieces of furniture, fixtures, and accessories.

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SYMMETRICALUsing the natural center of the room, furniture is placed around a common axis. This will make the space have a calming

effect.

RESOURCE:www.dwellstudio.com

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DUAL AXISDraw attention to the center of the room with a cross axis. Through traffic is straightforward and does not go through any

of the activity/furniture clusters.

Tip: Add a geometric pattern somehwere in your space - like

wallpaper or textile. It will create a calming effect.

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LOCAL SYMMETRYFocus of the seating cluster is the fireplace and/or television. This maintains harmony and balance. Also separate seating

areas can make a room feel larger.

RESOURCE:www.modern-fabrics.com

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ASYMMETRICALArrange furniture into separate groups or clusters within the larger space. This room contains two seating clusters with

differing functions and focal points. Adding the desk layers another function, creating a casual atmosphere.

INSPIRATION: www.houzz.com is a web site and online community about architecture, interior design and decorating, landscape design and home improvement. Search for images by professional designers to get inspiration.You can follow me -http://www.houzz.com/pro/kathleenjennison

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W H A T ’ S M Y S T Y L E ?“Ok,” you say to yourself, I have my space plan, now what? We are going to do a little exercise to figure out your style. Look at these styles of sofas and within the first minute which one do you think to yourself - “THAT’S THE ONE!”

A) BRIDEGWATER B) CHESTERFIELD C) CHIPPENDALE

D) ENGLISH E) LAWSON F) MID-CENTURY

G) SECTIONAL H) TUXEDO

If you selected B,C, or H your style is TraditionalIf you selected A or D your style is TransitionalIf you selected E or G your style is ContemporaryIf you selected F your style is Modern

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TRADITIONAL is classic styling rooted in 18th-century English, 19th-century neoclassic, French country and British Colonial revival history. Spaces are generally symmetrical and orderly with a muted color palette rich in florals, solids, stripes or plaids. Ornamental, fine carved wood furniture, overstuffed sofas with tufting and skirted furniture are mixed with antiques. Sometimes the traditional style is quite feminine with lush rose patterns, extensive uses of greens, reds, pinks and blues. Generally furniture is ornate, fanciful and with decorative embellishments. Often, one color way of fabric with different patterns is repeated throughout the space. Antique and heirloom furniture with dramatic layered window treatments are common. Search for images of Ralph Lauren Home for inspiration.

TRANSITIONAL bridges contemporary and traditional design. It has a deeply rooted sense of history in some pieces, but furniture often gets an update with cleaner lines. Furniture pieces are short with ornately turned legs and feet; hardware is heavy and often burnished. Velvets, linens and textured fabrics are mixed with textured walls. Visit Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn for transitional looks.

CONTEMPORARY is the most popular style by far with its clean, sleek lines and solid predominantly muted neutral colors. Bold pops of color in furniture and accessories accentuate a contemporary space. Furniture is sleek, lower to the ground and often has metal frames or straight legs with an emphasis on basic shapes and forms. Graphic elements in artwork or as accents work well with this look. Arts and Crafts style furnishings fits into this category. The focus is simple in form, without extraneous decoration, often showing the way pieces and materials were put together. Room & Board is a good source for contemporary design inspiration.

MODERN is always minimal with a true use of material and an absence of decoration. Furniture and architecture is sleek, boxy and streamlined. It’s characterized by a neutral color palette, polished surfaces, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry. Mid-Century Modern is a style that fits into this category. It is a look originating in the ‘50s and ‘60s (think MadMen). Scandinavian designers

TIP: It is a good idea to create interest by mixing styles, woods, colors, and patterns. Eclectic is the catch-all style that borrows from several other design styles and evokes a sense of artistry and amazement with unexpected contrasts. This doesn’t mean you can just throw together everything and anything, but rather rely on the building blocks of design -color, pattern, and texture and composition (you already composed your space in the planning) to make the space look cohesive.

RESOURCES:Traditional- Ballard DesignsTransitional - Ethan AllenContemporary - Room & BoardModern - Design Within Reach

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W H A T ’ S M Y C O L O R ?I can’t tell you your color, but I can give you a primer on color theory that will give you the ability to pick the right colors for your space. Try stepping out of your comfort zone. It is not that I hate beige, but there is SO MUCH MORE!!

Color impacts how we feel and how we behave( you know green makes you hungry and red doesn’t - that sort of thing), so color is a powerful tool for an interior designer when making the choices for a particular space. Color also affects the perception of form , the dimensions and qualities of interior space. However, merely understanding the emotional qualities of color is not enough. An understanding of the history, science and theory of color is essential knowledge when you design your space. Understanding color in relation to interior design will make your design project so much easier. If you follow the basics of color theory when choosing your color palette you will be able to acheive the professional look you are striving for.

The COLOR WHEEL organizes colors in a logical fashion based on the primary, secondary and

tertiary hues. The primary hues are yellow, red and blue seating at twelve o’clock, four

o’clock and eight o’clock. The secondary hues are a mixture of the primary colors and are orange, green and violet seating adjacent to the primary colors, followed by the tertiary hues of red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet. The value of a hue can be altered by adding white, gray or black.

When white is added to a hue it is called a tint.

When gray is added to a hue it is called a tone.

When black is added to a hue is it called a shade.

The outermost ring of this color wheel is the pure hues of the color wheel. The receding layers are the tint, tone, and shade of the respective colors.

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VALUE is the degree of lightness or darkness of a color in relation to white and black. The value of a color can be raised by adding white and lowered by adding black. Yellow is lighter in value than violet. Lightening a hue’s normal value by adding white creates a tint of that hue; darkening the hue’s normal value with black creates a shade of the hue. A normally high-value color, such as yellow, is capable of more shade than tints, while a low-value color, such as red, is able to have more tints than shades. The above chart demonstrates the value change of gray, yellow, orange, red, green, blue and violet. Some colors have a small color range such a yellow which becomes very light within two squares and loses its identity quickly as black is added. Whereas, strong colors such as red and blue retain their identity as they lower in value. Light values tend to be cheerful, middle values undemanding, and dark values somber.

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INTENSITY refers to the brightness of a color. A color is at full intensity when not mixed with black or white – a pure hue. You can change the intensity of a color, making it duller or more neutral by adding gray to the color. You can also change the intensity of the color by adding its complement. The blue and orange become duller and neutral when the gray is added along the top row. The intensity of the color along the bottom row changes when its complement (the blue with the orange and the orange with the blue) is added. Warm hues and high intensities are visually active and stimulating, while cool hues and low intensities are more subdued and relaxing.

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COLOR HARMONIES

The basic techniques for combining colors in the primary split color wheel are as follows (you might want to purchase a color wheel that rotates):

Monochromatic color schemes vary the value of a single hue. The hue can vary in value, and black or white may be added to create various shades or tints. This example is blue, which is a calming color.

Analogous color schemes use two or more hues from the same quarter of the color wheel. The hues may vary in value as this color schemes does with yellow-tone.

Complementary color schemes use the two hues on opposite sides of the color wheel, such as red and green, yellow and violet, or orange and blue. Complementary colors of yellow and violet in this example produce a very exciting, dynamic pattern.

Split Complementary color schemes combine one hue with the two hues adjacent to its complement. There are a total of twelve different combinations on the split color wheel. The combinations provide harmony.

Analogous Complementary color schemes combine three analogous colors with the complement of one of those colors. This example combines the four analogous colors of red, orange-red, orange, and orange-yellow with green, the complement of red. The analogous colors create dominance and the green enhances the effect by contrast.

Triadic color schemes use colors located at three equidistant points on the color wheel. This example is the basic triad with the primary colors of red, blue and yellow. It is considered bold

and energetic.

Modified Triadic color schemes use three hues skipping over one color between each of the three hues on a twelve color wheel. This example is blue-violet, crimson and orange. The colors are nearly analogous and create harmony.

Tetrad colors schemes use two pairs of complementary colors forming a rectangle.

INSPIRATION: Best magazines:Dwell - ModernHouse Beautiful - Transitional Architectural Digest - Traditional

RESOURCE:www.westelm.com

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Analogous Complementary color palette of red, orange-red, orange, orange-yellow and green.

Triadic color palette of red, blue and yellow.

Modified Triadic color palette of violet, crimson, and orange.

Tetrad colors palette of red, green, violet, yellow-green, and green/red.

(Left to Right) Monochromatic color palette of blue, blue-tint, blue-tone, blue-shade, and black.

Analogous color palette of yellow, yellow-orange, orange-yellow, orange, and yellow-tone.

Complementary color palette of yellow, violet, yellow-tint, violet-tint, and violet/yellow.

Split Complementary color palette of red, yellow-green, blue-green, yellow-green tint, and yellow-green tone.

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W H A T ’ S M Y F I N I S H E S ?

When picking out your finishes, it is best to start at the bottom and work your way up, so let’s talk about FLOORING. Your basic choices are wood, tile, and carpet. Instead of explaining the

myriad of types and their pros and cons, I am going to just tell you what you should use.

Wood Floor - choose an engineered hardwood. This is the most stable, durable and long lasting choice for hardwood. You can use it on whatever type of foundation/sub-floor you have. The substrate of the flooring is a composite wood product with layers of wood veneer on top. The durability is achieved by layering the veneer crisscross on each other. This keeps it from cupping or coping which is a common problem with standard hardwood flooring.

Talk the talk - Engineered hardwood is what I have described above, don’t get it confused with laminate wood flooring which uses an image of wood on its surface and is not a good choice.

Carpet - choose a 100% wool carpet. The price of wool have declined considerably over the past few years, making it comparable in price with Nylon. But wool is SO much better. It is a natural renewable fiber, it naturally repels stains because of the lanolin, and it will last for a very long time. Masland Carpet makes a line of wool carpet called Nature Thread which is comprised of multi-colored yarns in natural tone on tone variations. I know I am a “beige basher”, but you should use a shade of neutral shade beige in your carpet and wool is the best choice. And I think a loop pile is the most practical.

Talk the talk - Broadloom is wall to wall carpet and a rug is an area rug.

Tile - the only room I suggest using tile is the bathroom. Visit lots of tile showrooms (not the big box home improvement stores) and ask lots of questions. Whether you choose ceramic, porcelain, or natural stone (save glass for the walls) is a personal preference. They all work the same.

Let’s move up the walls and talk about PAINT. There are many brands of paint, but I always specify Kelly-Moore or Sherwin Williams. These are the paints that painting contractors use, so it is easier and cheaper to go with the paints they use. If you are doing your own painting, these stores have great sales representatives that will help you get just the right paint.

The sheen of your wall will depend on the room. A flat sheen will disguise a poorly textured wall and with the durability of today’s paint, a flat sheen will clean just as well as an eggshell or semi-gloss. However, eggshell or semi-gloss should be used on doors and trim and wet rooms.

TIP: Pick a style of hardwood floor with a hand-scraped design, low-sheen gloss, and beveled edges if you have young children or pets. The dirt will migrate into the edges and keep your floors from getting scratched between vacuuming..

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WHITE

SnowboundSW7004

Natural ChoiceSW7011

Extra WhiteSW7006

BEIGE

GREY

BLUE

GREEN

AccessibleSW7036

BalancedSW7037

Pearly WhiteSW7005

Mega GreigeSW7031

Status BronzeSW7034

AlpacaSW7022

Dorian GraySW7017

ReposeSW7015

FunctionalSW7024

DovetailSW7018

Gray ScreenSW7071

OnlineSW7072

Site WhiteSW7070

SoftwareSW7074

Web GraySW7075

ContentedSW6191

Coastal PlainSW6192

OpalineSW6189

Dried ThymeSW6186

Rock GardenSW6195

Tip: One gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet of

wallI said I wasn’t going to tell you what colors to pick, but here are my favorite neutral colors for walls.

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Ahhh, WINDOW COVERINGS - this is the one area that most people make the mistake of trying to cut corners, but you need to fork out the dough and dress up your windows.

Forget those inexpensive vinyl blinds - no, no, no. And if you are going to purchase ready made drapery make sure they have the weight and volume to hang nicely. Please don’t install wimpy drapes.

These are my three favorite styles of drapes:

Pinch pleated and color blocked panels glide easily

back and forth on modern ring and rod hardware.

Reverse pleated drapery with a patterned side panel and metal holdbacks make an elegant statement.

Grommet topped drapery panels held back with coordinating fabric tiebacks are perfect for your contemporary space.

Reverse PleatPinch Pleat Grommet

Tip: A small window is made to look larger by

placing the drapery panels higher and wider than the

window itself.

Mount drapery hardware as high as possible (even mount

on the ceiling) to give the room height.

Don’t “puddle” the drapes on the floor, let them break 1 1/2

inches from the floor

Drapery should be 2 to 3 times the width of the

windowRESOURCE:www.halfpricedrapes.com

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W H A T ’ S M Y L I G H T I N G ?

Since we have all lived with residential lighting all our lives, it is sometimes difficult to stray from conventional lighting design, but try to consider residential lighting from a fresh approach. It is best to have a balance of all light sources to create interest. There are two types of light sources - daylighting and artificial lighting. It is difficult to control daylighting, so we focus on artificial lighting.

Artificial lighting is typically described as: • Ambient - general-purpose lighting like recessed downlights • Accent - low-voltage lighting to illuminate artwork,

architectural elements or furniture• Focal - chandeliers, wall sconces, and table or floor lamps• Task - provides lighting for extended period visual tasks such

as reading or desk work

The idea is not necessarily to have fixtures that are out of the ordinary, but to have layers of light to add character to your space. In our example room, ambient lighting could be achieved with sconces , table and floor lamps, and recessed downlights to provide the first layer of overall light. Focal light could be provided with a chandelier and accent lights in bookcases or put up lights behind plants which are the second and third layers.

TIP: At least one room in your house has to have a chandelier. Add the length and width of the room in feet and this number, in inches, should be the diameter of your chandelier. A 12’ x 12’ dining room should have a 24 inch wide fixture.

RESOURCE:www.lampsplus.com

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D I Y O R D I D ?

Do you think you can do it yourself? I gave you a lot of information, but there is so much more. So here is my opportunity to pitch my services and you can say “DO IT DESIGNER!”

Here is why you need an interior designer, but not just any interior designer, an interior designer who is also a general contractor. As your Design and Build professional, I will create designs that effectively uses your space for your intended use and needs all within a budget that reflects the true investment you want to make.

Whether you need new furnishings and paint, a total tear-down and remodel or something in between, I make sure you are in compliance with all of California’s Building and Fire Codes, when I prepare the necessary plans and drawings for your building permits and bids.

The most compelling part is that I have a professional education in interior design and I am a Certified Interior Designer. This means that I must have continuing education each year, keeping me current all the latest rules, regulations, technology, and trends. As a bonus, my former career as a Certified Public Accountant gives me the skill set to manage your project from beginning to end.

But wait, there’s more!! I’ve given you a few resources that are accessible to the public, but I have access to “to the trade only” vendors giving you the greatest selection and best price point of furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

My services can help you save money, time, and frustration. It is that simple.

Want to Work With Me?I work exclusively with new homeowners. My clientele are not the “me-too” crowd. I work with clients wanting an alternative stye; fashion forward, trendy, euro influences with their own unique sensibilities. If this sounds like you, visit my website and schedule your complimentary consultation