In a time of making your dollar stretch, it can be a challenge when you want to re-design a tired, dated room. But, at the same time, that challenge can bring out the most creative process and you’ll be surprised how little of an investment it takes. We’ve lived in our current home for nearly 14 years. It is a typical ‘box’ tract home that offers little architectural interest especially in the entrance and great room areas. This unforgiving spatial feel of a room can leave you intimidated and thinking you have little decorating options. However, in this type of room, the choice of paint color is critical to a warm and inviting appeal. Secondary to the right color is choice of furniture and that’s where an interior designer can be of great benefit.
As you can see from the pictures, we have exactly that in our front room area: a big box. Much of it is air and space that is unused save for warming in the winter or cooling in the summer. Opting for a neutral yet coordinating color scheme is what will make a difference. With the help of some careful thought to ‘re-purposing’ some existing furniture, new window treatments and, of course, some new paint, we will transform this room into an inviting, karmic space!
I am working with a local designer, Shannon Scott, who has a great eye for just this sort of thing. And, better yet, she absolutely loves the challenge of spending as little money as possible. She and I sat down several weeks ago and talked. We talked about what I like, what I don’t like and what are my fears about decorating. It was a cathartic conversation. She made some suggestions, many of which will eventually be incorporated into the re-design of the room. As you can see by the pictures, I have many disparate furniture pieces but all of them beautiful in their own right. And that, she says, is a good start.
After our first meeting, Shannon set out to uncover just what kind of style I described through our conversation. It’s an important process to know what your style is so that you can move forward intelligently and with little wasted effort. After a second meeting, we had a fairly good idea of points of focus for the room. This room, by the way, is a living room-dining room-entry hall increasing the challenge to also fit with other rooms on the same floor. I’m sure you’re familiar with it if you have a tract home.
