We live in a Golden Age of inspiration through images displayed on social media, television, movies and printed magazines. Some clients find that they are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, as well as the strong conflicting opinions about what is trending and what is fading away. Personal taste plays an important role in what we choose to improve the aesthetics of our homes. Interior design is partially based on the ability of the designer to create a room design which is beautiful, functional and enjoyable to live in. The designer draws on inherent talent, experience, and years of specialized education in order to create the room design. Creating an entirely new look for a room, or a whole home can be fun…but it is often much more difficult than it looks to the casual observer. In order to create a powerful finish, many subtle details and thought processes are employed. Much more is discarded during the process than is seen in the final finished room. When the room is complete, it has a finished, professional look, while remaining comfortable.
For instance, artwork added to the room must have impact as well as a look of depth. It may be original art created specifically for the design project, or it may be custom framed, high quality printed art. It is not simply something to put up on the wall. Choosing art for an interior design project takes all the occupants of the home into consideration. That being said, compromises are usually made, so that it is not just the taste of one of the occupants of the home that is considered. Even when one occupant of the home says they do not care and decisions can be left up to another, many times the person who stated that they were fine with relinquishing decision making ends up not as pleased as they had hoped with the chosen items. Art is very personal and negative influences from a client’s past can re-emerge. The artwork is often large, as well. Many homes that we see at the start of the design process either have very little art, or art that was purchased as an afterthought. Adding a large abstract artwork to a room design adds immense presence to the overall room design, without overpowering the rest of the room. The designer takes many factors into account when choosing the art to suit the room. Colour, shape, size, texture, subject and the relationship of the pieces to the furnishings and the other artwork to be used in the room are all considered. A fabulous piece of art can go a long way toward helping an underwhelming room look more dynamic and be a pleasure to come home to. Often it can enhance the look of existing furnishings. Even somewhat worn furnishings can look a lot better if the eye is distracted toward something much more interesting such as a beautiful artwork.
Some artwork is extremely large, and yet, it can be used to great effect in a relatively small room. The proportion of the furnishings, the overall colour scheme, the style of the art, as well as the style of the furnishings, window treatments, lighting, area rugs, wall coverings, and accessories all work together to create a final tapestry that is the finished room design. Pushing the limits of the design process are actually one of the main elements of the plan. Room designs in neutral colour schemes and light colour palettes can often be dramatic to look at. Surprising the viewer is part of this process. Daring to use subtly coloured design elements in a surprising way can achieve this. Using beautiful design elements such as artwork arranged in an unusual manner will fall flat if the furniture in the room is the old, time worn pieces that should have been updated some years ago. Outdated window treatments can also greatly detract from the final look. Window treatments should be professionally made and also be of an appropriate fullness of fabrics and lining. Skimpy, unlined draperies will defeat all the good design elements of the room. Window blinds now are manufactured in a wide range of fabrics and functions. Quality blinds are so well constructed that they can be made in quite large dimensions. This achieves a clean, unbroken look on the window. The quality of the manufacture also helps the blinds to hold up to daily use. The blinds do not fall apart under normal living conditions. They add elegance to the room, while controlling harmful in-coming solar rays which damage fine furnishings. Many people automatically choose white or off-white for window treatments. There is a myriad of much more interesting choices available. Darker fabric and blind choices do not shrink the apparent size of the room. Rather, rich or deep colour more often enhances the appearance of adjacent furnishes.
Rich colours enhance the look of wood furnishings. Having the room painted in a rich wall colour adds immense depth to the overall room design. The wall colour supports the subtle colourations of the rest of the furnishings and a dramatic and professional overall look is achieved. Many people hire us for paint colour consultation services. Paint colour consultations are one of our most popular services. We are able to refer excellent painters to do the preparation for painting, as well as the actual painting. Many people do not realize how important the prep work is to the quality of the finished job. In addition, the quality of the paint used is also extremely important. Inexpensive paint is simply expensive water. All of the valuable ingredients which are needed for good adhesion, colour fastness, durability and hiding ability and not present in the quantities need in the lesser brands.A rich wall colour can make an otherwise quite ordinary room really pop. It is simply not true that dark wall colours make small rooms look smaller. On the contrary, they make the room cozier and the furnishings are greatly enhanced. Even quite simple furnishings can appear to be better than they are with a wonderful colour palette around them.
Area rugs have a way of bringing colour, texture and warmth into a room design. Wool is extremely durable and soft underfoot. It is a mistake to purchase an area carpet that is poorly made in a depressing man made fiber that will flatten in no time. Wool is extremely resilient and is much more cleanable than many people think. It can stand up to even the rigours of a young, growing family while looking good for many years. 
Area rugs are almost a form of artwork for the floor. The colour palette for the entire home can even be based on colours pulled from one fabulous area carpet in the design plan. They can be custom designed to suit specialized shaped or design challenges or to meet specific colour palette options. Modern day carpets are offered in many creative and even abstract designs, as opposed to the more symmetrical approach of traditional rugs. Modern rugs, as well as some traditional styles are made to look distressed, as a design feature. This is very pleasing to a great many clients, and has become an enduring trend.
Furniture such as seating is one of the most important ways in which a room design can go from merely adequate to spectacular. The quality of the seating is paramount in importance. Hardwood frame construction and top quality fabrics that are not only beautiful but which resist wear are the best way to keep the room looking good while being used on a daily basis. Poor quality materials and construction will disappoint and will soon look tired. The room may have a relaxed look but the quality of the furnishings need to be of excellent quality. Lighting is another crucial element in bringing off a professional look in the room. Many otherwise beautiful homes are very poorly lit and this makes them difficult to live in. Inadequate or ugly lighting is one of the worst problems that many room designs suffer from. Beautiful lighting not only brings light and warmth to the colour palette of the room design, it can also act as a form of accessorization to complete to refined and finished look that we are striving for. Accessories, themselves are often overlooked in the game plan. This is a mistake that can not be overemphasized. The tendency of many clients is to choose many smaller items rather than to make use of the dramatic impact of larger accessories. A few fabulous pieces have much more impact than a collection of small items mainly chosen based on price.
Lighting can often be seen as a form of accessorization. It not only brings better function to the space, if it is beautiful or dramatically constructed, it gets noticed and adds to the decorative elements of the room design.
Mulberry Interiors specializes in Paint Colour and Design Consultations. Call Mulberry Interiors now at (905) 849-6423 to book a consultation. We look forward to working with you to increase your enjoyment of your home.
Full Décor Service
Window Coverings including Draperies and Hunter Douglas Blinds
Colour Consultations a Specialty
Space Planning, Accessories and Wall Art
Flooring
