,

Right After this Glass of Wine…

I’ll stop procrastinating…….tomorrow, next week, next year….

When I get into the groove, there’s no stopping me. I eat, drink and sleep it whatever it is that has absorbed me. I’m soaring through creative clouds, flapping my wings to beat the band.

Thoughts, ideas and solutions come pouring out of me – I’m amazing.

Then there are those other times. I can put off a task or making a decision with the same intensity that it takes to fly high.

Truth be told, I have been avoiding choosing a topic for this week’s blog. I was able to sidestep sitting down and writing something almost to perfection. I made it so close to the deadline that it was practically behind me. No choice was happening except the choice to keep putting it off.

However, when it came right down to it, I decided I had to – wanted to – write this blog.

Because the procrastination I was stuck in actually inspired the topic!

Procrastination is soooo much easier than actually making a difficult decision. We promise our selves that we’ll get to it as soon as we finish this chapter, take the dog for a walk or finish this glass of wine.

Sometime the decision seems overwhelming, sometimes the options aren’t all that appealing or sometimes we just don’t know where to start.

Like choosing the right interior designer that’s going to really get you. Someone that’s aligned with your style, your vision and your budget.

So you’ve been putting it off. Perhaps you’ll stumble across the design professional you’re looking for in the shoe department at Saks. Maybe he or she will magically appear at your door. Yeah, right.

We’re here to make that choice easy! Design Match helps you choose the Perfect Design Partner for YOUR project.

Design Match has relationships with some of the area’s most talented design professionals. Through our complimentary in-person interview process, we’ll assist you in choosing the designer that will help your design dreams come true.

If you’re stuck on the ground practicing the art of procrastination – contact us – we’ll be the wind beneath your wings…..(bet that song is stuck in your head right now).

If you enjoy our blogs, we’d love you to share them with a friend. And, as always, tell us your stories – you could be someone’s else’s hero (again with the song!).

/by

A 64-Piece Box of Heaven

We’re slowly opening up that brand new box of crayons was a special moment? All the choices – fingers hovering over the 64 different hues – which one to pick up first? And the smell – mmmmm fresh, new, so many possibilities.

Humans respond deeply to color. It has the power to influence our moods, ignite ideas and emote feelings.

Relationship with color starts very early in life. Who hasn’t met that little girl who will only wear purple shoes, eat only purple food (very limited choices here) and begs you to paint her bedroom walls the same shade as her Disney princess dress? (Oh Walt, you genius!)

Sometimes it’s hard to explain why we’re drawn to a particular color. It could be a connection to a good memory. Perhaps someone we care deeply about loves that certain shade of blue.

Out of the mouths of babes..

When my son was very young, he used to color with only the black crayon. I watched and wondered if this meant some deep-rooted sadness, was he angry, was he destined to live a life of crime?

I tried offering him alternatives, bright greens, soft yellows, cheery reds. No deal.

I finally asked him why he would only color with the black crayon. He looked up at me a little perplexed at my question and responded: “Because black shows up the best!” An aha parenting moment if their ever was one.

Colorful Quotes….

Color is one of the most important aspects of design. Here’s how a few of our Design Match designers feel:

“Color communicates meaning and draws attention to an interior.
As an Interior Designer, color is an element of design that I use to
set a tone for a room.” DM Designer Cathy

DM Designer Vera considers artwork when choosing colors:

“If there is a painting to be featured in the room, it is used as a guide and colors
are referenced from it to create a color scheme.

For instance, there are many shades of green. Selecting one that compliments the picture, rather than competes, is key. Complimentary colors are used to carefully emphasize the picture or section of a room, such as an accent wall. Only then will the room and painting be united and give rise to the intended human emotion.”

Look into my crystal ball….

We at Design Match see a bold trend slowly surfacing in home decor. “RED” Red in its many different hues. Yellow-based reds and blue-based reds. Keep your eyes open – you’re going see this primary rock star used by design professionals in ways so creative it will blow your mind.

Here’s an amazing backsplash by DM Designer Diane. She worked with her client to select each shade of glass tile to reflect the client’s idea of what flames look like. Talk about great communication!

Choosing the right combination of colors for your home can be scary. Having a great relationship with the perfect design partner will make your life easier and a lot more fun.

Your designer will help you choose the right shade of paint or fabric. They have the expertise to know what different colors look like during the day, in the evening or, if you dare, splashed all over the walls in your dining room.

“You often hear ‘it’s just color!’ – but just one drop of the wrong pigment can give
your walls an undesired undertone. Consult with an expert design professional.”
DM Designer Diane.

Just like Stella,….

Get your color groove back. Grab one of those coloring books for adults and start waking up your inner crayon-crazy child.

Slowly open that box and breathe deep….. As always, we love to hear from you. Send us your colorful tales and we’ll publish some of them.

Are you thinking of changing the color scheme in your home? Contact us to help you find the right design professional to assist you in making the perfect color choices.

/by
,

Walk on the Wild Side

I trek my way through dangers underfoot and overhead on a daily basis. Sometimes I can’t see the light of day and more often than not I see sights I’ve never seen before and never want to see again. Unlike my man who ’s acting like Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark, I’m more like

Melissa McCarthy whose plane crash-landed in the Amazon (what a great movie that would be!).

Dr. Livingston, I presume…

Trying to undertake this venture without someone who has the skills and experience to lead us through this rough and uncertain landscape would be just plain CRAZY, right? So before we started this trip, we went out and found us the perfect guide for this insane journey.

Introducing our fantastic, amazing, soul-soothing, talented interior designer who is guiding us through “Renovation Jungle” !!! (cue jungle drums)

In the dark of night...

Traveling through Renovation Jungle is overwhelmingly full of decisions and unexpected “challenges”.

Just trying to get to the one working bathroom on the other side of the house in the middle of night would undo the strongest adventurer.

There are plumbing pipes and electrical wires in unexpected places, floors that need to be leveled so the new shower can drain and dust that would rival the Great Plains Dust Bowl of the 1930”s.

But my interior designer is there for me to lean on. She’s travelled this design path many times before and knows how to handle all the deconstruction and reconstruction pitfalls – the quicksand of home renovation projects.

Lead on…

Pith helmut on, flashlight in one hand and machete in the other, she clears a path through the myriad of showrooms, fights off the wild beasts of plumbers, electricians and carpenters and keeps us moving in the right direction toward our interior design dream.

Do you plan on taking a trip through Renovation Jungle anytime soon? If so, the first decision you should make is to find the right design partner – the perfect guide – to lay out the plan, keep everyone on the same page and heading toward the same design vision.

A little ray of hope….

I’ve shared some of our challenges of home renovation, but there are times that have been really enjoyable:

  • When the deconstruction has been swept away – this is really a big moment!
  • When you walk around the newly-framed out space after everyone has gone home for
    the day and can envision what it will look like when finished.
  • And when you share a laugh with your interior designer over all the dangers of the
    Renovation Jungle that have been avoided or conquered that week.

Now excuse me while I crawl into my tent and get some sleep for tomorrow’s adventure…

Do you have a “Renovation Jungle” story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear it!

 

/by