interior designer Karen Mills Archives

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Decorating: The Decorating Pro

May 1, 2023May 2, 2023

A Better Way to Learn to Decorate Your Home for Less

Click to watch video

Click to learn more!

Would you like to learn how to create the room of your dreams?

Or win the battle against an unappealing interior?

I understand.

That’s why I am so excited to announce The Decorating Pro, an online membership we created that teaches you how to decorate like a pro or become a professional decorator for a fraction of the cost of professional interior designer or college degree that will be officially launching soon!

Our proprietary teaching method developed over 20 years makes learning easier and faster, and our college-level content from a state-certified instructor is available online 24/7.

We also offer staggered learning stages to fit your skill level with milestones to measure your progress, design secrets/shortcuts using real world examples to make learning more effective, support from a state accredited instructor that includes twice monthly Q&A sessions, additional monthly design content bonuses, and a private Facebook community of fellow design membership students who will help support you.

But the best part is that we are coming together as a community of design students to help design a better world through our financial support of Karen’s Kids, a charitable cause that supports the rescue of trafficked kids and other lost children.

Even though The Decorating Pro hasn’t officially launched, we are offering a few exclusive spots for our Founding Members for only $27 per month. Click the button below to sign up or learn more now!

Click now!

And if you have more questions about The Decorating Pro or donating to Karen’s Kids, email [email protected]

And follow me on Instagram or Facebook here!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: What Color Reveals About You and How…

April 12, 2023April 14, 2023

The Meaning of Color and What Your Favorite Hue Reveals About You

Color, or the absence of color plays a critical role in our lives both at home and work. One reason is because our favorite color reveals something about our personality and can impact our mood. So, as you’re reading this blog article think about the message different colors speak to you and how impactful a whole wall of color could be on your mood.

White – White is the color of innocence which is probably why the traditional wedding dress is white. White is considered the color of cleanliness, honesty, and simplicity, but lovers of this color may also be more organized, immaculate, or lead simple lives. In addition, white provides a great backdrop for other colors to stand out.
Black – Conversely, black is considered formal, and a color of power. It’s sophisticated, secure, and dramatic, but it can also convey a darkness, sadness, or cold feel depending on the circumstances.

photo example of topic — Interior design by Karen MIlls

Gray – Gray lovers tend to crave calmness, balance, and steadfastness. Gray people often love quality and are more careful, making a great color for creating a neutral calming space.
Brown – Brown, the color of earth gives us a grounded feeling of security and stability. People who love it are considered to be reliable, trustworthy, and stable.
Yellow – Yellow feels warm and full of sunshine. And the people who love it tend to be optimistic, cheerful, and happy. Yellow is also imaginative and joyful.

Orange – Vibrant, confident, and success-oriented, orange people tend to be friendly and have a great sense of humor. Orange can create a feeling of warmth, hunger, joy, or adventure.
Red – Red lovers tend to be bold, exciting, and energetic. Red is the color of passion, love, desire, and daring. It’s also intense and loves grabbing your attention.
Green– Green embodies nature, growth, and health. Lovers of green tend to be peaceful, kind, generous, and caring.
Blue – The favorite color of most men, blue embodies trustworthiness, safety, and strength. This calming color aslo brings feelings of relief, peace, and hope. Other words associated with this color include water and wisdom.
Purple – The favorite color of most artistic people, purple is creative, intelligent, and mysterious, but also is the color of pleasure, luxury, glamor, and moodiness. Also, a favorite color of younger children, purple is a symbol of royalty and pleasure.

If you’re looking for more interior design, decorating, or remodeling inspiration, watch our free One Day Makeover video tutorial now.

And if you would like to learn how to decorate like a pro so you can win the battle against a dated/ugly interior or learn how to decorate/stage professionally, click now to learn about our new subscription, The Decorating Pro!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Tips for Adding a Home Office…

March 16, 2022August 11, 2022

How to add a Workspace at Home When You Don’t Have a Dedicated Room

Add sliding doors – pocket, French or barn doors to enclose an open room or space – In this gorgeous home office we designed hidden pocket doors slide together to hide this office space next to the living room to create a cozy area for getting work done without being disturbed.

If you prefer to have your home office in full view, you can also opt for French door style pocket doors that can make your overall living space feel larger like this interior design project below we designed.

2. Hide your workspace behind built in cabinetry or in a closet. – As an interior designer I’ve helped numerous clients solve the issue of where to put a home office. One of my favorite solutions as an interior designer was a home office we designed behind kitchen cabinetry as part of a remodel. And we disguised the doors to look like cabinetry which also functions nicely as a safe room.

Other solutions our interior design firm has created includes hiding an office under the stairs, in a niche area on a landing or loft, or inside a step-in closet where you can just shut the door to hide the space.

3. Introduce a piece of furniture that can act as a desk along with storage for your office necessities. Options could include an office armoire or dining table, for example. For one client, our interior design firm helped them take over their rarely used dining room by utilizing the table as a desk for their laptop and custom built in cabinetry on the wall behind to hide everything else. The bottom of the cabinetry held office items, while the top half provided display space for the client.

If you’re looking for more custom interior design, decorating, or remodeling inspiration, ideas, and photos, sign up for our weekly interior design blog here

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on
INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK here!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 7 Tips for Designing a Bathroom to…

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021

Universal Design Tips to Make Your Bathroom More Functional for Everyone

As people we often think we are invincible or that we will never age or get hurt. But let’s face it. That’s not a reasonable assumption. So if you’re planning to stay in your home for ten years or longer ensure that you have a bathroom designed to work for you or family/friends coming to stay whether you’re recovering from surgery, have smaller children who may use the space, or an older adult who could fall. Read on for my universal bathroom interior design tips now.

example — Interior design by Karen Mills

Zero Entry Curbless Shower with a wide opening – As shown above a zero entry or curb less shower entry has no lip or curb for someone to trip over and allows for you to enter your shower safely whether in a wheelchair, walker, or other adaptive device. Just remember if you want to accommodate a wheelchair to have ample space to turnaround.

A lower glass shelf allows females to shave their legs without having to bend over or brace their leg against the tile.

2, Wider doorways into the shower and the room. By including a minimum of 36″ width for an entry door into the bedroom and bathroom you can allow for wheelchair in the future if needed.

3. Handheld Shower Head – As an interior designer I consider adjustable shower heads as a must have. Not only does it make it easier for you to rinse every part of your body, a child or even a pet, but they also make cleaning the shower tiles immensely easier and can accommodate you even in a wheelchair or on a bench after surgery.

4. Shower Bench – Adding a bench when you have room can be invaluable not only for shaving your legs but also as a place to rest when needed or even store toiletries.

Karen Mills' blog — Interior design by Karen Mills

5. Grab Bars That Look Like Towel Bars – No matter what your age it’s never a bad idea to install a grab bar or two in case you lose your balance or need them for support. And what better way to do that than purchasing less industrial style bars that look like attractive towel bars.

6. Ample Lighting – General, Accent, and Task As a female I can’t tell you now many times I’ve had to shave my legs in the dark and that’s no fun. By installing waterproof lights in the shower you will be able to see better, function better and even clean better. Plus these task lights also act as accent lighting to show off the beautiful Italian marble on the walls and floor.

But remember to also include general overhead lighting on a dimmer to provide another layer of lighting for walking through, shaving, putting on make-up or other tasks in the bathroom.

7. Comfort height toilet For most adults in the U.S. a higher toilet will be easier to use especially as we age in place.

In summary before you start construction on a major bathroom design, renovation, or new build take some time first to consider who will be living in the house and for how long.

For more great interior design ideas, sign up for our design blog here!

plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on Facebook and Instagram now!

And if you feel someone you know could benefit from this helpful information, pass it on!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 5 Questions to Ask a Remodeler Before…

May 20, 2021June 17, 2021

Things to Consider When Procuring a Remodeler Besides Cost

Unfortunately as an interior designer I’ve heard countless stories from homeowners who’ve selected a contractor based on lowest price that resulted in shoddy work, an unfinished project, or even thousands of dollars of un reimbursable damage to their home because the contractor lacked liability insurance or they didn’t ask. Read on for my tips on what to ask a contractor before hiring.

What qualifications/experience do you have with my type of project and can you provide references? For example ask if the contractor belongs to NARI, National Association of Remodelers or HBA, Home Building Association.

2. Can your insurance company mail a current copy of your insurance policy(s) before we sign the contract? Contractors should have liability insurance to cover any damage to your property and workman’s comp for anyone working on your home to protect you if they get hurt on the job so you’re not liable.

3. How do you charge? Normally remodelers give a bid/estimate of total amount for project minus any unseen issues or simply charge for time (hourly) and materials (products). If you want to buy materials yourself and just pay the contractor for your time, make sure they offer that option and that you can put a limit on the hours billed so project doesn’t get out of hand.

4. Can you complete work within my time requirements and may I have a written timeline/schedule of construction beforehand?

5. Will you provide a signed contract with scope of work to be done that includes a warranty? Warranties are critical because they provide a guarantee and help ensure the remodel is done correctly the first time.

Now that you’ve hired a contractor ensure you have a professional interior designer also for your project to avoid costly design mistakes. And if you need guidance in that area, give us a call at 913.764.5915 to find out how we can help.

For more great ideas on remodeling or interior design sign up for our interior design blog here

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on
INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK here!

Yoast SEO

Toggle panel: Yoast SEO

Post
Block

No block selected.Open publish panel

Document

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 7 Biggest Mistakes We Make in the…

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021

Insightful Tips From an Interior Designer for Creating a More Inviting Entry

When it comes to interior design often the entry is overlooked even though it makes a huge impact on every new visitor coming through the door. As an interior designer I tell my clients to think of their foyer as an advertisement for their home and what’s to come. At a minimum an entry should hold a few of your favorite things and introduce the color scheme for your home’s interior design, while also revealing a little bit about your personal style. Read on for 7 simple ways to create a beautiful foyer of your own.

Introduce a Statement Piece of Furniture – Begin with a piece of furniture that fits easily in your entry such as a sofa table, chest, small desk, or curio. Or emphasize existing architectural features like the built in shelves and bench shown in this foyer. Here the blue green plates add drama to the shelves, while adding a pop of color to help emphasize the dreamy skies beyond.
Freshen Up with Live Flowers or a Plant – Nothing adds life to a space more than living things from flowers and plants to fresh fruit. But if live plants aren’t feasible, opt for dried branches or another textural element to bring the outdoors in like shown here.

3. Layer in Artwork or a Mirror – Introducing artwork can add texture and reveal a bit of your personality like this original contemporary Mattini painting that’s a mix of musical instruments and sets the color scheme for the room. The mirror here is not only functional but also makes a style statement and bounces light around the room. The antique table underneath sourced from the south of France, provides an interesting juxtaposition against the hand made chevron wallpaper and contemporary sculpture in front of it.

4. Ground Your Entry with a Rug – Layering a rug underneath adds warmth, color, and style to your foyer as you can see in this spectacular foyer in Mission Hills.

5. Light it up With a Lamp – Lamps not only provide function and ambiance, but they can introduce more style to a space like this little black dress of a gold lamp oozes with class and style.

6. Replace Your Overhead Lighting Here in this entry a transitional chandelier (not shown) adds emphasis to this dramatic space while a light hearted Moroccan motif lamp keeps it fun.

7. Tell a Color Story – The colors you introduce in the foyer should reveal the color palette to come in your living spaces beyond. Here we placed a family’s beloved heirloom chest front and center and layered in an existing painting overhead that introduced all the colors in the interior from dreamy blues and whites to warm grays, , while also repeating the brown black color of the chest. A blue vase reinforces the color scheme along with the lamp color.

For more inspiration, ideas, and photos, sign up for our weekly interior design blog here.

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer, former host of the Living Large interior design show, and coach Karen Mills, on
INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK here!

And for more foyer inspiration, click here to read my Houzz interior design article on Color Palettes for Pleasing Entryway

or my budget tips titled Refresh Foyer for Less

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: Tips for Remodeling a Tiny Master Bath…

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021

A Case Study of an Interior Designer’s Transformation of a Tiny Cramped Bathroom into a Modern Day Miracle

Master bath before remodeling

As an interior designer I think you will find this master bath remodel quite amazing not only because of the transformation of this historic brick high rise built in the early 1900s, but also because of how it visually lives so much larger in the same size space.

When we entered the master bath shown here the space was chopped up by a walled in shower placed in the middle of the room making the space feel cramped, small, and unattractive.

To the right of the shower was a dimly lit dressing area with a small amount of storage that didn’t function well.

To solve this interior design dilemma we ripped out everything but one small closet and started over. By pushing back the shower we gave the bathroom a bigger sense of volume and were able to expand the vanity to accommodate two people instead of one.

As you can see the transformation was amazing! By placing the same marble style tile from Italy on the floor and walls the room suddenly visually expanded into a beautiful timeless space with an over sized shower for two. To help the bathroom live even larger we also eliminated the shower curb and placed a solid glass panel along the front so the shower space virtually disappears.

For the former dressing area I designed a double vanity that also included usable top drawers that wrapped around the plumbing for more storage.

The result? A gorgeous bathroom that ended up in Kitchen Bath Design News – the national design magazine for kitchens and baths.

Looking for more great bathroom design ideas that you can implement?
Sign up for our weekly interior design blog here

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on Facebook here!
or instagram

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Decorating: 3 Ways to Cozy up Your Bedroom

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021

Often we take sleep for granted until we start to have problems with concentration, alertness, or our overall ability to function well. Then good sleep becomes more of a priority. Read on for 3 ways to create a nest like atmosphere in your bedroom that’s conducive to better sleep.

Interior design by Karen Mills featured in international book titled **Architecture Today Interior Design**

Simpler Bedding and Patterns As an interior designer in Kansas City I’ve used simple tone on tone patterns and texture in bedrooms for years in everything from fabulous washable linens from Italy to textured velvet or sheared fabrics like we’ve seen recently in fashion wear. Here in this Overland Park bedroom Italian bedding from Terrasi Home on the Plaza in simpler patterns, textural finishes and clutter free space create a stress free environment where we can unwind and relax.

2. Cozy Beds Beds that envelope us will continue to be popular whether its are a four poster bed, an upholstered bed like this guest room in Mission Hills, or a fabulous combination of both. In this guest room calming colors and patterns, low lighting, and clean lined furnishings enhance the overall feel, creating a beautiful interior design.

In this bedroom we designed a four poster bed creates a cozy feel
while the wallpaper, area rug, upholstered bench, and simpler fabrics on the chairs beyond enhance the relaxed inviting feel of this beautifully designed master bedroom in Mission Hills.

3. Textured Walls Painted accent walls have been a craze for years but wrapping the whole room in textural walls are becoming more popular. In this interior design space featured by Curated Kravet an upholstered bed, area rug, bench, throw, and bedding add to the cocoon feel created by the gorgeous textural walls enveloping the space.

For more inspiration, ideas, and photos, sign up for our weekly interior design blog here.

For more information on how to get better sleep and create a healthier environment, learn more at SLEEP BETTER LIVE BETTER now!

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large interior design show, Karen Mills, on
INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK here!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Decorating: 3 Tips for Selecting a Cozy Rug…

December 10, 2020November 30, 2021

An Interior Designer’s Ideas for Creating a More Inviting Feel in Your Living Space Using Area Rugs

Create a cozy seating area for conversation. In this room we introduced a rug that not only adds another layer of texture but also nice contrast to this darker space, picking up some of the daylight beyond. To further enhance the coziness of this interior design we went with a wool and silk rug that has a luxurious soft texture so it feels great on bare feet or in socks. Tips for Selecting the Correct Size of Area Rug

rug sizing example — Interior design by Karen Mills

2. Layer an area rug under the furniture (or at least the feet) of your seating area. Placement of the rug under your furniture in a cozy arrangement draws onlookers into the space for a closer look like shown here where we used a high quality hand knotted wool rug that is both washable and comfortable to walk on. 3 Tips for Creating a More Inviting Living Room

3. Select a rug with a soft hand or texture that feels great underfoot. In this living space our interior design firm layered in a super lush long shag area rug where you can dig in your toes and snuggle up for conversation, reading, or just watching a movie.

For more great ideas and photos, sign up for our weekly interior design blog here

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on Facebook or Instagram here!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Decorating: The 3 Secrets to Monochromatic Living Room…

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020

Choose One Color Hue – When an interior designer says the word hue, we are referring to a color family such as blue, white, or black, for example. By focusing on one color like the white we selected for this family room area, you can make a huge impact. Here the white colors vary from walls and trim to finishes, furniture, and floor coverings.

2. Use a softer variation of color hue on upholstery or walls. In this lobby living area space, a darker color of pumpkin grounds the floor, while lighter upholstery fabrics and tile on pillars repeat the color scheme

3. Layer in multiple textures. Textured finishes in fabrics, flooring, wall and furniture can make or break a great interior design. Here in this taupe living room texture has been introduced on pillows, draperies, wallpaper, throws, upholstery, and rugs to create an interesting room that’s inviting but not overdone.

For more great ideas on design or interior decorating sign up for our weekly interior design blog here

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on Instagram or Facebook now!