Kansas City’s designer

HOME OF THE FUTURE

June 4, 2022June 4, 2022

An Interior Designer’s Tips for Building or Renovating a Home That’s Adaptable

Homeowners are looking for a home of the future that’s flexible as their needs change whether it’s adding a home office, a gym, entertainment area, or outdoor area for a staycation. Read on for my interior designer tips on how to make your home more adaptable.

Look at how you to make every part of your floorplan adaptable. For example, if you live in an area where you can have a finished basement also consider finishing the area directly under the garage to use as a home theatre, safe room, or storage. Here are some additional ideas.

A. A multipurpose area off the garage for dropping off jackets/shoes/sports gear, cleanup, or even deliveries – if the delivery can be made through an exterior door. like this room. In one project for interior design clients, we turned part of the garage and the existing laundry into an adaptable space that can serve either as a laundry, mudroom or butler’s pantry when needed.

photo example of partition — Interior design by Karen Mills

B. Design your open living area to allow portions of it to be partitioned off with doors – barn, pocket, partition, or French doors like this family room area with a home office to create private spaces for family members, while also making the spaces multi-functional. For example, you could have doors that provide a cozy sitting area for reading/games, home office or home theater that could transform into a guest bedroom with just the addition of a small closet.

In the kitchen hidden doors that look like cabinetry could open to reveal a small home office area that could later become a pantry or even a panic room. French doors that lead to a porch/sunroom can also provide much needed additional space for alone time without sacrificing your outdoor view.

C. Plan for aging in place or surgeries that may limit mobility with 36″ wide doorways into your home, zero entry threshold from your garage to interior and into your shower area like this bathroom.

2. Add outdoor spaces that are multifunctional. Outdoor entertainment options could range from heated pools, hot tubs, and putting greens to outdoor kitchens, covered bars with big screen TVs, and/or a small guest house with French glass doors that morphs into a studio/office, man cave, or pool house if needed.

In this porch design heated floors and a fireplace were included to make the porch more all weather where winters can be quite cold. A TV hidden behind an original artwork provides flexibility for using this space to watch television too.

In summary successfully designing a house of the future starts with a floorplan that’s adaptable and planning ahead for your needs.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Biggest Mistakes We Make in Basement…

April 25, 2019April 25, 2019

1. Not taking advantage of natural daylight – In this recent basement design we situated the bar area in a spot surrounded by natural light to make the space feel like the main level of the home. To further enhance the light airy feel we designed the bar with white counter tops and lighter paint colors to bounce more light around the room.

2. Not hiding the telltale signs of a basement living space. –When finishing your basement ensure that you hide all ledges, duct work, and niches or anything else that screams basement. Here in this space we added wood flooring, artificial light, and and accent lighting to give this basement a first floor feel.

3. Lack of adequate artificial light – As an interior designer I can’t emphasize enough the importance of artificial lighting. Here we started with general can lights, added task lighting over the island, and then topped it off with accent lighting inside the shelves and under the cabinets to create a wow factor.

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

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

3 Ways To Update Your Room for Less

February 28, 2019May 2, 2019

Tips for Updating Your Living Space with Budget Savvy Ideas

If you haven’t updated your living room for 5 years or more, it may be time for a refresh. If your budget doesn’t allow you to start completely over, why not opt for a one day makeover or refresh instead?

Even though the majority of my time as an interior designer is spent on custom design and remodel projects, when I have a spare hour or two I love helping enthusiast homeowners style their space using existing furnishings in their home to create a fresh new look. So if you’re ready to refresh your space or update using existing furnishings, here are my top three tips!

1. Create an inviting floor plan that emphasizes your focal point whether its a fireplace or view, for example. If you don’t have a focal point, design one yourself by grouping items together such as a sofa table or chest with a piece of artwork overhead and a table lamp and/or tabletop decor.

In this room the client started with a favorite piece of art over the mantel and we replaced the fireplace tile along with upholstering the existing chairs and ottoman to create a fabulous new look!

2. Shop your entire house for furniture/furnishings you can use in your room. Keep those items you discover in mind as you start to put together your room, bringing ones you think might work to a staging area nearby.

As an interior designer I often re purpose items to make them work in a space such as this family room where we reupholstered the sofa and chairs along with layering in a new rug, repainting the walls, adding a new light fixture, and decor.

3. Add a pop of color with accents throughout your room with pillows, art, drapes, decor or an area rug. Remember, you can repaint or re purpose items to use in your refreshed room also.

For example, a chest could repainted and moved to your entry, used as a focal point in a living space, or even placed behind a sofa. Ottomans can be upholstered and tucked under a sofa table for extra seating, used as a coffee table or pulled up to a comfy chair.

In this fabulous ocean blue living room, we began with existing mermaid art as inspiration, introducing bold blue and orange pillows along with custom blue drapes.

Looking for more great budget friendly decorating ideas? SIgn up for our weekly interior design blog here

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 7 Steps to Successfully Designing a Room

March 10, 2018March 14, 2019

Like any project that involves money, you need a budget or at least a range before you start. Do some research and bring in the experts – an interior designer, contractor/builder, and architect to give an estimated investment. Then follow these 7 steps to create the room of your dreams!

Interior Decorating by Karen Mills

Decide on a design style or mix of styles that will flow with your architecture and existing furnishings you will be re purposing. As an interior designer in Kansas City, I always suggest clients select several photos of room designs they like and make sure any spouse or significant other involved agrees.

2. Determine your color scheme ensuring it coordinates with adjoining rooms and any existing furnishings to be used in the interior design. If you have no idea, take a look in your closet to see what colors you’re drawn too or pull colors out of an inspiration piece such as art, a rug, or fabric.

3. Create a floor plan so you know what fits in your space and the sizes you need. To do that go online and use space planning software or get an expert to help.

4. Set a timetable. At this point you might want to bring in an expert – interior designer and/or contractor/builder- to review your design plan/timetable because investing a few dollars for a master plan and viable timetable can help avoid thousands of dollars in costly mistakes from bad decisions or huge delays.

5. Design and order custom furniture and any built in cabinetry after consulting with your interior designer or tradespeople if you’re managing the project yourself. At this point all custom designs need to be finalized and ordered. In addition permits need to be pulled for construction.

6. Select and order all plumbing, flooring, tile, and general lighting needed.

7. Design furnishings

Furnishings may include rugs, window treatments, pillows, bedding or other items. Also ensure you select art, finishes, and other decor needed.

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 long running Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on Facebook here!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Tips for Creating an Outdoor Space…

April 13, 2017April 13, 2017

When I daydream about the beach, it’s usually one of my favorite vacations like this one on St. John’s island with great views, fabulous restaurants, and wonderful friends.

When you’re planning your own outdoor space, why not recreate one of your favorite vacation spots that you can enjoy in your own backyard whenever the weather permits. I did and here are my 3 tips accomplishing that.

Tip #1 Create a dedicated space outdoors with the feel of a room – floors and maybe a ceiling or walls. Then add seating and possibly a table for meals.

Here in this photo above, the floors are tiled and a roof lingers overhead along with pillars that become the walls of the space.

In my own backyard, I designed a pergola to recreate that look but made one that was my own style. I still mimicked the round pillars at St. John’s and a partial roof overhead for a similar feel. Then I layered in palm trees and tropical flowers to recreate the laid back island vibe.

2. Select a look or style that reminds you of one of your favorite vacations. To accomplish that look in my own backyard space, I mixed in found antique metal seating fitted with custom white cushions along with a couple of new wicker chairs to achieve a more collected aesthetic. Then I threw in a weathered old trunk on wheels for a coffee table and placed a tray of shells from diving trips and walks on the beach on top.

3. Add a specific element that reminds you of your favorite spot. That element for me was a touch of romance so we added LED lights at the top of the pillars to create a wonderful ambiance at night and accessories in turquoise to remind us of the blue blue ocean.

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

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