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Interior Design: 3 Ways to Successfully Mix n Match…

June 23, 2017June 23, 2017

As an interior designer who’s designed or decorated over 1100 homes, I understand how overwhelming it can be for a homeowner to bring together their disparate furnishings to create a beautifully designed interior. Read on for 3 steps you can take today to created a more finished look.

Karen Mills' blog — Photo courtesy of Horst by Hickory White

1. Repetition – To coordinate mismatched furniture or accessories I recommend tying them together by repeating a color from one piece to onto another like the pillow, rug, and art in this photo that helps unify the furnishings to create a beautiful interior design. The branches, rug, artwork, and cloth fabrics also provide a welcome contrast to the hard surfaces of the floor, windows, walls, and table.

2. Opposites Attract – One great way to combine furnishings is by juxtaposing shiny finishes with dull, textural with smooth or formal with casual to give your room life and keep it interesting. The upholstery, branches, stone formation, and rug contrast beautifully against the hard surface of the tables while the brown pillow on the sofa marries the sofa to the chair.

3. Size (and shape) Matters – When creating vignettes of accessories in your space whether its for a tabletop or shelves, try to place objects of various heights, sizes, texture, and shapes together to create a cohesive whole like this photo, while keeping taller items at the back for a graduated look. Pillows, artwork, and blue accessories bring together the color palette, while the yellow vases provide an unexpected pop of color.

Click here to watch one of my recent TV interviews with Gina Bullard on Better Kansas City on KCTV5 about how to create rooms with staying power

http://www.kctv5.com/clip/13418623/home-design-with-staying-power

plus sign up for our weekly interior design and decorating blog here

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

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Decorating: 3 Tips for Decorating on a Budget

May 12, 2017

Do you ever feel like your room is unfinished or undone? Do you have all the furniture purchased for your room, but don’t know what to do next and you’re on a modest budget? Here are 3 ways I recommend as an interior designer to inject personality and interest to your space while staying on a reasonable budget.

Add color Color can be painted on walls, ceilings, furniture or even brought in with decor like this blue candle and pillow in this room. Color may also be introduced with fabrics on draperies and throws or layered in with a rug.

2. Inject pattern – Introduce pattern with fabrics, draperies, or pillows like this photo of a nursery we decorated on a budget as a surprise for parents from Community America Credit Union. The horizontal stripes of the wall done by the homeowners add dramatic pattern along with the draperies and row of frames we hung with the baby’s initials.

3. Layer in texture – Texture can come through rugs or throws like the room here along with pillows and draperies. Additional texture was added in this room with the small marble tile mosaic inset in the fireplace surround.

In the photo of the nursery, texture was introduced with the pouf, area rug, and fuschia colored pillow. And in the close up of the tray, texture is added with the shell, rope handle, and tray.

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

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

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: What’s New & Next in Fabrics and…

November 22, 2016

After attending several fall 2016 interior design markets I wanted to share a few examples of what’s new and next in fabrics, patterns, and finishes. The biggest trend I’m seeing? Personalization!

But bold colors, organic natural looks, antique reproductions and patterns that allude to the 1970s or 1980s are still growing in popularity too.

These fun finishes I discovered can be used as tops for furniture.

And I had to share these luscious classic Ralph Lauren fabrics that have been introduced in their fall collection.

Also loved this fabulous linen stripe from Italy by Schumacher. Perfect for a beach house or for that type of design style.

For more great interior design photos and trends, 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 Facebook now!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Color Trends 2017: A Global Perspective

October 21, 2016October 21, 2016

Screenshot — A sea lion in the Galapagos Islands by Karen Mills

As I’ve watched the the interior design color trends 2017 unfold, I’ve been anxiously anticipating this year’s blog on color trends which I find to be one of our most popular blogs annually! Last year I predicted white as color of the year and it has definitely dominated the interior design scene along with taupe grays and watery blue colors.

But this time instead of predicting my color choice for 2017 as usual, I wanted to give you a more global perspective on color trends 2017 based on my travels around the world including a trip to the Galapagos Islands where I got an opportunity to encounter this wonderful sea lion pictured at top that shows the burst of color coming next year.

Every year seems to bring a slightly broader palette of colors into the forecast and this year is no exception. For 2017 Lea Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute gave a wide range of color predictions, but one of my favorite color groupings for spring is aptly named Florabundant with bursts of fuchsia, green, and purple pink colors.

Benjamin Moore narrowed their top color for 2017 to “Shadow”, a grayed out amethyst similar to the the purple colors in the Blue Mosque below where I visited in Istanbul. Imagine how sexy that color could look in a dramatic living area or romantic bedroom.

Sherwin Williams decided to play it safe with a wonderful taupe color which as an interior designer, I love because of its ability to adapt to almost any color palette. Sherwin Williams calls it ” modern and classic… a beautiful balance of warm and cool,”

Karen Mills' blog

Of course white will still be popular next year along with warmer shades of red, wine, purples, vintage pastels, greens, blues, and even yellow.

For more great color trends and interior design ideas, 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!