Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Decorating: 3 Tips for a Budget Living Room…

  • November 13, 2020November 13, 2020
Interior design by Karen Mills

Do you ever feel like your room is blah or unfinished but don’t want to spend a fortune to finish it? Read on for my 3 tips as an interior designer to add a little life to your interior design.

  1. Add Color   Color can be painted on walls and ceilings or introduced with art, furniture or decor like this existing blue painting the client already had. A blue vase enhances the painting while providing an additional punch of color to our interior design client’s entry. Color may also be introduced with fabrics, draperies, rugs, or decor. 5 Easy Steps to Space Planning Your Living Room
Karen Mills' blog example of pattern
Interior decorating by Karen MIlls

2. Inject pattern –  Introduce pattern with draperies or pillows like this photo of a living room. The artwork, drapes, pillows, and flowers also add a pop of color to this dramatic space. Tips for Giving Living Room a One Day Makeover

Karen Mills' blog texture example
Interior decorating by Karen Mills

3. Layer in Texture – In this living room, albeit an outdoor one, texture was layered in with flowers, branches, wood trays, and cloth napkin decor. Additional texture in this space includes wicker chairs, a wrought iron table base, a wrought iron bench base, and a stone fireplace.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 7 Steps to a Successful Living Room…

  • March 14, 2019March 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/or architect  to give an estimated investment.  Then follow these 7 steps to create the room of your dreams!

Karen Mills' blog
Interior design by Karen Mills
  1. 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. Here in this great room our client wanted a glamorous Hollywood style mixed with touches from the beach in decor and color.

 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 like we did here with the existing artwork.

Karen Mills' blog
Interior design by Karen Mills

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

In this living room, we created a U shaped seating area to add emphasis to the fireplace which is the main focal point in the room.

  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 time frame because investing a few dollars for a master plan and viable timetable can help avoid thousands of dollars in costly mistakes later.

Karen Mills' blog
Interior design by Karen Mills. Photo by 29 Pixels, LLC

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 any construction.

In this great room we designed a custom sofa and reupholstered two chairs to perch atop a cozy organic style rug we found.

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

Karen Mills' blog
Interior design by Karen MIlls

7.  Design additional furnishings

Furnishings may include rugs, window treatments, pillows, bedding or other items.  In addition ensure you select art, finishes, and other decor needed. Here we found coordinating pillow fabrics, a rug, tables, lamps, and decor to coordinate the custom sofa we designed.

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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!