Design Smart

Sign up here to receive my monthly "Design Smart-Ask Gail" column.

Blog

Ask Gail

Articles

Archives

Gail Mayhugh's Expert Author Email Alerts
Sign up to receive email alerts of Gail Mayhugh’s latest articles from EzineArticles.com!

Email Address:

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn
Follow GMJinteriors on Twitter

5 Decorating Secrets to Make Your Home Look Like a Model

 
SECRET # 1 CREATING A THEME, MOOD & STYLE
Having a unified interior flows from area to area with a sense of comfort and well-being. It is pleasing to the senses and not shocking or disturbing. To create a unified interior, you need to establish a theme, mood and style before you begin your decorating.
A [...] [...]

How to Merchandise Your Home

One of the most popular questions I get asked is, “How can I make my home look like the model?” When an Interior Designer is hired to design a model home, we’re being hired to merchandise the home for sale. So let me first give you a little inside information for fun on where we [...] [...]

Part 1 – Make Your Home Look Like A Model

Instead of my regular columns, I thought you might enjoy a six-part series that will take you through the steps to decorate your home to look like a model. In the series of columns I will be including actual budget numbers I used to decorate a model home.
First, I believe that designing on a budget [...] [...]

Part 2 – The Ins and Outs of Furniture

In part 2 of our series we’re starting with where the majority of your budget will be spent, furniture. Furniture is the foundation of your design in any room and will be the most expensive portion of your design budget. When shopping we can get caught up in the excitement of buying and don’t always [...] [...]

Part 3 – Dressing Your Windows With Style

Window treatments add so much to a room. They reflect your theme, mood, style and color scheme. Think of window treatments as a great scarf on a basic black dress. They add pizzazz and frame your window just as molding frames a piece of art.
In our model home, we spent 12% of our total budget [...] [...]

Part 4 – Invest Wisely When Outfitting Bedrooms.

In part four of my series on decorating your home to look llike a model I’ll look at bedding and how you can use custom and ready-made bedding, even on a budget.
In my model home example, I spent 11 percent of my total budget of $49,430, or $5,437, on bedding. When designing a model on [...] [...]

Part 5 – Art, Wall Treatments Complete the Look of a Room

In the model, I had approximately 74 pieces of artwork ranging in size from 8 inches by 10 inches to 30 inches by 40 inches. Artwork can range in price from $10 to thousands of dollars. This is where you need to decide if you want strictly decorative items or investments. Since I am designing [...] [...]

Part 6 – Lights, Plants, Accesssories. Final Touches Make a House

Well, I’m at the last part in my series about decorating on a budget. Today, I’ll focus on what really makes a house your home, the finishing touches that you add with accessories, lighting and plants.
In my model, I spent a total of 15 percent, or $7,415, with 2 percent or $989 on lighting, 8 [...] [...]