My Advice (In my humble opinion)

KC Star article:

Sometimes it’s hard to resist buying something on sale even if it is not the right fit. You can always make a bargain work, right? Wrong.

I can’t tell you how often I see rooms with off-size furniture, mismatched styles or poor color combinations because the owner did not have a plan to begin with and/or bought items on the cheap, thinking they could make them work. But more often than not it doesn’t, and you end up wanting to replace pieces soon after buying them, which means you wind up spending twice as much money.

I firmly believe in investing in a plan, utilizing pieces of furniture that will last a long time and make you happy each time you look at them. This doesn’t mean you must purchase everything at once. A room can be finished in stages as long as you have a well-devised plan to guide you.

If you aren’t sure of your personal style, it’s easy to get inspiration. Go to the library or supermarket and pick up any number of design publications. The pages are loaded with ideas, and once you start flipping through and ripping out or making photocopies of pages you’ll probably notice a commonality in the pictures you like.

Even if you can’t put your thumb on what is drawing you to each image, a design professional probably can. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many people think designing is easy, but actually if you have not been trained and don’t work in the field everyday, making the big design decisions can be challenging. For example, deciding which sofa to buy, with what chair, which paint color, and finishing touches such as window treatments and lighting can be very difficult without some guidance.

And, sorry, but no matter how many hours of HGTV you watch, you still may find designing your home a difficult task. Most clients I help have tried on their own, made mistakes, are not happy with the results they came up with, and now have asked for professional help. Designing around mistakes can be challenging, even for a design professional. Follow these three guidelines, and you will be sure to love your interiors for years to come:

Do not buy inexpensive items just because of the price. If it works for your plan that’s great, but otherwise pass it up for just the right thing.

Find inspiration. Home décor magazines, travel magazines, books, etc. will unveil a common thread in your personal color or style preferences.

Ask for help. Even if it is not in your budget to hire a designer, many furniture stores offer space planning at the minimum, or have some design services that are included with purchase. Take advantage of this professional assistance.

So if you have a room or rooms you’re ready to transform, start planning. It will save you time, money and a lot of frustration.

Reach Jaclyn Banash, interior designer and owner of Urban Dwellings Design, 412 Delaware St., at info@urbandwellingsdesign.com.