I'm an Interior Designer!

[kaerbear178]

I just graduated on Friday with a BFA in Interior Design--5 years of night school. I also currently work in the tile industry helping home owners with their tile and stone selections. I have seen a lot (mainly in the way of frustrated home owners) :blowup: and was wondering if anyone would like it if I started a thread with advice on what I have learned these past 5 years. I have a lot of suggestions that I think might be helpful! I just don't want to write out a bunch of tips in nobody cares! :bored: Let me know!

[Mickey 101]

Congratulations on your degree! That sounds like a lot of hard work.

What new trends do you see in flooring? What are the most common mistakes people make when selecting tile?

[disneydeb]

Congratulations!

Thanks for the advice offer!

[MsMin]

Congrats! on your degree :party2: My dd has a BFA too but specializing in graphic design.
Currently my parents have purchased a condo on Orange Beach and I am decorating the place. My dd will help me w/ the colors and I had 1 interior design class in college so I know the basics but I have plenty of questions.

WINDOW TREATMENT.... YUCK ---- how do I cover the windows and keep the view. I have thought of bamboo or blinds... Here is the problem. My brother had a condo and had vertical blinds and when you open the door to the balcony the wind draws the blinds out and they were always broken. He replaced them with curtains that are always sucked out too and caught and torn in the glass doors. The place sleeps 8 and has a sofa bed in the living room. --- I say we could just provide sleep masks ;) Part of the allure is to see the view-- so I don't want it all covered up. What do you think?
Congrats again .... and I love talking about Interior design! :grad:

[kaerbear178]

What new trends do you see in flooring?
The biggest thing is sustainability! I don't like to think of it as a trend--it's just the right thing to do. Bamboo floors are becoming quite popular. I also learned about a product in school called palmwood which is from palm trees. Palm trees are actually not classified as trees F.Y.I.! Look up durapalm if you would like to learn more about it, it's pretty interesting. Porcelain tiles that use recycled materials are also becoming very popular. Where I work stone tile (travertine) is also a big seller.



What are the most common mistakes people make when selecting tile?

1. Not buying enough tile...they buy enough to complete the job but then don't hang onto any after the job is complete. Then they come back 5 years later after their plumber broke some and the tile is discontinued. This happens on a daily basis.
2. Not selecting tile that fits their needs. They buy something because that is what everyone else is getting-not what fits their lifestyle. Then they come back and complain that what they bought didn't hold up...

I have more but I have to go to work soon!

[ErinElectronaut]

awesome! congrats! :thumbsup:

I'm an interior designer as well... but I do more interior architecture. Have you ever thought about getting into that? It's a fantastic field. Stressful, but really, it's a wonderful career. And if you ever go to take your NCIDQ exam I can give you some pointers! That thing is tough. :unsure:

Glad to see that there's other designers around here :)

[Disney Doll]

I'd love to read your tips! We're currently building a home and I feel lost. There's too much to choose and I don't know what goes together. Every time the builder calls I want to say, "just make it look nice", but I know that's not exactly what he's wanting.

[ChipnDaleGal]

Congratulations on getting your degree. I hope you have a lot of success, and get to do work that is both fun and rewarding. :thumbsup:

[Flower]

Kitchen help!!! I could use tips on kitchen paint colors...

I have natural oak cabinets & crown moulding, and am bored with the wall color it is now. I have a lot of light - a window, door with a long window and a skylight so I am considering painting the anaglypta (sp?) ceiling & trim in Benjamin Moores Vanilla Ice Cream (Who can't resist!) and the walls in Benjamin Moores Louisiana Hot Sauce...are those good color choices?

The counters currently are white (no back splash) and the floor is currently yucky linoleum, if I was not a SAHM they all would be changed, but unfortunately right now money is an object.

Thanks for the advice and congratulations on your degree!

[kaerbear178]

awesome! congrats! :thumbsup:

I'm an interior designer as well... but I do more interior architecture. Have you ever thought about getting into that? It's a fantastic field. Stressful, but really, it's a wonderful career. And if you ever go to take your NCIDQ exam I can give you some pointers! That thing is tough. :unsure:

Glad to see that there's other designers around here :)

Thanks! Right now I want to find a job doing office space planning, hopefully with someone doing Herman Miller or close to it. I definately am going to take the NCIDQ as soon as I can, along with getting LEED certified!

I have a few days off coming up so I can help everyone with question starting tomorrow!

[kaerbear178]

=

WINDOW TREATMENT.... YUCK ---- how do I cover the windows and keep the view. I have thought of bamboo or blinds... Here is the problem. My brother had a condo and had vertical blinds and when you open the door to the balcony the wind draws the blinds out and they were always broken. He replaced them with curtains that are always sucked out too and caught and torn in the glass doors. The place sleeps 8 and has a sofa bed in the living room. --- I say we could just provide sleep masks ;) Part of the allure is to see the view-- so I don't want it all covered up. What do you think?
Congrats again .... and I love talking about Interior design! :grad:

Hi!
A couple questions. How big is the window and what does it look like? Is this window like your brothers condo, next to a door?

[kaerbear178]

I'd love to read your tips! We're currently building a home and I feel lost. There's too much to choose and I don't know what goes together. Every time the builder calls I want to say, "just make it look nice", but I know that's not exactly what he's wanting.

Hi Disney Doll. If it makes you feel a little better, the building process is that hard for most people. I can't tell you how many times I have had people say the same thing to me. What have you selected so far?
The best thing to do is focus on one area or thing at a time. Let me know what you have done so far and I'll try and help you figure out what to focus on next.

[kaerbear178]

Kitchen help!!! I could use tips on kitchen paint colors...

I have natural oak cabinets & crown moulding, and am bored with the wall color it is now. I have a lot of light - a window, door with a long window and a skylight so I am considering painting the anaglypta (sp?) ceiling & trim in Benjamin Moores Vanilla Ice Cream (Who can't resist!) and the walls in Benjamin Moores Louisiana Hot Sauce...are those good color choices?

The counters currently are white (no back splash) and the floor is currently yucky linoleum, if I was not a SAHM they all would be changed, but unfortunately right now money is an object.




Flower,
I understand about the kitchen. Over time you'll be able to change things but paint is a great way to change a room inexpensively. As far as the paint colors, I'm not familiar with Benjamin Moores colors. I tried looking them up on their website but couldn't find the colors you were looking at. Louisiana Hot Sauce sounds like it is red which is a great color for a kitchen. It should also look nice with the cabinetry. Are you planning on painting all of the walls? If so, maybe try painting one wall first so that you can look at it at different times during the day. That way you make sure you like it before painting the rest of the room.
Good Luck!

[Disney Doll]

Right now I'm working on colors for the wood. I'm trying to chose a stain color for cabinets and wood trim. I also need to choose a color for the laminate wood floor. I like darker woods, but I'm worried about having too much dark wood and I'm not sure if the trim should match the floor or provide a contrast. A lot of the stain colors look orangy which I don't like so I'm leaning towards cherry. I have a light colored area rug which will break up the darkness and I'm doing a light colored neutral on the walls (probably something in the gold family). It's just hard for me to picture the finished product. Right now I'm just picking things I like, but I don't have the vision to imagine them all together. Does what I have so far sound okay?