Tips on Preventing an Interior Design Disaster

Design Tip from Jerome Abecassis of Divano Designs and Brigitte Beltran of FS2D Design Group

Divano Designs
divanodesigns.com

FS2D Design Group
fs2ddesigngroup.com

Jerome Abecassis, CEO and founder of Divano Designs, was heavily influenced by his mother, a famous French designer and architect. Born in Paris, Jerome has become a well-known entity in the industry. Interior designer and feng shui expert Brigitte Beltran is the founder of FS2D Design Group, a full-service interior design boutique firm with a feng shui specialization.

Tips on preventing an interior design disaster

Interior design is not simply a set of arbitrary ideas, an eclectic assortment of favorite objects or a mimicking of current trends. Good design has a clear vocabulary; it is grounded in logic, aesthetic and the work of well-trained architects, artists, builders and designers. To avoid interior design disasters think about the four basic elements of design — contrast, proportion, color and balance — and follow these simple tips:

Scale
Household furniture previously bought for a smaller room or for a previous home could end up being out of scale for a larger room or in your new home. Replace furnishings that are out of proportion in the new space.

Modern trends
Be careful not to produce a decorating template around the most current movements and fashions. Take the time to determine your personal style. Ways to explore this would be to research interior-design publications, browse through home interior showrooms or look at online resources to discover those colors and styles you most favor.

Selections
Your home is your personal sanctuary. Don’t enable someone else to make selections for you or let them tell you where something must be placed. If you want support, ask for recommendations, but when the moment arrives to make choices, they should be your own. It is your home and you should be comfortable with the options.

Color coordination
Never buy paint or materials (such as flooring or countertops) on your original visit to a store. Compare samples of paint and materials to help you see how they look in your home under day and night lights with lighting fixtures.

Money and time
Survey your existing household. What really needs to be refreshed? What can you do without? What can you reuse in a different way? Make a summary of your requirements, establish a budget up front and determine how much time you will set aside for your project.