Principles of Interior Design from an Ordinary Non-professional Housewife

You can find a lot of advice about the steps to take in designing a room or interior design. The internet has a hundred or more sites and the book stores offer at least several dozen books on the topic. I think however that they all took their cue from one person who erroneously suggested that the first step in designing a room is to decide on the type of flooring and then to decide on the lighting and a whole list of decisions, decisions, decisions. Then the rest of the interior design experts just followed along like sheep. Well, we are ladies not sheep so we do things the sensible, fun and maybe just a bit emotional way.

I will go along with the type of flooring being Number One, but how in the world can you decide on the type of lighting until you have designed the room and know where and what kind of lighting you will need?

No. You should most certainly leave the lighting until last. Instead get yourself a cheap floor lamp or a couple of those hanging bare bulbs like your husband uses when he is working on his car after dark. These will work very well to give you all the light you need while putting your room together.

Now we will design your new room: I am supposing that you have been around long enough to know what style furniture turns you on. Is it Contemporary, Retro, Art Deco or Traditional? I am also assuming that you have some idea what the room is to be used for and therefore the furnishings you will probably need. Now put down either a lovely wood floor or a good quality neutral wall to wall carpet and leave the plastered walls white.

I might mention that neutral need not be beige, black, brown, tan or white. There are enough shades of these neutrals that you can surely find something that appeals. And you might even look at the more subtle dusty greens that also go with just about any colors. After all God made grass and trees greens as a background for all the flowers didn't he?

Don't really be concerned about the carpet showing dirt because the newer carpets are treated with dirt resistant chemicals. Do get the best floor covering you can afford for this all important base flooring.

Now that you have completed the basic "chores" of creating the setting for your new room now is where the real fun comes in: Shopping. Go shopping for an area rug at least 5 feet by 8 feet in size. A larger carpet might be better for a large room. If you prefer Contemporary furnishings you will want a more abstract or geometric patterned area carpet. If your taste are for feminine curves and comfort of Traditional furnishings rather than angles then you will be looking at an area carpet leaning towards the Oriental look. Retro and Art Deco will usually go with either carpet style.

This carpet will be the anchor for the furnishings in the room. Or the base around which you will build the rest of the room. The only thing you really need concentrate on about this carpet, besides size of course, is that you have to love it; the pattern and the colors. Absolutely love it! Never settle for just okay or "I can live with it". Keep looking because the right area carpet for you is out there.

Depending on the use you will have for the room and your budget I would advise not getting a really expensive area carpet. Maybe for your formal living room (show room) or for your bedroom the expensive and "live with forever" is okay, but for any other room you might want to check out Old Time Pottery's $39 to $89 deals. When it gets worn then at that price you can afford to go get another. (Wee! Another opportunity to shop and change the room. No red blooded female like person would miss that opportunity, now would she?)

Now that you have the area carpet that you love you must pick out three colors from that carpet that you love even more. These three colors will be your color palette for the rooms walls, drapes, upholstery, pillows and dust catchers.

Don't concern yourself with warm colors and cool colors and warm reds are better for conversation and cool blues are relaxing and good for bedrooms. I have had some very good conversations in ultra feminine pastel blues and peach living rooms. And I have slept very well in shocking pink bedrooms (Not in my house of course!) Forget, or don't bother to read, the "rules". Look at the three colors you have chosen and know that they are right for you, and you are going to live with them so you needn't please anyone else. Well, except your Mother who is sure to tell you how she would have done it better. Grin and bear it and know that some day you too will be a Mother and will be able to get your licks in when you tell your kids.

Choose the one color of the three you like the best for the larger areas like the walls and the upholstered furniture. The other two can then be used for adding fun and character and what they are now calling "punch" to the room. The second color can be the drapes, the cover for a foot stool and maybe a painted cabinet or end tables. The third color comes n with the little touches like pillows, the facing color fabric of the drapery valances, maybe the color of the picture frames and the little things like statuary and vases.

When looking for the fabrics you do have to keep the three colors in mind, but patterned and textured fabrics add a lot of interest so don't be afraid of floral or plaids or strips, and don't be afraid to combine them. In fact there is nothing so nice as all three patterns in one color paired with the same background color. Look in fabric shops and you will see groups of the same colors used with different designs. These patterned fabrics make very eye catching window treatments with the largest or more dominate pattern used for drapes and the other two patterns used for the valance. Carry these over individually or combined in pillows, footstool cover and maybe even a quilted throw. (Yes I did say a quilted throw. Look at it as a new hobby. Quilting is really fun and in this I suggest you carefully use the books as a guide.)

You should be well on your way to furnishing and decorating your room by now. The last thing you do is take a good look at the furnished room to decide just where you need light and what kind of light. Where will you be working or reading and needing bright light? Do you want a floor lamp which can be moved around the room easily if needed in other areas, or do you want a more decorative table lamp for this reading/working area light?

Where do you want to maybe spotlight some feature, picture or piece of furniture or wall unit in the room? Track lighting is best for this. And remember track lighting need not just be attached to the ceiling because sometimes it is more effective mounted on the wall or under a shelf.

Do you maybe want some subtle indirect lighting for watching TV, or romance? Look around your room because there are all kinds of possibilities for this subtle lighting from candles to a soft glow around the room from lighting behind a valance.

One more hard and fast rule and then I'm done: You must enjoy every moment of decorating your room, and you must love it when you finish. This is your place and it needn't please anyone but you. Cheers!