Hi friends,
If you follow Willa Interiors on Facebook you may have tuned in to watch my first live video! Thanks to everyone who participated, I had so much fun interacting with you guys and answering questions for you! I posted a request for comments to be submitted in advanced, so I wanted to capture those here in case you missed your question being answered, or if you wanted to reference back to it later.
1. How to find your design theme for your home- Discovering my own style?
This is a common problem I find. Someone has great taste and style, but making a room design requires you to hone in on one style. There are so many great styles out there.
- Traditional
- Coastal
- Glam
- Country
- Shabby Chic
- Farmhouse
- Minimalist
- Modern
- Industrial
- Southern Charm
- Victorian
- Transitional
The list goes on! How do you find yours? My recommendation is to go to Pinterest. Either make a board or look at one you’ve already made. Look for a common theme/style in your taste. If you don’t know what to call it, send it to a friend and ask them to describe your style! Or if you’d like you can even share your board with me and I’ll give you a “style label”
2. How about keeping a cohesive look through a home when the floor plan is open concept?
If a house is open concept or really small there needs to be consistency in the style from room to room. That’s where honing into that one style becomes so crucial!
3. How to make your home look impressive while still shopping for bargains?
First of all, this is my life! I am a thrifter, but I still enjoy expensive “looking” things! There are 2 ways you can do this:
A. Only buy name brands from the thrift store. If you see a Talbot sweater next to an old navy sweater you can easily notice which one was more expensive. The same goes for some types of home decor. There is also a list of home decor that you can more easily get away with buying thrifty. I started a blog series on this topic so this tells me I need to publish a few more posts on it!
- Save money on: Frames, wood furniture, lamp bases, dishes, and pillow inserts.
- Splurge on: Curtains, Pillow covers, lamp shades and large art work.
Easy way remember this is- Cheap fabric is always noticeable, things that can be painted can look high end even if they’ve been thrifted!
B. The second way to thrift while not letting your house look thrifty is to be patient. Make a game plan for the room then slowly collect those items as you come across them. If you have a plan prior, you won’t spend as much on unnecessary items. And ultimately save money!
4. What is the easiest way to update/change a room- Your best ideas for keeping things fresh and up to date without breaking the bank?
In my design plans I like to keep the big expensive pieces neutral so that the smaller items can be replaced and updated easily! Curtains are a “huge impact with minimal effort” update! As well as throw pillow covers. If you decorate your home with classic and timeless pieces, only color trends will really change. i.e. 10 years ago silver frames were in, then white, then gold, now it’s black. Spray paint your picture frames! One more thing that makes huge impact is your lamp shades. They can take a room from dated to fresh so quickly!
5. What is the best way to make the best of your small space with lots of things? (i.e. toys)
Storage storage storage! For the living room, storage ottomans work great. In the kitchen, I keep a large bread canister on the counter to throw papers/bills in at a moments notice! (DING DONG, surprise company!) In my dining room, I keep a large basket above my book cases for this exact reason! For the bedroom, a storage bench at the end of the bed looks great and offers extra organization space. Have secret storage in every room, places that your kids know they can throw everything into!
6. What is the best kind of window covering for kitchens?
I am currently loving flat roman shades.
7. What is the best way to spruce up your porch?
$5 Walmart pillows are da bomb dot com! Front door wreaths also make an easy update! I’d collect 4 wreaths, a set of pillows for each season, and 4 seasonal rugs. I find really cute ones at Ross for $6!
8. How to mix fabrics for bed linens and pillows?
My biggest piece of advice is do not be afraid to mix colors and patterns! Always have 1 big POP in the arrangement. What not to do: Don’t buy a bedding bag at the store and leave it as is. It loses it’s personality and looks too vanilla. Mix and match pieces and make it your own! Take your sham to the store and start playing and mixing fabrics!
9. Should the exterior of your home influence the way you decorate the interior of your home?
While it’s not a strict rule, I defiantly think you should take it into consideration when decorating your interior. Do no fight against it too much. However the home was designed originally will by nature be featured throughout the whole house. For example, molding, mantle, cabinetry, and layout. The biggest thing to remember is if there is something that you don’t like in a room, and you cant change it, pretend it was placed there on purpose. Work with it, not against it!
10. What is the best way to decorate with tall ceilings?
The bigger the better! If you have tall ceilings you will have to spend a little more on large pieces. Don’t be afraid to hang your curtains from the tip top of the ceiling! I have a recent design project that had really tall ceilings. (Click here to view) I used a huge cabinet armoire for their TV and then had HUGE lanterns clustered on top. They were varying about 2.5-3.5 ft tall! High ceilings are such an asset you want that feature accentuated. Just think UP, UP, UP!
11. Ideas on using items already in your home, just pulling them from different rooms?
- Step 1: Take all the accessories out!
- Step 2: Group like items
- Step 3: Put it back. Put your biggest/brightest piece where it catches your eye first.
12. Do you suggest hanging family photos in public areas of your home or keeping them in more private areas and using artwork in public areas?
I do love hanging family photos in public areas because that breaths life and personality into your room! If I’m hanging a wall gallery I recommend keeping the portraits black and white and the frames similar so that its not as overwhelming with a lot of different styles and colors.
Thanks for reading!
XO,
Hannah Rehn
View full video here: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWillaInteriors%2Fvideos%2F724149591104161%2F&show_text=0&width=560
willainteriors.wordpress.com 