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Decorate Like You See in Magazines & Books?
By Jeanette Joy Fisher
Have you ever wondered why interior designers place slippers on the ottoman in magazine photos?
They do it to make the staged setting look as if it’s a lived-in room. Pictures and illustrations in
decorating books, magazines, and other advertisements are designed to sell a product or an idea.
But what’s missing in the staged rooms of most interior design books and magazines? People.
When it comes to decorating your own your home, forget the empty rooms you see in the magazines
and books. You should design your rooms as backdrops for the people who use and live in those
spaces. In order to best utilize the spaces in your home, try these simple techniques:
Leave empty space. Empty space gives you breathing room and allows the most important items in
the room to shine, which are the people!
Use small patterns on walls and furniture. Avoid large-patterned fabrics and wallpapers with
designs larger than your head. Huge florals will interfere with the appearance of the people in the room.
You don’t want to have to compete with bold patterns behind your face. Patterns on sofas and chairs
that clash with clothing will also make you and your guests feel uncomfortable.
Use colors that complement people. Finding the right colors to complement your skin and eyes
deserves planning. Most people look great when surrounded by color. For light skin colors, use yellows,
pinks, and beiges. For darker complexions, yellows, olives, and tans can make people stand out. Since
most people no longer have bright white in their eyes, avoid pastels that are whiter than the white in
your eyes.
Add textures that feel good to the touch. Support your sense of touch by adding textures that are
nice to caress. You don’t have to touch velvet to sense its softness, and soft textures like chenille and
satins will visually support your feeling of being pampered, as well.
Arrange accessories to shore up emotions. In one of my rooms, I arranged my mantle accessories
to make a statement, and it looked great in photographs, but after analyzing why the mantle didn’t seem
to smile, I realized that it wasn’t personal. When I filled it with Mili fiori lamps, crystal candlesticks, and
antique vases, the space looked great, but it really began to smile when I added a Mexican Rose rock
under the painting.
Think comfort before pretense. Just because a sofa or chair looks fabulous doesn’t mean the piece
is comfortable. Remember, when you walk around a showroom, sitting down on any piece feels good,
but in order to truly test a piece of furniture, you need to sit on it for a long time, until you feel totally
rested. Only then will you be able to feel the real support and comfort level of that piece.
Remember, your home is a place for people, and when you and your guests look and feel great in your
home, you can be sure that you’ve designed a great setting; one that far outshines the staged sets you’
see in magazines and books.
Joy to you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.
Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other
books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports,
newsletters, and sales flyer template, see
http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm
Books by Jeanette Fisher:
-Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars
-Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--FAST! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging
-Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate
By Jeanette Joy Fisher
Have you ever wondered why interior designers place slippers on the ottoman in magazine photos?
They do it to make the staged setting look as if it’s a lived-in room. Pictures and illustrations in
decorating books, magazines, and other advertisements are designed to sell a product or an idea.
But what’s missing in the staged rooms of most interior design books and magazines? People.
When it comes to decorating your own your home, forget the empty rooms you see in the magazines
and books. You should design your rooms as backdrops for the people who use and live in those
spaces. In order to best utilize the spaces in your home, try these simple techniques:
Leave empty space. Empty space gives you breathing room and allows the most important items in
the room to shine, which are the people!
Use small patterns on walls and furniture. Avoid large-patterned fabrics and wallpapers with
designs larger than your head. Huge florals will interfere with the appearance of the people in the room.
You don’t want to have to compete with bold patterns behind your face. Patterns on sofas and chairs
that clash with clothing will also make you and your guests feel uncomfortable.
Use colors that complement people. Finding the right colors to complement your skin and eyes
deserves planning. Most people look great when surrounded by color. For light skin colors, use yellows,
pinks, and beiges. For darker complexions, yellows, olives, and tans can make people stand out. Since
most people no longer have bright white in their eyes, avoid pastels that are whiter than the white in
your eyes.
Add textures that feel good to the touch. Support your sense of touch by adding textures that are
nice to caress. You don’t have to touch velvet to sense its softness, and soft textures like chenille and
satins will visually support your feeling of being pampered, as well.
Arrange accessories to shore up emotions. In one of my rooms, I arranged my mantle accessories
to make a statement, and it looked great in photographs, but after analyzing why the mantle didn’t seem
to smile, I realized that it wasn’t personal. When I filled it with Mili fiori lamps, crystal candlesticks, and
antique vases, the space looked great, but it really began to smile when I added a Mexican Rose rock
under the painting.
Think comfort before pretense. Just because a sofa or chair looks fabulous doesn’t mean the piece
is comfortable. Remember, when you walk around a showroom, sitting down on any piece feels good,
but in order to truly test a piece of furniture, you need to sit on it for a long time, until you feel totally
rested. Only then will you be able to feel the real support and comfort level of that piece.
Remember, your home is a place for people, and when you and your guests look and feel great in your
home, you can be sure that you’ve designed a great setting; one that far outshines the staged sets you’
see in magazines and books.
Joy to you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.
Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other
books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports,
newsletters, and sales flyer template, see
http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm
Books by Jeanette Fisher:
-Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars
-Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--FAST! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging
-Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate
Copyright 2004-5 Homesolutionssandiego.com
All Rights Reserved
admin@homesolutionssandiego.com
All Rights Reserved
admin@homesolutionssandiego.com
Your resource for real estate and home decorating in San Diego