Your Design Style, Traditional!

What is you Design Style?  Today, Blog #2 in this style series is Traditional.  Let's see if this is where you feel most comfortable.

Traditional style has been popular for centuries and will continue to stay in the forefront of design style for many years to come.  Mostly because of it's " handed down" feel. Traditional design is elegant. formal and refined with curved lines and ornate carvings.  Usually, the pieces are  upholstered with mid-tones and muted fabric, simple florals, brocades, stripes or plaids.  Traditional room settings are symmetrical and use classic styling.

Here are a few  pictures of the styles known as Traditional.

18th century English.

A pair of 18th Century Chippendale Mirrors

19th century Neoclassic, as shown below.

19th Century Neoclassic Hotel Room

 French Country, shown here

French Country Kitchen

 

and Spanish and British Colonial Revival shown in the bench below.

Spanish Colonial Revival Bench

 
Drapery and curtains are a big part of traditional design.  They are usually a heavy drapery with large cornices or valances and include sheers behind the drapes.

Traditional Swag Drapery

In traditional wall decor, anything old goes!  There are many, many pieces of artwork to choose from but you can make it your own by putting something sentimental on your walls. Take your grandmothers old pieces of let's say jewelry or your Grandpa's skeleton keys or tools, build or buy a shadow box to display them in on the wall.  Also, mix in a few antique frames with, maybe, your families old wedding picture, family portrait or even your family tree.  The sky is the limit!

Nate Berkus Old Photo Display

 
Most of us think about our grandparents furniture when we think of Traditional. It warms our heart to remember the comfort and love that we experienced with our grandparents around the dinner table and in the comfort of their living room.  That is why traditional style will always be around.  There are many furniture manufacturers making beautiful traditional furnishings today.  Some have been around for generations, so if you cannot afford the antique, and you did not inherit your family heirlooms,  you can buy new traditional style furniture and accessories for a lot less to accomplish the same feel.

Let us know if this is where you feel your style is and if you have great memories or pictures of your family furniture.   We would love to see your pieces and hear your stories right here on our blog.  You will also automatically be entered to win a $50.00 gift certificate for any Pezzo Bello Interiors service or product from our store until March 15th!

Antionette King, Owner/Designer
Pezzo Bello Interiors
www.pezzobellointeriors.com

Your Design Style, Eclectic!

One of the first questions I ask a client on a phone interview is "What do you consider your design style?"  Most of the time, they do not know.  So we thought we would try to help you understand the differences in design styles in the coming weeks.  Today we are going to begin with Eclectic. 

You know your have an Eclectic design style if you love mixing and matching old and new furniture and decor and you are uncomfortable being "Matchy, Matchy".  Being Eclectic invites you to fill a space with objects you love and unique finds that strike your fancy. 

eclectic family room design by miami photographer Craig Denis

 Most people are afraid to mix things but if it is done correctly it shows off your confidence yet still adheres to the fundamentals of good design. Plus it's so much fun to feel like you are getting away with something!!!  It's like thinking purebreds are really pretty but mutts capture your heart in a way that's hard to explain.

While an eclectic room's fabrics should harmonize with each other, that doesn't mean they need to be boring. Use interesting mixes of patterns and textures which have a similar hue in common, then add details like beaded trim or fringe.

 Making an Eclectic room work is best when you anchor the room with strong contrasts.  That's a little misleading and could be a disaster if done wrong.  The trick is to find enough common ground to make a space gel while still contrasting your pieces and colors.  Choose a few must have pieces to anchor the space and then start experimenting with accent pieces.  Just remember that you cannot put every piece you love in one room.

Eclectic Hearth Room by Pezzo Bello Interiors

Make sure you keep the backdrop clean.  What we mean by that is, keep it simple so as the pieces will not to compete with each other.  Err on the side of neutral, and use unassuming hues such as a white, cream  gray, taupe or a pale blue.  If you think that it's not enough, try painting an accent wall with a color from one of the pieces you want to use in the room or add a colorful area rug. That should do it!

Color and pattern are extremely important.  With Eclectic style you can do almost  anything with color.  You can pair bright hues with shy pastels, mix and match every shade of one color that you would like.  You can also mix stripes and florals but it all needs to make sense in the room. If you try to bring in every single shade you love, or if you pile up patterns with no restraint, you'll be left with a mess. This bedroom is done to perfection!

eclectic bedroom design

 The fun of eclectic style is the element of surprise. Use pieces that are personal and that you are emotionally attached too. For instance, showcase mementos from your trip to Italy that you took a few years ago in a fun way or bring out your favorite concert posters of your favorite vintage band.   Be careful though, you can go overboard with too many differing pieces.  Think of your quirky piece as an exclamation mark in your room and do not get too carried away.

eclectic living room design by new york interior designer ABC Dragoo

These are just a few of the elements of Eclectic Style. This style has many positive attributes. You can build a design a little bit at a time by finding just the right pieces, and you can express your personality to its fullest. Don't be afraid to combine different loves and passions into one room. You may find that the end result is more cohesive than you could have imagined.

Call a Pezzo Bello Interiors designer to get your perfectly Styled Eclectic Room!

Next week Traditional!

Antionette King
Pezzo Bello Interiors
816-891-8400
aking@pezzobellointeriors.com

The Psychology of Color

One of the most interesting questions I get while working with a client is "What color would you paint this room or use on this chair?"  As an Interior Designer, you really need to get to know your client, their lifestyle and feel for their space to have the right answer to that all encompassing question. It's one of the most important factors in design. What color we wear and what color our rooms are can greatly affect us.  So....we thought that we would help you to understand why color is so important and what each color has to say about you and your space.

Let's begin with Cool Colors.

Blue is a cool color and conveys Dependability, Tranquility, Faithfulness, and Sensitivity.  It's calming and you immediately feel very secure with blue.  It's like the sky and the sea, no matter what, it will always be there. Blue decreases respiration and lowers blood pressure.  Psychologically, very comforting.

Blue Lake House Retreat

Green is another cool color and it conveys Tranquility, Restfulness and Health. There is actually a bit of scientific logic applied to this – because the eye focuses the color green directly on the retina, it is said to be less straining on your eye muscles.   Like nature, from forests to parks, green epitomizes life and growth. FYI: Green is also the symbol of fertility as brides in the 15th century wore green wedding gowns.

Country Green Hearth Room

Purple is also a cool color and it conveys Royalty, Creativity, Balance, and Peacefulness. Purple utilizes both red and blue to provide a nice balance between stimulation and serenity that is supposed to encourage creativity. Light purple is said to result in a peaceful surrounding, thus relieving tension.

Romantic Purple Bedroom

The Warm Colors.

Red is a warm color that conveys Power, Strength, Confidence, Love and Passion.  Red is a versatile color that can symbolize everything from passionate love to violent warfare. Intense and aggressive, its influence isn’t only psychological - it’s physical too. Studies have shown that seeing the color red not only speeds up your heart rate, it makes you breathe faster too. It also stimulates your appetite. Using Red on an accent wall will show the passion in you!

Red Accent Wall

 

Orange is another warm color and it conveys Sensuality, Intuition, and Independence. The color Orange is generally perceived as the warmest of all warm colors. Positioned between Red and Yellow on the color wheel, Orange brings a little of both traits. Orange in it's most saturated form attracts attention.  FYI: Interestingly, the color orange also has a spiritual connection, it is a holy color in India and Nepal. 

Orange Contemporary Bathroom

Yellow is also a cool color and it conveys Happiness, Imagination, Warmth, and Hunger.  Like Red and Orange, Yellow will make your stomach growl. That is why you see so many restaurants using the color yellow in their dining areas and also in their marketing.  Yellow reflects more light and stimulates your eye.

Yellow Mediterranean  Kitchen

The Neutral Colors

White is the first of all Neutral colors.  It conveys Clean, Pristine, Sterile, and Airy.  On the floor, walls and furniture, white can make a room feel larger then it is and add crisp freshness to your room.  An all white room will look sterile and cold so if your are a neutral color lover, you would definitely want to add other neutrals such as grey, black or brown  to your room so as to make it warmer and less sterile.

White Living Room

Grey is another neutral color and it conveys Safe, Calm, and Understated.  Grey can be a wonderful background color as it will make other colors "pop".  Used well, Grey can also lend interiors to calm and understated confidence but it must be the correct tone/undertone and mixed with other neutrals in the right form.  Too much of the color Grey can be depressing especially if mixed with the wrong accent colors.

Grey, Terra Cotta and Beige Hearth Room

Black is also a neutral color and it conveys Sophistication, Elegance, Power, and Prestige.  The color black is great when you want to draw attention to fine  features, furniture with good bones, and any ornamental detail.  The color black absorbs light so using it against lighter colors or other neutrals will draw attention to it.  Use the color black wisely, like eyeliner for the room, to create a chic sophistication.

Black, White and Red Contemporary Formal Sitting Room

Brown is the last neutral color and it conveys Earthiness, Warmth, Depth and Welcoming.  Brown consists of such a mix of colors that there isn't a place on the color wheel for it. Natural browns such as  wood, wicker, straw, stone, and earth pigments - are almost always gorgeous, but synthetic browns can occasionally come across as one-dimensional and obnoxious.

Mocha Brown Master Bedroom Suite

Keep in mind that certain shades or tones may result in very different meanings. Also, the context around the color, and even surrounding colors, can have an effect. Lighter colors tend to make rooms look more spacious and give it a physiological lift.  While darker colors tend to make a room look smaller, heavier  and with long exposure can create monotony and depression.  

So before you begin your color project, get in touch with a color consultant at Pezzo Bello Interiors to get you on the right track!  You'll be glad you did.

Antionette King, Designer

Pezzo Bello Interiors

"Making Ordinary Homes, Extraordinary!"

816-891-8400

aking@pezzobellointeriors.com

What Exactly does an Interior Designer do?

Many times during my career I have heard questions concerning what an Interior Designer's value is.  Many people, think that because they have the "knack for decorating" that they do not need a designer to complete their home project.  Only after they are in middle of their project, do they understand what our value really is. They realize that it is was more complicated then what they thought.  I can't tell you how many times I have received calls from homeowners asking me for my services to "fix" what they have tried to do themselves.  The job at that point is harder and more costly to fix then it would have been to call an Interior Designer during the concept phase.  So we thought we just might be able to help you learn why it is important to call us first!

To begin the process, an Interior Designer will meet face to face with their client at the jobsite to determine the clients needs and wishes along with observing the space that they will be working on. At that meeting, the designer will get an idea of the client's preferences and budget.  They will guide their clients through what can and cannot be done.

After collecting this information, the designer formulates a design plan and estimates costs.  During this process the designer's knowledge, education and experience really come into play as they will have to figure such things as space planning, functionability of the space, color scheme, and structural viabilities while understanding the client's needs and wants.  Upon completing the design plan, the designer will present it to the client and make revisions based on the client's input.

When the design concept is approved by the client,  the designer begins to start specifying the materials, finishings and furnishings.  This process includes flooring, textiles, wall coverings, trim, lighting, furniture and more.  Depending on the complexity of the project, the designer also might need to submit drawings for approval by a construction inspector to ensure that the design meets building codes. If a project requires structural work, the designer will work with an architect and/or structural engineer for that part of the project. They also hire the contractors to do technical work, such as cabinetry, lighting, plumbing, and electrical wiring.  Interior Designer's offer complete project management for their customers and they are the liaison between the contractors and their clients.

Finally, the designer develops a timeline for the project, coordinates contractor work schedules, and makes sure work is completed on time. The designer oversees the installation of the design elements, and after the project is complete, the designer, together with the client, make follow-up visits to the  site to ensure that the client is completely satisfied.

So....this is just an quick outline of what we Interior Designers do!  It's a complicated process for the average homeowner to take on!  So before you begin your project, call a reputable Interior Designer like Pezzo Bello Interiors, to help you through it from start to finish.

Antionette King, Owner/Designer
Pezzo Bello Interiors
816-891-8400
www.pezzobellointeriors.com