Article by in house designer Asia Evans
Graduate of The Art Institute of Charlotte, Interior Design
As a designer I easily retain colors, furniture styles, and an inventory of things I need to complete a space in my head. Therefore decorating is very easy for me, but through my years as a designer I have noticed many of my customers are simply unable to recall patterns, colors, or appropriately describe styles to me. Such knowledge is crucial for designers & decorators to have, when they are unable to visit your space, and are relying on your descriptions to suggest materials for you. I promise you will have a much easier time and better success at decorating if you adopt these tips. It will allow you to easily pull swatches for shopping or when making selections with a designer or decorator.
So if you want to really be successful at decorating, follow these simple tips:
- Start a Home Binder: in it you will catalog everything in your home
- Purchase a binder that will travel easy with dividers and pockets- zipper is a bonus to keep everything in.
- Choose a tab system that works for you- I sort by room
- Keep photos of the room with a floor plan & measurements
- Keep photos and rough measurements of items in the room
- Keep receipts of your purchases and any warranty information
- Carry with you when shopping for your home.
- Start a Swatch Box: in it you will keep swatches of materials in your home
- Purchase a lidded box, like a hanging file box- a bonus if it has a handle
- Use your same tab system as your binder
- Keep swatches of bulkier items like carpet, fabrics, tiles, etc.
- Label each swatch so you can easily recognize it to the area it belongs. These swatches are not uniform in most cases, in size or shape, and your box may shuffle when moved- so make sure there labeled!
- Carry with you as needed- like shopping for floors, cabinets, and major furniture or simply pull the items that apply and take with you.
- Have your Paint Swatches at your fingertips: make duplicates while you’ve got paint out.
- I always recommend keeping your paint swatch card in your binder- safe and sound. If you are able to get the paint formula- get it and write it on the card along with where you purchased the paint.
- Use stir sticks or large tongue depressors strung together for these swatches
- Have each stick painted with your wall color & labeled with the room, paint manufacturer and color info: number & name
- Carry with you when shopping for your home
*all of this info is easy to obtain from the store where you are buying the material from or the website of the manufacturer at the time of your purchase- Don’t wait or you might not get it later.
