Incorporate meaningful objects, such as family heirlooms or personal artwork, to create a space that reflects your style and adds character.
Choose colors based on personal preferences and the emotional response they evoke, using restraint to avoid overwhelming the space while still adding vibrancy and flow.
Deep dives
Designing a Home that Reflects Personal Style
The podcast episode explores the challenges faced by Hilary Stacey, a chemistry teacher, as she tries to create her dream home. Hilary and her fiancee have bought a new build and aim to design a space that reflects both of their styles. Hilary loves vibrant colors and patterns, while her fiancee prefers minimalism. The episode emphasizes the importance of incorporating meaningful objects into the design, such as family heirlooms or personal artwork. It also highlights the significance of restraint in design choices and the need to mix and match colors and elements to create a cohesive and visually pleasing space. Additionally, the episode discusses the role of children in design and encourages the utilization of children's artwork as a way to add personal touches to the home. Hilary is advised to create a mood board and take time to make design decisions, ensuring the space is both beautiful and functional.
The Value of Color and Restraint in Design
The episode emphasizes the value of colors and their impact on the overall feel of a space. It suggests that colors should be chosen based on personal preferences and the emotional response they evoke. The importance of restraint in both buying and using colors is highlighted. It advises against overwhelming a space with too many bold colors and encourages mixing and matching colors to create a flow rather than aiming for everything to match perfectly. The episode also discusses the use of colorful artwork and accents to add vibrancy to a room without overpowering it. The inherent value of vintage and meaningful items is emphasized, as they can bring character and style to a space without hefty price tags.
Designing a Functional and Beautiful Space
The episode stresses the significance of creating a space that is both functional and visually appealing. It highlights the need to consider the purpose and energy of the space and how it should make inhabitants and guests feel. The importance of setting a budget and making decisions accordingly is emphasized to avoid project abandonment. The episode also suggests using restraint and time when making design choices, allowing the space to evolve over time and experimenting with different elements. It advises against rushing the process and recommends finding a balance between individual style preferences and creating a cohesive overall design.
Designing for Family and Children
The episode addresses the challenge of designing a space that is both stylish and accommodating for children. It encourages incorporating elements that are visually stimulating for children without compromising on style. The episode advises spending more on visually impactful elements such as ceilings, chandeliers, and wall coverings while also emphasizing the importance of making spaces functional and usable for the whole family. The episode also suggests framing and displaying children's artwork as a way to add personal touches and encourage creativity within the home.
This summer, Hillary and her fiancé will be moving into their first home together. It’s an upgrade from their apartment, and they get to design it from scratch. Hillary is really looking forward to entertaining friends and even growing their family in the space. She wants to design the interior of the house so it feels like a home, but she has no idea where to start, style-wise. On this episode of How To!, host Carvell Wallace brings on award-winning interior designerCorey Damen Jenkins. Corey runs a design firm, teaches, and is the author of Design Remix. He breaks down everything from how to find your style (hint: look in your closet) to creating mood boards to balancing color so it doesn’t become overwhelming. No matter if you’re on a shoestring budget or can splurge on the space—Corey’s advice will help you love where you live.
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