Sunday, March 14, 2004
BY GINA DAMRON
News Special Writer
The first rule to remember when decorating the interior of your new home is that there are no rules, said Jane Hughes, owner and principal designer of Organizational Designs Inc. in Ann Arbor
What may work for one person may not work for another, said Hughes. But, while
there are no definite rules, developing a plan can make pulling together your
new space a little easier and a lot less stressful, local designers said.
Define your desires
The first step is to decide what you like, said Ginna Jordan, owner of Jordan Interiors in Ann Arbor.
Jordan suggests cutting out pictures of items you like - everything from furnishings to wallpaper - from magazines and mail-order catalogs and create a portfolio.
Hughes said it's important to keep a portfolio of what you don't like, as well.
Also important is setting a budget and sticking to it, Jordan said. If you use a professional designer, be open with him or her about your spending limits, she said.
If you don't use a designer for the full job, you might be able to get a consultation. Jordan said not all designers will offer this service, but some will.
A crucial step in planning is taking proportions into account. If you're decorating without professional assistance, take measurements of the space so you don't spend money on an item that fits awkwardly into the room.
Hughes suggests mapping out a floor plan using graphing paper - where one block on the page equals 1 square foot - to better plan out your space.
Getting help
If you decide to choose a designer, you can find candidates at the Michigan Design Center, on the Web at www.michigandesign.com, or the American Society of Interior Decorators (www.asid.com). Sometimes you can see examples of designers' work at model home shows.
Jordan said it's important to know a designer's style and feel comfortable discussing your budget with him or her. Most designers have a minimum budget they'll work with, Jordan said. Hers is $5,000.
Get what you want
Now it's time to go shopping. Patience is important at this stage, designers said.
It's a bad idea to try to purchase all the furnishings for your home in one day and, especially, in one place, said Marie Minnich owner of Medici Design Group Inc.
"A good home is never done, she said. "It's a process,"
Minnich said good buys can be found everywhere from the showrooms of high-end retailers to flea markets. It's just a matter of finding quality pieces at prices that fit your budget, she said. It may even be smart, Minnich said, to find an item you love and build around that.
"You can just look at it, touch it and feel it," she said.
Elisabeth Jailek-Pace and her husband, Jason Pace, took Minnich's advice. They are slowly accumulating pieces they want in the home they had built.
The couple, who married in September and moved into their Ann Arbor home in late December, purchased a cranberry-colored sectional couch, which was an item they were seeking out before the house was even completed.
"You want a piece that's going to last a long time," said Jailek-Pace, who has commissioned Jordan to design her home.
Terri Klienschmidt, one of Jordan's clients, said it's important to her to have a few high-end pieces in her Ann Arbor home, but that not everything needs to be expensive.
"You have to have quality things in the room that can hold the value," she said.
© 2004 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission