Looking for an Interior
Designers in Islamabad
or interior decorator can be overwhelming if you are not sure which designer
you need for the scope or your project. Are you building, renovating or moving
and need professional advice? Are you planning to sell your property and not
sure how to get ready for the first inspection?
This document gives you answers to
frequently asked questions in regards to interior design, interior decorating,
colour consulting and property styling.
It will help you finding the right designer
for your interior design and decorating projects and eventually create your
individual style in your home.
What is the difference between an interior
designer and an interior stylist?
You may have asked yourself this question
already when facing a building or renovation project. Do I need an interior
designer, an interior decorator, a colour consultant or an interior stylist?
The answer is that it depends on the scope
of the project.
An interior designer is a skilled
professional who is designing interior environments according to your briefing.
The interior designer either modifies what already exists (renovation) or
provides an entirely new design for a space (new build). In this case the
interior designer works closely with the architect and comes in at an early
stage of the project. Interior designers work either along a team in design
firm or on their own.
What is the job of an interior stylist? An
interior stylist is a designer or consultant in a field subject to changes in
style, especially fashion or interior decoration. An interior stylist
cultivates or maintains any particular style and in most cases stylist are
finders, keepers and collectors of beautiful objects.
The interior stylist can help you finding
your own style, creating beautiful interiors that are unique and meaningful.
This can be achieved with the simplest things and does not have to be
expensive. The only thing you need to do is keep your eyes open to beautiful
things in nature, architecture, design, museums, art, exhibitions, books,
textiles and travel. There is only one rule: Only collect or buy things that
mean something to you!
How does a colour consultation work?
The colour consultation focuses on creating
a colour scheme for a specific room or space or the whole house according to
your briefing. A qualified colour consultant can help you with interior and
exterior colour schemes.
Prior to designing a colour scheme for you
the colour consultant should always talk to you about the mood and atmosphere
you would like to achieve in your space. He will explain to you the differences
between the paint companies and their products and choose the right product for
your needs. After designing the colour scheme you will receive a written
recommendation including a specification sheet and brushouts ready for your
painter to start.
Why is it important to seek advice from a
designer when choosing colours?
Colour is the most powerful tool when it
comes to non-verbal communication and the design element that makes a space
come alive. Colour brings individuality in a space and it is one of the most
useful tools to master when finding your own style.
Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the
Pantone Color Institute, says in her book Pantone Guide to Communicating with
Color: "Among other uses, color stimulates and works synergistically with
all of the senses, symbolizes abstract concepts and thoughts, expresses fantasy
or wish fulfillment, recalls another time or place and produces an aesthetic or
emotional response."
When choosing a colour for a room or house
it is important to think about the mood and atmosphere you would like to
achieve. Is it a dark room or flooded with natural light? In which direction is
the room facing? How are the proportions? Do you live in a small apartment or a
contemporary newly built house with open plan living areas? All this needs to
be considered when choosing colours for a space.
If you are overwhelmed by the choice of
colours available - yes, there are thousands on the market - how can you start
finding your personal colour scheme?
For some people it is a longer journey, for
others it comes more naturally. The most important thing is to take some time,
open your eyes, walk around your home and absorb the colour combinations you
see. Then start gathering all the pieces you love. This can be anything from
old porcelain, travel souvenirs, photographs, artwork, clothes, tear sheets
from magazines, fabric swatches, stationary, a collection of stones, feathers
or glass objects.
And don't forget nature as inspiration for
a colour scheme (interior or exterior). If you live near the ocean, shades of
blues and greens can be used to link your interior with its surroundings.
Flowers, butterflies, stones, shells, driftwood are fantastic inspirations for
colour schemes.
Once you have gathered all your beloved
treasures in one spot, play around with the pieces, group them by colours and
you will see a colour palette emerge. This "moodboard" is a great
starting point for your interior designer, interior stylist or colour
consultant to help you creating an individual and personal space, a home that
reflects who you are and a place that you love coming home to.
Stylist's tip: Before you start painting
always buy a test pot and paint a large sheet of paper or cardboard (one square
metre) with your colour. Tape it to the walls in your room and study it for a
couple of days. Look at it in daylight and artificial light. This is very
important as colours change depending on the light, the orientation of the room,
other colours in the room and spatial elements like furniture and artwork for
example.
What is the difference between a colour and
a styling consultation?
The colour consultation focuses on creating
a colour scheme for a specific room or space or the whole house according to
your briefing. A qualified colour consultant can help you with interior and
exterior colour schemes.
The styling consultation focuses on
creating a certain (Your) style in your home or simply on answering all your
questions about colours, style, furniture sourcing and placement, art sourcing
and placement, displays of your collections, accessories, proportions in a
space, lighting etc.
Again it is vital that the designer listens
to what you would like to achieve (briefing) and makes sure that he understood
what you want (debriefing). Don't let the interior designer or interior stylist
talk you into something you don't like!
How do I maximise the output of my styling
consultation?
Are you planning to colour, redecorate or
renovate, but don't know where to start? Do you have lots of questions about
colour schemes, furniture placement, how to display your collections, books or
other beloved things? Are you not sure whether to redecorate with your old
furniture and accessories or to renovate and create a new look? Do you need
inspirations where to source furniture and accessories, second hand pieces or
antiques?
If you prepare your first consultation with
your stylist properly, you will get answers to all the questions you have. Here
are my tips how to maximise the output from your styling or colour
consultation:
• Be clear what you would like the outcome
of the consultation to be.
• Decide which room or space you would like
to focus on. Is it only one room or the whole house?
• Prepare yourself with tear sheets from
interior design magazines like Real Living, Inside Out, Belle or Vogue Living.
There are plenty on the market so choose the one that speaks to you most and
start collecting pages of everything you like: colour schemes, furniture,
accessories, room layouts, rugs, flooring, wallpaper, decorative items and
everything that speaks to you. If you do this for a couple of weeks you will
clearly see what you like and find your own personal style.
• Keep your eyes open to the beautiful
things around you: nature, architecture, design, museums, art, exhibitions,
books, textiles and travel.
• Make sure that your stylist is listening
and explain what you want to achieve with your styling project, what you would
like a room to do for you and what mood you would like to create in your space.
And finally one of the most important
things: Don't let the stylist talk you into something you don't like! You have
to live in the space and you need to feel comfortable and at home! It is all
about creating your home with your personal touch.
How do I find my own style?
The answer is as simple as this: explore
the world around you and appreciate the beauty that lies within everything you
discover!
Keep your eyes open and your mind excited!
Discover and appreciate the beauty that surrounds you every day! Find
inspiration in nature, buildings, shops, exhibitions, museums, art, events,
markets, magazines and of course books.
One of my favourite books I spotted in a
museum shop is called: How to be an explorer of the world by Keri Smith. On the
back it says: "At any given moment, no matter where you are, there are
hundreds of things around you that are interesting and worth documenting."
A stylist's tip: always carry a little
notebook and a pen with you in order to be able to sketch, doodle and write
down what you discover.
Keep all your findings, notes and pictures
in a folder or box and keep searching for at least four to eight weeks. Then
start to group things by colour or theme and you will discover what your style
is. And there are no rules. It is all about finding what you like!
Books for your inspiration
This is a list of books that I personally
own and love! They are all a fantastic source of inspiration and creative ideas
for your home.
Sibella Court: Bowerbird
Shannon Fricke: Sense of Style
Megan Morton: Home Love
Holly Becker: Decorate
Susanna Salk: Be Your Own Decorator
Geraldine James: Creative Walls
Hans Blomquist: The Natural Home
Is it necessary to seek advice from a
stylist when I want to sell my property?
If you plan to sell your house it is worth
investing in a styling consultation. A professional property stylist can help
you to achieve maximum impact when presenting your home to potential buyers. A
property stylist will help you to get ready for the first inspection by giving
you advice on how to style your house with what you have. He will help you with
colour schemes that attract potential buyers. He will also advice if you need
rental furniture to style each room according to its function and help
potential buyers to envisage themselves in the space. Property styling is all
about creating a wow factor in key areas of your home and help the buyers to
envisage themselves in your space. Once the styling is done don't forget to
book your stylist for the real estate photography shoot to make sure everything
looks perfect on this day!
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