How to Think Like an Interior Designer - It Can be Done

"How to Think Like an Interior Designer"
Jaime Derringer, via Shelpterpop (July 29, 2010)

"It takes a unique mind to perfectly design and decorate a room. We get inside a few interior designer's heads and find out just how they do it.

"Whether economic times are lean or high-flying, not everyone can afford the services of an interior designer. Most of us browse the internet, flip through home magazines, collect paint chips and watch design shows on TV only to feel like we're ready to tackle a room and then realize we're totally not. Decorating can be pretty overwhelming: You have to choose a style, shop for items, create (and stick to) a budget.

"You need to learn to think like an interior designer, which very few of us do.

"To make decorating easier on you, we asked three designers to share some inside info about the decorating process; when they walk into a space, what goes through their minds and where do they begin? How do they come up with a design concept, and most importantly, how do they execute it? Here's what they said:..."

The headings are:

• First, focus.
• Become a student of the space.
• Make an inspiration board.
• Know your budget.
• And now, the fun part.

Then, the post has "tried-and-true tricks of the trade." I get the impression that the author like alliteration. So do I, for that matter.

I suspect that the 'inspiration board' may be more for explaining ideas to the client than as a tool for the designer - but I can see where it could be useful in the planning process, too.

This post was a refreshing change from some of the gushy, vague, and hideously high-end articles I've run across. The advice seems practical, detailed enough to be useful - but not so detailed that you'd need to live in the same neighborhood as the writer to make use of it.

And, as I've usually found in 'interior design' posts and articles, there are quite a few nice-looking photos.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

• "Making a Work Space that Works For a Writer"
  (July 28, 2010)
• "The Breakers Mansion: A Nice Little 70-Room Cottage"
  (May 19, 2010)
• "High Price New York City Decor, Feng Shui and All That"
  (January 6, 2010)
• "Interior Design: A Pretty Good Learning Resource"
  (September 24, 2009)
• "Online Software for Interior Design and Decorating"
  (June 20, 2009)
• "Interior Design 101: Being a Designer, Learning to Clean, and - - - Shelving Kids?!"
  (June 20, 2009)