We send our sincere apologies for not posting more often.  What we’ve learned is that we are overbooked and unable to continue this blog.  We regret letting this go, but we would rather give you 100% or nothing at all so you won’t be frustrated.

Thank you so much for your interest, and we wish you well with your interior design projects.  We recommend checking out the Material Girls blog at http://www.MaterialGirlsBlog.com or www.DesignSpongeOnline.com.

3 Week Webinar Series with Contractor Vince Dekan,
Dekan Remodeling & Construction, Co.

Thursdays  - July 31st, August 7th,  & 14th
4:00 - 5:30pm Pacific, 5 - 6:30pm Mountain, 6 - 7:30pm Central,
7 - 8:30pm Eastern

Our upcoming teleseminar series with Vince Dekan, one of the top residential General Contractors in Colorado, and I will talk about:

• How to Plan for a Successful Remodel
  Thursday, July 31st, 2008
  4 - 5:30pm Pacific, 5 - 6:30pm Mountain, 6 - 7:30pm Central,
  7 - 8:30pm Eastern

• How to Hire an Honest General Contractor
  Thursday, August 7th, 2008
  4 - 5:30pm Pacific, 5 - 6:30pm Mountain, 6 - 7:30pm Central,
  7 - 8:30pm Eastern

• How to Survive a Remodel or Addition to Your Home - & Keep Your Family Sane
  Thursday, August 14th, 2008
  4 - 5:30pm Pacific, 5 - 6:30pm Mountain, 6 - 7:30pm Central,
  7 - 8:30pm Eastern

These information-packed teleseminars are a must for anyone considering a remodel. Cost for each live teleseminar event is $35 for a single session, or $49 per session if you also want a recording of that event. If you want to register for all three events and get a copy of all of the recordings, the cost is $99. You receive a special bonus if you sign up attend the three-series event with recordings. Be sure to submit your questions now. We will answer the best questions during the event.

To sign-up for these events, get more information or to learn more about Vince Dekan, visit www.DesignSuccessU.com/dekan.

About Gail Doby, ASID: Gail is a high-end residential interior designer with 20 years of experience with new construction and remodeling design. She is dedicated to educating the public about good design. For more information, please continue to visit www.DesignSuccessU.com/dekan. If you enjoy our posts, please subscribe to the RSS feed and you will receive the latest post notification in your Inbox - just click on the orange button in the top right side of the blog. If you want to share this with your friends, please click on the social icons below to spread the word.

Please be sure to send us your questions because that will help us tailor these articles for you.

Our first consumer seminar series will start on July 14th.  We will post more information about how you can sign up for this informative series early next week. 

The first topic is about Hiring the Right General Contractor For Your Job.  I will be interviewing my favorite general contractor, Vince Dekan.  He has 31 years of experience as a GC, and he is a straight-shooter. 

If you find this information helpful, please share this with your friends and neighbors by clicking on one of the icons below.  Also, if you want to save time, just click on the orange RSS button above my picture and you will receive email notification when new posts are available. 

About Gail Doby:  Gail is a professional interior designer with twenty years experience in high-end residential and commercial design.  Her biggest project was a $4.65 million spec house in Denver, Colorado.  She loves construction design and remodeling.  For more information, please visit us again at http://www.gaildobyinteriordesignblog.com.

• How do I select the right contractor?
• What questions should I ask when interviewing contractors?
• How do I set expectations so I get what I want on my project?
• Additions, pop-tops and renovations all have different challenges - what should I expect?  How do I prepare?
• What should I do to prepare for my project?
• How do I set a budget for my project?

Let us know if you have other thoughts.  We are here to help.

About Gail Doby, ASID:  Gail has been a residential interior designer in Denver, Colorado for twenty years.  Her projects included a spec home of $4.65 million and many high-end renovation projects.  Please share this post by clicking on the icons below.  If you would like to be notified of new posts, please click on the orange RSS feed button to your right above Gail’s picture.

Get ready for all of the drama and interior design success as 9 great interior designers compete for the ultimate design star title starting June 8th at 9 pm.

To gear up for the premier of season three, check out the official site to watch video previews and get to know the contestants on a more personal level by checking out their audition tapes and design samples.  Also, starting June 6th, viewers can begin entering for a chance to win a $5,000 shopping spree to Sears or a $5,000 gift card from Lumber Liquidators.

Visit the official “Design Star” site for more information:  http://www.hgtv.com/designstar  

Also, you can see the promotional link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qtHI-YOJg.

About Gail Doby, ASID:  Gail has been a high-end residential interior designer for twenty years doing dream home construction design for luxury residences up to $5 million, blissful master suites and spa baths, and large renovation projects.  Gail is now focusing on interior design education for consumers and professional interior designers.  She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Harry.

For my Askville readers and others of you that want to do your own interior design, here are some  to help you create a beautiful interior.  There is much more to design than color, but it is one of the most impactful and least expensive elements of interior design.

When I was taking new clients, I would spend time getting to know their tastes, interests, lifestyles, goals, budget and priorities.  Some people are focused on displaying art, entertaining family and friends, creating a warm and soothing personal retreat - the motivations are endless.  Whether you use an interior designer or not, you should spend some time thinking about your personal needs, wants, dreams, aspirations, and yes, the budget for your home. 

I often told clients that the first project they have in mind is just a starting point.  You need to be prepared for the dreaded “scope creep.”  When you start designing your space, the list just grows…one space is looking great, and the surrounding rooms are starting to look a little tired.  You will want to prepare yourself for this and set limits for yourself.  The “while you are at it” phrase gets many homeowners into a quick pickle!

Back to the story.  Once you decide what your goals are for your home, you should think about what you like and dislike.  Do you love pink and your husband hates it?  Think about the colors, textures, patterns, design styles and any other elements that are important to you. 

If you and your spouse create your own lists and then share them with each other, you will be surprised by some of the other spouse’s answers.  I always enjoyed asking both spouses the same questions because each person will learn something about the other spouse.  Having different opinions and priorities can be a challenge, but it also creates an opportunity for compromise.  What I told my clients was to expect about 85 - 90% agreement…the rest is a negotiation.  Each spouse has to be willing to let the other spouse have some of his or her own rooms, ideas, colors or other design elements. 

Assuming you’ve agreed upon the majority of priorities for your home, you should start with your focal point for the first room.  Your focal point might be a rug, a piece of artwork, an architectural element such as a fireplace or a view.  Usually, the palette evolves from the focal point.  For example, if you have an Oriental rug with reds, blues and tans, you can start with those colors.  The trick is to balance the hues (actual color) with value (lightness/darkness), and proportion of colors. 

When you have a dominant pattern controlling your design, you want to think about the final result you want to achieve with the room.  If you want that pattern to control the overall look, you can keep neutrals on the majority of the surfaces including the walls, ceilings and large furnishings.  You can start with tan on the walls, a lighter version of the tan for the moldings and ceiling.  You can also reverse the application and put darker tan on the moldings and ceiling with a lighter shade on the walls.  It is best to keep your ceilings lighter if your room height is less than 8′.  If you have higher ceilings, the darker color can create a warmer and cozier feel.  I personally like using darker trim and have it that way in my own home.  

I also have creamy walls, tan trim and pale blue ceilings.  The light blue actually makes the ceiling recede and gives the illusion of higher ceilings.

You can also use another favorite trick and that is to use the same color on the moldings and doors as the walls, but you can vary the sheen to create interest.

You can also use accent colors or textures on one or more walls.  There is no rule that says you have to paint all of the walls the same color.  You can even use more than two colors in a room.  Just be careful, that takes some skill to make that work, and is often best for more contemporary interiors.  I call this color blocking.

Once you’ve decided on a dominant color for your room, you can add accents.  Some designers use the rule of thumb, 60% dominant color, 30% for color 2 and 10% for the accent color.  I don’t follow rules, so you need to decide if you are daring enough to try a different percentage.

One way to apply the 30% is to use that color for the secondary furniture pieces such as accent chairs, draperies, window treatments, ottomans and accessories.  The last 10% could be on the the other colors in the rug such as the red which happens to be a popular color right now.  Again, accessories are a great place to use a punch of color. 

Varying textures and patterns on other pieces in the room is also a great way to control your result.  If you plan to keep the rug as the focal point, keep the other patterns to a minimum and use different scales for your patterns.  Texture is a great way to add interest to your room.  Some of my favorite textures are chenilles, velvets, mohairs and blends of fibers with a textural pattern.

If you want a bold room, use of the stronger colors as your dominant hue.  Just remember that warm colors advance the walls and make the room feel smaller.  Cool colors such as blues, greens and violets make the walls recede and therefore appear larger.  Adding black or gray to the original hue also works very well to create a different look. 

Just remember that paint is inexpensive, so if you don’t like the color, just start over.  Be daring…it is fun to create drama, and for less than $100, you can instantly change your home.  Many people are scared to try something bold…don’t be!  Face your fears and enjoy the result.

About the author:  Gail Doby has been a luxury residential interior designer for twenty years.  She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Harry and their two kids, Boris and Tasha (cats).  Be sure to click on the orange button on the top right of this page to subscribe to the RSS feed that delivers a notice to your Inbox when we post new articles.  Also, if you enjoyed this post, please click on the icons below to share it with other readers on the Internet.  We appreciate your help in spreading the word about our blog.  The more readers we have, the more information we can provide.  Our newsletter sign-up is under Gail’s picture…you will get additional content at least once a month.

Since Design Success University is a new venture for us, we ask you to “Pardon Our Dust.”  We recently upgraded our newsletter software, and our first issue will be mailed next week.  We’ve had a few hiccups with a newsletter header going out without a message…at least it didn’t take long to read it!

In case you haven’t signed up yet, our frequency of posting new information will increase.  Also, if you want to save time for yourself, you can subscribe to our RSS feed (orange button on the top right of this page).   This will notify you that we have posted a new article. 

We are very excited to share some new alliances with you that will make your “continuing education” even more fun.  Keep watching for our announcements as we post new classes and information for you. 

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday with your friends and family.  We are personally remembering our lost friends and loved ones this weekend.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these special people we lost this year.  We also send our prayers to the families in northern Colorado that lost their homes and lives to the tornadoes this week.

With all our best wishes to you and your family,

Gail, Erin and Mary

Some people like using file folders, and some people like notebooks.  Either way works well, so pick the one that works best for you.  Grab a stack of sticky notes (two colors if there are two of you), folders, scissors, pens and a hole punch plus sheet protectors if you are using a notebook. 

I use notebooks with tabs for my inspiration books.  If you have a notebook with a sleeve, get creative and make a nice title page for your notebook.  I separate my pages by room. 

When you are saving these ideas, immediately take one color of sticky note and write what you like and don’t like about the photo.  If there are two of you, have the other person take another color of sticky note and write their thoughts.

File these away, and when you feel inspired.  Sit down and review, the photos with each other.  It is a great way to start developing your thoughts before you begin your project.

Next, you need to set aside time to think about your project.  If you are just doing a room, you can think of it on its own, but you may want to consider an overall plan for your home before narrowing your focus to one room.  You will want to decide what your color scheme is for your home.  Try to limit it to one main color, a secondary color and an accent color for starters.  When you add too many colors, the design becomes disjointed. 

It is extremely important to think about your budget very early in the project.  Whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring a designer, it is important to start with a realistic idea of what you want to invest.  A good designer will work within your budget, and if you don’t know what to budget, the designer can help you develop a budget. 

You should plan to educate yourself about costs prior to beginning your project.  If you want to change all of the furniture in the room, are you interested in custom furnishings (which is the high-end and gives you unlimited options), or do you want to purchase from retail showrooms.  If you are buying at retail, the numbers still add up quickly.

Each room needs a focal point.  For some people, it is a piece of art.  For others, it is a special rug or an architectural detail.  If it is something you already have, you begin your plan with that element.  Often, the color scheme comes from that special piece. 

Here is one of my tips for design.  Everything should blend, not match perfectly.  When you do this, your result will automatically be more sophisticated.  If you have ever watched the show, What Not To Wear, the stylists also preach this for fashion. 

So…start here and enjoy the process.  I will be posting more tips for planning your interior design project this month.

About the author:  Gail Doby, ASID is a high-end residential interior designer that specializes in renovations, blissful master suites and spa baths, dream home designs and now education for consumers.  Be sure to click on the orange button on the top right of this page so the newest posts are delivered to your inbox.  If you like what you are reading, be sure to share it with your friends, join our newsletter, and click on the icons below to share it with the Blogosphere.

Why do bright colors tend to generate positive responses?

Color does evoke emotional responses.  Some people are extremely sensitive to certain colors and may react in an interesting way.  I actually had a client that could not stand red rooms because she and her husband would fight when they were in a red room, so the responses aren’t always positive.  If you like strong colors, they do not have to be used for the walls or dominant furniture pieces.  They can be used for accents or smaller furniture pieces and can create a counterpoint to the rest of the room’s palette.  Punches of bright colors add interest and drama to a room.  Blues, greens and violets are cool, soothing and relaxing.  We think of reds, yellows and oranges as exciting, happy, passionate and bold colors.  The brighter colors usually have less black and white mixed in, so the color is more intense and pure.  Black is the absence of color and white is all colors.  An interesting side note from an interior design class, some prisons use pink to keep prisoners calm.

Why do you think that black and white color combinations are making a comeback?  What types of designs are they popular with today and why?

All trends go in cycles, so it is inevitable that some of these classic combinations repeat themselves.  The style trends today are toward clean and modern.  Black and white provide a great neutral base for other colors that are popular.  If you start with a great neutral, just changing the accent palette can totally change the appearance of the space.  You can create any style of room around these two basics.

What type of impact does a monochromatic room make?

Monochromatic colors in a narrow value (little variation in lightness or darkness) evoke a feeling of serenity and calm - some might think it is boring.  If the intent is to showcase great art, monochromatic is a perfect backdrop for most styles of art.  The starting point for design should be the focal point of the room.  If art is your passion, this is a great way to go. 

If you want to create a monochromatic room, are there any rules that apply, or certain elements to incorporate a uniform look?

Here is one rule that applies to monochromatic - your palette should be made with shades of the same hue.  Generally, the chroma would be changed by adding black, white or gray to the base color.  Texture is extremely important in monochromatic rooms.  Fabrics are a great way to create a visual and tactile texture.  Using fabrics such as mohair for a sofa with silk pillows creates a stimulating result.  Also, matte fabrics used with lucious silks can create another look.  Monochromatic themes are often safe, but to bring a real elegance to the look, it often takes experience.  What I love about a monochromatic look is the subtlety and nuance in the design.

What are the best colors to use in a monochromatic room? 

There really aren’t any “best” colors.  It depends on your preference, and it depends on the result you want to achieve.  Many people think of the neutrals such as beige, taupe, white and gray.  You can also use a color for the base. 

How can you use one main color in a space and incorporate different hues of that shade to create depth?  Should you add in other colors with accents and details?  If so, how?

Using one main color is always a good starting point for a scheme.  What you add to the main color depends on the direction you want to go with the scheme.  Take care not to add to many colors or hues because it detracts from the composition.  If you think about the color wheel, you can use opposing colors such as red and green to create interest.  These colors can be tempered with a mixture of white, black or gray.  The can also be altered by adding a touch of the adjacent color on the wheel.  For instance, you could use red with a touch of blue or yellow.  Some designers use the 60/30/10 rule - 60% main color, 30% secondary color and 10% accent.  Being a rebel, I rarely follow the rules except for the golden mean.  My observation about rooms designed by people without training or experience is that they try to follow the rules too closely.  It is always good to have something in the room that is not a perfect match.  It makes the room more interesting.

How should you treat the ceiling in a monochromatic room?  Are there any treatments that you prefer that give an extra punch of drama?

Ceilings are very important and often overlooked in design.  White has been the standard for years since it works with any color, it is easy, and reflects the light.  Boring!  It is great to see visual interest through color or texture on the ceiling.  If you use a dark color on the ceilings, it will feel heavy and the ceilings will appear lower.  This is a good trick if you have extremely high ceilings, but it must be balanced with the right value on the walls…they should’nt be too light.  If you use lighter colors, the ceiling will appear lighter.  Be careful with your color selections, because the plane of the ceiling adds gray to any color that you choose.  You need to try a sample on the ceiling and look at it at all times of the day.  I like to use 1/4 to 1/2 of the wall color formula on the ceilings and trim.  It unifies the colors and doesn’t look too bright against the main color.  I have also used textural paints such as Lusterstone, murals, texture added through patterned drywall mud - you use a stencil and apply mud to it.  This can be painted with a different color, or just a different sheen.  Moldings are a great addition to any ceiling.  At a minimum, crown molding is great for all styles of interiors.  If you have a traditional home, there are many more details you can add.

When most people think of a typical monochromatic colored room, what color do they tend to think of?  Why?  If you wanted to break the mold, what are some of the other colors to use?

Builder or realtor beige is what comes to mind (no offense).  Greens, blues and grays work well for monochromatic schemes although they may feel cool to most people.  Shades of white are extremely hard to maintain for most people, and they tend to feel too pristine and unwelcoming.

A final note - today’s palettes are becoming more global in their influences.  Some of the acid greens and cinnabar or deep red colors are interesting and can be added to many design styles.  With the trendier colors, it is best to use those as accents if you want your home to feel current.  Trends change quickly, and as soon as you see one palette you like, the next month’s magazine may be something entirely different.  Fashion used to lead the palette for home furnishings by two or three years.  Now, you will see the same colors that are in fashion concurrently with home furnishings colors.

About the author:  Gail Doby is a high-end residential interior designer in Denver, Colorado.  Her specialties are blissful master suites with spa baths, new construction design for dream homes and luxury residential remodeling design.  She and her husband, Harry, live in an English cottage style home with their two cats, Boris and Tasha.

We are also preparing a series of teleseminars for you, and we want to know what you want to know.  We were thinking about a few different topics, and we would like to get your feedback on what would be of interest:

How to Hire and Work With a General Contractor

How to Prepare Your Home to Sell for the Top Dollar in a Down Market

How to Stage Your Home to Sell Faster and for the Best Price

How to Select and Work with an Architect

How to Select and Work with a Builder

How to Prepare for a Remodel and Keep Your Sanity

These are a few of the topics that we are considering.  Please cast your vote and sign up for our newsletter.  When you do, I will send you a free report about what you should look for when hiring an interior designer.

Fair enough?  We look forward to your participation!