Don’t Follow The Decorating Herd: Classic is Always in Style
Ready to make your design selections for your new custom Florida home? Perhaps anticipating doing so in the near future?
Choosing paint colors, countertop materials and flooring, to name but a few items you’ll select, can be intimidating if interior design isn’t your thing. Luckily for all ICI Homes customers, our design consultants at the ICI Homes Design Center can make the process fun, easier than you think, and relatively stress-free thanks to their experience and guidance.
But if you don’t have a particular style or decor in mind, or simply want to do some homework before your design appointments, we have some back-to-basics tips to help ground you.
Regardless of what kind of furnishings and decor you’re drawn to, our advice is not to follow the decorating herd. Classic is always in style and we’ll share why it’s a good place to start.
Classic is timeless
Think of polished wood floors. They never go out of style and look good no matter what decor they support.
The same goes for marble or granite countertops, ceramic tiles and white walls. There’s a reason you see these design elements — and many others — in model home after model home after model home.
Do you like mid-20th-century modern? Farmhouse primitives? A dark-stained oak or pine floor (try wood-look ceramic tile as a cost alternative) looks splendid under both decorating styles.
Neutral colors are great starting points
Unless you know you want lime-green wallpaper in your guest bathroom, choosing neutral colors in paint and other materials gives you the option of adding more color later, if you’d like.
In the meantime, a satiny light color on those bathroom walls allows you to change accessories according to seasons or decorating whims. Use towels, shower curtain, bath rugs, small pieces of art and storage contains to infuse the guest bathroom with brighter color and style.
Less is always more
Choosing interior design materials for your new custom Florida home is a great jump-start if you need to do some serious decluttering before you move.
The decisions you’ll make during your design appointments might make you realize certain furnishings shouldn’t make the moving-van trip to the Sunshine State.
Decluttering is awesome and you should do it. But don’t limit decluttering to closets, junk drawers and the garage. Also do it for your artwork, personal and family collections, knick-knacks and anything you’d like to use as a decorating focal point.
A wall jammed with 57 original photographs becomes a blur no matter how well they’re framed and how high their artistic quality. Edit down to five or six of your most stunning photos and store the rest. Or, use them a few at a time in smaller vignettes around the house.
Here, classic doesn’t mean sparse. It means walls look less claustrophobic, and the displays they spotlight are more pleasingly proportional.
Beware the latest trends
We suggest sampling in moderation, especially with interior design materials and home decor.
Remember that trends fade, and a sofa that looks dated three years after its purchase isn’t as easy to jettison as a pair of shoes!
Meanwhile, a classic leather sofa likely will survive anything your household throws at it, plus only look better with age.
design consultants at the ICI Homes Design Center can make the process fun, easier than you think, and relatively stress-free thanks to their experience and guidance.
