Interior Design Tips of the Month


We know that what blossoming designers are hungering for are TIPS: little how-tos to help with the details of making good design look great. Some of the interior design tips below include links to a full article on the subject; others are just Bonus Tips we thought you'd like to try out. If you have your own decorating tip for something in home design that really works, send your interior design tip to us–we may just use it in a future decorating column!


Top Interior Design & Decorating Tips Of the Month

Interior Decorating Tips for your kitchen • A simple decorating idea: If your kitchen cabinets are getting crowded, invest in a hanging rack for under the shelves, and slide your wine and Champagne glasses in for easy storage.

• If you want to try composting garbage for the garden, you probably want a small container which you might keep by the sink. You may think that composting is a sure way to make sure the kitchen smells terrible, but a great deal of progress has been made in composting containers for the kitchen. Look for a composting container made of steel, clay, or plastic which has a carbon filter in the lid. The filter will cut down on the smells, and a closely-fitting lid will help too. Learn More in Little Things.

• For a point of interest on a boring wall, try this decorating tip: Instead of hanging a picture in a frame, paint a frame directly on the wall around the picture. It helps if you have some artistic ability, so you can make the frame look realistic. Your guests will do a double-take, and your wall will be anything but boring.

• The distressed look definitely works in a room that's done in a traditional design, but you want to make sure you give the room the look of being casual and lived in without making it look worn out and messy. Learn More in Decorating Dilemma.

• Try out the changing table in the store as best you can, by standing in front of it and checking the height. You donāt want to have to bend over the table too much, so that you can save your back for the heavy lifting necessary the rest of the day. Learn More Decorating Tips for Children's Rooms.

• When preparing a home for sale, one of the first things realtors do is strip the fridge of the collection of photos that gathers there. And with good reason: using the fridge as a bulletin board quickly looks messy and confusing. Instead, try hanging a ribbon board in the kitchen, and be sparing in which photos you choose to display. Itās easy to insert each photo behind the ribbons without incurring ugly pin-holes.

• White works so well because it reflects back a great deal of light, so other colors you use with it will really stand out. Try looking at the photo of the white bedroom again. Obviously, the interior design of the room makes it not as not as welcoming as it could be. This time imagine infusing the room with just one color: A terrific painting over the bed in blues and a blue striped duvet cover. Or a spread patterned in bright yellow and white, and the door painted bright yellow. You can see how starting with an all-white room can free the decorator to choose and play with color. Learn More in our Color Tip.

• The garden view can lend either a comfortable, natural feeling to the interior design of your room, or it can create a more formal mood. Lighting torches and planting them among the foliage outside would encourage the relaxed mood, while carefully-placed electric lighting could make it more formal. Learn More Interior Design Tips in Room of the Month.




{Advance Notice}
Click here if you would like to receive a brief monthly announcement of the new interior design tips, topics, and decorating features that will appear on this Web site. FREE.

{Free Catalog}
Receive the latest Sheffield full-color catalog describing Sheffield's Complete Course in Interior DesignFREE! View it on-line or we'll send it to you by first-class mail. Either way, there's no obligation. And, you will also receive a Special Tuition Discount as our special thanks to you for visiting this Web site.
{Design Tips}

Copyright © 2005 Sheffield School of Interior Design
211 East 43rd St. New York, NY 10017
(212) 661-7270 Fax: (800) 822-0023
Email: info@sheffield.edu | Site Map