When it comes to decor, many people confess to feeling a bit disappointed or let down with how their homes look. Our surroundings can influence us in ways we may or may not be aware of, but when we finally do become aware of the fact that what our home needs is some redecorating, we worry. After all, decorating is an investment, but worry not; remember, where there is a will, there is a way and a talented interior designer can help you get the most value out of your budget. Our team can help guide you through this process with ease.

First of all, we have to learn to look at things around us in a different way. Most of us have a lot of stuff sitting around already.  Take a good assessment of what you have.  Decide which pieces could have new life with a few alterations to the finish or fabric, which items could serve their purpose better in another space, and remove permanently the rest.  Don’t leave the space cluttered.  Then begin searching for pieces that can begin to breathe new life into your spaces. Vintage furniture and furnishings add character to a modern interior.

You need not stop there. In addition to using what you already have any interior designer in Seattle, or anywhere really would agree that there’s something very appealing about buying vintage fabric or a previously cherished piece of furniture. It’s often less costly than buying them new, and pieces that are aged with time can give your homes added personality. However, decorating with vintage goods can be daunting, if you lack the vision to realize which of the things you already have can be recycled appropriately. Even more so if you’re not the type who enjoys scouring dusty shops in search of elusive treasure, then taking the risk that it will not be suitable for your home.  This is where it becomes time to leave this to the seasoned professionals at Amely Wurmbrand Designs.

The good news is that the traditional approach to buying vintage furniture and accessories is changing. The “take it as it comes” mentality is a thing of the past. Many companies restore and modify furniture, accessories, and soft furnishings to create a perfect fit for your home. To further ease the transition, many vintage pieces can be given a contemporary makeover to suit your interior style.

The process of incorporating older fittings and furniture into a contemporary setting is not always simple, there’s a difference between garbage and a beautifully-aged piece. But it is definitely worthwhile to search for rescued treasures that will stand the test of time. If you have an unbridled passion for unusual objects, this is definitely a road worth traveling.

You love your house or your apartment, the way it has been designed, its functionality, the location, the neighborhood, the whole package. Besides, it is really luminous, and there is lot of wood and other noble materials that make it very special, to you, and to the local house market. The only down side of the property is the rather limited space, and the fact that the rooms do not lend themselves to big or showy furniture. But, as interior designers in Seattle advise, there is always a way to disguise the not so positive features of a property, and enhance others, so that, in the total balance, there will be more pros than cons for the potential buyer. And even if you are planning to keep the house, learn how to make the most of it, accentuate the functional and positive aspects and produce a positive impact in your life, just by considering these few tricks provided here.

Definitely, drop strong color combination and shocking wallpaper patterns. No matter how big of a fan you are of strong carrot orange, for instance, leave it for small details, or other objects, not for the walls. White walls are always a classic. But, as any parent with small kids, or pet owner, knows, it is very hard to keep them spotless. And even so, plain white can sometimes get dreary. Light colors are to be preferred, and among these, cool colors over warm colors. A light blue, or a light green is to be preferred over pink or light orange.

As for wallpaper, it is to be avoided in small rooms. But if you insist and you definitely dig it, or because the walls are too damaged to just paint, and you need a thicker coating, choose a textured, light colored wallpaper, instead of one with strong patterns, such as flowers, arabesque designs, lines, or geometric figures.

Lose a few objects. There isn’t a more certain way to make a room look small than to have a huge collection of small items clutter shelves, chests, or mantelpieces. For instance, If you are a sucker for family photos, instead of keeping a multitude of small photo frames, try to make a digital collage of several, so as to keep them all in one frame, or put together a family album. Just face it; it is time to let go. Some of the ornaments must definitely go. But, don’t get rid of them, just save them for the time you get to move to a bigger house.

Choose your furniture wisely. Without necessarily having to resort to a minimalist style, choose light, modern, functional furniture. Leave the Louis XV style for another occasion, and prefer an aluminum and glass organizer, for instance, to keep your TV, sound system, and your DVD’s in one place. They are easier to clean, and they will not take up so much precious space, your most scarce asset. Also, arrange the furniture trying to propitiate easy circulation in the house. Try not to block areas close to doors and think about the way you usually walk around the house. Leave these areas free to facilitate fluid circulation.

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Here you can find some questions whose answers may help you when decorating your new Condo or redecorating your house. A well designed home can have profound impacts on your day to day happiness and well being so it is worth spending time on.

For this exercise, first you need to give some thought to the spaces in your house or Condominium, then you have to ask yourself these questions in order to get the answers you are looking for:

- How do I want my home to look?
You may want your house to look like an Arabian palace in the middle of the city, needing lots of fillagree wood screens or mosaics; or maybe you want your spaces to be a cozy place that reminds you of a cherished time past. You can do it the way you want it. This first question will put everything into perspective. Every other decision on the interior design of your house is going to be based on what you want your house to represent.

- Who are going to be the inhabitants of my home?
You have to think about how many people are going to spend time in your residence and the things they enjoy doing. It is basic for everyone to have their very own personal space. For example, how many kids are going to be regularly in the household, or will an inlaw need a place to take a nap every once in a while? Each particular case will determine a change in the interior design of your home. Make sure you make the right decisions, your house helps define you.

- Do I really need to use all those items for my home?
Your space must be respected; being in a small room surrounded by old and dusty electronic devices is probably a good definition for angst. Try not to keep lots of old equipment, patio furniture, and unnecessary decorations. We recommend that you sit on your couch for a while and think about this. You have to reach a balance; think about what you really need, about what’s useful for you, and good looking for your house. Then you must clear your life of everything that doesn’t seem to be that important.

- Do I need professional help?
You may need some professional advice when it comes to choosing the right colors for your walls, fabrics for your curtains, the proper position for a bookcase, or an armchair. Any interior designer in Seattle, New York, or Miami will tell you that the money you spend on design is money well invested.We often have answers for every question regarding your house. Once you already have a general perspective; a professional opinion can be just what you need to balance your needs, your desires, and your budget. Feel free to give us a call.  Amely Wurmbrand Designs specializes in helping to guide you through this important process.

These questions are just the start. In the end, these questions are just the start to making your home the one you always dreamed of.

We do grow plants at home to have attractive flowers or foliages, fruits, vegetables. In gardening, we can either grow a large number of single variety of plant or a group of different varieties of plants for their beautifying value, for consumption, for medicinal value etc., Gardens are not formed by themselves; they are made by a human being, with his/her taste and selection of plants, and the willingness to grow them.

Gardening has a lot more benefits than we expect:

Nowadays, almost in all countries, mental tension and stress are very common in most people. Gardening plays a vital role in curing these.  When you are much tensed or if you feel that your office atmosphere is making you undergo lot of stress, you might be asked by the doctor to immediately adopt a pet or do gardening. When doing this work, your concentration is first diverted from your routine tension and stress, and you become more invested in it. It’s a really stress buster, and it’s a kind of meditation, as well, as you might have to concentrate on this work for hours at a time .

It is proven that gardening helps you stay fit. Yes! When you take up this work, your body will do all the physical work involved in gardening like digging, planting, cleaning the garden by weeding, and also harvesting. This gives flexibility and strength to the muscles, as well as endurance. You can also lose weight and get into shape. Gardening is found to be a very good exercise which reduces the risk of heart attacks, osteoporosis, diabetics, obesity, high blood pressure, strokes, etc.

Gardens generally enhance the look of a house. However, you may earn some name and fame in the community, too, since the local environment is beautified by the garden you maintain.

Sometimes gardening not only regards the exterior of the house, but can also be part of the house’s inner look, as recently, some Seattle interior design firms are adopting this trend in their outstanding work. It doesn’t matter if it the area used is small; sometimes it’s just enough to renovate that particular space and give your house a much needed face-lift.

Whether you wish to incorporate plants into your interior design plans or simply want to enjoy an activity that can be immensely pleasurable, gardening is a good choice, the benefits of which are more than pure embellishment.

If you just moved to a house that is nothing like you, or if you are just bored of the decoration and furniture you’ve had for years, maybe it’s time to change a few things (or maybe a lot!). Here are some suggestions and ideas for you to start renovating your residence.

- Add one fine art piece to decorate

You cannot imagine how much one single piece can do for a room. Think about your personal taste, your favorite artists and the style of the room in question. Choose the perfect art piece, and it will change its look completely. It could be a sculpture, a painting, or a vase. It is better if the piece has a special meaning for you. Go to your attic and dig into all those piles of things. You will certainly find some hidden treasures that will look great in your house.

- Renovate an old piece of furniture

Do you have a desk that belonged to your grandfather, and you love it, but it looks too old and worn out? Don’t you think about giving it away! There are many ways in which you can recycle a piece of furniture and take it from ‘old’ to ‘antique’, which not only sounds more glamorous but also looks very refined. Find out about the different products that will help you to preserve the piece’s wood. A good option is to do a patina on the piece; it is modern and looks great.

- Change the lights

Changing the color of the light (for example, from white to amber) provides a new face to the room and changes the colors of the curtains, floors, and walls. Amber lights are better for the eyesight, and give spaces a warm look. Add a big  floor lamp in a corner, or reading lamp on your nightstand. You can even put spotlights in a modern room, or you can also make a hand-made shade and add it to a lamp that you already have.

- Display your collection

Have you been keeping beautiful souvenirs inside a box in your attic for years? Maybe it is time to go up there and take a look at them. Pick a few and put them on a table in your living room or kitchen. Needless to say, it all depends on the style of the room, but it is worth placing them and seeing what happens. It will give the room a new touch and you will have more space in your attic to keep other things.

- Redecorate the whole interior design

Hire an interior designer and the work will be done for you. Any interior design firm in Seattle, New York, or LA will be able to capture the client’s needs and preferences. They manage to turn simple rooms into dynamic and fulfilling spaces.

Amely Wurmbrand is renowned nationally for Seattle interior design work. Design is about innovation, perspective, quality, and functionality. Interior design is meant to be both attractive and comfortable, since it is intended to be present in your everyday life. Good designers are empathetic and will work with you to decorate your interiors in such a way that they will add personality and functionality to your house.

Interior designs, therefore, reflect the customers’ personalities and taste, with the additional touch of a professional that can guide them towards what is best and more practical when it comes to organization and decoration. If you are planning to decorate your house you might want to investigate more on interior design, what works better on different environments and what makes good design. Let’s take a look at some basic principles of interior design:

1. Balance. This is true for many aspects of life. Equilibrium, equality, balance, are fundamental for attractive design. It is created not only through shape, but also through textures, colors, space, and pattern. Balance, however, does not always mean symmetry; this is just the traditional way, also called formal, of achieving equilibrium. If everything is balanced this way, it can have boring results. There are also other forms of balance, like asymmetrical or radial balance. This latter involves an object that is surrounded by others, like a round table.
2. Rhythm. Just like in a musical composition, rhythm is essential to design. The use of patterns and repetitions creates attractive visual environments and generates interest. The viewer will recognize these patterns without thinking about them, and will seem familiar and enjoyable, non intrusive. He/she will feel compelled to look around the room, attracted by a flowing continuum of objects.
3. Points of Interest. Also called anchors, these are spots within a room or environment that you want special attention to be paid. This emphasis on certain items and areas is intended to avoid the dullness and boredom a homogeneous scenery can create. Spots such as fireplaces, windows or places with big objects can be perfect anchors.
4. Harmony. Also comparable to a musical piece, harmony represents cohesion, elements put together to signify, transmit something: a message, an emotion, a statement. Harmony works hand in hand with rhythm. While the latter conveys excitement, the former transmits serenity and composure. Harmony can be achieved by the use of a single color or its chromatic scale, even when using different forms or shapes.
5. Proportion. The Golden Section, created by the ancient Greek, is one great example of how important proportion is to design in general. Actually, the golden section or ratio, also denoted by the letter phi, is present in nature, human beings, and many artistic creations.
6. Scale. In addition to proportion, scale needs to be thoroughly considered. It represents the size of an object in relation to another or to the space in which it is located. A large piano on a small living room, for instance, will be out of scale. It is important to consider scale as a whole, and plan the position and size of objects taking into account the space they will be placed into.

The kitchen is the heart of any home.  It is where the family gets together to ask about each other’s days, to make plans and, of course, enjoy delicious home made, hearty foods.  Due to its gathering nature, it is one of the most challenging places to keep organized and clean.

The kitchen is normally used for more than eating.  It is a place to entertain, study, read, and even pay bills, thus, you need a system to help you sort out all those activities in the same space while keeping it clean and in order.

• First, take pictures of your current kitchen.  Do not fix anything, just take a picture and look at it.  You will be able to view it from a different angle and really envision how it can look if you get it organized.
• Second, remember that glimpse you had of your “new” kitchen when you saw the picture? Now is time to really visualize it serving your life in full detail.  Gather the family and brainstorm what you see the kitchen becoming.  Establish rules based on what’s important to all the members of the family but be clear on what the goal is, to clear up and organize the space.  Avoid blaming others for the mess and just look for solutions that will benefit all.  Be open to feedback and discussion and take everyone’s opinion into account.
• Third, do not rush to buy anything, concentrate on disposing.  Get trash bags and label them as: Keep, Donate, Recycle, and Clutter to Cash.  Then, follow the F.A.S.T method to sort things out:
  F- Fix a time.  Choose a time that suits everyone.  This is a family activity and everyone must help.
  A- Anything not used in 12 months… is not going to be used.  Be truly honest about what gets used or not.  Do not make up reasons to keep it and do not move it to another room.
  S- Someone else’s things.  You shouldn’t be saving things that do not belong to you.  Either return it, let it go, or ask for it to be picked up.
  T- Trash.  Have fun throwing away stuff.  Make a contest to see who throws away the most.  The goal is to keep only the things that work for you.
• Fourth, define zones in your kitchen for every activity that takes place there.  This is a great principle used by recognized interior designers in Seattle, California, NY, and many other important locations.  After using each area, it is easier to clean out, as you know where things go.  Always keep surfaces clear.  Never have a junk drawer, only buy food you will eat and check for expiration dates every three months.
• Fifth, take pictures of your new kitchen and save it as a reminder of your efforts and accomplishments.  It will be a great incentive to keep it that way and reinforce order within the members of the family.

Everyone wants to enjoy living spaces with a warm personality, where they can relax after a hard day of work or rejoice with family and friends over a homemade meal.

Although the main elements in a room- sofas, tables, chairs, and rugs in living spaces, and bed, side tables, and chests of drawers in the bedroom- are key to its general feel, the details and accents are the ones in charge of setting the atmosphere for a cozy, warm, and inviting feeling.

Many people turn to professional interior designers for help in creating their dreamed home environment, and they end up with beautiful spaces perfect for complementing and enhancing their lifestyles.  However, if hiring an interior designer in Seattle, New York, Mississippi, or any other location is over budget right now, you can still enjoy the luxury of a designed look by implementing these easy and affordable ideas:

1.  Get cool lamps.  Lighting is an easy and classy way to enhance any space. Contrary to overhead lightning, which is harsh, impersonal, cold, and uninviting, indirect light provided by beautiful and unique lamps can really turn your living spaces into calm and relaxing areas while decorating them with gorgeous lampshades reflecting your personal taste and style.

2. Choose unique wall hangings.  Not only art pieces fit your walls.  Look for special wooden objects, like trays or masks, or even fabrics, which convey a sense of style, energize and complement your personality.  Any object can work, just be creative and follow your instinct.

3.  Bring the sea into your house.  Shells, coral, and starfish always look good and give a sense of elegance to a space.  They conveys a link to nature and love for life, which are a positive signature in decoration.

4.  Get an unusual chair.  It will be a focal point of interest and, the more different and contrasting, the better!  If not a chair, it can be any object which may dominate the room and show off your character, portraying you as an interesting and unique individual.

5.  Frame notes.  Those notes your friends and family have given you, and you do not want to throw away, but have no idea where to put, frame them and show them off.  Those are powerful messages, guiding your energy and reminding you of what’s important.  Your spaces will immediately be filled with caring vibes from the people who wrote them, and these can be felt and lived.

6.  Books and books.  Nothing says cozy and interesting as books.  Besides intensifying any space’s appearance, books convey knowledge, intelligence, and balance.  Any welcoming atmosphere must contain books, these reveal yourself to your guests, showing them your interests.

7. Make it personal.  No matter how many elements you put into a room, it will never feel complete unless you include yourself in it.  Personalize your spaces with special objects from vacation trips, flea market finds, or any object that relates personally to you.  The idea is that anyone who visits you goes away knowing you a little better because of a unique element they saw on a table, decorating a sofa,or holding a picture.

The continuing changes in the way people decide to decorate their homes are, naturally, the passion of any interior designer. It is also a very interesting subject in general. Not that there is an interior designer in every one of us, but most of us do take notice of the way a room is set up, the objects or items that stand out, the prevailing color pattern. One interesting trend all over the United States and relevant to interior design in Seattle, as well, is the comeback of the personal memorabilia style.

Remember your grandma’s house with all the doilies she made displayed on the armchairs and thousands of picture frames all over the room?

Let’s say you’re a fisherman, and you’ve traveled the world to find interesting fishing experiences. You would probably have memorabilia such as “ obviously and a bit boringly “ photographs. However, there are other interesting things you might have. Let’s say you picked up a fishing rod made by a native in the Amazon: let’s say it’s a wooden rod with fishing line made from palm strings:  interesting? Well, what if we were to clean it up, perhaps put a coat of varnish on it, find a nice base or pedestal and make it a part of your living room decor? This would be an interesting-looking conversation piece that would be related to a part of your life. Now imagine filling the room with such items.

This personal memorabilia would speak of the homeowner’s trip through life; his or her passions, hobbies, discoveries, successes, adventures. The intention is to bring the visitor into the life of the homeowner in a beautiful and interesting way and, at the same time, give the room a unique and appealing ambiance.

Many people display personal memorabilia, but few know how to make it interesting to outsiders and fewer still know when to stop with the picture frames. In truth, we all have many things that would make interesting decor items- but it takes an interior designer to pick the right stuff!

Coming Soon!