What are your recommendations for designing a small space?
I personally love small spaces because you can spend the money on really beautiful finishes and furnishings without breaking the bank. When you have a ton of square footage and you want to put down really beautiful tile, it gets really expensive really fast. I love small spaces for that reason because I like to have big impactful spaces by spending the money on beautiful light fixtures and artwork.
What are your recommendations for designing larger spaces?
For a larger space, I would recommend creating smaller spaces within the larger space so it doesn’t feel so grandiose, so you have some spaces that feel more intimate and cozy.
What interior design mistakes do you see most often?
I don’t know if I would call it a mistake, but just seeing designers that just do what is currently trending because those trends go in and out, especially now with Pinterest and Instagram, people see something; they grab onto it really quickly; everybody starts doing it; and then within six months everybody’s onto something else, trying to bear in mind that whatever’s really hot today isn’t going to be in six months.
What are three things homeowners should prioritize when planning a budget for interior design?
[When] I see new homeowners that are buying their dream home; a lot of times they do not budget for furniture, and they have no idea that furniture is very expensive. And depending on the size of their house, that can easily cost them $100,000 if they’re moving into a brand-new five-bedroom home. When you’re [going to] work with an interior designer, the goal is to have something that’s a little bit more unique and a little bit more one of a kind, so I’m not going to be shopping at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
How can homeowners add character to their space?
A lot of that comes down to furnishings and accessories, not all of it. And so I think for me what’s really important is making sure that you mix new with old, and so finding some new decor items that you really like but then also going and finding some really unique things at antique shops that have a lot of interest and offer something different.
What are your top three biggest interior design tips?
Avoid trends. Tip No. 2 would be looking at a project holistically and making sure that it all flows and there’s continuity. [And] I would say be prepared to up your budget. You’re going to spend more with an interior designer than if you do it on your own, but you should be able to avoid a lot of costly mistakes by doing that.
