You can’t put your finger on it, but you know you have an uncomfortable feeling.

You look around and you think it could be the coloring in the room, or the furniture is not feeling good….it is something, but you just can’t find it.

You feel relief when you leave the space!

If this is your home, you have to endure this feeling. You don’t have a choice, right? I don’t know why it feels this way. Maybe I should buy a new sofa…or maybe get some tchotchkes from TJMaxx.

You get home with your new purchase and it didn’t help.

It feels hopeless…..you say…”maybe we should move!”

In comes ‘Sacred Geometry’…..

Sacred Geometry has fascinated and intrigued me for years.

What is this mystic ‘Sacred Geometry’ mumbo-gumbo anyway??

In a nutshell, it involves sacred universal patterns used in the design of everything.

It is a concept that has its roots in ancient culture and has endured throughout the course of human history.

How did I start on this?? 

It is found in nature, music, sound, to name just a few areas.

Look at the bottom of a pinecone and you will see a spiraling that makes your jaw drop.

Start looking around at how plants and trees grow new branches.

There is a definite pattern that emerges.

Look at the geometry of a wave.

How about the geometry of a human face?

Have you ever heard of the Golden ratio? – It is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part.

The proportions of the human body are designed according to the Golden ratio number of 1.6.

A person’s height to the height of his/her navel is roughly 1.6

The length of your elbow to the tip of your longest finger divided by the length of your arm to your wrist is 1.6

Astounding, right?

The formation of musician sequences are another astonishing example of sacred geometry.

Why do we marvel at older architectural structures? The architects were well aware of sacred geometry and designed according to the natural laws.

These are the structures that endure and amaze us for centuries.

The Parthenon, the pyramids of Egypt, Chartres cathedral to name a few.

Artists over the eons knew of sacred geometry as well.

Just look at Leonardo DaVinci’s the Last Supper.  The Golden Ratio rectangle is the basis of this beauty.

It pleases the viewer and we don’t need to know why. We just KNOW that it is pleasing.

The cosmos itself!

I could go on and on…..it is such a wonder to look at life through this lens.

How does it pertain to interior design? 

 It is the core principles that govern good design.

Proportion, scale, balance, rhythm, emphasis, harmony and Unity.

The elements of design: texture, pattern, form(mass), space, light and color are the tools used by designers to execute the rules to create the best outcome.

Examples of a designer’s alchemy…

Clients frequently want to use a saturated color they love in the 60% of the color guideline. It over-whelms the room. In fact, when you limit a bold color to just the 10%, the color is much more ‘alive’.

It appears counter-intuitive, however, the results do not lie!

Let’s talk about window treatments

The window treatment should account for 60% of the window.

If panels, they can be pulled off the glass to create a larger window appearance.

If a client wants just a valance, I suggest using blinds or another ‘undercoat’ to get to the 60% mark.

Have you ever seen a window treatment with just a valance? If not in proper proportions, it can look like a wig on a mannequin!

Remember these are just guidelines and sometimes rules can be broken to create an unexpected dynamic statement.

I strive to create an environment that truly wraps its arms around you. The space should emotionally give the participant the feeling that you have found your little corner of the world where you can just be you!

I would love to help you design your space! Check out my work in my portfolio section and give me a call!

The post The Natural Rule in Interior Designing appeared first on Karen Hill Interiors LLC.

The internet gives the illusion that you can find anything for less if you look hard enough.

If I see a chair or an accent table in a store, I can whip out my phone and when the salesperson is busy with another customer, I can take a picture of the tag.

I smugly walk out of the store and when I get in the car I begin my quest for the holy grail.

Or so I think….

We, as consumers, think that we are entitled to getting the lowest price.

We are in a free market society. Isn’t that what it is all about?

Supply and Demand? Price wars?

Why line the pockets of the store owner down the street when I can get the exact same product on Amazon?

There are more things to consider when purchasing that get overlooked in rush of the hunt for the lowest cost.

Authenticity, Quality, Service, and Supply.

Authenticity of a Product

Many manufacturers sell the same product to different market segments. That faucet that you had seen at a plumbing store was online for $85 less!

Sometimes it may be a bargain. The online store may sell at such volume that they can extend their pricing to you……BUT……maybe that faucet is built with lesser quality parts. The manufacturer may be selling a higher quality to the plumbing store than to the online store, thus the pricing inequality.

When you see big pricing discrepancies, you must ask yourself, WHY?

Quality of a Product

Oh…quality…..that one criteria that is so easily trumped by price…..until…….the purchase has been made and now you are left with the product.

That thrill of saving a buck fads sooooo fast when you are left with a poorly made hunk of junk.

Then, this always AMAZES me…..the indignation starts! I can’t believe this! The description said that it was oil rubbed bronze. I didn’t expect THIS color. I expected a true oil rubbed bronze. The finish is awful and it chips! How can they sell this to ME?

You EXPECT quality service which segues right into….

You call the 800 number on the website and the fun begins.  Which gets us into the Service category.

Service with a Product

Disgruntled Consumer:

Who the hell am I talking to on the other end of this phone????”

“All you can say is I sorry ma’am? “

“I have to repackage and go to the post office with this thing and I have to pay for postage???”

“You gotta be kidding?  Even if I want an exchange?”

“Can you guarantee me that the next one will have a better finish?……. No???……. WHAT KIND OF OUTFIT ARE YOU RUNNING THERE???”

Phone Operator:

“Ma’am…the website picture shows you the finish. I can’t help if the resolution of the photo is not showing EXACTLY what you want to see.”

“Sorry ma’am……..we are glad to send you a new one as soon as we receive the damaged item. “

“By the way, can you take a quick phone survey when we are done?”

Service is an extremely important aspect in any purchase. I mean any purchase.

It is the human interaction that can make or break a transaction (a better word here is ‘experience’. Everything is an experience and we all desire good experiences).

If I am having a problem with a product that I purchased, I want someone to back that product and show responsibility.

A quality product for a fair price should always have great service inherently associated with it.

A good business owner knows this from the get-go.

He/She is in it for the long haul.

He/She provides authenticity, quality, and service at a fair price.

The price may NOT be the cheapest.

He/She has to make a living too and he has taken on the responsibility of the product performance.

Isn’t that a wonderful feeling as a consumer?

You bet it is!

Supply of a Product 

This is getting to be a difficult aspect to discuss. Supply was never so hard as it is today.

With our ubiquitous global market, a lot of manufacturers are not in control anymore.

The raw materials may come from here, shipped to Country A for assembly, shipped back to company B for finishing and may sit in a container in a NYC shipping port until processing.

HOWEVER….

Working with a local store or an INTERIOR DESIGNER, they are MUCH more likely to keep on the case and get you your product, get answers, resolve issues and get results.

Again, the human contact, the human experience.

Yes… there are humans on the end of that website that is selling that product for less, however……would you want to hear that the item is backordered 12 weeks and you have to call a jillion times to find your answer?

….or….

Your designer or local store owner can go the extra mile and find out the facts, make a few more calls, get to the root of the supply issue.

I get it…..price is enticing…..who doesn’t want to save money.

Just remember, it is NOT the only factor…..

I heard this quote awhile back and it hits right to the heart of this topic…

“Can you afford to buy cheap?”

The post The Almighty Price Tag appeared first on Karen Hill Interiors LLC.

She made a comment that has stayed with me since we met. She said that clients are looking at design like it is a vignette.

They see vignettes on Pinterest and Houzz and get the impression that we live that way.

How odd, but I can see why…

With the advent of Houzz, Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram, to name a few, we ‘see’ a corner of a room or the top of well displayed sofa table and we fall in love with the composition.

It is the art of the photography which has always been the mainstay of cosmetic and hair product industry.  It sells the dream.

We see the close-up and want that perfection.

Those Maybelline eyes…..gotta get that mascara!

In the world of interior design, the social media and the visual apps have changed how people look at design.

Just as the elusive perfect long eyelashes are never going to be achieved, the sterile vignette is creating the same illusion.

Trying to translate the 2D photo into a 3D world will always fall short.

We don’t live in a photographer’s angle.

In attempting to recreate the ‘look’, you will always be a little disheartened.

Your home, your space, your world is a living, breathing environment where you see everything from all angles.

That vignette that you tried to recreate may not have the same lighting from day into night and the shadowing will play havoc.

OMG…The seam in the lamp shade is showing from the side view! The picture on Pinterest didn’t show exposed plumbing under the sink! Just to name a few reality surprises….
As a designer, I emphasize with my clients that we ‘live‘ in our homes……don’t stress over the notion of perfection.

It does not exist and I, for one, am very happy with that thought……

Let me help you with your home. Your spaces will be just what you have been dreaming of!

The post Vignette Living appeared first on Karen Hill Interiors LLC.

We abide by the rule “Less is More” [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]. Mies also said, “God is in the details”.

He was right on the money!

It is a fine balance to create the right aesthetically pleasing room with accessories. Too little, and the room will be bland. Too much, and the room looks overstuffed and chaotic. Accessories are the ‘jewelry’ of a room. This is an area where an experienced Interior Designer’s help is of utmost importance.

Following are a few key pointers –

This is an area that really takes the feeling from ordinary to WOW.

Artwork does not have to perfectly color match to your decor.

Sometimes a very interesting piece that is unexpected in subject and color can really energize a space.

We find that large artwork is very dramatic. When using large artwork, you do not need a lot on the other walls. That dominating piece will create the mood and energy for the space. Smaller artwork is more of a challenge.

There are times that a single, small, well-appointed piece will work on a large wall. This can create an unexpected pleasing result. Most times, however, small art pieces are better served being grouped together to create a sense of interest.

Texture is a feast for the eyes as well as the sense of touch.

Texture plays with light, creating shadow, reflection, and contrast that adds dimension and life to a room.

Texture adds weight or lightness that helps balance out the space. A highly textured object will add weight. A polished surface will ‘appear’ lighter in weight. Consider the frame on a piece of artwork.

The texture can make or break how you want to perceive the feeling when looking at the piece. A very rough wood with a lot of grain, versus a highly polished black metal, will ‘read’ very different and create a totally unique feeling.

This aspect can totally transform the ‘jewelry’ in the room.

Groupings of three are more pleasing to the eye. Heights should be varied and in proportion to the whole.

Every flat space (end tables, coffee tables, mantles, etc.) need not be full with objects. This is where ‘less is more’ comes in. A wellplaced object can take command of the space and create the feeling you are trying to achieve.

These are just a few of the considerations that an experienced Interior Designer works with when creating the ‘finishing’ touches of a space.

Accessorizing takes the space from “This is beautiful”, to “THIS is just what I wanted!”.

Give me a call to help you with your accessorizing!

The post Keys to Accessorizing appeared first on Karen Hill Interiors LLC.