Episode 008 1995 - 96 Season
| House Wrap | Fiberglass Wall Insulation | Sun Tunnel Skylights | Accessorizing (design) | Building with Bricks | Conventional Loans | |
To order a Video Tape, call 1-800-TO-BUILD and ask for Episode #008.
Michael Holigan: You spend all that money on a new home, then you go out and buy new furniture, you put it in your brand new home, and it doesn't look like the model home, it doesn't look like the homes in the magazines? What's missing? We've got an interior designer from Gabberts, Brian Dalton here, to help us out.
Brian Dalton: Hi.
M.H.: Good to have you here, Brian.
B.D.: Thank you, nice to be here.
M.H.: What are we missing in this room? It looks like the house I used to live in before I got married.
B.D.: Well, it's missing the personality, it's missing the accessories, and that's what's extremely important in creating the environment that they like in the model homes.
M.H.: Brian, when you start with a room of this size, where do you start accessorising?
B.D.: With the sofa being large against the bare wall, we really need to start with the piece of art, so placing a large horizontal piece of art over the sofa works really well in this case. It pulls out the color that we need, and I think it really softened the room. Even if we had to stop there, it would have been better than it was before. Then on this side over here, we're placing a lamp, and that's for our lighting situation. We have brought some picture frames in. Everybody has family photos they want to display. Picture frames are readily available everywhere, so we have that on the table. And then the plant serves to soften and bridge it all together. Then we moved over into the coffee table, and with a table that's this large, it would be easy to try and fill the entire surface. But what we've done is, we've used very large scale objects and a few books, which everybody has, to complete this look. In the cabinets we are placing art objects that we either already have or can purchase on trips that we travel on. And I think it's important to remember that when you are on a trip to pick up different items. But with glass curio cabinets like this, you don't need a lot of items in there, because the mirrors will play a reflective roll, and it will make it seem like you have more objects than you actually do.
M.H.: And that's going to save you money. And I noticed with the plant, lamps, picture frames, books, it's not very expensive to really make the room look great.
B.D.: Absolutely. And it's all things that are softening the room, a few throw pillows, it's the small details that make the final difference.
M.H.: Brian, how about the mirror that you added. I see a number of mirrors in homes now days. Why is that?
B.D.: Mirrors give a sense of a larger space. They also give a little sparkle when paired with a lamp like we have. So it just gives another texture, another look to the room, which I think is great. Also, the frames on mirrors today are much more ornate and interesting, the finishes that are available, that's why you're seeing more mirrors I think.
M.H.: And a mirrors not going to be an expensive way to decorate, is it?
B.D.: Typically not, and that's another reason I think that it's a good choice. It's better than a piece of art, because sometimes having a husband and wife agree on a piece of art is very difficult. In the bedroom we used a more traditional setting, and I think that bedrooms are an area where...especially with the winter months coming on, that you want to nest and have a lot of comfort. So what we're wanting to show is how you can really with accessories create a lot of warmth and a lot of interest. Area rugs really need to be used more in room settings. Because they provide a lot of cohesiveness and a lot of color on pattern on the floor. It is okay and really preferred to use an area rug in many situations over carpeting because it brings a lot of life to a room that could otherwise be dull. What we've done is we've used two different night stands in the room and because of that we've chosen to do two different lamps instead of matching lamps which provide a lot more interest. We also are using flowers because I think when it starts to get cooler, you really long for the outdoors and so the flowers are giving you a softness and an interest to the room. We also are providing lots of pillows which give you a nesting kind of feel for the situation or for the room.
M.H.: And again, you're not talking great expense. Flowers, lamps....
B.D.: Absolutely, things that are very easy to obtain and still give you that softening look and a really, really sharp interest.
M.H.: Brian, can you recap for me the important points to remember when accessorising your home?
B.D.: The first and foremost thing is to remember that it is your home and it is your personality that you're trying to reflect. So when you are accessorising, accessorize for yourself and for your family. The second thing to remember is that accessories do not have to cost a fortune in order to bring the room together. Softening the areas is very, very important. We've shown how you can do that with plans, with books and with objects that really mean a lot to you. The third thing is don't forget area rugs because they do play a very important role in pulling a room together.
M.H.: Brian, we appreciate your help.
B.D.: Thank you.
Episode 008 1995 - 96 Season
| House Wrap | Fiberglass Wall Insulation | Sun Tunnel Skylights | Accessorizing (design) | Building with Bricks | Conventional Loans | |
To order a Video Tape, call 1-800-TO-BUILD and ask for Episode #008.