![professional home design inc orlando professional home design inc orlando](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f09aeba94f2525133779aa0/1599145617274-JHM3PQDSKK0Y4CS7QGOY/careysheffieldphotography0147+copy.jpg)
He wanted to remove two more, a painted tray and a basket, and leave only three: a pair of ceramic chickens, a large wooden egg crate, and a piece of word art I like that says “Home.” “The eye needs a place to rest,” he said of the newly created empty space.Īwkward sofa placement. I had five large accessories there (which I’d whittled down from seven). In the kitchen, which he agreed was largely done, he wanted fewer accessories in the space between the cabinets and the ceiling. (Duh! Smack.) The new arrangement was clearly better. “You don’t want to hide the room’s best feature,” he said. He pulled the chairs back and over, so they flanked the fireplace and opened up the room. “Uh, so guests can reach the coffee table?” I said. “Why are these in front of the fireplace?” he asked about two armchairs I had placed before the hearth, across from a sofa. Ken’s first fix happened in the living room. It reflects your roots.”īlocked fireplace. When he didn’t, I asked: “Do I need a more traditional rug?” I braced for an unwanted answer.
![professional home design inc orlando professional home design inc orlando](https://media.architecturaldigest.com/photos/5e3db315f7884d0008fde418/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/TradeShows-MAISON-DSCF8852.jpg)
I thought Ken would for sure nix the cowhide rug, calling it a non-sequitur. In my home office, my French carved desk is central, and European-inspired art hangs on the wall. They’re just right.” (Phew! My best friend, Susan, and I had recently given these bookshelves a careful edit and applied my shelf décor rule: one-third books, one-third ornamental objects, one-third empty space. After taking a critical look at the books and accessories on my living room built-ins, Ken declared, “No change. He also liked that I added these accent colors on certain walls, and to the backs of bookshelves. “It’s a nice surprise when you open the door and expect white,” he said. I had painted all the closet interiors in bold accent colors - Sherwin-Williams Secure Blue, Quite Coral, and Clary Sage - leaving the shelves white. Here are some of the hits and misses Ken pointed out: And you know what? It didn’t even hurt.Įven if you have a knack, when decorating your own home, have someone with a trained eye help you dial in the last 10 percent. “I tried to do the best with what I had,” I said, feebly.Īs we walked the house, he offered suggestions and pointed out the hits and misses, validating and educating. “You’re lucky so much of your old furniture works here,” he said, as he looked around, though we both agreed a few pieces needed replacing. “I used to tell people what they wanted to hear,” he told me, “but then I thought, why? They are paying me for what I think.”ĭid I really want to know? Too late. “Just your brain, and your mouth,” I said.īesides his obvious talent, the trait I appreciate most in Ken is his straight-shooting honesty.
![professional home design inc orlando professional home design inc orlando](https://media.architecturaldigest.com/photos/5e39ee34e71de50008ce2fa9/master/w_2560,h_1280,c_limit/TradeShows-ht-trendspace-ps-52.jpg)
“Do I need to bring anything?” he asked, as we left our office building together. Now he would see, for better or worse, what I’d done in the two months since. He’d also walked through my last house, so knew what furniture I had to work with. Ken had been to the house before, right after my husband and I bought it, and before we’d installed hardwood floors throughout and painted every vertical surface, so he knew what I’d started with. I can make a home look good, but a talented designer can take a home from good to great.
PROFESSIONAL HOME DESIGN INC ORLANDO PROFESSIONAL
How does my house look?Īs someone who writes about home design, and has professionally staged and designed many homes, I like to think I don’t need professional help. (Does this skirt make my butt look big? No, your butt makes your butt look big.) And here I was setting myself in the crosshairs of criticism. I learned long ago to not ask questions to which you might not like the answers. I hesitated before asking my office neighbor, interior designer Ken Olsen, if I could pay him to come to my new house to give his opinion of what I’d done so far, and what I should do.