Furniture passed on by family…How do you recycle old furniture without it looking cheap?
“Many times we go through that stage where we do get furniture given to us that we’ve accumulated over the years. The great thing to do with that – paint. (It) is a great way to unify furniture that normally make you think ‘where did that come from?'” Filicia says. “It’s a lot easier than refinishing furniture.”
Alert! Busy moms: how do I balance chic and maternal design needs?
“The first thing you want to do when you have kids is you want to remember that kids are there and they’re going to be a part of the design. They’re going to be bringing a lot of colorful toys into every space,” Filicia says. “When you have toys in a room, one of the things to do is give them their own space within the space. If you look at a kindergarten class, there are a lot of solutions there. That one teacher has to organize all those kids. They have a great system in place. You can learn a lot from your teachers.”
A lot of people believe chic or kiddy are not mutually exclusive. Filicia says that is not the case. “Remember, kids are only going to be that age for a little while longer and they’ll be on a new and different thing. You want the spaces to acclimate and grow and not be locked in and be finalized. You want a backdrop that will not only grow with your family, but with the kids,” Filicia adds.
Colors… colors &… colors
“I like incorporating bright colors into kids’ spaces or spaces kids like to be in, because it kind of camouflages the toys,” Filicia says.
Making organization fun for kids is also critical to design success. “Make clean-up fun and interesting. Having a stop-watch is always a great thing. My brother used to be able to make me do anything if it was prefaced with ‘I bet you can’t get me a bowl of ice cream in less than five seconds.’ I’m like, ‘yes I can!’Tthose are helpful ways to organize your space.”
Designing the kids room
Kids are constantly going through stages and they’re interested in the full childhood spectrum. One minute it’s Barney and then the next it’s karate or Thomas the Train. “Whatever the next thing is that captures their imagination is wonderful. But the thing is, you can design a room with some great colors, but then you bring in those fun additional things like what they love right now. In a year, they won’t remember what they liked,” Filicia says and laughs.
How do I meld styles I love?
“If you really appreciate a lot of different things, you should not really worry about the style,” Filicia says. “Decide what’s my favorite thing in this room. If you hone in on the pieces and not the style, it will make it easier.
Color trends for 2009
“I believe trends are dictated by what we want. I think there’s some optimism with things happening in the next year or two with the economy and we have a new administration,” Filicia says. “I think people, because of the gloom and doom we’ve been dealing with, are excited about color. I think this spring is going to be a really a lot of pops of color.”
Changing a room to change ourselves
“We do the same thing with our wardrobes,” Filicia says. A living space is no different. “It’s nice to have things evolve and be somewhat seasonal. It’s important to be a part of the social fabric of what’s happening around us. I do think that the spring allows us to roll up the rug in your room and maybe just exposing your floor, maybe changing your sofa pillows. I think people don’t always think about doing that with their interior. It is a nice thing to do. We do that for the holidays. Everybody has their holiday decor that get ready. It’s nice to have that. Change is nice whether for fashion or your interior.”
Thom’s terrific final thought
“When you decorate a room or home, it doesn’t always have to be finished,” he says. “You can have fun with things you currently have.”
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