Have you started redesigning a room and found yourself at an impasse?
Somehow the colours don’t work; the drapes and blinds aren’t right, and you resort to asking your friends what they think, only to find that the advice they offer only indicates they are as confused you are.
If that is the case then it is probably time you called in a professional design consultant who can advise you on your choices and help prevent you from making expensive mistakes that you may have to live with.
Patrina Carey of Carey’s Visual Designs spoke with the Bermuda Sun about her role as an interior design consultant and how she approaches her work.
“I offer a design service for interior finishes, with the initial consultation in the client’s home or commercial premises”, she said.
“This could include a full interior decorating service, or it could be to help out people who have made a start and who are now stuck. They have gone so far, but can’t complete the look. I consult with the client and see what can be done to complete the look they want to achieve.”
Ms Carey explained that her first task when called in is to find out what the client’s tastes are.
“I look at their furniture and see how I can use their surroundings to best effect. In the living room, for example, it is possible to mix modern and traditional pieces of furniture . . . a seating area may have a more antique feel while another area have a modern look.
“You want to keep the flow and make it consistent at the same time so as to blend the two styles together and find pieces that work in that style.”
Many people are confused about colour and unsure how to use it. “People don’t want their space to be overwhelmed because of bold colours,” she said. “It needs to be used wisely and carefully, taking into consideration the size of space, openness, and the light coming in to carry it.”
It is at the initial consultation that Ms Carey can assess the style the client prefers, saying she finds out a great deal in one hour talking with them and by asking the right questions.
“If they require a complete interior design service I produce a full vision board so they know exactly what that space will look like.
“It is a computer-rendered board presentation, a complete look from ceiling down to the floor. It is a 16-in x 20-in board with the actual fabrics attached so the client can get a complete look from top to bottom.”
When consulting on a full interior design, and when she is fully aware of the client’s tastes, Ms Carey said she likes to choose the fabrics first that are going to go well in the room then look for wall paint colour.
“That is the way that works best for me,” she said. “That way I can explore all the colour tones, and if I know a client loves a particular colour it makes it easier to identify the colour scheme.
“Sometimes clients come with a magazine picture and ask can you put this together — that’s great too as sometimes it makes it a lot easier.”
Ms Carey explained that it is all about getting a cohesive feel in the home. “It has to flow nicely as that makes the home more beautiful when it all ties together and you can do that with colour tones.
“Each room should be unique and taking one colour from one room into another makes it flow nicely creating that cohesive feel.”
At Carey’s Visual Design you get professional help with fabric selection from a range of well known brands as well as ideas on how to be creative with your window treatments.
Roller shades are back in vogue now and are much better made, said Ms Carey. “Woven shades were always plain — now you can add complementary fabric to dress them up even more.
“They can be very fashionable when adding a nice accent fabric which makes your shade different from someone else who may have same shade, but with a different fabric applied to it.”
Ms Carey can advise on a range of window solutions ranging from motorised hard window treatments and draperies to a new product — a fabricated shade on a sliding track with a box treatment, which makes it ideal for sliding doors, and again lends itself to be personalized.
Besides creating designs for homes and commercial premises Ms Carey is also a professional home stager who can help you show off the best features of your home so you can sell it faster.