Aesthetic DIY Tips
When starting your first DIY project you are so excited you just want to leap in. Don’t, wait and do some careful planning before you pick up that sledgehammer and start demolishing everything you no longer want. We are here to help you save money by planning ahead. We ask the questions that you should answer and clarify the design process for your DIY project.
There are many questions to be asked, and these can be grouped into four areas:
Practical, Budgetary, Aesthetic and Maintenance
Here we look at Aesthetic DIY Design Tips, meaning how you want your project to look.
Aesthetic DIY Design Tips
Do you have items of furniture, artwork, carpets, that you have to work around or which could be the basics of your scheme?
Save racking you brains for a place to start, think about what you already have around you that you love, and work from there.
Does the exterior of your building, set the parameters for your interior?
You don’t have to follow the exterior, especially if you are in an apartment complex, but if you have a Victorian Villa, for example, it is often nice to keep some of the detailing even if you are updating the interior.
It is good to keep some of the detail from the house following through into the interior as shown here with the cabinetry emulating the window panes.
Do you have a tendency towards any colors? Do you hate any colors? Also the intensity of color.
Get this down on paper now as once you get into a project you will be so busy worrying about everything else that your common sense may go out the window and you don’t pay enough attention to the finishing ie the color. Also, your love for a color may not be the same as the rest of the family who has to live in the house. Paint up some large pieces of card and prop them up where you will be renovating, you will start to get used to them and will soon figure out which ones work in your space and which ones don’t.
Do you have features outdoors that need to be viewed, (or hidden)?
Sometimes the view can dictate what you choose to do. If you look out at a concrete block wall through a window, perhaps it is better to use shutters as decoration or drape some fabric across so you don’t have to see it. The opposite can also be said, why use window dressings if you have a spectacular view of the harbor.
Does your family (or your clients) have the same taste? Do they dictate a certain style?
Often it is obvious what you like, you always select similar things in magazines that you like, gravitate to particular forms of furniture when shopping, or love to feel textures. Try and pinpoint what vein of design suits you best – aesthetically as well as practically. This can be done by flicking through magazines and picking out what you like, if you all do that then find the common underlying theme. It could be you all like a similar group of colors ie warm colors, a similar look, uncluttered Minimal or Eclectic – a combination of numerous styles subtly combined, Pacific – bold florals with cane furniture. Whatever it is write it down and try and follow that style or look including what you want to keep from your existing space.
Make sure your whole family are involved in the process of selecting style or colors and then select one person to oversee and make the final decisions – don’t designate areas to different people, or you could have a nice orange surprise on your hands like this.
Do you want the space to be the backdrop and the furniture and fixtures to be central focus or vise versa?
Do you live in your house or is your house a work of art? You may want to keep one room the central focus for guests and display your artwork and your sense of style, and “live” in the rest ie keep it fashionable and functional.
Do you have an existing style and want to create a new style?
Starting from scratch can be expensive, but wow, wouldn’t it make a huge difference to your life, so do it. If you have the jitters, you could always put your old stuff in storage – just in case.
Have you see something you like in a magazine or book and have photographs of it for ideas?
This is a great way to start especially if they tell you where you can purchase everything – a great time saver. Just remember, make sure you don’t “copy” the magazine, after all it is your own house and you have to spend time there, and it should reflect your style and personality to a degree.
Maintenance Tips
Budgetary Tips
Written by Lee Brown
