Interior Design Scottsdale, AZ by S Interior Design

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2020–The Year of Wall Covering

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Is 2020 the year you will update your interior design using a wall covering material on your walls? S Interior Design suggests that if you are planning some design updates you consider incorporating a unique wall covering into your design plans. You can add dimension and beauty that you cannot achieve using plain wall paint.

geometric covering

The word wall paper conjures up images of cabbage roses for a lot of people. This is not what today’s wall covering selections are about. Of course paper and vinyl based wall coverings are a good option. There are endless styles and colors to look at. Besides that option, there are wood and tile options, metal and even leather. The goal is to add a design element to act as either a great focal WOW moment, or as a perfect back drop to high- light other design elements and furnishings.

wood wall
blue covering


Tips To Improve Curb Appeal With Your Garage Door

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Below is a guest posting on how to improve your home’s curb appeal by the look and design of your garage door. Here in Phoenix many homes have front facing garages and they can sometimes distinctly define the look of a home; for better or for worse. This makes it very important to have a garage door design that compliments and enhances your home’s elevation design.

First impressions are absolutely important, especially when we’re talking about your home. There’s nothing like the feeling you get when people stop, stare, and marvel at the way your house looks. More importantly, that first impression matters when you’re thinking about putting your house on the market. House-hunters will surely want to call your real estate agent with just one look at the front of your home.

That impressive look, of course, can be achieved when you make an effort to enhance the curb appeal of your home. There are many ways of improving curb appeal, but did you know that your garage door can play an instrumental role in bringing fresh excitement to your home’s façade?

Admittedly, a garage door can look incredibly bland, which isn’t surprising since many homeowners just concern themselves with keeping it functional with maintenance and garage door repair. But with a little creativity from your end, your garage door can do so much more, especially when it comes to improving curb appeal. Here are some tips on doing just that.

Paint your garage door.

If the color of your garage door matches the paint of the exterior, then it’s time to do some repainting on it.

As it stands now, your garage door will tend to disappear into the walls. So pick a color that will contrast to the rest of the house in an attractive way. The best color for your garage door would be one that is a few shades darker than the paint on your home. A house painted a light tan, for example, would look great with a garage door with light brown paint. The point is to create a contrast that isn’t too stark.

Do some accessorizing.

If your garage door already came with handles, windows, patterns, or side arrows, then you’re all good on the accessorizing front. However, if your garage door is a little on the simple side, you can enhance the way it looks by adding accessories around it.

Consider placing potted plants on either side of your garage. For added flourish, you can have shrubs, tall plants, and other kinds of greenery close to the garage doors. If you can incorporate some decorative stonework on your driveway, then that would make your garage door pop nicely.

Add lighting fixtures.

When installed in the right spots, exterior light fixtures almost instantly make everything look great. Put up exterior lighting with the garage door as a focal point, and you can be sure that they will enhance curb appeal.

A wise choice is overhead and side lights. They provide much-needed illumination and security, and make the garage door look stunning at night as well. Of course, you have to make sure that the lights you install complement not only your home’s color tone but also its overall style to make the overall look of your home stand out.

If you have a big enough budget for more lighting, then you can go for ground lights that point upwards, preferably towards the trees and tall plants around your garage door.

Balance everything with the front door.

It would look odd if your garage door is all spruced up and your front door isn’t. So whatever enhancements you did with your garage door, it would be a great idea to do the same for your front door. It will make the look of your home more consistent and balanced.

Garage doors don’t have to look dull. Follow the tips above, and your garage door should be able to contribute significantly to the overall curb appeal of your home.

Moving to Phoenix? 3 Tips

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Below is a guest post on the subject of how to successfully navigate a move to Phoenix, AZ. S Interior Design has added some personal commentary (shown in bold font).

Downtown Phoenix

3 Essential Interior Design Tips to Take with You to Phoenix

If you’re planning on moving to Phoenix, you’ve got a lot of different things to consider before the big day. Not only do you need to find a home that suits your needs in terms of location and budget, but you also need to think about how you can make a property in a brand-new space feel like home, with interior design strategies that match your personality.

Ultimately, the way that you decorate your home in Phoenix could be the factor that makes or breaks how quickly you settle into your new life. After all, moving to a new home in a new city is a big change, and it can be difficult to adjust. The things you’ve become accustomed to in your old city, are a little bit different out here in the desert.

For example if you’ve come from the east coast, then you’re probably used to a lot more rain and thought that taking care of your lawn was never a big deal, but in Phoenix if you want to keep your lawn looking great, you’re going to need to learn a whole new set of tricks, or get some help from a Lawncare specialist

You may want to consider a landscape plan that includes mostly native plants that are more likely to thrive in the dry hot climate and eliminate or minimize grass areas.

If you’re a sun worshiper then the 300 days of sunshine each year will keep you more than happy! 

And when you’ve found your dream house in Phoenix and are ready to turn into a home, the good news is that these three essential interior design tips could make it easier for you and your family to find the peace you need after a complicated cross-city move.

One of the most common challenges when moving to Phoenix from the East coast or the Mid-West is scale and proportion of furnishings. Often the architecture in Scottsdale/Phoenix will include very high ceilings that can make your existing furniture feel too small and out of scale.

1.     Stay True to your Style

When you’re moving to a new city, it’s easy to let the inspiration around you take over and make all of your decisions about your new space for you. While there’s nothing wrong with taking some insight from the homes around you and the other properties that you viewed in the space if you feel like making a change to your typical interior décor choices, it’s worth staying true to your personal preferences as much as possible.

By keeping some crucial pieces of your personal style in your home, you can ensure that you’re less likely to feel too overwhelmed by the change of moving to a new city. Whether it’s a specific colour scheme for your bedroom or a couple of art pieces that you take with you wherever you go, find your signature style pieces.

2.     Start Small

Moving to a new city already means that you’ve made a pretty big decision recently. With that in mind, you don’t necessarily need to make all of your interior design choices at once. Instead, start by focusing on one space at a time. Decide on the room in your property that you most want to work on. For instance, would you feel more comfortable if you had a serene bedroom to come home to every night or a relaxing living room?

Once you’ve chosen the space that matters most to you right now, work on that. Remember that you can always add more pieces later on if you need to.

3.     Leave Clutter and Chaos Behind

Finally, while there’s nothing wrong with bringing items from your old home with you to your new property in Phoenix (particularly those signature pieces mentioned above), leave the clutter behind. While you’re packing up your home, be extra brutal in getting rid of anything that you no longer want or need. The more you leave behind, the more of a clean slate you’ll have to work with when designing your new property.

If there are any specific pieces that you want to make a feature of your new design strategy, you can always mention them to your interior designer, and see if they can come up with any unique ideas for how to transform your new space.

2019 Design Trends

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Thank you to HOUZZ for compiling a nice list of what are being considered the design trend ideas for 2019! Enjoy reading this but always remember the most important thing to consider when re-designing your home are your own personal likes, dislikes and functionality desires.

Smart Technology That is Revolutionizing Modern Homes

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Below is a guest posting on the subject of the technology options that are changing the way we live in our homes.
As an Interior Designer I need to be aware of the ever changing technology options that can have an impact on the overall design and functionality of a space.  With the rapid pace of change we are experiencing in this area it honestly can be a part-time job in and of itself to keep abreast of it all.  That is one of the reasons S Interior Design welcomed the opportunity to learn more and share it with you! Thank you Jackie Mason for writing the article and sharing it with us.

Make sure to click on the links imbeded in the article to get the full story.

The Smart Technology That is Revolutionizing Modern Homes

Over 40% of American households use smart technology, with an average of 3.5 smart devices used in each home. Smart technology often appeals because of the convenience and time saving it provides. A lot of smart technology also offers a way of updating your interior design easily without any major cost. The stylishness of many of today’s emerging gadgets makes it easy to see why so many people are incorporating them into the design of their homes. Here are just a few examples of the kind of smart technology that can give your interior design real style and added functionality.

 The stylish and unobtrusive television screen

When it comes to home living, you can ‘go smart’ anywhere in the house. However, one of the areas of smart technology that people are drawn to most is home entertainment. Television screens are becoming more and more streamlined and multi-functional. The transparent TV is particularly worth a mention. Still in the early stages of development, the TV shows high-definition images when switched on and can blend into the background as a transparent screen when turned off. This means that you can have the sought-after high quality as well as discretion; the television doesn’t have to dominate the room. LG takes this combination one step further with its roll up and down television screen. The TV screen can be wound down when you don’t want to watch it or would rather it was out of sight when not in use. The screen size and aspect ratios can be adjusted to suit different uses – whether that be for television, computing or photograph displays.

 A kitchen that aids cooking

Research shows that the kitchen is the most important room to homeowners when it comes to interior design. This has led to a rise in the number of smart kitchen gadgets entering the market – and potentially people’s homes. These include smart ovens: gone are the days where you have to slave away over a hot stove after a day’s work. Smart ovens can link up with your smartphone, registering the food that is in the oven and making recommendations on cooking methods. The technology involves means that you can monitor the cooking away from home if you want to, carrying on with other tasks in the meantime. The result is a tasty meal that was stress-free to make.

 Smart lighting for the home

Lighting design has evolved with an environmental focus, with many companies using efficient LED lights. This is not at the cost of style and functionality, however. Examples of smart lighting in the home include SmartLamp, which is controlled by its own app and allows you to change the color of the light, depending on your mood. You can also choose a color to accompany music you are listening to, making SmartLamp an effective tool for entertainment and creating ambiance.