Balance can be tough-- even for the initiated

Many of my design class students come to my class because they've tried to copy something out of a decorating article and failed to recreate the look.

Over the next couple of days, I'd like to take an article and give you a couple of examples of why that might happen.

Click on the link below to go to the article-- first one under Interior design news.

Interior Design Ideas from Lifestyles Consulting
"Distinctive Decor: Interior designer strives to create a home that can be lived in (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Balance is a beautiful thing. Seeing it in nature is proof of a higher power, but finding it in the home is evidence of great interior design. The comfortable coupling of gloss and matte, old and new, stylish and staid can be an Olympian feat for the uninitiated."

When you get to the article, click on the first picture and let's look at it. What do you think of the design?

First of all let me say I am not judging the taste of the designer or her clients. I'm trying to point out a couple of things that may be an obstacle for you if you like this style. If you don't, that's OK, because you can take these comments and still apply them when you find something you do like.

Now, the individual design elements in this room are exquisite: the furniture, the window treatments, the chandelier, the rug. The room is a showcase to display them.

So, if you're decorating on a budget, this look may be hard to duplicate unless you already own exquisite things.

This happens a lot in decorating magazines. The majority of magazines on the market will not even show you fabrics under $90 a yard. If you see a decorating-windows-with-sheets how-to articles, the photo will probably show the window next to a $600 lamp or a $1500 headboard. Again, unless you own a $600 lamp, your sheets probably will not look as good as the photo you're trying to copy.

I'll let you in on a little secret: decorating with a large budget is a piece of cake! If you're not in that position, join the rest of us. If you like this look, there's no reason you have to have two of everything exactly the same (the sofas, the wing chairs, the lamps on the mantel). Mix it up and make it interesting!

Next time, I'll talk about color and how you can use it to your advantage.

Mary Cynthia