Readers' Choice, Volume 1
You asked: How do you make any room pop?
Nice work, friends! This is a loaded question with multiple things to consider:
- Planning
- Budget
- The element of surprise!
Let’s dive in!
Planning
- By now, this should come as no surprise - we swear by a good plan! When it comes to design, cohesion and thoughtfulness are key. Here are a few ways we achieve this:
- In event planning, Uncommon utilizes mood boards to establish the overall desired look and feel. This wedding mood board incorporates words, emotional images, and a few details to begin the design process.
We refer back to the mood board as we work through each phase of the project, but really, we need to dig deeper into each individual element in order to be successful. This bridal shower element board, for instance, gives us a much deeper idea of the details we will use for our food table!
- Sarah (Sal)’s commercial design experience is somewhat similar to this approach. “We always need to start with a strong concept package. This is a presentation that includes images and statements that really set the stage for the entire project. Geographic and historical context for a building’s location, color palettes and reasonings for their use, as well as images that realistically communicate the design intent for multiple spaces are really important.”
- In any interior design specialty, layering is key. Commercial design often requires long project timelines to accommodate construction, so designing and ordering building finishes, specialty area installations, furnishings, window treatments, and artwork are commonly done in phases. All the more reason to establish a clear concept at the get-go to ensure a cohesive end product!
This leads very well into our next major point ... Budgeting
- Womp womp! :) We pulled you in with the fun design stuff, but the budget is just as important! At the end of the day, you have to know what your parameters are, and you have to be a good steward of your resources.
- That said, large-scale key elements call for a larger portion of your budget. Often in design, we will determine what the most important elements are going to be, and we plan our budget and design for the rest of the space around those key features.
- Here’s a quick trick! If the budget doesn’t allow for us to fill the entire space the way we envision, we tackle one or two vignettes very well, rather than trying to sparsely fill everything. A well-styled vignette that tells a story or provides a strong anchor will get the job done. After all, the devil is in the details!
Surprise!
Last but not least, an easy way to make a room pop is to bring in something unexpected! In simple terms, this could be a unique accent piece as a focal point, a bright color, or an asymmetrical space plan.
- Here’s the caveat: You have to know the rules before you know when and how to break them. So for a super quick Design 101, get familiar with the Principles and Elements of Design:
- Balance, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern, Repetition, Proportion, Rhythm, Variety, and Unity
- Line, Shape and Form, Direction, Texture, Color, Value, and Space
Tell us! What are some of your favorite spaces that really “pop” in your mind? We’d love to know!
Get it poppin,
The Uncommon Team
