Chats Interiors - Designer Tips!


	What inspires you? At CHATS INTERIORS, we love to share ideas with our clients and travel is one of our great sources of inspiration. Take a look at this vibrant green door and wall spotted at an upscale hotel in Barbados! Get inspired by what you love most!

Here are some tips to help you achieve your decorating dreams!

Keep an open mind and trust your designer. The sum is greater than the parts! Often times, one item, in isolation, may not seem to “fit” until the very end when combined with all of the décor elements.

Floor plans, drawn to scale, are an excellent tool to organize a space, new or existing. Changing furniture pieces and arrangements is so much easier on paper! Your “honey” and your back will thank you for planning ahead!

CHATS INTERIORS, can draw up floor plans using the dimensions of your existing furniture. When moving to a new home, or just refreshing a room, you’ll know exactly where to place each piece of furniture with the confidence everything will fit!

Here’s a trick to determine the appropriate size of TV for your space. For optimal viewing, leave a distance that is at least 3 times the size of the TV screen between it and the seating area directly opposite. So a 54” TV screen calls for at least 13 feet of space between it and your seating area. This isn’t always feasible, so a smaller TV may be more appropriate and enjoyable to view.

A problem can become an opportunity for a creative design solution. The boxwood planter, pictured right was the result of a clever camouflage solution for a window well. The planter box provides both a physical and visual barrier. Clever!

Note how the deck boards change direction from one level to another. This is an excellent safety tip to help define changes in elevation on your deck. With a little pre-planning, you can add visual interest and improve safety!


	Chairs are form and function interpreted in a myriad of ways. Every space should include more than one kind of seating. Try repurposing dining chairs and antiques for an eco friendly addition to your seating plan. Avoid matchy matchy sets; sofa, love seat, armchairs. Buy the best you can afford and consider reinventing existing pieces.

		Make a plan! Write down all of your “wants” and dreams for your new space. List the most important item first, then the second, and so on. Now plan a realistic budget and stick to it! With the priorities that you set for yourself in mind, you can narrow the multitude of choices facing you based on what you can afford today. The result will be a completed project without breaking the bank!


	Art should sit 6 to 9 inches above a sofa or at eye level when you are seated. If it’s too high on the wall, it will appear to be floating, too low and it will interfere with headroom.


	In a typical room with an 8-foot ceiling, hang your dining room chandelier centered over the table so that its bottom is 27 to 36 inches above the table top. Raise the fixture 3 inches for each additional foot in ceiling height. As in the picture at right, swag your chandelier if the electrical box is not centered above the table.

Paint is available in an infinite array of colours; it’s the least expensive décor element and the easiest to change. Don’t paint the walls and then shop for a matching sofa, draperies or carpet. A designer can help you develop an effective colour scheme and avoid making costly mistakes!
Buy ceiling paint one or two shades lighter than the wall colour; or dilute your wall colour with white paint in a ratio of 25% colour to 75% white.


	Here’s a quick and budget friendly art project! Using copyright free artwork (readily available online), group similar images together to create a larger collage. This grouping of botanical prints, at right, cost under $50 including mattes and frames!

		*Watch for more updates......*


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