Inspired Interiors Chicagoland's Kitchen and Bath Design Specialist

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  • Ask Emily

  • December9th

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    $50 buys your Mother-In-Law’s approval (and you won’t get 14 years)….

    Posted in: Ask Emily, Gift Giving, Inspiration, Seasonal

    Q: What do your mother-in-law, your nanny, and your kid’s teacher all have in common?
    A: They would all LOVE a gift certificate for an at-home design consultation with Inspired Interiors!
    So. take the guesswork out of your holiday shopping this year. If you’re shopping for someone who:
    • seems to have everything,
    • always returns your gifts for something “more to their liking,”
    • has an ambiguous (or outdated) personal style,
    • or, wants to update their home but doesn’t know how..

    Then, a gift certificate for an in-home design consultation is the PERFECT gift!

    The Inspired Interiors consultant comes to your gift recipient’s home and puts a game plan together, including:

    • Recommendations on colors for walls, drapery, upholstery, carpeting.
    • A floor plan of how to best utilize a room’s space–no more wasted corners.
    • Lists of what furniture and accessories to buy and where to buy them.
    • How to incorporate two people’s unique styles into one cohesive look.
    • A realistic budget for what it takes to achieve their vision.

    Consultations start at $50 for junior designers and $125 for senior designers.

  • September3rd

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    Our new design packages!

    Posted in: Ask Emily, Trends

    A Sprinkle of Inspiration $125.00

    1 ½ HR Package Includes:
    • 1 1/2 hours assessment during an in-home interview of your space’s needs with one of our designers.
    • Solutions based approach to each problem area within chosen room.
    • Completed “DAP” form (Design Action Plan).
    • Homework suggestions on how to tackle the design suggestions yourself.
    • Accountability follow-up call one week after inspiration has been sprinkled!

    A Shower of Inspiration
    $350.00 Read More | Comments

  • August20th

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    Ask Emily – August’s Question

    Posted in: Ask Emily

    Q: I have selected a few Benjamin Moore paint samples and applied a dozen or so in small 12″ squares on the wall in my room. I am so confused when viewing this grid of paint options. I have no idea how to determine what color works for the room. Help!
    A: I see clients doing this same activity time and time again. The problem that you are having is that you have visually overwhelmed yourself. When I select the right shade of a color, I grab a large white poster board. Then I take small samples of all of the finishes in the room: carpet sample, wood sample, tile sample, countertop sample and so on. By using the white poster board I can minimize all visual distraction and focus on the finishes that exist in the room. After compiling all of the finishes, I can start to look at small paint samples that might work. Since the colors of the room are all present on my white background I can easily run through options and see what color fits perfectly with the composition. You may also want to look at the color under the exact lighting that will be in the room. Different types of lighting will change the paint color easily. Don’t make the mistake of looking at the paint color in the hardware store under the horrific fluorescent lighting, and go home to your soft can lighting. The colors will change under different types of lighting. Lighting inherently has its own color (fluorescents add blue/grey, incandescents add yellow).  Also, look at the color during the night and during the day. Daylight or lack of day light will change the color, and you want something that meets both times of day. Happy painting!

  • July19th

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    Ask Emily – July’s Question

    Posted in: Ask Emily

    KICIMAN BATH Q: I am planning my master bathroom remodel.  I have a layout, but I don’t know where to start with color.  How do I attempt to select finishes?

    A: Here is my secret recipe for guiding clients through color selections – – -

    1) Think about how you want to feel in the space.  Various colors evoke various emotions.  Color changes and forms the way we feel in a space.

    Awake/Refreshed = yellow/orange palettes.
    Relaxed/Calm = blues/greens palettes.

    Magazine Ad

    Modern Bathroom Contemporary Bathroom

    Bath with Color Palette from Ad

    2) Find an image from a fashion magazine (yes, a fashion magazine!) that depicts your personal style and includes the emotion/color combination preference mentioned above.  What are the main colors in the image?  This would be your main bathroom color (paint or wall tile).  What are the supporting or secondary colors in the image?  This would be your supporting color in the bathroom (cabinet color or floor tile).  In general take note of the proportions of colors used in the fashion image and directly link them to materials that have the same visual proportions in your bathroom.

    3) Don’t forget that this image from the fashion magazine will have accents of vibrant colors.  You will need to have accents of strong colors with your accessories.  For example, if the fashion image has a bright orange scarf on the model, maybe you have a vase of orange flowers on the countertop. Sometimes the best spaces have subtle overall colors, and strong accents of color.

    Magazine Ad

    Bath with Ad Color Palette

    Send us your questions for August’s question of the month emily@inspiredinterior.com

  • February3rd

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    Ask Emily – February’s question:

    Posted in: Ask Emily

    Q: I am in the process of remodeling my bathroom – can you give me any ‘exclusive designer tips’ to cut my costs?

    A: Absolutely!  Here are three of my favorite tips for savings money on bathroom remodels without compromising style:

    1) VINTAGE VANITY FIND: Stop by a second hand furniture shop or low-end antique shop.  Find a table that has a shape & style that you find appealing.  You can find one that is small and fits the space exactly, or one that is larger and use half of the table (see image on lower left).  Re-paint or re-stain the table to suit the chosen color palette of the bathroom.  You can also find some pieces that can be retro-fitted and used as a vanity – these make great conversation topics (see image on lower right).  Get creative and you will have a vanity that looks unique while saving you a fortune.

    vintage vanity

    vintage vanity – 1/2 table used

    vintage vanity - antique shop find

    antique shop find for vanity use

    2) REMNANT COUNTERTOP: Most stone fabricators have a large selection of ‘remnant’ pieces of marble, granite, quartz, and more.  These pieces are left overs from large scale projects.  Bring the measurements of your vanity, pick a ‘remnant’ piece that suits your bathroom’s color palette and ask the fabricator to price the stone top.  You are will likely save more than 50% of the cost you anticipated for your countertops.

    3) CRAIGSLIST: Peruse the many items available on Craigslist.  You would believe the things you can find: overstock on faucets, rain shower heads, vintage claw foot tubs, overage of tile, and MORE!  Don’t be too proud to hunt do your bathroom goodies!  Be smart and spend wisely for you space.  Craigslist even has an app for your iphone – LOVE it – use it!

    Happy Hunting & Happy Savings!!! Don’t forget to send us your questions for our next newsletter!!!

    Sincerely,
    Emily Mackie Norris, ASID

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