An Interview With an Interior Decorator
Have you ever wondered what goes through an Interior Decorator’s mind when decorating a space? Do you know what process to follow when you are decorating in your home? To give some insight into these questions, I have recently interviewed Laurie Clayton, a blogger and interior decorator with eighteen year’s experience in her court.
Introducing Laurie Clayton
As a military wife, Laurie and her family moved around a lot. She worked hard in every new house to create a comfy, cosy home she and her family could enjoy, no matter where they were. In her two blogs; Comfy Cozy Home and Craft Room Organisation; she takes you through her journey, sharing indoor and outdoor projects.
“I believe that creating memories in your home with family and friends are very important.”
A Decorator’s Basic Design Process
Laurie says that the first thing she asks her clients when tasked with a new project is to describe what the room is used for. She likes to get a good picture and understanding of the use of the room to envision people in the room and create the room’s story. This helps to plan furniture types and layout as well as recognising special requirements, like additional storage.
You also need to measure the room and take pictures. Be sure to indicate where doors, windows and electrical outlets are – this will help a lot when designing later on. She also looks at adjoining rooms to determine the flow between rooms.
Laurie then asks her clients about colour and style preferences. She has a post on her blog discussing colour theory, which is worth checking out. Once the colour scheme for the room has been determined, she will make the furniture choices, always keeping the scale of the room in mind. The last step is to add filler decor items, either out of the client’s stock or newly purchased items.
The Fun Parts of Being a Decorator
Laurie describes the most exciting part of her job as being able to shop for her clients and seeing their satisfied smiles at the end of the project.
Her favourite project was a mobile home she designed in Paso Robles, CA. Everything in the home was changed, and she enjoyed using the warm, earthy colour scheme and trying out new products. The clients were extremely pleased with the outcome.
Laurie describes her decorating style as practical, warm and inviting. She dislikes having, for example, mostly unused, formal living spaces. And would instead opt for vintage, earthy, cosy styles for open areas. She enjoys using neutral whites, creams and greys for common areas and more colour in private spaces.
Challenges that an Interior Decorator Faces
Laurie never really struggles to find inspiration as she is a sensitive listener. She picks up on what her clients would prefer. If she does hit a block, she asks more questions to help solve problems or searches for inspiration on Pinterest or Instagram.
Her experience over the years has shown her that the thing clients struggle with the most is defining their style, and accepting changes in their homes.
She had one client that she knew would not do well with the changes. She tried her best to make the redesign a positive experience and included the client in all choices. Only to have to move all pieces back to the original layout as the client liked her original design better. She did manage to include some minor changes though which the client accepted.
“Sometimes, it takes a redo for clients to realize that they already like their style and just needed a minor tweak.”
Go-To Tips
Laurie’s top tips for decorating a space is:
- Research on Pinterest, for instance, and save images of items or rooms that you love.
- List the items (colours, furniture and decor) that you are drawn to.
- Combine the notes as mentioned above and envision it in your space. Then create a mood board or print images to help you out.
- It helps a lot to visually look at images in your room to help you make decisions.
I hoped you enjoyed getting to know Laurie better, I sure did! Be sure to hop over to her blog to take a look.
I also wrote a couple of helpful posts on how to use Balance, Line, Form and Space in Interior Design if you would like to look at those.
I’ll be back soon with a new, crafty post. Until then, take care!
