The SevenDeadly Sins of Interior DesignDesigning a residential project is far beyond a materialistic, lifeless experience. It’s truly personal; “we design a home not just a house “ is one of my strong convictions. I always stress on the necessity that homeowners who choose to handle that ordeal personally and not hire a professional to tackle the job, should educate themselves on certain basics in order to prevent reoccurring and common faux-pas.While reading through the deadly sins, I am sure you will find that many of them sound familiar. Nevertheless, the most common mistakes are easier critiqued and discussed, than actually prevented, while other, less-orthodox misses, easily slip the mind of an inexperienced homeowner. Avoiding these mistakes will undoubtedly save time and money, the two most vital factors that affect your dream project as well as assist in achieving the harmonious, coherent, interior space that you aspire to have.By Dalia Sadany

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Deadly Sin # 1 - Plan & BudgetMany people get enthusiastic about their project with-out thinking ahead, and eventually fi nd themselves stranded halfway and out of ideas. Several homeowners get absolutely engulfed in an interior assignment that exceeds their pre-planned fi nances.Solution:Have a vision of what you’re going to do from the start, and plan it out properly. Many people spend more time organizing their grocery list then actually sitting down with a pen and paper to jot down a redecorating plan that could cost thousands of pounds. Write your vision or thoughts down and share them with your co-resi-dents. Once everyone agrees, STICK WITH IT! Effective interior designing requires a lot of planning and orga-nization. If you rush through a few steps, you may fi nd yourself making decisions that have unfortunate conse-quences. So be careful!Money, Money, Money. Don’t let your imagination over-power your bank balance. It’s nice to visualize your home once you’ve fi nished it, but make sure it’s not going to bankrupt you. Keep your plans in line with your estimated budget and if you think you’re going too far, pull back and take another look at it. Remember to always pay close attention to your maintenance cost; make sure it will not exceed your estimate.

Deadly Sin #2 - Slave to “Fad”Pictures in magazines are usually exceptionally fl ashy and tempting to copy, especially the so called “in trends” and some people tend to get caught up in that endless endeavor.Solution:Remember that the house is yours–inside and out; it should mirror, refl ect and resemble you, your personal preferences, your life style, and your interests. Always be true to yourself when it comes to making decisions re-

garding your living space, or else you might end up with an incoherent design, where nothing falls into place, blends in, or resembles you and/or your family; in other words, your space will very quickly go from “glamorous” to “ri-diculous.” Remember, that just like in the fashion world, fads and trends do not last, so do not “force” yourself to live with a fad, which you might hate in a year or two.

Deadly Sin # 3 - MimesesDefinition: allowing your taste to be over-influenced by that of other people to the extent that you end up loosing your own “self,” and resort to duplicated theirs. Solution:Even if you are incredibly taken aback by your friend’s fabulous new place, do not resort to cloning their style. What works for them might not necessarily work for you. As much as a white Ultra-suede Fritz Hansen 3-seater is a sublime piece of art in your friend’s interior space, it’s deeply doubtful that it would be a fruitful addition to your family’s living room, es-pecially with your little 5-year-old sweetheart who just discovered the glories of finger-paints!

Deadly Sin #4 - Quality vs. Quantity“Over vs. Under-priced purchases”In other words, “trying too hard,” by purchasing a lot of expensive items in an at-tempt to add value, while struggling to cut cost by compromising the quality of other vital elements. Solution:When it comes to expensive, or designer, items, it’s better to have one exquisite masterpiece known as a “focal point,” that pops out, rather than numerous ones, which would create a cluttered effect. When it comes to cases like these, remem-ber, that less is always more. Avoid cheap knickknacks. The quality of good items will last and may hold resale value if you choose to eliminate them later. Cheap products are always cheap and will end up in a dumpster sooner or later. Just be sure that you are getting proper value for the amount of money you’re investing. Also remember, that as much as the fact that expensive does not always mean fabu-lous, note that not all what is cheap is a good deal, you have to check durability, finishes, as well as after-sale services, which might be needed.

Deadly Sin #5 - Clutter A multitude of people are more inclined to possess a surplus of items; in some cases, people find it emotionally difficult to let go of old items, finding themselves with a busy collage of even more find it emotionally difficult to let go of old ones and end up with a busy collage of things lying around that will give a disorganized and messy look to their abode.Solution:This is by far the most common mistake I see in my line of work. It has been said that your room reflects your state of mind. An overcrowded room always looks cluttered, disorganized and certainly smaller no matter how many times you clean–or organize–it. Be sure to leave plenty of walking space. Try to grasp some idea of what scale and proportion are all about. Scale is the size of each piece, while proportion is how they relate to one another. Allow the room to breathe. Stay away from the tendency to fill in the empty spaces. Having furniture that is multi-functional will reduce the number of pieces in a room.If you like to store items, at least keep them out of sight. Holding onto old, inherited pieces is an addition if it is a designer-branded piece of furniture; un-less you can remodel, repaint, reupholster that piece give it away. Everything has a shelf line, holding onto something just because you have it, isn’t going to glam-up your space. Be very precise about what you keep, what you let go of, what you add to your new room, and eliminate items you seldom or never use. Think Zen rather than flea market and you’ll be on the right track.

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Mixing any two colors in an attempt to create a vivid ambience, versus opting for a monochromatic color pal-ette to tone down the designated space. Solution:Don’t pick too many colors for one room. It will make the room look too busy. Opt for one, compatible color

palette and work on that, otherwise you will end up los-ing the much-needed serenity your space should have. Remember, you will most likely occupy this designated living space for a while, and a bad color scheme could wreck an otherwise excellent idea.In the mean time, if there is too much matching in one room

then nothing will stand out. Choose colors that coordinate with each other. The room will look well organized and you can make objects pop out instead of drowning everything in the same hue. Keep a comfortable and neutral color palette; don’t try to match different items with the same color, and remember, it’s always easier to contrast than to match.

Deadly Sin # 7 - Bad LightingAn extremely common mistake that is usually poorly handled and continuously underrated is the lighting factor.Solution:Be certain that lighting makes or breaks a project. Light is truly the emotion of the room. You don’t want the room to be too bright–increasing levels of tension and anxiety– and at the same time too dim, which will lead to a gloomy atmosphere. There is a grand variety of lighting fixtures to choose from, so don’t be afraid of a little research.Have several light sources in a space, and do not just rely on one overhead ceiling fixture. Incorporate floor

and table lamps for reading. Chandeliers offer overall ambience and illumination. Track and recessed lighting provide accents for art and tasks. If you are going to use curtains, bear the following in mind: dark curtains drown a room. Use curtains or blinds that allow you to control and manage the light. Natural lighting is the definitely the best. Opt for types of lights that will enable you to set the tone yourself when natural sources are no longer ready at hand. Avoiding these generic traps could prevent your dream interior task from turning into to a haunting nightmare where amendments could bleed your pockets dry.

Deadly Sin # 6 - Too much vs. Too little color