Interior Design Today

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 14th episode, Mary talks about changing your environment to change your life. It's been so interesting to have clients come in and say: I really want to do something different. I want to be somebody that's different. I really want to change my life. How can I do that? It's quite exciting to see that by changing the way you live, the environment in which you work, your whole persona, everything changes. It really makes a lot of difference. You can add efficiency, you can add pleasure. It can bring you to a completely different type of work or lifestyle. I'm finding that people today are wanting this more than perhaps any other time in my career. They say, I'm really tired of being and doing exactly what I've been doing. I want a chance to explore. I want a chance to do something that is more elevating, more stimulating, more exciting. I'm fascinated by the designers and people doing traditional work, and now they're doing contemporary work. Designers who were designing one type of product who are now doing a completely different one. Creative people need change. We find it is really necessary that as part of our lifestyle, we plan for change so that we can use our creativity at its highest level. After all, everyone is creative. That core of creativity is in all of us, and we want the chance to properly express it. What kind of environment suits you? If you are a person who enjoys being alone with a lot of supportive objects around you, that is one kind of an environment. I find people like that find inspiration in the objects, books, and artwork around them. They find this indulging and stimulating. These objects are like part of their family, and they really contribute to their environment. We have other people who find everything "cluttered." They want it very simple. They need something that really permits them to have the space to bring in new things and create things, even to take the space and turn it into something completely different. Think about it. What kind of an environment suits you and what you want to accomplish with this next portion of your life. Interior design can help you accomplish it. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 13th episode, Mary talks about color. What color should you use? What color works for you? What do colors say, what do they mean?  Faber Birren was one of the very famous, noted, professors on color. He was probably the leading person to live in this last century. He was one of the leading professors to study under, and fortunately, I had that privilege earlier in my career. He explained that color has a physical and psychological effect on people. Obviously, it's somewhat different depending on where you live and where you come from. In Santa Fe, you'll find that brighter colors are far more appealing than they are in the Northeast. Of course, we want bright colors in the Northeast, but what they call bright and what we call bright are quite different. I find that people are now looking for more color. They're looking for colors that compliment them. They want us to create environments for them that are appropriate to their personal coloring. For example, if you have dark hair and darker skin, there are colors that are much more appropriate to you than if you were blonde and pale. Obviously, the people that are living and working in the environment, do affect the proper color planning of your space. Also, the age and functions that are being conducted there... I say age because children love bright colors. One of my clients asked me to assist with the coloring of a nursery for their grandchildren. I showed them some bright colors, some different palettes. The minute the color panels were introduced into their room, the babies looked at these color panels. They were quite excited by them. Children of that age are not really interested in soft pastel blue, pink, and yellow as we have been used to seeing for nurseries. They really like bright and impacting colors. As we mature, our color palette tastes change somewhat. When I was doing many spaces for education, starting with nursery school and through to college, I learned and studied that we needed to change the color palette in the different spaces according to the amount of time that people spent on their particular subject, also their age and culture. This is rather fascinating because, as you think about it, the attention span of a child is very short. If you are a college professor or student working on a tedious subject, you must be able to concentrate for a long period of time. As a result, the whole environment around you should be colored accordingly. We are finding that people are very bored with the 'vanilla' types of environments. Everyone felt that beige or neutral colors were very classic and good for everyone. Now we're finding that people are understanding the luxury and pleasure of color. Look at your environment. Does it fit? Do we need to add some color? Let's add it in a very artistic and balanced way so that it really enhances your room and you gain much pleasure from this beautiful new color palette. Interiors have a wonderful way of creating an environment that gives you great pleasure, and color is one of the components. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 12th episode, Mary talks about the benefits of interior design for clients who are renting or leasing their home. This is an issue which has become, perhaps, more prevalent today than it has been in the past. More and more people are leasing or renting. The reason may be that their jobs are very transient, they may be transferred tomorrow, and they don't want the responsibility of dealing with a house, apartment, or condo. As a result, they've selected to simply lease or rent, but they still want it to be their home. After all, this is important to them. They want to bring their friends and business associates in, and they want to have a space which is really individual and is really very important and special to them.  What I recommend is to find a designer who will help you collect a selection of furniture that is really right for you. Many pieces will be purely functional, but otherwise, you must have a few things that are really special to you. Yes, your apartment may be the same as the other 20 or 30 in the building, but yours has some very unique touches. Those things, you might want to carry with you. Designers understand the flexibility of furniture. They can help you select pieces that can move and work well in many different kinds of environments. They can show you just what to do that will give you long-lasting investment. Looking at the different finishes, it is interesting to see how many hardwood floors there are. Not everyone wants that. In that case, there are some fascinating materials being used today. One of them, a Chilewich product, I saw used in the dining room at the Proxemity Hotel in Greensboro. It is a lead, platinum hotel. This is a very practical material, it can be bought in squares or by the yard, and you can put it down over a floor that you don't really love. It gives you a very different finish. It comes in many different colors, with a slightly rubberized/cushioned backing. It is also very practical; it is not something you have to worry about marking or maintaining. It is also a very green product. Some other ideas include accent rugs, wall tapestries, screens, or simple wall units that allow for flexibility. For example, we currently may be able to accommodate a 15 foot unit, but in the next location, we may only be able to accommodate 9 feet. We could take the other two pieces and use them to accent a doorway or in another position. There are a lot of flexible and practical pieces which can also be used for storage. Many rentals are very neutral in color palette. You will want to select a few pieces which are your favorite color tones, blending with their neutral tones. You can really come up with a very interesting environment. The point is, interior design is not only for the homeowner. It is also for the person who is transient or renting. You want your space to be just as practical and just as accommodating, and just as beautiful, as anyone who is purchasing. Look at your lighting systems, your accessory pieces, and your accents. Select pieces that are practical to move. Help coming from a designer can be so valuable to you at this time. Don't hesitate to call an interior designer and present them with your issue and let them know that you are still interested in quality design. Interior design is for everyone, at every age and every position. There is something that we can add to your lifestyle that makes it more practical and pleasurable. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 11th episode, Mary talks about the texture and feeling of the items in your home. What is the texture of the wood, the feel of the carpet, the temperature of your counter top? All of these little tactile issues are part of the pleasures we enjoy in our interior spaces. As we move from different parts of the country, we often want different materials. A great example of this is the stone and tile floors that are very comfortable in Florida or the warmer climates. As we move north, we're not quite as please by those because in the winter time, they are really, really frigid. Today, the wonderful part is, we can often take a stone floor and simply add some heat to it so that when we walk across our bathroom floor, it is really enjoyable to be in our bare feet. All of these tiny considerations are part of how we enjoy, and the comfort of, our interior spaces. It's so interesting to see how much the tactile aspects of a fabric add to the enjoyment of sitting on a piece of furniture. Do you like leather? If you like leather, it isn't just the older, stiff leathers, that we used to have, but there are now leathers as soft as marshmallows. Look at your space. What are the different tactile experiences that you have? What is warm? What is cold? What is very textured? In visiting Market last week, I noticed a chair that had a very textured fabric on it. It almost looked like a miniature porcupine. Now, understand it did not have points. It was more interesting when you touched it, fascinating even. I'm not sure what you'd look like after sitting on this chair for a while, however... Again, texture is very, very critical. Whether it is the sheets on our bed or the towel in our bathroom, it is very important. Even something in our sink, in the kitchen. What type of texture do we want? Do we want a sink that is slate, with a rough texture? In a powder room it may be fine, but I'm not sure I want it in my kitchen, where I want to be sure I can have a sanitary base for all of the items I am preparing. Does the surface absorb bacteria? If it's a kitchen, we are noting now that many of the stone textures do absorb bacteria and are not quite as sanitary as we expected. Fortunately, we have new tops such as corian and glass which are totally sanitary and are easy to clean. Look at your surfaces? Do you want something soft and indulging, or do you want something that is clean and easy to keep purified at all times? Look at your surfaces with a critical eye. Are they meeting your needs? If not, we have many choices today, and we have great opportunities of bringing them to you at very moderate cost and moderate effort. Tactile issues, the touch of something, is very much a part of design, and a part of the pleasures that you gain from your interior space. Review them and make sure they are what you want, where you have them placed. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 10th episode, Mary talks about organization. Would you like to make some changes in the way you live? Very simply, change your environment! It's amazing to see what little changes can do to really change the way we work and live. I have seen people from children to senior citizens, make wonderful constructive changes by really just making a few small changes in their environments. I always laugh when a parent brings me into a child's room and says, "My child never hangs up his clothing. This room is a mess!" I start looking at the closet, and I see a rod for the hanging clothing that's 5 feet high. The poor child couldn't possibly reach it. When you change things and make it convenient and neat and easy for the child, it's surprising how they alter their behavior. So many of us, when we change the things and activities that we participate in, we don't make the appropriate changes in our work spaces or our living spaces. So often, we take on new projects. Well, each new project requires a certain type of storage and coordination. Have you really allowed for this? There are activities which you are no longer participating in, quite as strongly as you did. The question is, have you made the adjustment to eliminate those or put those aside and prepare for your new interests? Are things convenient for you? Check it out. Open your drawers. Are they in order? Do they really look the way you want them to look? Can you find things, or are you wasting time looking for things? If you waste more than a few minutes a day, an interior designer can help you better position those objects so that they are conducive and easy for you to find and use. Make your interior pleasurable, enjoy it. It's really one of the greater pleasures in life; one that we can enjoy every day. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 10th episode, Mary talks about organization. Would you like to make some changes in the way you live? Very simply, change your environment! It's amazing to see what little changes can do to really change the way we work and live. I have seen people from children to senior citizens, make wonderful constructive changes by really just making a few small changes in their environments. I always laugh when a parent brings me into a child's room and says, "My child never hangs up his clothing. This room is a mess!" I start looking at the closet, and I see a rod for the hanging clothing that's 5 feet high. The poor child couldn't possibly reach it. When you change things and make it convenient and neat and easy for the child, it's surprising how they alter their behavior. So many of us, when we change the things and activities that we participate in, we don't make the appropriate changes in our work spaces or our living spaces. So often, we take on new projects. Well, each new project requires a certain type of storage and coordination. Have you really allowed for this? There are activities which you are no longer participating in, quite as strongly as you did. The question is, have you made the adjustment to eliminate those or put those aside and prepare for your new interests? Are things convenient for you? Check it out. Open your drawers. Are they in order? Do they really look the way you want them to look? Can you find things, or are you wasting time looking for things? If you waste more than a few minutes a day, an interior designer can help you better position those objects so that they are conducive and easy for you to find and use. Make your interior pleasurable, enjoy it. It's really one of the greater pleasures in life; one that we can enjoy every day. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.