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Linda Warrington
Linda Warrington has been in sales and interior design for 25 years, and employed by Horton's Furniture for l8 years. Linda has designed furnishings and murals for the Eaton Place in Wichita's Old Town business district as well as Chaucer Estates, Park Plaza West and Via Christi Executive Suites. Linda also owns her own mural painting business called 'Just You'. She can be reached by phone at (3l6) 722-5090, by fax at (3l6) 722-596l, or by mail at l09l5 W. Kellogg, Wichita, Ks., 67209.
Interior Decorating
2002-05-01 08:53:00
Making it come together
:  I have some really nice furniture and a pretty home, but how do I make it all come together and look the way I want it to?
Linda Warrington Question:  I have some really nice furniture and a pretty home, but how do I make it all come together and look the way I want it to?Answer:  The most inviting rooms start within your heart.  Are you formal or casual or somewhere in between?  Contrary to popular belief, not all walls have to be white.  You can change your mood with color.  If you love fiesta red and the color makes your heart sing, by all means, paint those walls red.  If however, the room in question is a bedroom, pink might be a better choice and a more restful shade.  Consider how the room is to be used before selecting paint or paper.  If what you really crave is a feeling of calm repose in the middle of your hectic world, greens and blues will cool that brow and relax those shoulders.  Now close those eyes and remember that beautiful bubbling stream below that soft blue sky, surrounded by swaying trees and bushes in every shade of green nature has to offer.  Feel the blood pressure lower?  Ah, life is good.Now, back to decorating fun.  Decide on your style.  Are you traditional, contemporary, country, victorian, arts and crafts, art deco, shaker or an eclectic blend?  If you're just not sure what your style is, cut out pictures of rooms that really appeal to you, lay them on a table or on the floor.  Study these pictures to see if your furnishings can be arranged in the same way.  Chances are, you will need to relocate certain pieces and add a few new pieces to get the look you want.Many furniture stores employ salespeople who are also designers and often they will come to your home free of charge to help you complete your decorating.  However, don't expect store designers to use their gas, car and time to move your furniture around if you have no plans to make some purchases.  Most furniture salespeople work on a commission only basis.  There are plenty of interior designers who work on an hourly basis.  If ideas are the only thing you need, these would be the people to call for help.Identify your favorite things and use them.  Just remember, scale and balance.  A large sofa requires a large cocktail table and at least one good sized chair.  A pleasing arrangement may consist of a large sofa with a large chair to one side and two smaller chairs on the opposite side.  Add tables, lamps a pretty vase of flowers and a few books.  Pictures and mirrors on the wall will help unify the look.  Remember to keep repeating the colors in your furnishings throughout the house, in the pictures and accessories and also in an area rug if one is to be used to complete the look.  An area rug is a great balance maker.  If your sofa is darker than your carpet, an area rug containing the sofa colors will complete your room and add a warm and friendly atmosphere.  There are normally two or three ways to arrange your room.  Arranging furniture around and against the wall isn't necessary, unless you have a very small room.  Placing the sofa in the middle of the room and positioning other furnishings across the room and, or on either side of the sofa, if often a more pleasing arrangement.  Force the traffic pattern around, not through the furniture, after all, one should never have to walk between people have a conversation.Follow your heart, rise above the ordinary and create your own little slice of heaven on earth.
 
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