House in Hand®
by Roger Tinsman ©Copyright 2003 R. T. Design

Welcome to the April 2003 edition of my newsletter.  When you're finished reading, why not forward it on to someone you know? If you have questions, or would like to have my help with design problems in your home, just give me a call. Thanks! - Roger Tinsman

Knowledge is power
How many times have you been in a store looking at something for our home, and just not been sure if it would work? Wouldn't it be great if you could take some of the guess work out of the process? Well now you can with just a few simple steps.

4 Basics
There are 4 Basics you need to evaluate when you consider adding anything to your home. Style, color, size, and pattern. Let's take a moment to look quickly at each one of these.

Personal Style
Get a handle on your personal style by looking through catalogues and magazines, and by jotting down key phrases that will focus your thoughts and jog your memory. Or take a photo - sometimes seeing something in two dimensions makes it easier for you to objectively evaluate it.

My favorite: color!
Color principles in interior design correspond to the color principles governing the clothes you'd wear. Gather pieces that work together, and when you think of color, think of percentages. A good rule of thumb is that one color must be dominant (75%), and different components should match that color exactly. Two other accent colors should also be obvious and account for most of the balance (25%). Don't let any one thing stick out like a sore thumb.

Make sure it fits
Correct size and scale are essential. Your furniture needs to fit in the room with space for you to move, and fit in with the scale and proportion of the other elements around it. Take measurements of your room, windows, doors, and main furniture pieces so you can compare and estimate your needs. 

Pattern and texture
These two really act as one, because they both draw extra attention to whatever surface they are on. Experiment with mixing them - especially as accents! But remember to match and strengthen your room colors.  

The House in Hand® tool
Precise memory of the variables within these 4 Basics is difficult for everyone. So how can you ever get it right? By using a reference tool that I call House in Hand®. It puts information at your fingertips when you are faced with a buying decision. Here's how to make your own.

Do your homework
Gather paint samples, fabric swatches, measurements, photos of furniture pieces or entire rooms - anything that will quantify and clarify the 4 Basics (style, color, size and pattern) of your room or home.

Make it compact
Take four 3 x 5 cards and label one for each of the 4 Basics (style, color, size and pattern). Glue samples and swatches on the appropriate cards and attach them with a binder ring, ribbon, or twist tie. You can be as fancy or as simple as you want, but keep it portable. It should be small enough to fit in your wallet or purse. Big binders hold lots of information, but who is realistically going to lug one around?

Carry it with you
Remember that this is going to save you mental anguish, countless returns and lots of wasted time, so give it a permanent home in your wallet or purse.  

Use it
Whip it out when you see something for your home that catches your eye. Go through the 4 Basics and make your decision based on your House in Hand®! 

What If I still can't decide?
OK. So sometimes you can't be 100% sure. You may still need to take something home, knowing that you might have to return it, but I guarantee that if you've got your House in Hand®, this will happen less and less often.  

Why not call me at (916) 691 5300 for an appointment so we can find solutions to the decorating problems you face?   Please visit my web site for more details about my services.  Roger Tinsman

www.rtdesign.info  (916) 691 5300 Copyright © 2003 R. T. Design  All Rights Reserved.

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