by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
Remodeling is neither cheap nor easy. If you just purchased a home, the idea of furnishing it can seem impossible after your first glance at that mortgage payment, and if you just want to revamp the look of your tired old digs, decorating can seem like an expensive undertaking. It’s fun to watch Flip That House or Trading Spaces and think about what you would do if someone gave you an extra couple grand to do it with, but the reality that reality television portrays isn’t necessarily our fiscal reality. So how do people do it?
It is tax return time, and there isn’t a better way to invest your tax return than by putting it back into your home. Interior decorators will sometimes tell you that hiring them will actually save you money, and in some instances I’m sure that is true, but for the most part, you want creative control over the new look of your home and you just need some insider tips to make it affordable. And there are secrets to remodeling on the cheap and still making your home look fantastic.
First of all – unleash your creative potential. Look at your space long and hard and let your imagination run wild. You can look at catalogs and shop at furniture stores, but really your best ideas will come from the space. Never mind Feng Shui, but do take a Zen approach.
“The first thing to do is de-clutter your place. Get rid of all the crap. Get rid of everything that is unnecessary. That is what fine design is. Get a focal piece you like. Don’t refurnish for $1,000, get one good sofa with that $1,000 and get rid of all the clutter,” says Jim Burnham of BoConcept, a contemporary furniture store with a Jacksonville location in the St. Johns Town Center.
Take a look at that room as stripped down as you can get it. You don’t have to get rid of everything, but get rid of everything you don’t like.
“A good designer will take into consideration the things that you love. A good designer, like a good artist, will work within your parameters,” says Leigh Fogle of Fogle Fine Arts & Accessories.
So pick the focal piece you like, for sentimental or design reasons, and you have a starting point. Even if that focal piece is your great grandmother’s antique dresser, and you are interested in a modern design, you can still make the two work together. The space is your canvas and mixed mediums are perfectly acceptable. They can be a great dynamic to work with.
“Make sure you have a good canvas at the beginning. A nice carpet, a good color, whatever you like,” says Kim Harvey of Ethan Allen Interior Design Center Jacksonville.
“Everyone starts at a different place. Some start with art, some start with color, some start with a big screen television,” says Leigh Fogle.
It is totally up to you and there is no wrong answer, although there may be some simple guidelines. But remember, this is art, even more importantly, this is your art, and in art, guidelines are often meant to be defied. You want to stairstep some art on your wall? Go ahead. Who’s to say you can’t?
“We are the makers of music, we are the dreamers of dreams,” said Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka
Once you have rid yourself of the unnecessary clutter and cut your space back to the bare essentials, you can start getting creative. Pick some colors, if you want to paint, or strip your walls back to expose the brick underneath. But no matter what you do, your next step has to be selecting some art for those walls.
There is no doubt that buying art can be expensive, especially when dealing with original work, but it can also be affordable if you are a smart shopper. Do you like framed art? Fogle Fine Art & Accessories has a wide variety of art at every price point. If you don’t have the scratch to get that dream painting that you see on their wall, head to the back and sort through some of their gorgeous poster prints. Find one that complements your colors and is in the genre that appeals to you and let their professional staff help you choose a frame and a matte that will look right on your wall.
If you don’t care for frames, there’s nothing wrong with that. I prefer the look of an original canvas hanging directly on my wall and none of the artwork in my house is framed. Although getting an original work by an internationally acclaimed artist can be expensive, you can find a stylish young artist from right here in Jacksonville that will sell you a piece you can afford and will work wonders with your walls.
Go downtown for ArtWalk on the first Wednesday of any month, or go to an event such as Art After Dark at the Florida Theatre. There are tons of local artists whose style and work will be right up your alley. We actually have a really terrific art scene here, and since the scene is still fairly young, you can walk away with a great piece for a few hundred dollars at some of these events and you and the artist will be happy. Some artists take great pride in asking affordable prices for their work, so shop around. An event like the Vestal On the Rocks event at the Ocean Club showcased more than 80 new artists and most of the work was truly great.
If money isn’t an object, then of course, the gallery world is your oyster, but if you have that kind of dough, consider where your money is going. Every year there are a number of charity art events wherein a portion of the proceeds from the pieces sold benefit a great charity, ranging from AIDS research (ArtReach) to helping the River Keeper save the St. Johns (Reflections of the St. Johns).
Once you have your focal piece, your colors of choice, and your art, all that is left is covering the bases. A few curtains, some throw pillows, and a lamp can complete a room. Simplicity is the secret to a great design, so don’t feel obligated to fill your space with knickknacks.
“People think art isn’t as necessary, because you need a couch to sit on, but the thing that makes a place a home is the art. Anyone can go to Kirkland’s and pick up some knickknacks, but they end up being clutter. When you get a really great piece of artwork, you’ll never get rid of it. Even furniture I’ve paid a lot of money for, I can get rid of, but my paintings are never leaving. They’re my babies,” says Leigh Fogle.
Your home is a place you are intimately involved with everyday. You have to be there when you are sick on the couch and you have to be comfortable there when friends drop in to visit. Few things in your life are as personal or as dear as your home, so make sure the space pleases you and makes you proud. It is an extension of yourself. Your design is your art, even if you aren’t an artist.
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