2020
HOME DESIGN TRENDS
By JC Summerford | Photos provided by Steele’s Construction and Design Team
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pring is prime time for livening up your living spaces. Whether you want to remodel an entire home with major reconstruction or redecorate selected rooms, your first question should be whether to tackle this yourself, or get some professional help. For example, if you want to remove a wall, you should hire a reputable contractor. Otherwise you could do serious, costly structural damage! What’s Your Style? First, consider the colors, elements, room styles, and overall aesthetics that appeal to you. Design books and websites can provide some great ideas. Consider how the areas will be used, and by whom. Do you need to accommodate small children and pets? How often do you entertain? Which looks will make your home feel like an inviting retreat for you and your guests? Hiring an Interior Designer If you decide to go with a home design firm, it’s important to do copious research. Look at design portfolios from several companies, and try to imagine yourself living in those spaces. Set an appointment to discuss your needs with a design team. At the meeting, ask plenty
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HICKORY LIVING • MARCH 2020
of questions about their philosophies, experience, and services. Keep an open mind, because trusting a professional designer’s instincts and advice often pays benefits. Before signing a contract, make sure you understand all costs involved. Stick to your budget and don’t over-spend on designs that are out of your price range. It’s better to put the basics together first, and add on later. Don’t be afraid to tell your designer that you want to keep or update certain pieces. Chairs can be reupholstered, and tables can be refinished. Donna Steele of Steele’s Construction and Design Team in Hickory describes her company’s process. “At our meetings, we get to know clients as individuals,” she says. “We work to implement designs that feel like part of them, an extension of their specific personal tastes. Most important, the home must feel like your oasis, a place you enter at the end of a long day, close the door, and relax.” Steele’s teams develop a full color palette and room renderings using specialized design software, then fully discuss preferences with clients before work begins.
“We offer several options for each area of the remodel or design,” Donna continues, “such as choices of sofa and drapery fabrics. We present color boards and design inspiration trays with the materials so people can see and feel the textures.” Donna says that full home renovations are the company’s most popular services. “People can make every room a space they have only dreamed of,” she says. Homeowners have a number of reasons to renovate, according to Donna. “Some people love the bones of a home but don’t like anything else about it,” she says. “Maybe they’ve had the same home for years and are very happy with the location but are tired of the house itself. Some people just run out of space as the family grows. Or, the kids are off to college and their rooms need to be used for other things, maybe an exercise room or a home office.” Some of the more difficult renovations Steele’s has done are creating more space when the square footage cannot be changed. Donna says that for this situation, her team might install more efficient cabinetry or make use of unused
