Ugly Costs Just as Much as Pretty
Tips on Avoiding Costly Mistakes

by Lee Mink, ASID

Imagine my horror when I walked into a bright, airy, contemporary home and found a very large and lumpy dark leather sofa dominating the room, obliterating the wonderful view from the clients’ floor to ceiling window. What to do? Pitch it. Move it along. Get it out of there! Fortunately, the client agreed.

Unfortunately, the oversized, inappropriate ugly sofa cost more than its properly-sized, eye-pleasing replacement. The question is: “How do you avoid those costly, ugly mistakes?”

The true sofa story touches on the two most important design elements to consider when making any selection - proportion and color. These two elements are the corner stones of design used by ASID- accredited professionals. The relatively small amount spent on obtaining their expertise and advice is less expensive than paying for, or worse yet, having to live with self-inflicted mistakes.

Become educated on design.

Good help can be had from books on interior design at a well-stocked bookstore such as Vromen’s in Pasadena. Home and shelter magazines are other sources for study. Becoming familiar with design elements informs your tastes and preferences.

Some shopping and buying experiences lead to inspiration and focus for your interior. Thrift stores and consignment shops sometimes yield a gem, but “buyer beware!”  A safer route would be to get a sense of your style from browsing shops that have appealing vignettes. Lexington Place, Salutations, and Design Within Reach are three local retail sources for inspiration.

Proportion Reality Check: The Floor Plan

Costly mistakes like the bulky sofa happen when there is no floor plan as a guide. Unarmed without so much as a tape measure, furniture shoppers unwittingly fall prey to a sales person who has never seen the home or intended space. Choosing comfort first, without considering size, color, and the room itself, a big, “sink-into” couch with kid-friendly brown leather all seemed like a good idea until the truck delivered the equivalent to a beached walrus. A floor plan complete with measurements would have prevented such a choice ...and expense..and as a reality check for proportion.

Consider Color

So often, interior walls are painted off-white or beige as a safe solution. It usually is safe, but it is boring! Unless serious money is spent on the very best quality furnishings, a room will be more appealing with a luscious color scheme.

Although Color Psychology courses and books cover the subject in-depth, a few pointers may help:

• Think of your rooms’ color choices like a symphony. One color scheme is the overall theme, but treated differently in various rooms by changing tint and shades, keeping in the same color palette. Open floor plans are especially challenging; a feature wall of color here adds drama.
• Remember, it’s just paint. Be daring. Risk failure. Paint is the easiest part of interior design to change, and the least costly too.
• In the master bedroom, choose wall, bedding, and other furnishings in colors that complement skin tones and to surround yourself with beauty.
• A tiny room will still be tiny even with white paint. Expand it and make it pretty by adding mirrors.

Ugly costs just as much as or more than pretty, so you might as well have pretty. Armed with an educated style sense, a well-considered floor plan and measurements, a eye for proportion, and a coherent color scheme and advice, pretty is much easier on the eye - and the purse.

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Lee Mink, ASID, heads Lee Mink & Associates Interiors, Pasadena, California, which provides residential and commercial design, space planning, and custom designed furnishings services. She can be reached at (626) 796-3900 or email: lee@leeminkinteriors.com

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