Home Style Face Lifts
by Debbie L. Sklarr

Let diets and other spur-of-the-moment resolutions take a back seat to concentrating on bringing new life into your home.

Jeannie Brown, president of Diva Interior Design, Ltd., in Ranch Santa Fe, says there are more than a few ways for homeowners to create a new look and feel. And homeowners take note:The trend of the moment is c-o-m-f-o-r-t. “More and more, people are viewing their homes as their haven; that great place of refuge from the rest of the world. Warm and comforting colors, textures, and materials woven together to create a soothing environment seem to be what people are looking for today.”

One way to get on track, Brown says, is by simply changing the wall color, which can alter the look and feel of your home significantly. Also, try rearranging existing art and accessories — this can have quite an impact on the way a space looks and feels. “You really don’t have to start with a clean slate in order to create a new look,” she says.

Add new art, accessories, or furniture that have the colors, textures, and scale that will work with your existing pieces. “This can all be from as simple as repainting your walls and adding new pillows to something as complex as hiring a designer to help you space plan, change a wall, or add new tiles and cabinets,” she explains.

Ann Illions, an interior designer with Lessler’s Draperies and Designs in San Diego, agrees that by adding a bit of color you can create an almost instant new look and feel. “I will often use lighter and darker tones of the main paint color on different walls to emphasize a focal area or to add drama. Don’t be afraid to use color.” Also, Illions says that rich, natural textures such as woven leather and other natural fibers are hot — the chunkier the better. “Texture and color are great ways to spice up monochromatic neutrals of the ’90s,” she adds. “I think colorful and/or textured fabrics for window treatments and accessories can be used to bring new energy into a space.”

Kimberly Johansson and Brendon Butera of Butera Living in Ranch Santa Fe know all too well about creating energy in spaces — especially through the use of fabrics. “What we’ve really noticed in architecture and interior design is how hot indoor and outdoor living has become. Because our climate is so temperate our clients want to be outside for the better part of the year. The fabric manufacturers have finally answered the requests of designers and have come out with an abundance of patterns and multi-colored outdoor fabrics. We recommend using outdoor fabric indoors in areas where there is a lot of sun exposure.”

The use of fabric is also a new way to create excitement in the media room according to Leonard John Garcia of the Upholstery Workroom in San Diego. It appears that the trend of the moment is to upholster walls for sound control in home theater and media rooms. “Upholstered walls create a warm environment in which to relax and enjoy,” he says. Upholstered walls can be done in all sorts of fabrics ranging from large patterns to stripes to solids, each offering a rich, detailed appearance perfect for watching a flick on the big screen all in the privacy of your own home.

For Douglas Dolezal, principal of the Miller/Dolezal Design Group, it’s not about what needs to be added to the home to revitalize the interior, it can often instead be about what needs to be removed. “The best way to revitalize a room is to get rid of the clutter,” he says. “Reassess everything in the room and take away those things you can do without. I call it creating the ‘wow’ factor.” De-cluttering will not only improve aesthetics he explains, it can also have a significant positive impact on a person’s inner well being. “People lead chaotic lives and when they come home, they should feel a sense of peace. Eliminating clutter provides a sense of space and tranquility. The mantra ‘less is more’ applies and if one thinks ‘wow,’ exciting transformations will take place even if it’s the only thing done to update the room.”

So, before putting up that for sale sign in the front lawn or calling the moving company, try a bit of innovative remodeling in the house that you’ve come to call home.