Ty Pennington and the entire Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team doesn’t need to roll in to your neighborhood for you to transform your space into a whole new place. Whether taking renovations into your own hands or seeking professional help, we gathered the hottest tips and latest trends from local designers who say that even the smallest changes can yield the biggest results.
ECO CHIC
As a These days, it seems everyone is jumping on the green bandwagon, and with reason! With more than 10 years of experience in residential interior design, Lisa Robbins is adapting to a trend that’s equally easy on the eyes as it is on the planet. Robbins owns City Living Baby, an Aventura-based boutique service firm specializing in interior decorating services, nursery design, gifts and decor with an eco-chic twist.
“Eco Chic is a signature approach for those who are looking to personalize their home with great style and sustainability,” says Robbins of the design preference that combines trendy and environmentally conscious styles. When it comes to trends, Robbins says it’s all about color this autumn and into spring. “Tropical greens, turquoise blues, purples and earthy neutrals found in nature, land and sea are my favorites to combine with metallics and champagne pinks.”
And in keeping with the green theme, Robbins says accessory and furniture collections are including reclaimed woods and recycled materials, while organic fabrics and furniture lines debut. For an earthy feel that has a functional end, she says, bring the outdoors in by using potted plants to fill corners.
“For us, the ABC’s to any Eco Chic room always includes art and accessories and color. We work with local artists and galleries and include eco-friendly art whenever possible,” she says, suggesting using zero or low VOC paint, avoiding formaldehydes, and investing in compact fluorescent bulbs.
Even better, going green can help you save some green. “One of my favorite eco tips is to shop locally. Check out local flea markets, vintage and consignment stores. With the right amount of persistence you’ll find those larger-ticket items and beloved, special pieces at an affordable price.”
Less is more
On the other hand, it’s often what you leave out of the room that makes the biggest difference. As such, designers seek simplicity to make the most out of a space. “The trend now lies in minimalism in order to create spacious areas without overloading a room,” says Alberto Linero, contractor, interior designer and owner of Ligon Woodwork & Granite in Miami. “As you achieve this, you start to feel a sense of well-being and peace that almost makes you breathe better. It’s beautiful.”
Linero says Step 1 is making the most of a home’s maximum height. That is, eliminating the walls, so to speak, to create continuity. “When you walk into a house or apartment, look up and see what surrounds you. Then, eliminate anything that disrupts your line of sight toward the exterior of the house.”
Linero suggests brightening up a room by making the most of natural light from windows and by choosing lighter shades. “Using lighter colors is a simplifying factor,” he says. Minimalism creates an unimaginable power in a space.”
In other words, it’s out with the old, and in with the light! And because so many are keeping a tighter grip on their wallets, Ligon says maximum impact lies mostly in your ideas. “Simple ideas are the most powerful. You don’t need to spend much, you just need to have good taste,” he says. “Take out furniture, accessories or paintings that weigh down a room and paint the walls light.”
General Contractor and Architect Myriam Rojas of MZ Design, Inc., on Key Biscayne is on the same page. “Many people are moving toward more clean, simple decoration with a preference for light colors,” she says, using beige, white and light grey as examples. Like Linero, Rojas suggests bringing spaces together is a very effective technique. “One could integrate spaces like opening the kitchen to the family room or dining room…even to the living room if they feel they don’t need the formal living room space.”
Interior Designer Ursula Barrantes Tarafa, owner of Casa Grande Design & Morpheo Line based out of Key Biscayne, specializes in décor, space renovation and design build. She’s also the creator of Morpheo Line, a bedding line made of the finest cotton from her native Peru. Because of its unique origin, Tarafa assures her carefully crafted bedding will contribute to a much better night’s sleep, all the while adding another layer of comfort to the eye with its pure white color. “Eco-friendly elegance, which is at its core graceful design made out of refurbished material, can look equally as beautiful as anything new,” she says, describing what she believes is one of the most powerful trends in home renovation currently. “Plus, this way you are contributing to a worthy cause.”
And because design should reflect who you are, Tarafa depends on “Ancestry Love,” a technique that involves a central décor piece that has religious or spiritual meaning with the purpose of helping you achieve spiritual balance. While she agrees on the need to de-clutter a space, she also insists that a piece of radically modern furniture or artwork can update an outdated design scheme. “Focusing on the areas where most of the time is spent will help drastically improve the atmosphere within the household,” she says. “Investing in proper mood lighting for the entire space is great. That way, depending on the occasion, the right setting can flatter any room.”
Back to Basics
“The current economic conditions have demanded that homeowners and their interior designers thoroughly scrutinize their home improvement budgets more than usual,” says Heriberto Brito, interior designer and founder of Brito, LLC, a firm undertaking primarily residential interior design projects throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. “The simplest, quickest — and possibly cheapest — ways to change the overall interior design of a home is to work on the lighting for a room and alter the finishes on the walls and ceilings,” says Brito. “A change in paint color and the introduction of some architectural lighting go a long way in creating a dramatic interior.”
And you can trust that lighting is a subject he feels very strongly about. As a professor at the Ai Miami International University of Art & Design, Brito says he emphasizes to his students that “lighting makes or breaks a room.”
Regardless of the route you take, Brito’s most important lesson in the classroom applies to you: interior design is not about the designer, but about the homeowner. “In the end, the better homeowners can articulate their needs and wishes, the better that the interior designer will be able to address those needs.”
And because design should reflect who you are, Tarafa depends on “Ancestry Love,” a technique that involves a central décor piece that has religious or spiritual meaning with the purpose of helping you achieve spiritual balance. While she agrees on the need to de-clutter a space, she also insists that a piece of radically modern furniture or artwork can update an outdated design scheme. “Focusing on the areas where most of the time is spent will help drastically improve the atmosphere within the household,” she says. “Investing in proper mood lighting for the entire space is great. That way, depending on the occasion, the right setting can flatter any room.”
Back to Basics
“The current economic conditions have demanded that homeowners and their interior designers thoroughly scrutinize their home improvement budgets more than usual,” says Heriberto Brito, interior designer and founder of Brito, LLC, a firm undertaking primarily residential interior design projects throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. “The simplest, quickest — and possibly cheapest — ways to change the overall interior design of a home is to work on the lighting for a room and alter the finishes on the walls and ceilings,” says Brito. “A change in paint color and the introduction of some architectural lighting go a long way in creating a dramatic interior.”
And you can trust that lighting is a subject he feels very strongly about. As a professor at the Ai Miami International University of Art & Design, Brito says he emphasizes to his students that “lighting makes or breaks a room.”
Regardless of the route you take, Brito’s most important lesson in the classroom applies to you: interior design is not about the designer, but about the homeowner. “In the end, the better homeowners can articulate their needs and wishes, the better that the interior designer will be able to address those needs.”
