There’s no standard formula for calculating how much you can expect to spend on decorating, but there are steps that you can take to figure it out. Source: Houzz

Once you’ve moved into a new home, you’re probably going to want to decorate it. Calculating your decorating cost can be a tricky task. You may have a certain amount of money to work with, but how should you spread it around?

You don’t want to end up blowing your entire budget on one room and having to buy low quality furniture and decor to fill out the rest of your house. However, there are a few pieces that you should expect to pay a high cost for – the mattress and the couch. These items should last for a very long time – a good sofa will last upwards of 40 years. A high quality dining room table is a good investment as well since it can be used for any settings.

Window treatments are something you should spend a bit on as well. High quality window treatments will have a huge impact on your overall interior design – cheap window treatments, like plastic blinds, will drag your design down. You can get away with spending less on wall finishes, lighting, rugs and accessories.

Use these tips to calculate your decorating cost and contact Trilogy Partners for more design tips.

While this is never an easy question to answer, people tend to strive to create “relaxing,” “peaceful,” and “welcoming” homes. Source: Houzz

When people begin planning their home design, they often focus on the features and things that they want and need. However, an important factor in planning a home that is often overlooked is how you want your home to feel. This can be a little tough to answer, so let’s go over some examples:

• Relaxing – If you want your home to feel relaxing, then don’t focus on trying to create a perfect home design – a relaxing atmosphere often results in a well-loved home that might get a little dinged up.
• Creative – If you’re an artist and you need a creative atmosphere, then you might want to implement a craftsman-like design into your home with lots of space to display your arts and crafts or materials.
• Peaceful – If you need your home to be a sanctuary from your busy work life, make sure you have plenty of natural light that can be controlled and that you use interesting textures to help revive your senses.
• Welcoming – Consider using more natural materials that have a casual and easy-going feel to them instead of focusing on luxury.

Determine how you want your home to feel and contact Trilogy Partners for more home design tips.

Your interior designer should ask questions like “what do you love/hate about this room” and “what are some of your inspirations for this design.”

Odds are you’ve got a pretty good idea of some of the questions that you should ask an interior designer both before you work with him or her as well as during the project. But what about questions interior designers should ask you? The questions they ask you are an important way to judge whether you’ll work well together. The following are questions they should ask:

• What do you love about this room? – This shows you that they care about what you want and that they are looking to use your ideas and tastes as guidelines.
• What do you hate about this room? – This questions helps designers figure out what your taste is and what needs to be changed in a given room.
• What colors do you love and hate? – These questions pertain to your taste and will help them develop an appropriate color scheme.
• Do you have any inspirations? – This concerns style or look and gives them a much better idea of what you’re going for.
• How do you want to use this room? – This shows that they aren’t just concerned about the aesthetics.

Look for designers that ask these questions and contact Trilogy Partners for more advice today.

A LEED certified home means that your home’s design is recognized as being eco-friendly and has met LEED’s high green standards. Source: Houzz

Getting your home LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified means that your home’s design is recognized as being eco-friendly and has met LEED’s high green standards. The following are a few things that a LEED interior designer will want you to know:

• Style is not sacrificed – Just because a LEED interior designer focuses on creating a green interior design does not mean that they will ignore the aesthetics of the design.
• They’ll use real green products and materials – It’s pretty easy to be fooled by products that claim they are eco-friendly when they really aren’t that eco-friendly at all. A LEED interior designer will ensure that you use the most sustainable products and materials available.
• A green home is a healthy home – In addition to being eco-friendly, a green home is also healthier for kids to grow up in since green homes have much higher air quality than non-green homes.
• Not all projects are good candidates – Some existing homes cannot be completely LEED certified, but that doesn’t mean a LEED interior designer can’t help make your home as green as possible.

Keep these things in mind and contact us at Trilogy Partners for more information about LEED certification.

Here are a few things that you can learn about interior design from a chihuahua Source: Pixabay

Chihuahuas are great little dogs to have (literally!), but they do much more than provide companionship – they can provide inspiration for your interior design. The following are a few things that you can learn about interior design from a chihuahua:

• Use symmetry – Having two chihuahuas instead of one is better for their happiness since they’ll have a friend. Symmetry works better for your decor – two throw pillows on your couch works better than one, two lamps flanking your bed works better than just one.
• Use a brown color palette – If you have a brown chihuahua, why not try to compliment its color with your color palette? Brown may be hard to pull off as the main color in a room, but if you do, you’ll get incredible results.
• Be unique – There’s no denying that a chihuahua is a unique sort of dog. Don’t be afraid to introduce unique elements, whether it’s a bold color or print, or if you mixing two different styles. A unique home design is also a more personal home design.

These are just a few ways that a chihuahua can influence your interior design. For more home design tips, contact us at Trilogy Partners today.

HGTV’s top 7 interior design styles include a colonial office, a midcentury modern, a Victorian bathroom, and many more. Source: HGTV.com

Trying to figure out what kind of style you want to go with for your interior design? What better way to make a decision than to check out HGTV’s top 7 interior design styles for inspiration? The following are HGTV’s top 7 interior design styles:

1. Colonial office design – Give your home office an air of importance with a style that is classy and traditional.
2. Midcentury modern design – For a clean look that implements a number of unique design details, go with midcentury modern.
3. Southwestern kitchen design – Want the kitchen to feel more homey and inviting? Then a Southwestern kitchen design might be your best bet.
4. Victorian bathroom design – If you want to add a touch of luxury to your bathroom design, then you can’t go wrong with a Victorian bathroom.
5. Craftsman design – Create an atmosphere that is comfortable and welcoming by using a craftsman design.
6. Contemporary design – Want to use decor pieces that are modern but also want a design that’s a little more inviting than a modern design? Go with a contemporary look.
7. Farmhouse kitchen design – For function and comfort, a farmhouse kitchen is a great choice.

Consider these styles and contact Trilogy Partners for more design tips today.

Check out a great example of Trilogy’s Project Management Modeling process in this video!

Here are some handy eco-friendly tips to help your kitchen get the best lighting. Source: Houzz

Every kitchen looks better when illuminated properly. Thankfully, you don’t have to choose between sustainable living and a brightly lit space. These eco-friendly lighting tips will cast a beautiful glow on your kitchen without using too much energy.

• Installing multiple switches allows you to illuminate just the part of the kitchen you’re currently working in. You can turn on as many or as few lights as you need at any given time.
• Dimmer switches also offer flexibility in lighting. Turn the lights down to conserve energy and set the mood when you’re dining, or up when you’re chopping veggies.
• Accent lighting adds visual interest to your kitchen and illuminates corners, so you don’t have to add as much overhead lighting. Have your accent lights on a separate switch, so you can turn them on only when they’re needed.
• Include large windows in your design. This way, you can bask in the glow of natural sunlight during the daytime. Sunshine is an unlimited resource, and its free.

If you’re building a new kitchen, Trilogy Partners would love to help make it the kitchen of your dreams. Contact us to learn more about our design and building services.

Insulating your home, installing energy-efficient windows, and letting lots of natural light into your home are three ways that your can save energy in your home.

Energy efficiency seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. From reducing electricity consumption to reducing fuel costs, saving energy is good for your wallet and for the planet, especially considering that most of the electricity in the US comes from burning coal. Here are a few energy saving tips to take your sustainable lifestyle to the next level.

• Insulate your home flawlessly. The better insulated your home is, the less energy you’ll need to maintain a comfortable temperature. Blown-in insulation is great for filling gaps and reducing air gaps. Spray foam insulation is also a good choice, especially in areas where moisture is a concern.
• Choose glazed, energy-efficient windows. Homes lose a lot of heat through windows. Choosing windows designed specifically for energy efficiency means reduce heat loss through he glass itself and the gaps around the window frame.
• Include plenty of windows to let light in. Sunlight heats the home and also reduces your reliance on light bulbs. Consider including a pull-down apparatus that can cover windows on chilly days to reduce heat loss.

Saving energy does not have to be time-consuming or inconvenient. Build and live responsibly, and you can minimize your energy use day after day.

When designing your home’s kitchen, here are some tips to help you choose the perfect eco-friendly appliances for your home.

Whether you’re designing a completely new kitchen or simple remodeling your existing one, choosing eco-friendly appliances is important. Not only do energy-efficient appliances lower you energy bills, but they also reduce your impact on the environment.

When selecting a refrigerator, choose an appliance that meets your needs in terms of size. A fridge that’s too small will have to work harder to keep food cold while it’s packed full. Buy too large of a fridge, and you’ll be paying to cool empty space.

Both gas and electric cooktops have environmental impacts, since most electricity in the US is generated from coal. An new eco-friendly choice is a magnetic induction cooktop, which transfers heat to pans through magnetism, meaning less heat is wasted.

Make sure any dishwasher you choose is Energy Star-rated and ensure has multiple wash cycles. You can use the “light wash” cycle to save water and energy.

The way you use your eco-friendly appliances is important too. Always fill your dishwasher completely before running it, don’t open the fridge for longer than needed, and cook in large batches to minimize oven use. With a little effort and good choices, you can live more sustainably every day.