Interior Design Tips from Sara Blette
Sara Blette has been practicing design since 2002. She received her degree in Graphic Design with a focus on environmental graphics from Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. Over the past 6 years her creative experience has focused on interior design, including everything from finish selection to furniture in both commercial and residential projects. Make My Notebook was born in the winter of 2007 as a cure for Sara Blette’s winter garden blues. After searching for the perfect notebook and coming up empty handed, she decided to design her own, thus blossomed the studio and her unique line of everyday notebooks. Below, she shares some of her expert advice on design.
What is your best piece of advice for someone who is either building a new home or planning to redesign their existing home in 2016?
A new home starts with a dream. Having a special place to dream, relax, and nurture the people you care for can be one of the most important decisions you ever make. Start with an “inspiration inventory”. Not only are aesthetic aspects crucial, but more importantly, how do you want to feel? By starting with your feelings you are able to better navigate through the “wants and desires” of the tangible details. Once you get those guidelines down on paper you can use it as gauge to have clarity around other decisions.
Are there any design trends that you believe to be specific to our region?
In our region clients are getting more and more focused on making their outdoor living spaces just as important as the indoor ones. When choosing your furniture, it’s important to consider how much time and care you are willing to give in oder to protect it. Is it covered? Brought out only when it’s being used? Will you follow the care instructions? Would you prefer something that you could just “hose-off”? Even though an outdoor upholstered sectional looks comfortable and inviting, what are you willing to do to help maintain it? The harsh elements of Colorado weather can wreak havoc on even the most industrial outdoor pieces. Before investing in any outdoor piece, consider your maintenance dedication, from there you will be able to make a more educated decision and ultimately be more satisfied.
What are your overall design trends and predictions for 2016?
As we continue to lead busier lives and time becomes more precious, it’s important now, more than ever, to create a place of respite within our larger living area. A place to relax doesn’t have to be a luxury and it’s more than an personal office or spa-like bath. When available, I like to recommend that clients dedicate space in a home for this necessary and often neglected “self-care”. Just like a modern take on a parlour or library, it’s a room that speaks to the personality and needs of the individual. Using design elements that speak to them, surround them in inspiration and provide a place to reflect you will end up with a space that is spiritually nurturing, aesthetically pleasing, and functional. It’s through this exercise that you have designed more than a home, but a place to thrive.