Home Improvements - Interior Design

A good interior designer will transform your Spanish home © Michelle Chaplow
A good interior designer will transform your Spanish home

Interior Design

By Brenda Padilla

The home, like the clothes we wear and the food we eat, is an intensely personal expression of our lives, experience and values. Although the home may be expressive of your own personal lifestyle, it is more often the combined result of several family members who all need to define their personality. Personal spaces are also those favourite spots where, for some reason, we feel totally happy and at ease. Although interior design is a matter of personal preference, there can be little doubt that employing the services of a professional can be invaluable. Working together with an interior designer can help the new homeowner decide what furniture style, colour scheme, upholstery fabric, decoration and, even plants, to introduce in order to achieve the ideal overall 'look'.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of excellent interior designers in southern Spain, designers with both the experience and expertise to guide and advise. Another advantage of employing a professional interior designer is that he/she can operate within a strict budget which saves you the frustration of constantly comparing prices.

Many of the interior designers here, particularly those working in the tourist resorts, are fluent in several languages which can be invaluable when you are trying to explain exactly what you are looking for. Likewise, it is very important for newcomers to understand that living in a Mediterranean climate can, and should, have considerable impact on the interior and it is clearly unwise to merely repeat decorating styles and themes you were familiar with 'back home'. Ideally, a home should be decorated to feel cool in the summer and cozy in the winter which is yet another reason why employing an expert is often the best idea.

A study at Harvard claims that flowers in the home are mood enhancing.
A study at Harvard claims that flowers in the home are mood enhancing.

 

 

Feng Shui

The Chinese exponents of Feng Shui claim that where you live and how you allocate and arrange the rooms of your home can significantly influence the harmony of your life and your health, wealth and happiness. By taking advantage of the 'life energy' they call Chi, which flows everywhere, you can affect the whole tenor of your well-being. These exponents believe that the orientation and design of your home has a major influence on the lives of all who live in it. The positioning of furniture, the direction in which a bed faces, the colour schemes and ornaments - all have a part to play in creating an environment that relaxes as well as stimulates the occupants. The simple act of rearranging a few chairs or changing a colour scheme is thought to be highly beneficial - indeed, any number of misfortunes, from ill-health to financial problems and even marital breakups, can be attributed to a house in which the principles of Feng Shui have been ignored or overlooked.

Property tags