Michelle Hughes

Interior Design Styles Outside The Box

Wow! It’s been two weeks since my last post! I had committed to posting weekly, but thankfully I have been so busy these past few weeks that I didn’t have time to think about my post last week and then this week I wasn’t going to let it slip through the cracks for a second week! I made a commitment to myself and my business and I am sticking with it! We last left off with discussing design styles. I talked about some of the styles used most often today such as transitional, modern farmhouse, and mid-century modern. Today I am going to dive a bit more into some more specific styles that are popular and then also a few that are usually more area specific.   BOHO STYLE The first style I am going to discuss is boho. Boho, short for Bohemian, defined as a socially unconventional person, especially one who is involved in the arts. Bohemian is said to be derived from the mid 19th century: from French bohémien ‘Romani, Gypsy’ (because the Romani were thought to come from Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), or because they perhaps entered the West through Bohemia). (Google)  The Boho style …

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What’s Your Interior Design Style?

What’s Your Design Style? This is a question I get asked often. As a designer I feel like I cannot be limited to a style and you have to be able to adapt to the clients style or the overall style of the home. This is always my response when I get asked this question! Now, if you ask me ‘what style I do most often’ I feel like I have Modern Farmhouse in the bag, but I also think this is due to the trends and the builders I have worked with. If that is the builders niche then they are going to draw certain type of clientele that is also drawn to that style. If you walk into my personal house I think you are also going to get a mix of styles. I live in a 1968 ranch style home that had many great features when we purchased it nearly 5 years ago. We were lucky that during the 2009 crash in the economy a finish carpenter lived in the house. He did several updates, such as kitchen cabinets (in a natural hickory) and LOTS of beautiful white wood work throughout the house. The entry has slate …

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Is Faux Finish Back on Trend?

Answer…YES! Yes, it is and in a new and better way! Gone are the looks of the 90’s where you would have a stencil and create a border around a room or a door opening. Or the look of the sponge stamped on a wall. You all remember that look, right? I know I had it in my house growing up when I was kid (sorry for calling you Mom!) The faux finish of today looks so much more modern and updated then the faux finish of the past. Whatever you dream up can be created through techniques such as color washing, rag rolling, stripes, linen weave, staining, plaster effects, metal looks or patinas, crackled weathered looks and even stenciled looks.  You can achieve looks of venetian plaster, stamped concrete, stained concrete, tin tile, and wallpaper for example. Faux finish isn’t just for the walls either. Faux finish techniques can be used on cabinets, ceilings, and even floors too! Faux finishing fireplaces and kitchen hood vents have become popular more recently. Finishing fireplaces and hood vents  in a venetian plaster look and faux concrete have been quite popular looks. I am currently working on a project where we plan to …

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Color Trends for 2022

COLOR defined: the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light. The world of design is every changing. The way color has played different roles throughout the decades helps to shape the look and feel of our homes. Homes from the 60’s and 70’s adorned gold and avocado green appliances; orange sofas; and brown sculpted carpets as along with vibrant pops of color. Pastels began to dominate our homes in 80’s with accents of mauve, baby blue and teal. In the 90’s these pastels turned jewel tones with marrons, emerald green and deep hues of blue. The 90’s also introduced heavy patterns of wallpaper and wall stamping (which is back on trend now but in a different manor). Fast forward to the 2000 and everything became warm and neutral with rich cherry stained cabinets and flooring, gold granite counters and textured stone backsplashes. These spaces were accented with deep red, gold and brown walls. As we transitioned from the warmth we took a drastic turn to grey. People quickly learned that grey was not just grey. It could be a purple grey, blue grey, …

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Can You Hire a Designer Virtually?

Welcome to my first official design post! This one is for everyone near and far! Are you thinking about remodeling or simply a room refresh, Do you know that I can help you even if you are not local to me? That’s right, I sure can! If 2020 taught us anything it taught all of us the world of working remotely. The digital world provided us all with the tools we needed to work from the comfort of our own homes and do it successfully. Along with these new ways of working started a new trend in the interior design industry. E-DESIGN! That’s right, working with a designer remotely to create the space of your dreams. E-design is perfect for clients who want design direction and designer expertise, but don’t mind doing a little legwork to prepare, manage, and implement the project themselves. If you like to DIY (do-it-yourself), than this is definitely the design service for you. HOW DOES THIS WORK? The process does require a bit of work from the client at first but the process is pretty simple. First is the GATHER stage: you fill out a questionnaire and provide the required info I need to execute the …

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