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Colonial or ranch, city or suburb, adding a full or half bath - all these decisions will probably affect the homeowner's life for years to come. This is indeed the big picture, but it is not the only important choice to be made. The next big step, and one just as crucial, is the interior decorating. Creative Partnership David & Goliath Builders showcased their home, Oconomowoc Cape II, in this year's Parade of Homes. The home was decorated by Cindy Gear of Gear Interiors. The builders are so impressed with Gear's work that they include three hours of her consultation with every home they build. (The company built the Gear home nine years ago, saw Gear's ideas for decorating and a partnership was born.) So just how does an interior decorator work? "I work off the exterior look - it is important to blend it all in," said Gear. "This house is a Cape Code, which is a more casual style and appeals to a large base of people." Gear also took one piece of furniture and created a decorating style around it. "In this case, because I was the one to pick out all the furniture, I started with the couch. "The couch, from Ken Michael's was covered in a wide-wale corduroy of a soft khaki-sage color. "I then custom-ordered a chair to match and covered another chair and pillow in an aged-corduroy, floral look. The pillow pattern is then repeated in the window treatment." When decorating while using existing pieces, Gear asks many questions of the homeowner, "Basically, the first question is what (furniture) do you plan to keep?" she said. The fireplace in this Parade of Homes model is made of brick. Although Gear tries to blend the interior and exterior, she also makes necessary concessions. "The exterior is done in stone, and with stone people either love it or hate it," she said. "Brick is more neutral. "Gear designed a pattern for the brick that echoes the ornamentation in a large medallion handing high on the opposite wall. Green, in many shades and hues dominates the colors of this house. "Each room flows into the next," said Gear. "It's important to keep a similar color transition. I would not do a house with different colors in every room, except bedrooms." Getting The Feel of a Room When working on a new home, Gear utilizes the floor plans to get a feel of each room's function and traffic patterns. But even the most careful planning on paper does not mean trouble-free decorating. "Even with this (Parade of Homes) home, we moved and moved and moved the furniture and accessories," she said. "After all the furniture and pieces were purchased, it still took two days to do this house." Many times, Gear works with existing pieces of furniture and turns her decorating expertise solely to the art of accessorizing. "Accessorizing is the most important aspect of decorating," she said. "Scale is soooooo important." Ann Rodrigues co-owner of David & Goliath Builders, agreed and emphasized proper placement as well. "A light handing over a tabletop should be approximately 31 inches above the table." she said. Most people have it hanging too high and use a light that is too small for the table. Another example is that a coffee table should be 18 inches away from the sofa to allow easy movement between two pieces." Gear used the fireplace mantel as an example of smart accessorizing. "On a mantel, you cold either put 10 little pieces or two nice, interesting pieces." She began. "Don't fill up a mantel (because everything blends together.) Use a few items and you'll see them. Use items of different size, color or texture." The same goes for placing items on tops of shelving units or entertainment centers. Most families have family pictures, collectibles or mementos that they wish to display. The idea is to be able to have these pieces out without making the home look cluttered. "In this case, you would make a collection of these items and display them in one place, such as all family pictures on the piano," Gear said. "Another idea is to make a theme room. You don't want to put them (either pictures or mementos) throughout the house. By doing it this way, a room will still look put-together." Grouping For Impact Gear had a number of decorating options for displaying pictures. "A rod or wire would be used and pictures hung across it. Uneven ledges or shelves could hold groupings in interesting frames. This is more striking than having framed pictures scattered all around." Paintings and pictures on the wall pose another interesting decorating challenge. "Most times, people choose pictures that are too small for the room," said Gear. "They tend to be very conservative. Also, smaller pictures cost less." The extra money spend on a correct picture size will pay off in big decorating dividends once that artwork is on the wall. Utilizing the skills and connections of a professional decorator can save time, hassles and ultimately, a lot of money. "A persons start out by saying, 'I'm going to build a new home,' then finds out how many decisions have to be made," said Gear. "There are so many choices to be made, from brick to siding to trim, even to hardware and doorknobs." Interior designers can point out several new trends. "For instance, in today's newer homes, there are large, walk-in closets, which means that you don't need so much furniture. "The master bedroom in the Parade model had only a dresser for extra storage outside the generous closet, leaving room for a small table and two chairs. A decorator can lend a voice of reason when homeowners can't decide or are leaning towards styles or colors that just won't work. "A number o years ago, raspberry was being shown in bathrooms, sinks, commodes and bathtubs, but it really limited the way the room could be decorated," said Rodrigues. "I often wondered just how those people like that color now. If you go with the basics, the neutrals such as almond or white (for bathroom fixtures), you're fine. You can redecorate 10 times. Don't Play It Too Safe Staying too much on the safe side can be a decorating faux pas as well. "With today's look, woods shouldn't match," Gear said. "It is more of an eclectic look." The Cape Cod on the Parade of Homes tour had its kitchen and dining room floors done with one stain and the kitchen cabinets done with another. Different stains in flooring, baseboards and existing pieces such as entertainment center are tied together by using a common accent. "For continuity we used iron elements," said Gear. "There is iron as the base of a table, truck hardware (two distressed-looking leather trucks were placed next to each other as a coffee table) and throughout the entertainment center." Gear did caution that when different woods (as opposed to identical woods with different stain) are used, the client must be sensitive to the fact that they won't stain the same and will display different grains. Decorators also have connections with local design houses or businesses that allow them to return furniture or decorative items that worked on paper but proved unsuitable when placed in the home. Decorators can be hired by the job or by the hour. They can go over blueprints, accompany clients on shopping trips, walk through homes and make suggestions. While an interior designer can be hired at any time, homebuilders or homeowners will find that if the color choices, hardware appointments and finishing touches are done at the beginning of construction or remodeling, the end results tend to be picture perfect.
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