Design and Sensibility

Newlyweds decorating their new home together should, Be open, present and committed to have the best environment [they] can at this time, says Janice Crawford, interior designer and owner of Westerly, R.I.-based L'Interieur. There is a delicately balanced point where design and sensibility meet.

Crawford's interior design career has spanned nearly 20 years and has taken her from the New York/New Jersey metro area to Hickory and Pinehurst, N.C. She finally relocated to Westerly seven years ago to open her boutique-style showroom and design studio. Shes worked with prominent entertainers and authors and has been involved in designing corporate headquarters, restaurants and yachts.

For newly married couples to get a sense of their design likes and dislikes she recommends reading quality magazines and watching the more realistic TV design shows. Keeping a folder with pages of things you like best and periodically going through it and editing whether you still like it or not is homework you can have fun with, she adds. It's like a dream book.

As you're creating your dream design there is also the reality of your stuff and his stuff and how the two can fashionably coexist. Crawford does not recommend pitching everything and purchasing all new furniture, but she does note that this is a point where a designer can really add value. When choosing a decorator, check backgrounds, review portfolios and ask for references.

Like any good mediator, a designer is a knowledgeable third party that is not emotionally invested and can guide you through sound choices of what to keep and not to keep. And what will work best to blend your styles according to your lives, Crawford says. Bringing in the new to balance the old really helps to make things feel more like ours, than getting all new furnishings. Maybe a favorite table of his can be the counter point to a new bed and a new night table, while including a mirror of hers to go over the new dresser.

When you are making new purchases, Crawford recommends buying the best upholstery you can find. The frames are more pleasing, more sound, better designed and built. When the fabric wears out--and it should because you will want to use it all of the time when it is a great piece--it will be worth recovering.

Splurging on quality fabrics for window drapes and a beautiful and comfortable bed are also recommended investments. You will always be able to change things around it as you grow older together. It should be a favorite to come to at the end of the day, Crawford says. Make sure window drapes are suited to the room, like a great backdrop to the overall setting not just another loop and swag iced onto the cake.

If you don't really love a high-ticket item, then Crawford cautions not to make the purchase as you'll waste money trying to decorate around it and never be happy. You can be more impulsive with inexpensive items such as small occasional tables with special colors, top finishes or decorative painting. Find well-made colorful or special-finished lamps and then pair them with easily changeable inexpensive shades.

A design trend shes noticing now is a gentler, more classic contemporary--it has its roots in tradition, but its execution is new and fresh--and is happy to see its return because she says classic lines last. When you invest in designing your surroundings it should not take a lot more investment in the future to freshen up what you love and what you have, she adds. Good design endures beyond the trends and fads. It is fun to have something new and trendy, but like a little black dress, all you really need are the accessories to create a current look.

Written by April Miller