Today we will look at one way of finding a style that is right for your project - use it as a catalyst to get your creative juices working. Never overlook the power of brain storming. It can bring out ideas you may never have dreamed of!

• Take the brief that you have already created and sit somewhere with no distractions and start jotting down ideas, scribbling sketches, flicking through magazines and books, (you will find that after picking out a few examples in magazines and books that you start to get an idea of the style that you are predominately drawn to, the schemes will have a similar theme), looking at color and fabric and flooring samples and swatches, photos of the existing space and items that you are going to keep from your existing room to work with. Start putting things together haphazardly, picking out things that catch your eye, put them all together and start again over. Continue this process a few times until you run out of ideas. Then leave the room for a while take in some fresh air - very good for the brain.

• Go back into the room and see what scheme or idea catches your eye first. Take that one and start to work with it. Ask questions. What caught your eye and why, should this be the focal point, is this the look that you were aiming for in the brief? Will it work correctly in your space? It is a bit like a flow chart. If yes, then keep working on it, look for other items and accessories that coordinate with it. If no, then go back and find another idea and start working with that. It sounds daunting and a little bit scary and of course the old favorite too hard! It is difficult the first few times until you get your confidence. (By then you may have come up with an even better process of your own for brainstorming - after all accessing your brain is a very personal thing! This is a catalyst for creative thinking) So to make your life easier, don’t practice on a real project. Experiment on some rooms in your house, without actually decorating, come up with some different schemes for different client briefs. Eventually you will do all this on auto pilot, but it helps to have someone give you a starting point!

• I can visualize what things will look like when the project is finished, as so will you be able to when you have done it a few times. The hardest thing is often trying to explain to your clients or your family! To resolve this you can make up a color board showing all the samples and swatches, but this only gives them ideas of the colors, they usually want to see it in 3d ie already finished! A very expensive way of showing concepts!! So a good way is with the use of technology. You can now get software that provides amazing graphics of what a room can look like, this is another way to experiment with out actually decorating anyones room and very good practice.

Architectaria - Architect and Planners

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