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Discover Your Design Style, June 2011
If you are seeking to update your home, you will need to delve into and define your personal design style. Furniture sales people, remodelers and interior decorators alike will want to know what your style is so that they know how best to guide you in selecting the right furnishings and embellishments for your home. If someone asked about your design style, would you be able to answer them? Most homeowners find it difficult to identify their unique personal design style. This month's article is a simple guide to make it easier for you to do just that. Read on to identify your design style and to jump start your next interior design project! |
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Which Design Style Best Fits You?
Did you know that there is a simple way to think about decorating styles? Although there are hundreds of styles out there, most can be neatly grouped into a few major categories, as follows:
- Traditional
 | | This traditional Great Falls living room is formal and elegant |
- Contemporary
- Modern
- Transitional
- Belgian Chic
Knowing which style appeals to you most can help you when shopping for home products or when working with a designer or other home improvement professional.
The Traditional Style is elegant and stately. Furniture is often stained in dark, polished finishes. Mohagony, dark cherry wood and deep walnut finishes are often used in these interiors. Heavy trimmings usually adorn window treatments and upholstered pieces. And, fabrics are often layered with multiple patterns such as florals, herringbone, stripes, ginghams, toiles, hunt club prints and chinoiseries. Rooms are heavily accessorized with ornate items like those made of crystal, marble, and porcelain. Accessories frequently show up in pairs to create balance. Antiques and fine reproductions work well in these spaces. The overall feeling is one of grandness and formality.
The Contemporary Style is urban, fresh, and slick. Clean lines are used as a design tool to distinguish items from their background. Space is deliberately placed around items so that they appear to be "on display." Accessories are selectively chosen and are most always artistic in nature. The overall feeling is clean and sophisticated. Contemporary interiors use straight lines, sculptural elements, art, and bold color. The one way to distinguish between contemporary and modern styles is that modern is more minimalist and incorporates more metals such as chrome. In contrast to the traditional style, contemporary interiors incorporate more light maple wood finishes, staying clear of the heavier mahagony and similar finishes that are so indicative of the traditional interior.
 | | This transitional family room is both clean and comfortable! |
The Modern Style is a rejection of the ornate flourishes of other design styles and is noted by clean, straight lines; stainless steel, chrome and other metals. Very few accessories are used and furniture is kept at a minimum. These interiors are noted for their use of primary colors (where bold colors are used for accents with white, black or neutral colors used for furniture and other large pieces).
The Transitional Style is the perfect marriage of the comfort of the traditional style with the uncluttered, clean lines of the contemporary interior. Furniture lines are simple yet sophisticated, featuring mostly straight lines. Fabric is as diverse as graphic patterns and textured chenilles on sleek wood frames.
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The Belgian Chic style
House Beautiful |
The Belgian Chic Style is a major design trend according to House Beautiful for 2011 and is very homey and comfortable. Everyday items are used for accessories, such as birdhouses, jars, baskets and books. Wood finishes are mostly light and medium toned, and wood is often painted, distressed or reclaimed. The overall mood is one of feeling at home and/or reuse of old items, making them "new" again. This style is a new rendition of the Shabby Chic style.
When embarking on your next interior design project, take some time to determine which design style best defines you. Taking time up-front to assess your own personal likes and dislikes will go a long way in helping you select items for your home that are truly reflective of your personal design style.
Interested in creating a beautiful and functional space for 2011? At a loss for how to get started? Contact Decor by Denise today at 703-714-7343 or email us at info@decorbydenise.com to learn how easy and affordable it is to get started.
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Decor by Denise Studio Grand Opening
On Wednesday, May 25th, 2011, Decor by Denise officially opened our new design studio with a grand opening party! Mayor Jane Seeman and several members of the ViennaTysons Regional Chamber of Commerce attended the event for our ribbon cutting, which we were very appreciative of. Here we all are with me in the blue officially cutting the ribbon with the mayor to my left. The turnout for the party was great and I loved all the support from friends, family, clients, and other local business owners! We owe a big thanks to everyone for making our opening a real celebration! For more pictures and details on the new studio, check out my blog on DreamDesignLive.com.  |
Introducing Mary Claire, The Newest Member of Our Team
On Tuesday May 24th, right before our grand opening, Mary Claire joined our team as our summer intern! What a time to come into our office. Good thing she likes party planning.
As a rising senior at Bridgewater College, in Bridgewater, VA, Mary Claire is majoring in Family Consumer Sciences with a specialization in Interior Design and a minor in Art. This is Mary Claire's second design internship after working for Anthropologie's visual department last summer. She is back at Anthropologie working part-time this summer as a retail associate, working part-time with us, and will be taking a summer class at NVCC starting this June. With her educational focus in design and her previous experience, we are excited to have her with us!
Welcome aboard, Mary Claire! |
Introducing Our Quick Ship Upholstery Program: 5-Day Shipping!
Decor by Denise now offers two lines of quick-ship upholstery furniture. If you need to get a sofa, chair or ottoman ordered but don't have the time to wait the usual 8-12+ weeks, we can help you out!
We offer an economy line that is affordable with a good selection of fabrics, and a superior line that has endless fabric options for ultimate customization.
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 | | This Stanley table is a must-see! |
Designer Sample Sale In Progress!
We have many items that are new and sitting in our studio waiting for their forever home that we are currently selling via Facebook and other online venues. We will showcase a few items in each of our newsletters going forward, but you can always check out our entire inventory online on Our Facebook Sample Sale Page!
Brand new Stanley side table
If you or anyone you know would like to get their hands on this beautiful side table, please let us know.
- Retail Price is $1,079. We are selling this table for just $595!
- Beautiful solid wood construction with dovetail joints in the drawer.
- Rustic, distressed wood, "terrain" finish.
- This table is BRAND NEW and is waiting for its forever home in our studio.
- Dimensions: 20w 28h 28d
Beautiful Red Accent Chair Why wait the standard 18 weeks to take this beauty home?
- Retail for this Christopher Guy chair is over $2000. We are selling it for $499, what a deal!
 | | This Christopher Guy accent chair is a one of a kind piece that will add to a room beautifully. |
- This chair features a beautiful carved wood back with red suede upholstery.
- Dimensions: 23w 20D
- Check out the picture of the stunning back below!
Brown, Cream and Yellow/Green Rug
- This is a 6x9 ft. rug made out of New Zealand wool
- The modern design and thick, dense pile of this rug will make it a good choice for many different types of rooms.
- We are selling this rug for only $399.
 
We will be adding more sales to our Facebook page this summer, so check in with us to get the latest deals by visiting the Decor by Denise Facebook Page.
If you are interested in any of our sample sale items, please contact Alex Wahl at 703-714-7343 or at alex@decorbydenise.com.
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Meet Denise Willard of Decor by Denise
 Denise Willard has over a decade of experience transforming the homes of clients in the DC Metro Area. Her work has been showcased on ABC Affiliate, News Channel 8 and in Home & Design, Washington Home & Garden, The Washingtonian, Elan, The Washington Post, JavaTown and From House to Home Magazine. Denise is a regular columnist for Viva Tysons Magazine and is part of the Design Diva team for Ask Miss A, a national lifestyle eMagazine that reaches a growing subscription base of 70,000 visitors each month.
Denise and her team were selected to participate in the 2011 DC Design House Designer Showhouse and are published in Home and Design's 2011 "Top 100 Interior Designers." Denise sits on the board and is President-Elect of the DC Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), is a member of the leadership team for the McLean Business Forum, is an active member of the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce and maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Denise specializes in creating simple, but elegant transitional interiors that are reflective of her clients' personalities and lifestyles. The combination of her southern roots and urban lifestyle can be seen in her personal design style, which combines the comfort and hospitality of the south with the flair of the big city. Denise's interior design philosophy is that everyone deserves a beautiful home-no matter how small the interior or how large the budget. Therefore, she welcomes projects of all sizes-from one bedroom condos to large single family homes.
Stay Connected With Us!
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If you are a member of the trade and are interested in participating in our collaborative marketing efforts, please contact Denise at denise@decorbydenise.com.
We look forward to hearing from you! |
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