Dressing up your dream house
By: Arch. Arnel Untalan

“Designing a room comes down to finding what gives you joy.”
-Genevieve Gardner

The interior of your house should reflect your personality. That’s why it is important that anything you put into your house should be your personal choices. The first thing you have to do is plan. Know what you want. Prepare your budget and stick to it.

Here’s an easy way to help you achieve the look that you want. First, you need to use paint swatches to guide you for the right shade of paint. After choosing the right shade, identify the kind of paint you need. The commonly used kind of paint for concrete walls is the latex paint while the enamel paint is used for steel. You have to remember the rule of thumb in painting the interiors of your house: floors should be painted with darker colors; walls with lighter colors; and ceiling with the lightest colors. The next thing you need to consider are your tiles. There are different varieties of tiles you can choose from. Unglazed ceramic tiles are best used for floors. Floor tiles should not be slippery.  On the other hand, glazed ceramic tiles are preferred for use on walls because they are glossy. Tiles made of clay like pavers, terracotta, and terrazzo are used for outdoors especially on lanai.  Polished granite tiles are usually used on kitchen countertop. Bear in mind that you do not need expensive tiles for your dream house; good taste and a well-coordinated color scheme will surely do the trick. After the applying the paint and choosing the right tiles, the next crucial step is the furnishing. Colors, styles, themes, accessories and designs should complement each other to achieve harmony. Likewise, you must group your furniture according to theme or style to make your home look more organized. Here are the factors you should know when you opt to purchase furniture. A good thing to remember is that furniture should be durable. You should know what materials were used in the construction and the workmanship should be excellent. Yakal, Narra, and Molave are the strongest of hardwoods and they make good furniture. Lastly, the most important thing is to choose a style that is classic. Remember that just like in fashion, fads come and go but style is forever.

Again, designing is all about self expression. It should give you joy and satisfaction. Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment, and never compromise what you want.