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Highlights. Trends. Insights. We’ve got the scoop on everything you need to know about interior design right here in one tidy space!

Invite the Great Outdoors into Your Home

In announcing its color of the year, Pantone lauded Greenery for its “vitality of nature and new beginnings.” We recommend refreshing tired surroundings or calming busy interiors by bringing the soft, desaturated tone into your environment. Greenery answers the call for simplicity and evokes the grounding of nature, making it the ideal color to redefine a room. Almost every brand of paint incorporates a color like Greenery into its palette this year. Some of our other favorite ways to introduce Greenery into your environment include throws, furniture and appliances.

Sources: A: Alpaca Throw, Johnathan Adler B: KitchenAid Mixer C: Leather Pouf, All Modern D: Parsons Bed, Room & Board E: Rustic Platter, Williams Sonoma

Chameleon Design Featured Project // The Covey, Buena Park, CA

In partnering with William Lyon Homes to welcome homebuyers to The Covey in Buena Park, Chameleon Design captured the warmth and simplicity of the community’s farmhouse aesthetics by infusing calming shades of white, taupe and green – leading with Greenery, Pantone Color Institute 2017 Color of the Year. We reinforced this refreshing color palette by incorporating other design trends we believe you’ll see in architecture, interior décor and fashion this year, such as raw surfaces, organic materials, and unifying features like board and batten. The result is a thoroughly modern yet intrinsically familiar design ready for growing families, with plenty of room for entertaining effortlessly.

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Great Room

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Great Room

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Great Room Detail

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Entryway

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Bedroom

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Bedroom

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Bedroom

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Bathroom

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Kitchen

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Kitchen

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Kitchen

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Laundry Room

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Master Bathroom

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Master Bathroom

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Master Bathroom

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Master Bedroom

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Master Bedroom

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Bedroom

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Bedroom

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Landing Area

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Patio

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Patio

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Patio

Designing a Room from Scratch

Designing a room from a completely blank slate can be quite a daunting task! It can be difficult to know where to start and once you get going you need to be aware of the order you’re doing things to get the best results possible. There are also some basic design rules that are always good to keep in mind to give you that well-designed look that you’re hoping for. Whether it’s one room or your entire home, we’ve compiled some tips to help get you started:

Define Your Personal Style

When designing a room don’t just jump in, take your time to think about your personal style and the overall look you want to go for. Maybe you love mid-century modern or maybe it’s a more traditional look that excites you. Either way, making this determination from the get-go will guide every choice you make going forward and help you to put together a more cohesive look.

Photo: Amber Interiors

Mix It Up

Another way to think of this is to avoid being too matchy-matchy. If you decide you want to go with a modern look and purchase everything from the same store your space is going to be boring and you won’t be in love with the results. Have fun with the process and shop for items from various sources. The large commercial stores like West Elm are great to mix with custom items and even flea market finds.

Photo: C Magazine

Plan Your Space

Measure, measure, measure! Before shopping for your pieces it’s best that you measure and plan out your space on paper. This will ensure that everything you place will fit nicely in the room and not be too crowded or too empty. Another trick is to use painters tape to actually tape out dimensions in a room where you’re thinking of placing a sofa or bed. Do this before you buy so you don’t get stuck with anything that’s not a perfect fit!

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Photo: Chameleon Design

Start with the Rug

If you select a rug you love for each room and build from there, you can’t go wrong. The rug will ground the space and with an endless array of fabrics, colors and patterns it will organically dictate how the rest of the room comes together. If you’re working with a carpeted room or don’t want to include a rug for whatever reason, start with the largest furniture piece and build from there. So for the bedroom it would be the bed and for the den it would be the sofa or entertainment center.

Photo: My Domain

#Trending // Throw Pillows

Decor trends come and go, but one of the easiest ways to stay up-to-date on all things interior design related is to update your selection of throw pillows. They’re easy to swap and store, and the right ones can instantly revitalize a space. We love using throw pillows in a variety of patterns and colors to a sofa or bed to add interest and color to a room.

 

Chameleon Design Featured Project // Monterra at PGA West, Plan 3, La Quinta, CA

Plan 3 at Monterra PGA West is a beautifully designed home with a covered patio area, a gorgeous pool and a casita set against the mountainous backdrop in La Quinta. The interior features a casual elegance design style complete with rich stone flooring set against wood, brown, tan and natural furnishings. The color palette includes off whites, brown, copper and pops of rich emerald green.

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Kitchen

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Casita

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Covered Patio

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Exterior

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Kitchen

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Living Room

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Living Room

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Living Room

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Master Bath

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Master Bedroom

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Pool

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Pool

Chameleon Design Featured Project // Monterra at PGA West, Plan 2, La Quinta, CA

Monterra Plan 2 boasts a modern eclectic interior design style with rich neutrals accented with pops of blue, copper and dark red. We used an interesting mix of rustic and reclaimed wood, iron and bamboo accents grounded on a wood looking porcelain plank flooring. Set within a golf course community this home is perfect for an active, mature family with plenty of space to entertain or relax after a day of golf!

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Dining Room

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Exterior

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Great Room

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Kitchen

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Great Room

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Master Bedroom

Licensed Solely and Exclusively to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Master Bathroom

#Trending // Blue and White Color Palette

The blue and white color combination has always been a classic look and now it’s also one of the trending décor styles! This color palette can go elegant or coastal, modern or French country. This palette is a great choice for long lasting style while staying on trend.

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West Elm, Marbleized Vases

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Hand-Dyed Shibori Velvet Ombre Pillow Cover- Square, Restoration Hardware

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Navy and Natural Dorothy Kilim Flat Weave Rug, Jonathan Adler

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Indigo Blue Batik Plates Set of Four, Crate & Barrel

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Feather Wallpaper, Serena & Lily

How to Keep Your Home Looking Up To Date

We love trends as much as the next designer, but unfortunately trends eventually go out of style, leaving an outdated look in their wake. Luckily, we have some tricks up our sleeves that will allow you to indulge in the best trends of the season, while assuring your home stays fresh and up to date.

Pick a Neutral Color Palette

Selecting a neutral color palette for the main areas of your home will allow for the perfect base, while giving you the opportunity to layer in changing trends that can easily be removed if they begin to feel dated.

 

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Photo: The Everygirl

Find Your Personal Design Style

Tapping into your personal style can help you decipher which home decor trends to lean towards and which to avoid. Consider the colors and textures you gravitate towards and work them into your existing pieces and palette. This should take you beyond the trends and leave you with pieces that are timeless.

Photo: Country Living

Opt for small pieces instead of entire rooms

When incorporating a trend into your interior design it is important to note that small is better. Sure, that Spanish tiled bathroom might look fabulous now, but will you still love it in a year? Small trending accents, such as throw pillows, are great ways to pay homage to a trend without overdoing it. Rooms that are themed tend to go out of style quickly.

Photo: Design Sponge

Functionality

Choosing functional pieces and remodel choices will help to create a timeless effect to your home. The more functional your home and furniture is, the more timeless your design becomes. Select furniture that fits with your lifestyle and that of your family and you won’t need to buy new pieces every few years!

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Photo: Chameleon Design

 

How Color Can Redefine A Room

Whether you have just moved in or have nested in the same place for years, a little change of color can do wonders to your interior. Big or small, painting or wallpapering projects can have a huge impact on the look and feel of your interior design. Grab some crafting tools and get started!

  1. Small furniture pieces

Painting a small piece of furniture can change the look and feel of an entire room. Something like a dresser or end table is an easy DIY and will add a fun pop of color to a room. We recommend using a piece that’s gone out of style or maybe one that doesn’t match your overall design.

Photo: Chameleon Design

2. Accent walls

The easiest room transformation: paint one wall. Need help choosing a wall color? Our recommendation is to pick a color you already love decorating with, that fits the overall interior design of your existing room. This will create a significant change but won’t require you to redecorate entirely. If you’re feeling really bold, check out our previous post on the trending moody wall colors.

Photo: Chameleon Design

3. Cabinets

A fresh coat of paint on cabinets can create an entirely new look in a room. Whether it’s the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room this is a simple and inexpensive way to transform it. Recently we’ve seen dark cabinets trending, but whether you opt for a moody or bright color, be ready for your room to have a whole new personality!

Photo: Superfront

4. Architectural Accents

Wall papering a room is another great way to add color and it can also make the architectural accents look more dramatic. The colored wallpaper in this room accents the wood molding and creates depth while bringing the room together.

Photo: Chameleon Design