Tips for Taking Interior Photographs (non-technical!!)

I received a bunch of emails after my last post asking about tips for taking "after" pics of rooms, so I thought I'd share some that I've discovered over the years. (I am by NO MEANS a professional as you can tell though!! ) Since so many of us are obsessed with getting our houses looking pretty & have blogs, I figured it couldn't hurt! A lot of these might sound like no-brainers, but I really had no clue about them when I started.

1) Don't use flash. Here are a some of 'before and after' pics of our old house, where we moved just after the apartment, the townhouse. I took them when we first moved in, but some of the 'afters' are from a year or 2 later. Here are a couple of "flash" photos:

Images with flash end up being dark & cold & cheap-looking. (above & below)

Now, check out the "after" (below). It's light & airy and much better:

2) Shoot during the day when the lighting is good. (Unless you're specifically after nighttime shots like a Christmas tree at night or candles or something special like a city view.) Here is our living room when we first moved in. (With all of my lovely decor from my old apartment... eeeeeek) I didn't use flash on it even though it was taken at night: (which is good)

But check out the difference in the same room during the day: (no flash of course)

3) This one really should have been a no-brainer for me (but it wasn't!)... You should "style" the space. (ok, #1 clear out clutter... I think in the pic below that I must've just been trying to get a shot of the pretty roses from my husband -- not trying to get a room shot--- but it does illustrate this point perfectly. How can you even notice the flowers when there's junk everywhere?!)

How much prettier do these (below) look? No clutter, no flash... HUGE difference:

Some reminders for styling: ditch items like wastebaskets, newspapers... Hide your electrical cords. Tape them to the underside & down the back legs of furniture so you can't see them. Nothing is worse than a tangle of cords.

Styling for the kitchen: Sometimes people actually go too sterile when photographing kitchens. But, remember you can ditch items like your toaster (if it's not cute & takes up too much space), sponges, pot scrubbers, pens & pencils, etc. Consider having a pretty soap dish or dispenser, nice towels, good-looking cooking utensil holder, a bowl of fruit and/ or vase of flowers.


The pictures above & below are from when we sold our house so actually a few things are missing because staging is different from decorating (like the pretty towels & a few things that might warm it up) but we did set up a couple of bottes of Aquafina on the bar, which I always think looks nice. (I love Aquafina bottles & totally refill them with fresh water & stick them back in the fridge!!)

Styling for the Bedroom: Again, some fresh flowers or something pretty on the nightstands. (Even set up some colorful jewelry or books--- anything that's pretty & adds a little something)... Add interest to bedding. Think of Pottery barn and all their layers. Even just a throw at the end of the bed can do the trick.

Show personal, but not-too-personal-items that make the space look lived in: NOT the box of tissues but maybe a cool glass of water in a vintage glass or a pair of glasses on a stack of pretty books..

For living rooms, a lot of the same things apply. Use pretty pillows and interesting accessories. Get rid of any clutter that isn't attractive. Always add fresh flowers or greenery if you have time. You'd be surprised what a huge difference adding flowers/ greenery into the room does. Again, the goal is to make the space look "lived-in" but not cluttered.

Pottery Barn is awesome at styling in my opinion. I might not always be in love with what they're selling but I'm always so impressed with their styling. (above) For dining rooms, make sure there's something beautiful on the table. It doesn't necessarily have to be a set table (which does look gorgeous) but it could be something simple like a pair of lanterns or dinnerware stacked up as if it's about to be set with a little vase of fresh flowers.

Take advantage of tabletops & shelves. Every surface is a change to create something beautiful. It's important to train your eye. Scour catalogs & design magazines & notice all the details that are present & missing. You'll be surprised by how much you can learn & by how good you'll get.

4) Use a tripod or hard surface to set the camera on. I'm really guilty of not following this rule and it shows. This is huge because if you're not using flash, it's really easy for the photo to blur and any movement at all messes the photo up. (Virtually none of the photos I take myself are clear enough, probably because if this!! ok, I know what I need to go buy!!)

5) Leave out any unattractive features in the room from the shot... Depending upon the look/ mood you're going for, this could be anything from the TV, to speakers, to the chair that you just haven't had the time/ money to reupholster yet.

6) Shoot from lots of different angles & take TONS of pics. I'm not a professional photographer so I don't know which angle a shot will look best from so I take them all. This way, I get tons of photos of one room & I have my pick of which shot works best. I'm often surprised that the one I thought would work the best, doesn't. Get low, get high, go straight on... try it all. (You'll eventually get the hang of what usually works best & won't have to always take so many shots but it's good to start out this way to find out what you like. )

7) Figure out the style of photography you like & try to emulate it. There is a HUGE difference between Architectural Digest & Domino. I made the (HUGE!!!) mistake of spending $$$$s on a photographer who did work for Architectural Digest to shoot for my portfolio. His work was amazing, but totally not my style. The photos ended up looking static & serious to me, which was not how I wanted my work coming across at all. The angles were all straight on & I couldn't feel any movement in the room. I was able to use a few shots that I loved, but overall for the amount of money I spent, I was really disappointed. (They're all on my website now & it drives me CRAZY!!! arg!!) But the point is, it was my fault. I didn't have enough knowledge of the style of photography I wanted. If you can figure out what you like, you can immitate it. (country living image below)

So, there you have some info on how to get better interior shots. I know I didn't address any technical issues & that would be because I'm still clueless in that arena!!! (I have yet to read my camera's manual so that might help a bit!) Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!
xoxo,

lauren

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Design Persuasion

Design Decisions. We all have to make them. And except for the lucky few of us, most of us have to make these decisions with some type of approval, agreement or acceptance from a spouse, partner, boyfriend or girlfriend or roommate. (For the rest of this post, I'll simply say "partner")

It's often difficult to convince your partner of your vision & to come to his or her "senses" and agree with you. ;) (I have to say right off that I am one of the lucky- my husband may not always agree with me, but he does completely trust me now & even if he doesn't "get it" at first, he lets me go ahead--- to date the only thing I think he's hated is that white feather wreath.) Needless to say, many of my clients are couples, and many of my friends & family require "2" yes's before moving along with a project so I do have a lot of experience in dealing with partners who disagree design-wise.

Just now when I was giving my toddler breakfast, I thought of what my husband had told me last night. (Our toddler has gotten into the stage of shaking his head 'no' (actually he shakes his head and says "uh-uh" in this strage squeaky little voice that's very unlike his normal deep, scratch voice- it's pretty funny but anyway-- when we offer him a choice of food.) My husband reminded me that offering Christian 2 options instead of just picking food up and asking him if he wants it works perfectly.

(I remember the same worked really well for my litte sister when picking out outfits to wear-- "This one or this one?" not "What do you want to wear?") Anyway, I'm sure most of you parents out there do this, but I was just thinking today how much it also applies to design decisions.

There are certain clients who want options to decide from, while there are others who want to know what I think is the best option & present only that option to them. Some clients LOVE to see options & others are overwhelmed by them. Some clients want to be very involved & others want you to make most decisions with approval from them. When presenting design decisions to your partner, I think it's often the same thing. You have to figure out how your partner is most receptive. If you bring something home & have it all set up, will he or she freak? not notice? love it because now they can see what you're talking about??

I think it's important for partners to make decisions well together. To be efficient. To make design decisions based on the issue at hand and not because he or she wants to win or have a compromise or whatever... Most of the time there's one partner that is the design-lover (I know there are those cases when BOTH are & there are usually AMAZING results) and it's probably the partner reading this blog right now. She or he is constantly brainstorming, looking for ideas, creating design solutions & presenting them to his or her partner. Now, the partner, can be receptive, hesitant, unwilling to spend the money, gung-ho, completely against CHANGE (a biggie) and a lot of other things when presented with a new design idea.

Now you can't change your partner's personality, but you can change how you present your design ideas to him or her. Think of the way you can present your idea that will most likely get you a positive response. Figure out what type of decision-maker your partner is & present your ideas accordingly.

I have seen cases when presenting two options & showing both sides of the options & letting the partner (or client) come to his or her own decision (which is usually yours) works. I've seen cases when both partners need to be equally involved & if one partner is not there at the spawning of the idea, he or she later is against the idea because of his/her lack of involvement. (I think in these cases it's really important if you notice something like this going on to just bring it up & say what you're noticing so your partner can realize that he/she needs to focus on the issue at hand and not on his/her negativity towards the idea.) Some partners need third party opinions. (There have been cases where I'm called in simply because couples cannot agree between themselves.) There are (lots!!) of cases where one partner hates change. And then theare are other parties that do better when the plan is simply told to them & they don't have to be bothered with the decisions/ details.

The important thing here is to figure out what type of design decision-maker your partner is & how you can present design options so that they'll be accepted. Here are some decider- types I came up with:

1. Does your partner need to be presented with options & be an active decision-maker? [If so, rresent 2 options you like.] or2. Do options scare him? [ Show him or her your plan.] 3. Does he or she need to think they came up with the idea on their own?? (Oh good luck here and please watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding'--- "The man is the head of the family and the woman is the neck who can move the head any way she wants it.")

4. Is money the determining factor? [Present your idea and explain how you've made it with finances in mind: "I LOVED this one but I found this very similar one for $60 less. What do you think?"]

5. Does your partner simply want to disagree with your ideas? [ Again, all kidding aside here, there are bigger issues going on here & I really think being up front about your partner's disagreeableness is important for your relationship. If you feel that this is going on, the best thing is to be open about it & try to get to the root of the issue here so you can be happier... but sometimes it can be as little as someone having a bad day(really, don't present design decisions when someone's not into it or has had a tough day.)]

6. Does your partner hate change? [ This is another tough one. People get into routines & get used to things and a lot of them don't like change. I think sometimes the best thing here is make it clear to your partner how important it is to you and how much you need this change.]

7. Does your partner just believe something or have an opinion about something that is kind of illogical? [This is a tricky one... sometimes people form opinions/ beliefs about things they don't really know much about based upon one situation or hearsay. "So and so hated having marble countertops... I'll never get them." or "I don't like all-white bedding." or "I hate flowered material." Sometimes people haven't seen all of the options or heard all sides of the argument. I think when you are presenting here it's best to start out with, "Now I know that Johnny didn't like his marble countertops, but read this article on the pros and cons & see if you think they might work out for us." or "I know you're against all-white bedding, but it's going to be easier to clean because we can just bleach it. We can also add in some color with pillows and blankets so it won't feel sterile."

or "I know you don't usually like floral fabrics, but check out this fabric. It's not the traditional floral you would think of & it's not feminine at all. "]

8. Does your partner just think you don't "need" something? [ First make sure that you really do "need" it before proceeding & then explain why you think you need it & why it'll improve things & what it'll do for the space.]

The important thing is to be really respectful of your partner & to make sure that you & your partner don't take opposing sides. Sometimes when someone gets it in his/her head that they've made their decision & it's final, there's no winning. Or at least not happily. He or she might always look at that lamp & be reminded of the battle & hate it. I'll never forget that I asked my friend to take a look at a lamp I was returning. I had purchased it for a client who didn't want it & I called her over & she loved it. She brought it home & when her hubby came home (who is VERY involved in design-decisions.) didn't like it. I felt terrible & was like "I'll take it back." and she was like "no," hahaha and so I left & told them they could decide & let me know. A week or two later, I was over & it was still in the living room with the tags on it and I asked her what the deal was and she said they were still arguing. Eventually she won but I still sort of feel bad and kind of laugh when I see it. (And they are a really happy, healthy couple, it was just the way the design-presenting went down. "Look what I did honey," is never really going to fly with them.)

So anyway, figure out how you and your partner work together. What's the best way to present a design idea for him/her to be most receptive? What type of decider is your partner?

xoxo,

lauren

[I also have to say I'm sorry about all the bad-grammar: "them" and "they" when referring to 1 person but him/ her got really wordy!!!] *images from real simple & fabric & furniture from calico corners

ps- STILL waiting to hear back (3 days! arg!!) about our offer!!!

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Style Files

In the post I did on my office, I mentioned my Style Files & a few of you were interested in how I organize them. My Style Files are a set of binders (that's them above, in the winebox) that I house all of the pages I've ripped out of magazines & printed out from blogs. They're my inspiration files & I can always go back & read an article or look at photos for ideas.

I have 14 different categories & I separate all the pictures into separate style files. Each file is in a binder & I put the torn out pages into clear page protectors. I also save all of the 'resources' sections from the back of the magazines and put them in a separate folder in case I need anything for future reference. I always make sure to write the month & magazine name at the bottom of each photo (if it's not there already) so I can easily find anything in the resource folder if I need it later. (I didn't used to do this in the beginning & regret it!!)

I chose 14 categories because it worked for me (I could probably have done more) & because I had storage boxes that I wanted the binders to fit into perfectly. (ha! I know, I can be OCD at times!) But I really like having the files transportable so I can take them around the house with me: into the living room to watch a movie or (eeesh, should I be admitting this?!!) into the bedroom

The more categories you have, the longer it takes you to figure out which file to put which pages into, but it's also more rewarding in the end, because the articles are easier to find later and it forces you to really analyze the articles & photos & to exercise your design brain. You really start to evaluate the details & I think once you're forcing yourself to categorize information like that, you're honing your eye & becoming more critical & growing as a designer/ decorator/ homeowner. You'll develop favorites & learn why you love those spaces and it'll help you create your own spaces (below):

The catgeories I came up with work for me & may help you figure out your own categories, but it's a very subjective thing & how you categorize rooms (because so many are such a combination of styles) is really up to you. I go with what feels the strongest to me when I look at the room. Sometimes a room will be in a rustic farmhouse & have more modern furnishings... if I'm more interested in the farmhouse details & architecture of the room, then I might file it under "Farmhouse/ Country Elements," but if I thought I would use it more as a reference for the furnishings, it might go under "Modern Elements." Some of my categories are based more upon furniture styles and others are based more upon feelings. It's not exact by any means. And lots of times I change my mind later; it's a process.

I tear out all the pictures from magazines & put them in page protectors when we're watching a movie. That pile then gets put into all the different binders. But I keep one of these big baskets (below) as my filing basket & all the pages waiting to go in stay there because I'm never done. As my tastes evolve, I also recategorize the rooms and I get rid of pictures I'm not interested in any more. Just to warn you, some of these categories & the pics I've put into them may seem out of left field, so don't think I'm crazy!! I realize there's a lot of overlap & the point of the Style Files is for you to be able to to have a reference that works for you. So this-however illogical it may seem! - works for me. :)

Ok, so here are my categories: (and I apologize for the image quality- I used photos of my actual Style Files!!)

1. "Feminine Cottage" The rooms feel feminine & pretty to me. They're not usually in massive, grand homes & they typically have pale colors, maybe skirts on the furnishings, maybe lots of florals, but there is a definite soft, femine quality to these spaces.

2. "Farmhouse/ Country" These rooms have farmhouse and/ or Country elements to them. Maybe simple early-American furnishings or country kitchens or gingham, but whatever it is, it has this feeling for me when I look at the room.

3. "Vibrant- Bohemiam- Eclectic" These rooms have bright colors & feel as if they were created over time with collected items. A world-traveller might live here. Or a hippie. The items in the rooms are interesting & the rooms have that laid-back collected look.

4. "Coastal" These homes feel like they could be on the water & usually are. Lots of whites & blues & nautical items like lanterns & coral, although the color schemes don't always have to be blues & whites. They feel airy & open.

5. "Today's Cottage" These homes are usually a play of old & new. Theyhave those older, charming, cottage elements to them but they are also infused with modern furnishings & elements. You feel as if you're in an older home that has been brought perfectly into today.

6. "Transitional- Calming" These spaces are transitional in style & have a calm, cool feeling about them. They can be similar to "Today's Cottage" rooms but are usually larger & a tiny bit more refined. They tend to be cool neutrals and have some neoclassical elements, usually mahogany, & feel restful & open.

7. "Transitional- warm" These spaces are also transitional & fairly neutral, but they have a warm, cozier feeling about them. There are often piles of books and warm walnut woods in them. These rooms are open & feel very stylish.

8. "Modern Elements" {I'm not huge into modern, so this is my one file and it unfortunately smashes a range of different styles into one} These spaces just feel modern to me- many of the ones I've collected have some warm or natural elements.

9. "Glam Elements" These rooms usually have lots of sparkle & feel swanky. They often have art deco elements & maybe bold feminine colors such as fuscia or purple. They range over a bunch of different furniture style s& can be modern or traditional, but the overall feeling is "glamorous" and there's often a lot of fun energy in these rooms.

10. "Rustic Elements" This one is fairly self-exaplanatory & has rustic elements such as raw beam celings, stone fireplaces, rough hewn furniture, and antlers. Some of these rooms are surprisingly quite refined.

11. "Villa Style" These homes are huge & typical of an Italian or Spanish villa or Mediterranean- style homes. They have cathedral ceilinegs, and can have some rustic elements &/ or Moorish & Tuscan elements. I don't do much of this and so again, lots of different styles have been squeezed into one file but it makes sense for me.

12. "Provincial" These spaces are more rustic versions of formal European styles, such as "the Louis's." They may include furnishings from Sweden, France & other European countries, but they are less grand versions of their formal counterparts.

13. "Formal European" These rooms feel grand & have formal elements that make me think of the styles of the courts. They often include silk, taffeta, formal draperies and/ or lots of ornamentation depending upon the room.

14. "English Elements" These spaces may have traditional English furnishings mixed in with modern pieces & so these rooms can be modern or traditional, but have enough English elements that they make me think "English."

And there you have it!! :) I guess the most important thing here is that the files give you a way to categorize all of the images & stories we're constantly finding so you can use them. I make inspiration boards for clients from all of these images (photocopies of them) & it's so easy & fun when they're categorized.

So what are your favorite categories? Any speak to you?
xoxo,

lauren

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