Tips For Adding Local Flair To Your Home From A San Francisco Designer

Interior designers work with clients to decorate or remodel interior spaces to make them attractive and useful for their intended purposes. These professionals are concerned about using spaces effectively, while also keeping client budgets in mind. San Francisco has no shortage of designers, yet with the DIY trend gaining momentum, tips from an interior designer are sure to be welcomed by savvy home owners and renters alike. Here are five resourceful tips from a San Francisco designer to help inspire your own creative flair.

Niche Interiors
(415) 749-0610
www.nicheinteriors.com

Niche Interiors provides contemporary, eco-friendly interior design services to homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Principal designer and Owner Jennifer Jones has a keen sense for visualizing what her clients want and translating that vision into reality. Niche Interiors has been featured in several publications, including California Home + Design, the San Francisco Chronicle and HGTV.com. The Niche Interiors team is committed to greener and healthier homes, and Jennifer is a Certified Green Building Professional with Build it Green. The firm is also committed to the community, and has donated its skills to local non-profits. Here are five decorating tips from the Niche team.

1. The San Francisco Bay Area is a hotbed for industrial and rustic design -- just take a look at the interiors of many of our hip, new restaurants. Incorporate a dose of this trend into your home with industrial-inspired chandeliers, exposed Edison light bulbs and reclaimed wood tables. Just be careful not to go overboard - a few accents go a long way.

2. While there is a wide variety of architectural styles in San Francisco, one common thread is our collective tight quarters. Efficient and creative space planning is crucial when dealing with both compact Edwardians and open plan lofts. Create a floor plan for your space BEFORE purchasing furniture items. Determine the proportion and scale of each piece, and then hit the furniture stores.

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3. Don't be afraid to mix furniture styles and eras. Michael Taylor's "California look" has influenced design in the West since the 1980s, when he started combining furniture from various eras. Today's "eclectic" style takes it one step further -- mixing even more disparate styles, such as sleek modern with traditional antiques. Purchase furniture pieces that you love rather than focusing on their provenance to achieve an eclectic look.

4. Embrace the fog. San Francisco's filtered light is a thing of beauty. Enhance this by selecting paint colors that complement the view -- moody grays, silvers and silvery blues are all great options.

5. Invite the Victorians to dinner. Give a nod to San Francisco's Edwardian and Victorian architecture with tufted armchairs, wainscoting, embossed tin ceilings, Damask wallpaper and bold floral prints. Mix a few of these items with other styles so your home doesn't look too 'matchy.'

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Melanie Graysmith is a freelance writer and artist based in San Francisco. She writes on adult education, art and lifestyle topics, and enjoys writing short stories and poetry. Melanie is a member of an independent filmmaking group and aims to spin her stories into film. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.