I am an interior designer. This is a great video for anyone starting to work on a design project for their home.to help with staying on focus while designing a room or a house. I spend a lot of time working with my clients and getting them to focus and have a goal in mind for their home's design.
"Purniture"= Perfect furniture. You coined a new phrase. The Purniture that I want has to be leather or Crypton fabric because my pets are brutal on a sofa and I need to have it be easy-care. Comfort is also key. I am in my sixties and my husband is buidling me my own little cottage from scratch in his spare time(he has another full time job and his own cabin-also unfinished). I have been sitting on a mattress on the floor or a lawn chair for four years. I recovered from two heart attacks and a mini stroke last year in an unfinished house. It was kind of depressing and I am sucking up your content because this is the year that I will finally have a finished living room. I can't wait to furnish it and enjoy my little sanctuary.
Awwww babe sending you a hug 🤗 This is a new chapter for you for sure. Perhaps focusing on the little things, the things that are easier yet visually joyful will do wonders for your mood and confidence getting back into it. Sending you love and inspiration your way ✨✨✨🤍🤍🤍
I never go anywhere without my measurements! It just saved me from buying 2 perfect vintage nightstands that would have been 6 inches too large for my tiny bedroom. I love your color plan idea too. I had a vague idea regarding colors, but I'm going to hone that in now. Your tips really help those of us who have lots of ideas but get overwhelmed by options! ❤
Yeah!!!!! I’m so excited for you. I love when I get more clarity as to what I’m working towards 🤍 Keep me posted on your color palette and so glad you got those measurements down!! 👏👏👏
You really nailed it with your moodboard Christina. It has the same feel, right down to the brown tapestry.Calm, warm and welcoming. My problem is that I love all white interiors, but then find that my moodboards have a long of dark olive green, camel leather and cozy darker tones and yet I have already bought a white alabaster lamp, a white faux fur, and painted my fpine loors whitein my cottage. I can't imagine that pallet with a darker persian style rug and darker leather furniture (especially the olive green). If there is such a thing as design schizophrenia, I have it!
I hear you! I’m the same way. I do love some good contrast though-maybe you can incorporate some dark things into your white palette? Especially that dark green. We use some black in our home to tap into my love of darker moodier spaces-always trying to find a balance between the two.
Good points. For me the money thing is important (I have limited budget), connected to the moodboard (and yes, measurements!!) . I notice myself that with more knowledge of beautiful homes, and good quality things, it is even more important to make a plan, when you have limited budget. So you can make thoughtful choices, even within your budget. And then there is this joy when you find that great piece for your home, that is affordable for you, but still elevates your home. Thanks for adding valuable inspo to my design journey!
💛Thank you Christina - I will download the ebook 🙏. I'm halfway through Frida's handbook too - really good info. I love the 'barley twist' trolley on your mood board. I added a barley twist side table to my lounge room earlier this year (an amazing FB find) and it provides the perfect vintage juxtaposition to the modern furniture I have. I also have a classic leather military officers' chair that I never sit on, just display like a 'still life' composition, draped with a yellow-gold piece of fabric, flanked with frames and art leaning against the wall. It's my artistic moment beneath the staircase. Have a beautiful day xx
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio Your mini guidebook distils the process beautifully. I also see how much your mood board has influenced what your gorgeous living room looks like now. I've not used one before because I added/replaced items very slowly. I'd hold up my phone with a photo of the new item I wanted to add/replace and get a sense if it worked or not while in the room. I will start using one when I am updating my bedroom, though, because I see great benefit. I hope you are doing very well and that your mum is OK. x🌞x
Oh wonderful, Joanna! I’m happy you enjoyed the guidebook. Yes it’s really helped me stay focused. In the past I was easily pulled in many directions because I like so many things, but this practice definitely helped me hone into the feeling I wanted to our home. Good luck on the bedroom!!! 😘
Thank you, Christina! Nice, succinct summary of how to do it right. One thing I learned the hard way--and you mention it--is measure, measure, measure! That lovely, comfy sofa you bought isn't going to do you any good if it won't fit through the dang door when it's delivered!
Christina, you are so sweet to give us your ebook! Love your content. It adds such a fresh dimension to all the other information out there! Thank you so much!
Hi Teri 🤗 I’m so happy you enjoyed the video and got the e-book! I am really focused on getting you info that is not mainstream-so I appreciate you noting this! Thank you so much, lovely!!
Christina! so so generous and helpful! I find myself resisting the "mood board" and the planning. I am an intuitive painter and my process is to just do what comes to me in the moment until things start to "work" (this seems to be in my DNA or at least my default brain wiring!) I spent years getting my last space "right". But this time I want to design my new space much more quickly; I've downloaded your guidebook. This may even alter the way I paint! Thank you!
Ahhh wonderful, Carol 🤗 I’m so there for intuitive painting. For me studio time is my lab time, but that said I’ve made some good and not so exciting choices this way! If we have time and unlimited resources, then why not? When it comes to decorating/designing my home I do not, and I would say that neither do most people. In terms of art, I got to a place where I know my colors, my style, etc and work within that fame-similar to a mood board I guess 😂 In design, the mood board is fun tool to help you stay focused. Get a glass of wine or hot team and make it fun ☺️ It’s starting place that will evolve, just like our art practice! Good luck my friend and keep me posted on your home-and your studio practice 🤍
Excellent video Christina! I always have a small tape measure in my purse. I wouldn’t be without it. Thank you for the e-book, I’ve just downloaded it. 😍
This reminds me of my recent facebook post : “I go back and forth about this chair. I actually have two of them. Upholstery is in great shape. But… I realised today that my problem is that I am decorating houses for three different [me]s : The woman who lives in an old just-unsealed villa or castle with sort of outdated baroque stuff and old religious tat, that’s all sun-faded and moth-eaten, but the walls are lime washed, and the curtain sheers are floaty, and the space feels sunny so you can drink red wine or sangria all day and someone is playing the cello in the other room and maybe Prince Stash, son of Balthus, is your neighbour. Sort of 70s pastiche of the Amalfi coast. This chair would be part of that. The woman who lives in an old (not industrial!) loft space in New York in the 50s, everything sort of mid-century municipal library modernism, large library stacks with those hand-crank sliders, grand walls with giant ABEX paintings, scandi+Donald Judd furniture, Julian Schnabel’s kitchen. Nice old stereo with warm speakers. This chair is not part of that. The woman who lives in some hot climate, probably a house once belonging to some coloniser from Europe to be honest, somewhere like Cuba or Indochina or Rio de Janeiro, with Bahamian shutters and dark wood furniture, or else bamboo and rattan, who sits on the veranda and drinks gin and tonics for the quinine, trappings of Peter Beard’s tent in Kenya, all that André Breton “Wall” stuff I can’t force myself not to love (but edited down because I hate dust), all my problematic Orientalism + Cubist paintings and an outdoor bathtub. This chair is not part of that, but maybe could be. And these three women also have to take [my husband’s] 1950’s American diner + Picasso-era Montparnasse desires into consideration. 😢
I am looking forward to using your guide book! Although, my budget is more Facebook Marketplace and Lowe's 😅😅 Rather than designer showrooms. But I'm sure the steps you laid out in the video will work for any budget 😉. If you look in the dictionary for the definition of "winging it," you'll find a picture of me. So a mood board will probably help me😆
Lovely Timi, you can do this on any budget and even better via secondhand-my favorite for finding unique things. Often you spend the same amount for a used well made piece as you would buying something “less expensive” from places like Amazon, Lowe’s, etc. Nothing wrong with mixing in some of that, but I have found, especially once you have your big picture vision for the space, you actually save money because you can zoom in on what you actually need /want-no matter the budget. Best of luck my friend. You can do this 😘
😢I totally agree with this. Some of my favorite pieces were either gifted to me, found thrifting, or purchased at antique stores. The great thing about older furniture is that they were built to last, and usually cost less or the same as poorly constructed new pieces. Also, if you can sew, you can reupholster them yourself, saving a lot of money.
Marcia you are speaking my love language 🥰 111% truth, babe!! My dad makes and upholsters furniture-so this is in my blood ❤️ Thank you for affirming this 🤗
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio I will try my best 🙃Yes I prefer buying 2nd hand wood furniture on Facebook Marketplace. There are SO many awesome antique and vintage side boards, dressers, end tables, etc that just need some love. Refinishing. Repairing a leg or something. I really love doing that. It takes me for-e-ver to complete a project, but eventually I get there. I've kind of had rotten luck finding a sofa though. So far anyways. But I do sew @marciafirst2271 and I've recovered small things like dining chairs and benches 😉
So, just say with the mood board that you've chosen, what if someone likes this style but they also like a few other styles? Do you suggest they add it all together, or is it suggested that they sway toward one style only? Say I like many elements of Japandi style but then again, I like Eclectic. How do you mesh your favorite styles together? I always wonder these things when Im watching designers, as there are so many out there. Ive figured it out for myself. I just wanted your take on it if possible 😊❤
Hi! This is totally possible. My personal style is always evolving but it is never “just one thing.” I also have a different design philosophy and do not want cookie cutter designs. They should be unique and have a personality, just like us. I would suggest adding all your images together in one folder (or one folder on Pinterest) then look for similarities-things that play nice together. I’m very eclectic myself and that said, I don’t believe in using just one style throughout a room or home. We are multifaceted people and living in one style would mean leaving parts of ourselves out of the mix. I myself could not live in just one style. It would feel restrictive. When designing a home it’s important to identify those things that make your heart sing as I like to say. It’s my way of saying pick the things that feel right/good to you. It’s a lot of connecting to your instincts and going with that gut feeling. It’s a practice though-especially if someone is not used to this. So gather images of those things and play with the images in varied combinations until you find something that makes you happy. It’s somewhat intuitive like creating artwork and also a big like solving a puzzle. Also I think it’s important t to have fun with it and not put so much pressure on ourselves to have it perfect on the first go. We are always learning, evolving and changing. I hope this helps!! 🤗
I just used The Guide on the smallest room in my house, the bathroom, as a practice run. Until I used your guide, I had no idea I could realize so much through this, even for a small room. Wow. I have a whole conception and real plan, even for a small room. You cover it all, and make it so simple. I can't wait to write up the next room! Thank you for your gift. 🤍
Awww babe! That’s so sweet of you! No, I don’t have a donate button. Never thought about it until just now. I hope you enjoy the e-book!! Let me know how it goes and if you have questions 😘
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio Thank you for creating the guide. I wish I had it before I purchased my sofa! Anyway, I value your hard work and wanted to offer something.
@@civilizeddiva You being here in the comments and sharing your experience and good vibes is just lovely and worth every minute of creating this 🤍 I’m serious! Thank you 🤗 I’ll look into a donation button for the future.
I am an interior designer. This is a great video for anyone starting to work on a design project for their home.to help with staying on focus while designing a room or a house. I spend a lot of time working with my clients and getting them to focus and have a goal in mind for their home's design.
Thank you! Yes this is what I do as well! I want to help others who may not be able to work with a designers, "design" their home.
Thank you Christina! I appreciate your calm, simplified approach!
Hi babe!! Hope this helps get you started 😘
"Purniture"= Perfect furniture. You coined a new phrase. The Purniture that I want has to be leather or Crypton fabric because my pets are brutal on a sofa and I need to have it be easy-care. Comfort is also key. I am in my sixties and my husband is buidling me my own little cottage from scratch in his spare time(he has another full time job and his own cabin-also unfinished). I have been sitting on a mattress on the floor or a lawn chair for four years. I recovered from two heart attacks and a mini stroke last year in an unfinished house. It was kind of depressing and I am sucking up your content because this is the year that I will finally have a finished living room. I can't wait to furnish it and enjoy my little sanctuary.
Awwww babe sending you a hug 🤗 This is a new chapter for you for sure. Perhaps focusing on the little things, the things that are easier yet visually joyful will do wonders for your mood and confidence getting back into it. Sending you love and inspiration your way ✨✨✨🤍🤍🤍
I never go anywhere without my measurements! It just saved me from buying 2 perfect vintage nightstands that would have been 6 inches too large for my tiny bedroom. I love your color plan idea too. I had a vague idea regarding colors, but I'm going to hone that in now. Your tips really help those of us who have lots of ideas but get overwhelmed by options! ❤
Yeah!!!!! I’m so excited for you. I love when I get more clarity as to what I’m working towards 🤍 Keep me posted on your color palette and so glad you got those measurements down!! 👏👏👏
You really nailed it with your moodboard Christina. It has the same feel, right down to the brown tapestry.Calm, warm and welcoming. My problem is that I love all white interiors, but then find that my moodboards have a long of dark olive green, camel leather and cozy darker tones and yet I have already bought a white alabaster lamp, a white faux fur, and painted my fpine loors whitein my cottage. I can't imagine that pallet with a darker persian style rug and darker leather furniture (especially the olive green). If there is such a thing as design schizophrenia, I have it!
I hear you! I’m the same way. I do love some good contrast though-maybe you can incorporate some dark things into your white palette? Especially that dark green. We use some black in our home to tap into my love of darker moodier spaces-always trying to find a balance between the two.
Good points. For me the money thing is important (I have limited budget), connected to the moodboard (and yes, measurements!!) . I notice myself that with more knowledge of beautiful homes, and good quality things, it is even more important to make a plan, when you have limited budget. So you can make thoughtful choices, even within your budget. And then there is this joy when you find that great piece for your home, that is affordable for you, but still elevates your home. Thanks for adding valuable inspo to my design journey!
Yes exactly, Grady 🤗 Big smiles over here reading your comment-while thinking of your lovely new bedside table! It is always my please, luv!!!
Great stuff, thank you 😊. I LOVE the spreadsheet...it is also good documentation for insurance coverage and claims!
Ooooh VERY good point, Sophia!!!
Brilliant!
Yes, a class, you are gifted and have much to teach. ❤
🤗 Thank you Izzie!! I appreciate you saying that 🤍
💛Thank you Christina - I will download the ebook 🙏. I'm halfway through Frida's handbook too - really good info. I love the 'barley twist' trolley on your mood board. I added a barley twist side table to my lounge room earlier this year (an amazing FB find) and it provides the perfect vintage juxtaposition to the modern furniture I have. I also have a classic leather military officers' chair that I never sit on, just display like a 'still life' composition, draped with a yellow-gold piece of fabric, flanked with frames and art leaning against the wall. It's my artistic moment beneath the staircase. Have a beautiful day xx
Sounds lovely, Joanna! Hope you enjoy the mini guidebook! Sending you big hugs 🤗
PS Lots of good stuff in Frida’s book!
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio Your mini guidebook distils the process beautifully. I also see how much your mood board has influenced what your gorgeous living room looks like now. I've not used one before because I added/replaced items very slowly. I'd hold up my phone with a photo of the new item I wanted to add/replace and get a sense if it worked or not while in the room. I will start using one when I am updating my bedroom, though, because I see great benefit. I hope you are doing very well and that your mum is OK. x🌞x
Oh wonderful, Joanna! I’m happy you enjoyed the guidebook. Yes it’s really helped me stay focused. In the past I was easily pulled in many directions because I like so many things, but this practice definitely helped me hone into the feeling I wanted to our home. Good luck on the bedroom!!! 😘
Thank you, Christina! Nice, succinct summary of how to do it right. One thing I learned the hard way--and you mention it--is measure, measure, measure! That lovely, comfy sofa you bought isn't going to do you any good if it won't fit through the dang door when it's delivered!
Haha you are so right, Gregg!!! Thank you for your terrific comment 🤗
Christina, you are so sweet to give us your ebook! Love your content. It adds such a fresh dimension to all the other information out there! Thank you so much!
Hi Teri 🤗 I’m so happy you enjoyed the video and got the e-book! I am really focused on getting you info that is not mainstream-so I appreciate you noting this! Thank you so much, lovely!!
I always mean to ask, is this a pic of your dog? Such a cutie!!
Christina! so so generous and helpful! I find myself resisting the "mood board" and the planning. I am an intuitive painter and my process is to just do what comes to me in the moment until things start to "work" (this seems to be in my DNA or at least my default brain wiring!) I spent years getting my last space "right". But this time I want to design my new space much more quickly; I've downloaded your guidebook. This may even alter the way I paint! Thank you!
Ahhh wonderful, Carol 🤗 I’m so there for intuitive painting. For me studio time is my lab time, but that said I’ve made some good and not so exciting choices this way! If we have time and unlimited resources, then why not?
When it comes to decorating/designing my home I do not, and I would say that neither do most people. In terms of art, I got to a place where I know my colors, my style, etc and work within that fame-similar to a mood board I guess 😂 In design, the mood board is fun tool to help you stay focused. Get a glass of wine or hot team and make it fun ☺️ It’s starting place that will evolve, just like our art practice! Good luck my friend and keep me posted on your home-and your studio practice 🤍
Thank you, Christina! Love you so nuch.
Awwww thanks, luv 🥰
Excellent video Christina! I always have a small tape measure in my purse. I wouldn’t be without it. Thank you for the e-book, I’ve just downloaded it. 😍
Smart Paulene!!!! Saved you from buying a few things that wouldn’t fit properly I’m sure. Thank you for checking out the book 🥰
Thank you for providing step by step guidelines. Live right back at you
Pat!!! Hi babe! Thank you for watching and appreciating the video. That makes me 🥰
Good reminder of significance to make a plan, make a plan, make a plan- and then stay on plan! Sending love back from France ;)
Yes I believe you’ve got it!! Big hugs!! 🤗
This reminds me of my recent facebook post :
“I go back and forth about this chair. I actually have two of them. Upholstery is in great shape. But…
I realised today that my problem is that I am decorating houses for three different [me]s :
The woman who lives in an old just-unsealed villa or castle with sort of outdated baroque stuff and old religious tat, that’s all sun-faded and moth-eaten, but the walls are lime washed, and the curtain sheers are floaty, and the space feels sunny so you can drink red wine or sangria all day and someone is playing the cello in the other room and maybe Prince Stash, son of Balthus, is your neighbour. Sort of 70s pastiche of the Amalfi coast. This chair would be part of that.
The woman who lives in an old (not industrial!) loft space in New York in the 50s, everything sort of mid-century municipal library modernism, large library stacks with those hand-crank sliders, grand walls with giant ABEX paintings, scandi+Donald Judd furniture, Julian Schnabel’s kitchen. Nice old stereo with warm speakers. This chair is not part of that.
The woman who lives in some hot climate, probably a house once belonging to some coloniser from Europe to be honest, somewhere like Cuba or Indochina or Rio de Janeiro, with Bahamian shutters and dark wood furniture, or else bamboo and rattan, who sits on the veranda and drinks gin and tonics for the quinine, trappings of Peter Beard’s tent in Kenya, all that André Breton “Wall” stuff I can’t force myself not to love (but edited down because I hate dust), all my problematic Orientalism + Cubist paintings and an outdoor bathtub. This chair is not part of that, but maybe could be.
And these three women also have to take [my husband’s] 1950’s American diner + Picasso-era Montparnasse desires into consideration. 😢
@@honeyrococo Ha! So beautiful, humorous, and vividly written-love, love LOVE and relate to every word 🥰😂
I am looking forward to using your guide book! Although, my budget is more Facebook Marketplace and Lowe's 😅😅 Rather than designer showrooms. But I'm sure the steps you laid out in the video will work for any budget 😉. If you look in the dictionary for the definition of "winging it," you'll find a picture of me. So a mood board will probably help me😆
Lovely Timi, you can do this on any budget and even better via secondhand-my favorite for finding unique things. Often you spend the same amount for a used well made piece as you would buying something “less expensive” from places like Amazon, Lowe’s, etc. Nothing wrong with mixing in some of that, but I have found, especially once you have your big picture vision for the space, you actually save money because you can zoom in on what you actually need /want-no matter the budget.
Best of luck my friend. You can do this 😘
😢I totally agree with this. Some of my favorite pieces were either gifted to me, found thrifting, or purchased at antique stores. The great thing about older furniture is that they were built to last, and usually cost less or the same as poorly constructed new pieces. Also, if you can sew, you can reupholster them yourself, saving a lot of money.
Marcia you are speaking my love language 🥰 111% truth, babe!! My dad makes and upholsters furniture-so this is in my blood ❤️ Thank you for affirming this 🤗
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio I will try my best 🙃Yes I prefer buying 2nd hand wood furniture on Facebook Marketplace. There are SO many awesome antique and vintage side boards, dressers, end tables, etc that just need some love. Refinishing. Repairing a leg or something. I really love doing that. It takes me for-e-ver to complete a project, but eventually I get there. I've kind of had rotten luck finding a sofa though. So far anyways. But I do sew @marciafirst2271 and I've recovered small things like dining chairs and benches 😉
Sending good resale sofa vibes your way Timi ✨✨✨ she’s out there some where!!!
This was so awesome! Thank you!
You are so welcome, Stephanie! Happy you enjoyed it!! 🤗
It's very helpful! Thank you.
You’re so welcome babe!! Happy you’re here! 🤗
So, just say with the mood board that you've chosen, what if someone likes this style but they also like a few other styles? Do you suggest they add it all together, or is it suggested that they sway toward one style only? Say I like many elements of Japandi style but then again, I like Eclectic. How do you mesh your favorite styles together? I always wonder these things when Im watching designers, as there are so many out there. Ive figured it out for myself. I just wanted your take on it if possible 😊❤
Hi! This is totally possible. My personal style is always evolving but it is never “just one thing.” I also have a different design philosophy and do not want cookie cutter designs. They should be unique and have a personality, just like us.
I would suggest adding all your images together in one folder (or one folder on Pinterest) then look for similarities-things that play nice together.
I’m very eclectic myself and that said, I don’t believe in using just one style throughout a room or home. We are multifaceted people and living in one style would mean leaving parts of ourselves out of the mix. I myself could not live in just one style. It would feel restrictive.
When designing a home it’s important to identify those things that make your heart sing as I like to say. It’s my way of saying pick the things that feel right/good to you. It’s a lot of connecting to your instincts and going with that gut feeling. It’s a practice though-especially if someone is not used to this.
So gather images of those things and play with the images in varied combinations until you find something that makes you happy. It’s somewhat intuitive like creating artwork and also a big like solving a puzzle. Also I think it’s important t to have fun with it and not put so much pressure on ourselves to have it perfect on the first go. We are always learning, evolving and changing.
I hope this helps!! 🤗
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio Yes, thank you! 😊🌺
🤗
Excellent!!
Glad you like it! Thank you for watching 🤗
I just used The Guide on the smallest room in my house, the bathroom, as a practice run. Until I used your guide, I had no idea I could realize so much through this, even for a small room. Wow. I have a whole conception and real plan, even for a small room. You cover it all, and make it so simple. I can't wait to write up the next room! Thank you for your gift. 🤍
Wonderful Tascha!! I’m so happy to hear it’s helping you!! Simple steps with big results 🤗 Yeah!!!
Love this video Christina :)
Glad you liked it, Shauna!! 🤗
How do we sign for the newsletter?
Hi you can access it with this link:
www.christinadistefanostudio.com/mini-guide-book-sign-up
I THINK YOU MADE THIS VIDEO FOR ME, LOL.
Hahaha 😂 I have been there too!! Glad it resonated with you!!
I downloaded the ebook and planned to donate to your channel. I just realized you don't have a donation (Thanks$) button😔.
Awww babe! That’s so sweet of you! No, I don’t have a donate button. Never thought about it until just now. I hope you enjoy the e-book!! Let me know how it goes and if you have questions 😘
@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio Thank you for creating the guide. I wish I had it before I purchased my sofa! Anyway, I value your hard work and wanted to offer something.
@@civilizeddiva You being here in the comments and sharing your experience and good vibes is just lovely and worth every minute of creating this 🤍 I’m serious! Thank you 🤗
I’ll look into a donation button for the future.
Christina, would you consider doing a video on colorful homes? Or people who love color and can’t narrow it down? Lol
Absolutely! I love color even though I live with these warm white walls ;)
💪
🤗
Unable to find the link to the ebook!
It’s in the video description 😉
YEP me. :)
😂 Love it!!!! Yes of course it is! ❤️