Decorating our Home with ASR Design Studio
Ariel Richardson and myself, photographed by Megan McMillan
Hi all! If you have been following along with me on social media, then you probably already know that my husband and I just moved homes. We have been absolutely loving having a bigger space to live, but of course that comes with lots of new decisions when it comes to decorating. I am forever grateful for Pinterest for providing me with lots of ideas on furniture positioning, color palettes, wall décor, and closet organization. Girls, you know what I mean, right? It can be so much fun to decorate a new space, but it can also be really overwhelming. Let’s be honest, as great as Pinterest is, it fills your mind with SO many options which can end up feeling like overload. I created a “Humble Abode” board which has subcategories within it (such as kitchen, guest room, living room, etc.) to organize my ideas and to visualize how our new space could look.
As I was working diligently on my Pinterest board planning/organizing, I was contacted by ASR Design Studio. Ariel Richardson is the founder and interior designer of ASR Design Studio, and strives to “create pretty, yet practical spaces.” I hadn’t ever imagined using an interior designer- I thought I could just do it all on my own because Pinterest, duh. But, I am SO glad I had the outside help to really turn my visions and dreams into a reality. What I realized is that there is a difference between using Pinterest and an interior designer: the designer will help you with YOUR space and how to best utilize what you have, instead of looking at what others have done with THEIR space. I am such a huge fan of Pinterest and plan to continue using it for inspiration, but it was really valuable to have someone measure and assess my own unique home.
Ariel Richardson and myself, photographed by Megan McMillan
During my consultation with Ariel, she helped me measure spaces for specific furniture, choose colors for curtains in the living room and master bedroom, organize the closets in each room, arrange furniture positioning within each room (based on the furniture we currently have), and brainstorm décor ideas for each room. It was so nice to feel validated in the ideas that I had going into it, but it was really fun to get a new perspective on our new space from an outside party. The main goal behind Ariel’s work is to create spaces in homes that are functional in everyday life and that suit the personalities, aesthetics, and lifestyles of the people living in them. As a person living in one of those spaces, I really appreciate Ariel’s attentiveness to my personal lifestyle and my desired aesthetic because I not only want my home to be a place that reflects me as a person, but I also want to feel comfortable in it every day. For example, I really want to go with a beachy, yet modern vibe in our home to reflect my love for the beach and towards a fresh/clean look in the home. To create this look, Ariel suggested simpler furniture options and specific beach-forward décor options.
I really liked how Ariel was intentional about listening to me as I told her what I wanted before she gave me any ideas of her own. I had a LOT of thoughts to bring to the table (because again, Pinterest), but she was very supportive of what I already had in mind. She also gave me really practical ideas that I would not have thought of on my own. For example, she gave me the idea of lining up my clutches in an open box in my closet to store them in a way that I could see what I have. Another really great idea she gave me was to place our curtain rods higher than the windows so that the windows appear to be larger than they actually are. Genius!
Here are some useful decorating tips Ariel shared with me:
Place curtain rods much higher than the window to make the window appear larger
Use fun nobs to decorate your dresser and to add some character to your bedroom (Anthropology has cute ones)
To determine the appropriate placement of your t.v., sit on the couch and look straight ahead and place the t.v. at that level so your neck isn’t strained while watching
Use a double curtain rod in the bedroom to include both black out curtains and sheer curtains- this will give you the option to use either depending on the time of day
Use fun colors on items that you can switch out depending on the season of the year or your personal preferences (ex: buy neutral color furniture that never goes out of style and then buy fun pillows to switch in and out because those are cheaper to change)
Overall, I am SO thankful for the help of ASR Design Studio in turning all my house dreams into a reality! I cannot wait to see how everything will turn out in the next couple of months! If anyone reading this is in the San Diego area I would highly recommend using ASR Design Studio for your home, apartment, studio, or condo.
I will be posting photos of the house once it is all finished, so be on the lookout for that in the upcoming months :)
Ariel’s contact info:
Ariel Richardson
(510) 545-9425
www.asrdesignstudio.com
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ariel or leave a comment below!
xx, Lindsey