Capturing Mood

Living Room by Bunny WilliamsAn important feature of a successful interior design is setting the mood.  The mood can be warm and cozy, cool and light, fun and casual, or sophisticated and formal.  In other words, the mood is what gives the room personality.  Without mood, the room can turn out bland and forgettable. 

How does an interior designer capture a mood?  There are many tools that a designer can use.  The easiest is the use of color.  If you want to establish light and airy, the mood of spring, then you can use the colors of spring.  In the living room above by Bunny Williams, she applied a color scheme of sky blue, bright yellows, greens and whites, a spring-like palette.  Accessories are another tool used to establish mood.  Ms. Williams used topiary and graphic prints of flowers to remind you of spring. 

Bedroom by Catherine CleareIf you want to create a soft, romantic mood, then study designer Catherine Cleare’s ideas for a master bedroom. Cleare applied a variety of textiles to achieve her romantic look.  She used soft cottons for the bed canopy and added ruffles to the vanity and bed linens.  She also chose floral wallpaper to further the romantic effect.  Lighting is also another tool which a designer employs to create a mood.  Since a soft look is the goal, Cleare used several small lamps with linen shades to soften the light output. 

Living Room by Joe NyeMany clients want a warm and cozy feel in their living space.  To achieve this mood, Los Angeles designer Joe Nye applied a warm muted palette to his room.  He used an orange raffia wall covering by Phillip Jeffries to add warmth and texture to the space.  He chose dark woods for the furniture and mirror to give depth and warmth.  He also chose a tufted sofa which is very inviting and added several pillows for the cozy touch. 

Interested in learning more about interior design?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories. 

Sheffield School Interior Design Course Now Includes All New Audio

The Sheffield School has introduced brand new audio lessons into its Complete Course in Interior Design. The new audio replaces existing audio CD’s in the course for all new and existing students, and helps to bring the interior design course up to date in the fast pace world of design trends.

The audio segments feature, Janet Ramin, the Sheffield School’s lead student advisor, and Jay Johnson, the school’s curriculum developer. Janet is a professional interior designer and has worked with interior design students for many years to help them achieve success. Jay heads the successful interior design blog Design2Share.com and is a featured blogger on the Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace blog, providing advice for interior designers.

Janet and Jay guide students through each lesson and project in the course, and they bring in guest instructors Joie Anderson and Lee Hegi for additional advice on furniture styles and the business of interior design. Jay has added special advice segments for interior designers, like recommended design blogs, interior design advice from design icon Dorothy Draper, and how to handle difficult clients.

A key part of interior design education is learning to discuss good design when you see it. New this year for the course is a completely updated Room Reference Guide, featuring the amazing work of some of the top interior designers in the United States. Janet and Jay go through many of the rooms in the new guide and talk about the features they admire the most; they also discuss the key decisions that the designers made to solve challenges in entry halls, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and baths. 

About the Sheffield School

For over 25 years, the Sheffield School has trained successful designers and wedding planners.  Founded in 1985 as an Interior Design school, it has since added courses in Feng Shui Interior Design, Wedding & Event Planning, and Jewelry Design.  All of the Sheffield School’s programs are distance education courses and serve students all over the world. The Sheffield School is owned and operated by Distance Education Co., LLC, with two sister schools also located in Manhattan, the New York Institute of Photography and the New York Institute of Career Development.

Question of the Week: Do You Run Your Own Business?

Welcome to this week’s installment of the Sheffield Says Question of the Week. Each week we’ll ask readers a question pertinent to being creative, earning a living, do-it-yourself projects, and much, much more. We’re excited to hear what you have to say!

Last week’s question was, what Sheffield School field of study are you most interested in?

This week, we want to know whether or not you run your own business. There are many people who are interested in Interior Design, Jewelry Design, and Wedding Planning for personal reasons and hobbies, but we know there are also many of you out there with a goal of starting a business in one of these fields. And we want to know, who is already there.

Share your answer below, and don’t be afraid to use the comments to tell us why you’re interested in that field!

Are you currently running your own business?
	Yes, full time
	Yes, part time
	Not yet
	I don't plan on running a business
pollcode.com free polls

Catch you next week. Same time, same place.

Question of the Week: What Field of Study Are You Into?

Welcome to this week’s installment of the Sheffield Says Question of the Week. Each week we’ll ask readers a question pertinent to being creative, earning a living, do-it-yourself projects, and much, much more. We’re excited to hear what you have to say!

Last week’s question was simple. Do you use Pinterest?

This week, we want to know what field of study you are most interested in. As some of you may know, the Sheffield School prides itself on the quality of our courses. And those courses cover a variety of subjects.

We know that not all of our blog readers are students, so we would like to know which field you’re most interested in. Share your answer below, and don’t be afraid to use the comments to tell us why you’re interested in that field!

What Sheffield School Field of Study Interests You the Most?
	Interior Design
	Wedding and Event Planning
	Jewelry Design
	Feng Shui
pollcode.com free polls

Catch you next week. Same time, same place.