When Julea Joseph lived in San Francisco, she discovered the value of space and what to do when there wasn't much of it.
And what started as a lifestyle necessity to make the most of her California home's interior became a way to make a living when she founded Reinventing Space seven years ago.
"When I first decided to do this for a living, I had read a small article in Better Homes and Gardens on the Interior Arrangement and Design Association, which was a group of women who had been doing these one-day makeovers," Joseph said.
"They sought each other out and formed an association. That was what I had been doing all along. It was exactly what I was looking for."
So, Joseph contacted the association and became connected to the design loop.
With a degree in psychology and additional coursework in art, she was prepared to help clientele solve their style challenges.
"I wanted to be the decorator whom I would hire Ñ someone who was educated, very savvy media-wise and able to know what the personality and design goals were for my clients," Joseph said.
She has since relocated with her family to Palos Park and brought her interior styling business to the Midwest, which she noted was slower to catch on to the home design trend.
"But the past two years have been a little crazy," Joseph said, adding that Midwesterners are finally into the swing of home makeovers.
Her experience has led to her appearing with Janet Davies on "Home Improvement Fridays" for ABC 7 last February, as well as in two episodes of HGTV's "Decorating Cents."
"Initially, I always ask (my clients) what their dilemmas are. I ask, 'What areas of your home need my services?'" Joseph said.
She then has three main questions:
1. What is the function of the space?
2. How does the client really use the space?
3. What is the mood or intended mood of the space?
"My job is to identify what the lifestyle and personality of the home is," Joseph said.
Her initial consultations also begin with homework that is sent to the client before the first meeting.
Joseph has drawn on her psychology background to create a questionnaire to find out what people think about their homes.
The answers provide the data she needs to help meet the design goals.
Joseph said she works to create an atmosphere that clients will truly want to live in 24-7.
Sometimes that includes incorporating what she calls "pieces with soul," which are family heirlooms.
Other times it's sorting through furniture and accessories to find the keepers or bringing a unified color scheme to a house so that rooms flow.
"Most people try to make all their rooms pull together but end up with theme rooms," Joseph said.
"They have a Napa Valley kitchen, a lighthouse room, a room with leftovers from grandma. I work with a lot of clients, picking and choosing what needs to stay."
While she said she loves color, she utilizes only one color palette throughout a house.
She also tries to steer clients from fad colors and styles because their rooms may quickly look out of date.
Instead, Joseph suggests buying accessories in the fad colors or small accent furniture pieces in the newest style so homeowners are not committed to living with those choices.
Paint can always be changed, she added, so that is yet another way to bring in what's hot.
Joseph points out, though, that 90 percent of the color palettes she chooses for clients are in the sage green or smoky blue families.
Bold or bright colors can be incorporated into those palettes, but in limited amounts for accent or emphasis.
However, if one is looking to have the hippest house on the block, she said bold colors are going to be popular for a while.
Starting this spring, pink hues will intensify, while green as well as orange will remain strong. Also, vivid purple is still hanging around, and blues are going to become more turquoise.
According to Joseph, design styles are moving toward the more graphic, featuring retro 1960s art and geometric prints.
Oddly enough, mixing in with this late 1960s and early 1970s design scheme is the preppy look from the 1980s.
Joseph said the summery oranges, lime greens and bright pinks are being pulled together with tight stripes and white accents to replicate that East Hamptons look.
She added that color is making a comeback in kitchens with colored inserts for many appliances.
And as people finish making over their cabinetry by ripping them out or resurfacing them, those shiny laminate cabinet surfaces are coming back in style to represent a sleek, Euro look.
Still, making changes in one's home is often hard or intimidating, and some people may want to start small.
But the new year is a great time to try new things, Joseph said.
"Especially after a major holiday like Christmas, rooms need a new lease on life," she said.
"All your usual accessories and furniture have been stashed into a closet, having been replaced by the holiday decor or moved to a different location to make room for the Christmas tree.
"Why would you want to put them back exactly the way they were before? Boring!
"Now that the holiday decor has been stored away, now is a perfect opportunity to start the year fresh with a new look in your rooms."
Joseph's stylings can breathe new life into existing furniture and accessories, or she can create a master vision for clients.
She also can serve as a personal style shopper for a home's new look, handles commercial work, provides party planning, and does real estate staging for those preparing to sell a home.
More information on Reinventing Space in Palos Park is with Julea Joseph at (708) 448-7500 or at www.julea.com.
| © reinventing space |
| e-mail: jjj@reinventingspace.com |
| phone: 708.448.7500 • fax: 708.923.6426 |
| mailing address: P. O. Box 130 • Palos Park, Illinois 60464 |