Gunkelmans Interior Design Blog

Last week our industry celebrated with the annual ASID Awards banquet, and the 25th Anniversary of our local design center, IMS (International Market Square).   Congratulations to the winners of the night and to IMS and the great showrooms.   We couldn't have such a wonderful design community without you!

 The Atrium, where the awards dinner was held

Social gathering and project boards for viewing 

 Talla Skogmo, Jeff Belz, Tom Gunkelman, Brad Shark, Wes Kuske, Mary Dworsky

 Jennifer Zirkelbach, Daniel Rymanowski, Karen McKay, Paul Dunkel

We're making design easier for you with DesignLink.

DesignLink is a new program we offer to make design more affordable and easy for you. 

How it works:

You Choose a Room or Rooms

• Dining Room
• Living Room
• Family Room
• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• Library/Study
• Currently kitchens are referred to Gunkelmans Interior Design full interior design service

Photos Are Key

You send us at least 8 images of the room you would like designed.  Be sure to specify any pieces that you would like to retain from your existing pieces and incorporate into the new look.   

Measurements Are A Must

Detailed measurements of the room which include:

• Outer circumference of room
• Height of ceiling
• Doorways - height and width and placement within the room
• Windows – height, width and height off the floor and placement within the room
• Measurement of any existing pieces you would like to use.
• This website offers tips on how to measure.

Design Is In The Details

Besides all the details above, we'd love to see any images of rooms you love – whether from magazines, websites or whatever means, if there's something that speaks to you, we want to hear about it.

• Let us know how you currently use the room or how you would like to use the room.   
• How many live in the home and use the room
• Items you currently own and want to keep
• Items you desire to own
• What colors do you like or don't like
• What furniture styles are pleasing to you
• Do you have pets – if so, what kind

What You Receive

For your purchase of $1500 per room you will receive from us a box mailed to your home with a detailed floor plan along with furniture, lighting, fabrics, flooring, window treatments and paint color suggestions.  

Items will be detailed on the floor plan.  Each item on the plan is numbered and a coordinating card will be numbered to match which item is suggested.  (Shown above) 

Your room will be designed by a professional interior designer at a fraction of the cost of our full design service.  How can that be?  Of course, you do a lot of the leg work by taking your photos, measurements and doing all the shopping to complete the look on your own.      

But you end up with a beautifully designed room!

 
Yes, the chill in the air has just begun, but there's a lot that can be done quickly and easily to get your home ready for the holidays now.

 
Marita Simmons, Designer with Gunkelmans offers these tips:

1. NEW LAMPS!   It's the time of year known as the "festival of lights" – so why not take the opportunity to swap out some of your so-so lamps with ones you actually LOOOVEEE.   Then, celebrate accordingly.
2. PAINT A CEILING.   It's usually the most overlooked surface in a home, and painting  the ceiling a glossy shade of "anything" really changes the impact of the space.  Try it out in a powder bath or guest room.
3. OR.GAN.IZE.   Since you'll be challenged with putting up decorations anyway, why not take the opportunity to tidy up before you do so.  Get rid of tacky old sweaters, clean our your junk drawer, and create some visual SPACE by doing away with the unnecessary in your home.   File that under "F" for fabulous!
4. NEW PILLOWS.  New, fresh, fun and interesting fabrics are coming out all the  time.  Placing a few new throw pillows in your space does wonders for changing the look.  But keep in mind that buying off the shelf is not always the way to go.  If you're planning to change out the look of your pillows every now and again, you'll want to invest in some finer down fillers.   This guarantees your pillows feel luxurious, but it also ensures that you'll only need to replace the COVERS for your new look.   We don't need to be loading up landfills with down-trodden polyfill fiber stuffing every few months.  Down fillers withstand the test of time…they just need to be fluffed every now and again.
5. DECK THE HALLS.  Both literally and figuratively.   Pick up a new painting and rearrange the pieces of art hanging in your hallways.   Give the rest of your pieces new life by moving them around to new nd exciting places in your home.  Try creating a gallery arrangement on a focal wall instead of opting for a larger piece.  Have fun with what you've got, and maybe you'll discover a whole new look that you love.