Discover Your Style With Open House Country Flowers & Interiors

Everyone wants to have that beautifully decorated home for special events and holidays, or they dream about having a kitchen or other living space exquisitely re-done to reflect their own individual style.

Some people might have the perception that using a designer is out of reach. But making design mistakes can be costly, especially if you spend a lot on furniture, paint and décor you think you like… and then realize too late you don’t.

Finding the right designer is really important, said Nancy Munch at Open House Country Flowers and Interiors in Stony Brook. It’s vital that they listen to your design and preference cues, or can help draw out what will make you happy.

“My clients trust me to paint a canvas with their room,” she said.

One of the things a designer can do is to create a ‘mood board.’ If you watch any of the home design TV shows, you know that this is where a designer puts together a lot of different materials and colors, maybe with some pictures, to give you a feel for the re-design. This is incredibly useful in figuring out beforehand what the room might look like.

“Everyone’s worried that they won’t make their money back but if you invest in the right type of materials, colors, furniture lay-out, etc., it makes a difference,” she said. Nancy works on everything from small projects to full-scale renovations.

From Traditional to Modern: Start Simple

Generally it’s easier to focus on one room at a time when starting the process. Munch said she will discuss budget and from there, create a foundation with color and materials, furnishings and lay-out.

Munch has worked on everything from new construction to some of the more traditional, older homes in the area, sometimes working with architects, if need be, on larger or more involved projects; for example, if someone had an historic home where they want to create more of an open floor plan.

“It’s nice to work with the style of the house, maybe bringing in more classic elements to an older home,” she said. But if the homeowner wants to update an older home, she said there are ways to do things that will brighten it up, maybe with lighter flooring or by refreshing the fabrics and wall color.

But she also takes into consideration how the house is lived in. She’ll look at how many children there are, and what type of space is needed for different things like storage or home office.

Find Your Own Style
When asked about upcoming trends, Munch said that a lot of times, if you see things in the big box home stores and everyone is doing it, it might be trending down. She said that classic/traditional looks never really go out of style, but that many things are cyclical.

That’s why it’s important for homeowners to identify what they like. For example, do they lean more toward Bohemian; or modern beach house, or classic?

“A designer sees the bigger picture,” Munch said.

Understanding the scale of a room is important too, she said. “You don’t want to buy all new furniture and then realize that it looks too big or small in a room.”

“I love the creativity of the whole process,” Munch said.

In addition to home design, she also works on weddings and events, creating gorgeous settings with flowers and décor.

Local Creations
Locally, she’s worked with the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook on their holiday decorations as well as the Three Village Inn holiday decor. She also participates in the annual Three Village Candlelight Holiday House tour, to decorate local historic homes in holiday theme. For example, this past year she decorated a ship captain’s house and a cottage to reflect more of a traditional, yet nautical theme, combined with holiday finery.

After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Nancy earned recognition on the eastern end of Long Island while working with influential clients and a celebrity patronage and she continues her celebrated pursuits on the East End today.

Her work has been featured on Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten, in Newsday Long Island, and the wedding blog, Style Me Pretty.

“Sometimes if you spend just a little extra, you’ll find that in the long run, you get exactly what you want,” she said.

Open House Country Flowers & Interiors

25 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790

(631) 751-0112