Article by Rochelle Reeder

Originally published in Colorado Springs Lifestyle

Your home is an investment. Everything one chooses to spend money on is, in effect, an investment. Sometimes when it comes to an investment, “how much does it cost” is not always the right question. And, more importantly, how does one know if it's within the budget unless they ask?

Why would one not choose to fill it with items that are fine, structured and refined?

“Whether the homeowner’s style is for a lot or a little, I want every piece to count,” says Rich Schell, Principal Designer of Rich Schell Interiors. “You should surround yourself in things that make you happy.”

Schell is a proponent of investing in art. If that piece ignites something in the viewer, whether it is the color, the memory, or emotion that it evokes, his advice is to consider the investment.

“You can always paint a wall,” he says. “Buy for the long haul and then decorate around that.”

He follows up with thinking of decorating a home in terms of curating a wardrobe. He explains that pants are pants. They are a staple, a grounded base. It is important to have pants, and a wardrobe is not complete without them – but they rarely make the outfit pop. A tailored shirt with a pattern or in a complementary color, on the other hand, is going to draw the eye and be a focal point around which the remainder of the pieces flow. Perhaps the investment is in a blazer to add structure and polish. Then choosing accessories that complement the blazer that can then be changed out seasonally.

Unlike curating a wardrobe, the journey to choose an interior designer that is right for you could be a process. Schell explains that it is a highly personal process.

“I want to investigate their heart,” he says, going on to describe his role as an artist, designer, psychologist and moderator. “I want them to send me things they love as well as things they dislike – and then tell me why.”

This process, he says, is imperative to define the causality and incorporate that into the overall design.