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Bobby Berk’s Tips to Change up Your Décor

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08.14.17 | By
Bobby Berk’s Tips to Change up Your Décor

Designer, retailer, stylist, trendsetter and long time friend of Design Milk, Bobby Berk has been making his name known in the design world since he arrived in NYC with a few dollars to his name. Now hailing from the West Coast, the SoCal-based designer has launched an Interiors + Design division, which specializes in full service interior design for residential, commercial and hospitality and products with brands like Surya, Tempaper, Coastal Shower Doors, Tilebar, and now his work can be purchased through Art.com.

Through working with brands, designing products and interiors and from his experience as a retailer, Bobby is a wealth of design knowledge, and always ahead of trends. That’s why we asked him to talk to us about some ways you can quickly make an update that will give your space a fresh look without a total overhaul:

Adding textural accent walls works in any design scheme.

One product we love is Stikwood. It comes in several finishes that can be worked into a range of design styles from modern to traditional. Whatever the project, there’s a finish that will add that textural warm detail and depth to your designs. And the ease of installation and price point could not be better! Here in the master bedroom of the 2016 Responsive Home Farm House, we used a weathered barn wood Stikwood for a really amazing and impactful punch. It totally makes the room!

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

In the Gallery House, we also used a more contemporary Walnut Stikwood finish as an accent on a wall in the office off the Master Bedroom. It keeps the space from feeling cold.

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Another product we love are the Inhabit wall flats. They add texture in a variety of different patterns and styles, and are affordable and fairly easy to install. Here in the living room of the Gallery House, we did the main wall in Braille flats. It’s a nice, textural upgrade from a simple painted accent wall.

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Here’s a bedroom where we used a faux brick panel to add architecture to the space in our Spanish Model at Strada in Henderson. It’s a very cost effective material that we found at Home Depot and it’s easily installed:

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Adding statement wall decor can enliven neutral walls in contemporary homes.

Simple, modern schemes can really benefit from statement art, such as the pieces you can find on Art.com. Here in this dining room at Pardee Homes Strada Development in Henderson, NV, this Art.com framed canvas piece keeps an otherwise clean and simple space from being boring.

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

In the entry foyer of our 2016 Builder Show Home, we used some graphic circle art on plexi to invigorate the space and draw the eye upward. It sets the tone for the modern art gallery concept of the home.

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

At the Design Milk Sponsored Modernism Show House, my own licensed art collection is on display in the dining room of this 2017 Showhome:

Photo by Jake Holt

If you’re considering a kitchen remodel, a great trend that we’re loving is “split finish” or “two-toned” cabinetry.

You’re already paying for cabinetry, why not make the design even more impactful by mixing finishes. Maybe you want to do a different cabinet with your kitchen island. Maybe you want to try different uppers and lowers. Here’s some great examples where we “mixed it” up a bit in some of our own kitchen designs:

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Strada Contemporary Kitchen. Here we used three finishes if you count the maple finish on the open shelving. This was the builders standard appliance package, and we used basic glass subway tile as a backsplash, so this wasn’t a super expensive kitchen, but the different cabinet finishes make this design unique. We also love the white faucet.

Here’s our Mid-Century inspired kitchen from our NAHB award-winning design at Pardee’s Escala Development, also in Henderson. Here we did a green upper with walnut lowers:

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Here’s another kitchen from the Axis development in Henderson. Buyers have been loving the maple and walnut mix here:

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Pull off a luxe bathroom by using brass accents paired with a trendy graphic cement tile.

Instant luxury can be achieved by using rich brass hardware, fixtures and lighting. Here, set against black, the finishes take on a formality that really give this bath an expensive feeling without really spending a ton on expensive materials. The main tile in this design is a white Daltile 6×6 with white grout in a running bond pattern. The walnut lower cabinets keep the design from being too cold. We did black walls to add depth and formality, but the star of the show is the one graphic element in room brought by the cement tile on the floor. This one is from the Pacific Collection from Cement Tile Shop. This is a simple, yet perfect formula for instant glamour.

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Here’s another bathroom in the same home, where we used another graphic cement tile as the backsplash, and added brass and black accents here as well. We paired these finishes with a standard fiberglass shower enclosure to show buyers the standard options, but adding these additional touches to the bathroom really elevates even this secondary bathroom.

Photo courtesy Pardee Homes

Use subtle washed wallpaper to add print and pattern and jazz up your space.

Our new collection with Tempaper is a perfect complement to any modern space. We love this photo shoot featuring my Lines Washed on White print:

Photo by Megan Osborn Photo

Photo by Megan Osborn Photo

John Colaneri of HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins used my Connect Washed on white for a recent project and posted this moment to his Instagram with wire prism accents for a graphic 3D effect set against the light pattern:

Photo by Jon Colaneri

Thanks Bobby – we always appreciate the good tips! We recommend keeping track of Bobby’s projects and designs on Instagram and make sure to check out his products on Art.com.

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.