Auburn interior designer is no matchmaker

Interior designer Amanda McReynolds is much more fond of mixing than matching."I like all different styles," she said recently. That philosophy holds true for furniture, too."That's one mistake people make is buying matching dressers and night stands," she said. "It needs to be mixed up a little more."The Auburn resident, who was chosen Best of the Best interior designer in the annual Auburn Journal contest for the past two years, recently completed a redesign of a home in Loomis for client Anna Ziedins."It was a 1960s ranch house," she said. "We did a completely open concept with a kitchen/dining/greatroom. We removed walls, updated all the surfaces and did all the bathrooms."For the bedroom remodel, McReynolds got rid of the acoustic "popcorn" ceiling, matching furniture set and outdated fan."As an alternative to scraping the ceiling, I designed a wainscotting and trim to create the illusion the ceiling is peaked," she said. "It gives the room a lot of architectural detailing and character."She covered the poorly textured walls with tone-on-tone wallpaper. Then she moved on to the flooring."New wood laminate floors were the perfect solution for a client with many pets because of the durability," she said.Ziedins is very pleased with the results."She has been awesome to work with," Ziedins said in an e-mail. "She's very refreshing because of her interesting take on things, always introducing me to new products and ideas. She's an excellent problem-solver, too, especially when it comes to design challenges. She respected my budget and went out of her way to ensure we did not spend more than I wanted. And she always listened to what I envisioned for my house, never trying to push her ideas on me. "We all have our own style and taste, and we want our homes to reflect us and the things that are important to us. I'd say my home was kind of complex, incorporating my love of animals, the outdoors and my Latvian heritage (I have a lot of tapestries and carvings from my grandparents). In the beginning, I seriously had my doubts that she could pull it all together, but she did just that. It's amazing. My family and friends love the home redesign and they say it definitely reflects me."McReynolds latest project is a room-by-room condo renovation."We're installing new flooring, lighting, window treatments," she said.In the past, McReynolds worked a lot with new homes, but because of the economy, she's now getting more requests for remodels."More people are fixing their homes because they can't get out of them," she said.It doesn't cost a fortune to get a new look, she said."The biggest bang for the buck is paint color, updating outdated cabinets and changing light fixtures," she said.Even simply rearranging the furniture can make a big difference."Lamps have a huge impact, as do adding decorative mirrors, window treatments and rugs," she said.McReynolds enjoys assisting homeowners with making design choices, from roofing to flooring to siding and doors, hardware, moldings and ceiling details.Some mistakes owners of new homes sometimes make is lacking an overall design concept for the home."I like things to have flow throughout the whole home," she said.McReynolds has always enjoyed home decorating."Ever since I was little, I was redoing my bedroom frequently,"she said.She studied interior design at American River College and completed an online study program. She's had her own business for six years.Clients can hire her by the job, but she also offers hourly consultations. She's seeing a couple of trends right now."Some people like the white, clean modern look with more of the brushed chrome or chrome light fixtures," she said. "Others prefer the oil-rubbed bronze light fixtures and dark cabinets."Aluminum mini blinds are coming down, replaced by plantation shutters, fabric Roman shades or simple drapery panels on a decorative rod.Color-wise, chocolate brown and aqua are popular, she said.For homeowners looking to remodel, McReynolds offered some advice."I tell clients to be prepared to say what they want to spend," she said. "There are things you can do that are really effective for the price. It doesn't have to be intimidating and they can actually save money because they don't make costly mistakes."------------Amanda McReynolds can be reached at macdesign4412@sbcglobal.net