Michael Koontz is the owner of Koontz Company Furniture, an interior design business and furniture retail store in Ocala, Florida. His work as a designer has been featured in publications such as Southern Living and Florida Design.

I sat down with Mr. Koontz to chat about interior design, what he believes every home should have in it, and the importance of function when decorating your home. I hope you learn as much from him as I did!

What do you think home should have in it (as far as furniture and décor is concerned) and why?

Function first, not décor. You have to have a place to sleep first, then a place to eat. You need to accomplish all the functions first before thinking about décor. I’d say it’s also important to spend as much as you can afford on a great mattress and box spring because they’ll last a long time and are a great investment, especially since “they” say we spend up to a third of our lives in bed!

What is your favorite room to decorate in someone’s home?

It’s good to start in the room where they’re going to be living the most. I’m a firm believer in setting up a room the way that the client is going to be living in it. Each room should have a function. I hate when people have a living room and a family room, but they do all of their activities in the family room and leave the living room to use when family members they don’t necessarily like come over.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a room that allows you to get away from the activity in your home, make it comfortable with great seating and have good lighting so you can relax with a book. Or you can capitalize on a room that has a great view, like our home at the lake does, and choose great upholstery that is both comfortable and pretty, so everyone can enjoy that room.

What advice would you give to people who want to make their home feel luxurious, but don’t have the budget to afford luxurious items?

Well, it depends on what your definition of luxury is. What do you define as luxury?

Nifty Thrifty Decorator: I guess I would define luxury as great sheets and pillows on a really comfy bed.

So, you define luxury as comfort. Now that you have a definition of luxury, you go about achieving that function. Like I said before, it’s pretty essential to have a great, comfortable bed. Sheets are very important, because sleep is important, and you feel good. You feel good about yourself when you have a good bed!

My idea of luxury is, like you, comfort and convenience. I don’t like anything to be pretentious. I like a great big comfortable bed. I don’t think luxury is all about money. I marvel at the fact that people don’t shop used furniture stores and thrift stores. There are some fantastic values there, but sometimes some people want brand-new, shiny stuff.

What are some problems you see when helping clients decorate their homes?

Oftentimes, you have conflicting focal points in a room. You either want to focus on the television or the mantle or the view or the pass-through to the kitchen. If you can get any of these focal points together, like a fireplace and a television, together in the same sightline, it makes it easier to arrange the furniture.

Also, scale. My clients think that a small room can only handle small furniture. Part of it is their reluctance to invest in something big. They’ll buy 40,000 little items because they’re more confident in their purchase. If they put their money in larger, more versatile pieces like a cabinet or an armoire, they could use these pieces in virtually any room of their home.

Where do you get your design inspiration?

Oh, I’m a plagiarizer from way back! I comb the magazines constantly; I just love them! I’m currently loving Garden & Gun.

Do you have a favorite color you like to decorate with?

Probably, but I’m not really aware of it. If I were working with you to help you decorate your home, on our first consultation, I would look in your closet to see what colors you favor. That gives me an idea of what colors you like. It’s also important to use the color wheel when deciding what colors to use as your primary hues and then which colors to accent with.

Do you have a design mantra that you follow?

“If you like it, it will work.”

I worked with one lady on her house for about three years and she started with nothing. We toured all the design centers, the stores, and looked at magazines for ideas. One day she found a rug that she really liked and went, “Oooh.” I asked her what she liked about it and she said she loved the colors. We were able to buy that little rug and we built the whole house around it. So, if you like it, it will work, trust me! It’s you that has to be happy; your taste is enough.