Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - New products and materials have removed the boundaries on design and decoration in Puerto Vallarta, an amazing, beautiful place to live. Still, our climatic paradise once posed a number of challenges when designing and decorating.

Interior design is dependent on the use of materials such as paint, wood and fabrics. Without the specialized knowledge of an interior designer, a project in Vallarta can quickly go awry due to our climatic conditions.

We may live in paradise, but we all know that the sun, heat, humidity, and heavy rainfall can wreak havoc on our homes. The trick is to choose materials wisely. We now have a wide array of products available that make great interior design possible - without constant maintenance.

The following are some tips when working with interior design materials in Vallarta:

Furniture: All wood furniture in your home should be a solid hardwood. Primavera or Parota woods are two popular choices in our part of the world. If you fall in love with an antique or rustic piece of furniture that is pine or a soft wood, you should certainly have it sprayed for termites and check it periodically.

Upholstery: With the availability of hardwood frames, Dacron, foam, sumbrella fabrics, and other durable weather-proof cotton, any style upholstered furniture is available to us. We are not limited to the old Vallarta style, concrete bases built in banquettes, which are not all the comfortable and limit design.

Window Coverings: Window treatments and shades are much better in Puerto Vallarta than other choices. Great window cover designs and technology specifically designed for sunny, humid climates are a wonderful innovation and readily available.

If curtains are a must for your decor, make sure they are sun resistant and tightly woven/stable fabrics. Some fabrics easily shrink or stretch in our humidity and sun. Remember that your hard surface floors require cleaning and this can also be problematic with floor length curtains.

Art: If you choose wood frames, use hardwood frames whenever possible with your hanging pieces. Once again, termites and mold can be quite problematic. With the popularity of both traditional and modern oil paintings in interior design, special care must be taken to protect these special pieces from sun damage. Window shades, tinted glass, or shaded overhangs are preferable when protecting your precious works of art.

Paint: Primer is also critical to prolonging painted finishes. Ensure that you purchase paint with a high quality mold resistance. High quality mold resistant paints may seem expensive, but will save money in the long run.

Hire an Interior Designer for Peace of Mind: Hopefully, some of these tips will get you thinking about your homes, decorations and interior design materials here in Puerto Vallarta. Whether you are a new resident or have lived here your entire life, keeping your homes and decorations in tip-top condition is important.

Hiring an experienced, local interior designer with specialized climatic knowledge is a smart thing to do when designing. Local professionals take all of the climatic challenges into consideration when planning a design. If you do-it-yourself, make sure that you are as well versed as possible to all possible climatic respects.

For a more complete look at materials that work well in our climate, as well as more tips and tricks on interior design, visit UmbertoStudio.com.