Tuesday 13 December 2016

12 Key Decorating Tips to Make Any Room Better

Get a great result even without an experienced touch by following these basic design guidelines

By Judith Taylor - Houzz Contributor 


I hate to break it to you, but designers don’t follow a secret rule book. There are no hard and fast laws governing what we do. We are creative types by nature and love to imagine, dream and explore, following our intuition. That said, there are some rough principles that guide us to ensure a great result every time. They are just tried and true things that work. And these aren’t tricks or skills that take years to master. Anyone can do them from day one. Consider this a foundation for developing your own quirky, creative, rule-breaking intuition.
12. Ignore all principles in favor of creativity. Having some guidelines gives people a good starting point for furnishing and decorating their home, even if some of them aren’t practical for a particular space.

Go with something personal that makes you smile and, above all, is comfortable. Overly designed rooms don’t really translate in modern life. A pillow collection and an art arrangement that are seemingly haphazard, as shown here, create a dressed-down look with plenty of style.

Wednesday 9 November 2016

5 Things Your Bedroom Designer Needs to Know

You spend more than a third of your time here. Share your wish list, priorities and more to get the room you want

 

By Charlotte Minty - Houzz Contributor


The main focus for many people working with an interior designer is the kitchen or bathroom. This is understandable, given the functional importance and cost of renovating these rooms. Bedrooms are often overlooked and given nowhere near the same level of attention, which is a real shame.

From my standpoint as an interior designer, the bedroom shouldn’t be an afterthought at the end of a long project. Although design work for the bedroom isn’t as intensive as for the bathroom or kitchen, your designer will nonetheless need to know a fair amount of detail to get this important room right for you.
5. Your mood and style. To cap off the design process, we look at the mood and style of the proposed bedroom. Take a look at the photos you’ve collected as part of your wish list. You will often find that there is a common theme. Is it light, minimal and serene? Or is it dark and cozy with rich textures?

Consider the style of the house too — is it traditional, modern, country or eclectic? Remember that the bed is a large item, so the bed linens you choose will be a dominant feature. Good design takes time and will evolve as you go through the process with your designer. But often the results are better than you expected, helping you to sleep well with sweet dreams.

Thursday 20 October 2016

10 Ideas for Brightening a Dark Hallway

Do you come home to a gloomy welcome when you open your front door? These solutions can lighten things up

By Eva Byrne - Houzz Ireland Contributor 

 

The hall, the first space to greet us each time we return home, should ideally be a light-filled, welcoming room with conveniently located storage cleverly concealed from view. Sadly, however, our entrances are often narrow passages with little light and inadequate closet space.

There is hope, however. Check out these 10 ways, from structural alterations to decorative touches, to improve how you can both capture and reflect light in a hall of any size.

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Finishing Touches - Nailhead Trim



The use of upholstery nail head trim dates to the Louis XIII period – approximately 1600. It is likely that decorative nail heads were intended to be a more refined way to upholster and not considered for their esthetic value.


Today nails are very popular, particularly on leather upholstery and beds and there is an almost unlimited variety. Most of our manufacturers offer a number of different nailhead colours, sizes and options.


The location of nails is dependent on the frame – there has to be a solid frame part under the fabric for the nail to fasten to. Generally speaking, if there is a corner or edge where two panels of upholstery meet then that is where nails can be applied. Some frames require nail head treatment as there is not any other convenient way to cover the line where a panel has to be attached to a frame.


Nails are mostly applied by hand, using a nylon tipped tack hammer that will not damage the finish on the nail and also not damage the surrounding upholstery. Accuracy is very important and care must be taken to avoid damage.



Some manufacturers use plastic nail strips that are easy and fast to apply, but it is obvious when looking, really nails have not been applied. Like most things in life, strips are cheaper to install, saving money but they do not have the same look as real nails applied by hand.

Thursday 22 September 2016

Let's Talk Leather - Part 2

In part one we discussed how leather was created and the different types of leather. In part two we'll look at Dye and Protective Coatings.

Full Aniline Dye: - Hides are immersed in a transparent aniline dye allowing the natural markings to show through then rotated on drums until the dye completely penetrates from front to back. No protective coat is applied making the most luxurious of leathers. Generally reserved for premium leathers, it's also the reason they're so vulnerable to stains. As it is a natural product, variations throughout the grain will be seen on the final product.


Semi-Aniline Dye: - Used on corrected leathers. Despite the name, hides are dyed through but then a layer of pigment is sprayed on top to even out variations. A thin coat of lacquer seals in the colour, resulting in leather that's almost as soft as premium leather, yet harder wearing and protected against fading and staining.

Surface Pigment: - Used only on the cheapest hides, primary bi-casts. The pigment sits on top and is sealed with lacquer resulting in stiffer surface. Easily identified because the back is not the same colour as the front. The raw hide will show through if nicked or scratched and is susceptible to cracking and splitting.


Quality leather isn't an expense, it's an investment that looks better the more you use it. There's a place for bi-cast and bonded leathers but it's a false economy to think they are cheaper. Top grain full and semi-aniline dyed leathers cost more up front but last longer, age well and hold their value better.
It's confusing out there. Terms like "All Leather" and "Top Grain Seating" can lead you to believe you're looking at a quality piece of furniture when it's just the opposite. If you know what you are looking for though, it makes it that much easier to ask the right questions.

Let's Talk Leather - Part 1

From Hide to Leather:
After cleaning and conditioning, hides are sorted according to quality. Because leather furniture requires large unblemished hides, it is the most expensive upholstery covering per square foot. The outside surface of the hide is cut away from the rest and reduced by a series of rollers to a thickness between 0.9 and 1.4mm. Because the cells are closer together in this layer, it's the strongest, most supple and durable part of the hide. The layer below - called the split - is thicker and stiffer but not as strong.


Real Leather, Fake Leather & The Stuff In-Between:
Top Grain Leather: - The outer layer - or top grain - is the most desirable for furniture. Nature adds its share of markings, often requiring sanding, protein injection treatments to retain suppleness and a protective coating. This process - called correction - adds heat and light protection and makes it more resistant to spills. The more correction, the lower the quality. Those top grain hides requiring no correction, the rarest and most expensive are called full grain or full top grain. These premium leathers are incredibly comfortable because the leather can breathe. However, they are susceptible to staining and marking.
Bi-Cast Leather: - Made from the split hide below the top grain, it's vinyl coated to resit cracking, splitting and peeling. While this helps, it doesn't come near matching the durability and fell of top grain leather.
Bonded Leather: - The leather equivalent of particleboard, it contains only about 17% leather in the backing. What looks like leather is actually vinyl.

The Hottest New Neutral: Sky Blue

Inject some subtle energy into your neutral palette with a dose of this faint blue hue

By Yanic Simard - Houzz Contributor 

For years, interior design has been in a color-conservative period, with only the strictest noncolors being considered neutrals — and a cool gray or “greige” being king. However, people lately are rediscovering the joy of adding color to the home with “near neutrals,” versatile colors that can act as neutrals yet still inject some energy into a color scheme.


The hottest of them all? One could argue it’s sky blue. This timeless color has become a trendy yet classic choice for adding life to decor of any style, without clashing with other colors or overloading the senses. If your home is feeling a little ho-hum, maybe sky blue is the new neutral for you.
Sky Blue With Cool Materials

Midcentury modern chairs in cool plastics and funky forms can sometimes come off as a little too cold. Ironically, the natural vibe of a sky blue goes a long way toward making these forms warmer, more welcoming and a little less serious. For a fun twist to any space, try a blue molded Eames chair or some airy blue-tinted glass pendants.

So go ahead, dream of a blue-sky world — and make it happen at home.