Category: Interior Design

Whenever you look at the before and after photos of an interior design project, they can make decorating look so easy. But no great interior design work is the result of someone waving a magic wand. It’s a deliberate and well-thought-out job that’s founded on a set of universal design principles.

If you want to consistently deliver good interior design work, you are more likely to do so if you pay attention to the following tenets.

• Have a Hero Piece in Every Space

Each room should have a hero piece. This is an object or feature that surprises, delights and makes an impact on anyone who comes across it. A feature wall, a work of art, a spectacular rug and oversized furniture are examples of great picks for hero pieces.

The hero piece is meant to grab attention and make a visitor fall in love with the room. Remember to give the hero piece sufficient room to breathe else its presence could be counterproductive to the aesthetics.

• Have Diverse Shapes

Just like offices, factory floors, and other indoor spaces, most living rooms have plenty of square and rectangular patterns and objects. It’s hard to run away from these shapes since its often the nature of certain household items such as standing shelves, sideboards, and sofas.

You can break the monotony though by replacing right angles and straight lines with curves and circles wherever possible. A round wall hanging, round mirror, round alarm system panel (see more home security tips on homesecurityseek.com), round rug, round dining table, round coffee table—your options are limitless.

• Hang Artwork at the Right Height

A beautiful artwork or painting will have maximum impact when it’s placed at the right wall height. Having a center line that’s consistent for artwork across your home creates harmony. Best design practice is to have the center of all artwork at eye level.

Of course, best practice doesn’t mean the rule is cast in stone. For example, having the center of a feature picture at a height significantly higher than eye level could work just as well.

• Fake Height

Does the home or room have low ceilings? They can make spaces feel cramped and claustrophobic. You can create an illusion of vertical space by opting for low-profile sofas and coffee tables. Complement these with slim, tall bookshelves that compel the eye upwards thus making windows and walls appear taller.

Mixing objects of different heights in this way simultaneously creates a serene vibe. You could also paint ceilings and skirting boards in the same color as the walls to make rooms feel more spacious.

• Go with Your Gut

 

Have you ever looked at something in your home and thought “I hate that!” but somehow continued hanging onto it for years? Sometimes, we are so keen on following the unstated rules of what items should be present in the average home that we end up keeping things that are repulsive to us.

Remember, interior design is not an end of itself. The goal is to create a space that you enjoy coming to and staying in. Having items you don’t like is therefore counterproductive to this goal. Find creative ways to replace these items with things you love.

• Take a Step Back

There will be times when despite following the rules and checking all the boxes, you still feel the room doesn’t quite feel right. It won’t always be easy to place a finger on what the exact problem might be.

In that case, take a step back and see what is wrong. If need be, request the assistance of someone who hasn’t been involved in the design project at all. Their fresh set of eyes may allow them to pick up things that you are blind to. It could be a wall or corner that feels empty and needs a furniture piece to bring it to life.

These rules are important but don’t let them be an excuse for inhibiting your creativity. Keep an open mind and find a design that works for your home.

If you’ve spent some time in modern homes, you may have notice that reclaimed wood is one of the most eye-catching trends in interior design. With its immediate warmth and character that evokes pleasant emotions and visual wonder, reclaimed wood has been making a resurgence in recent years. This is due in part to reclaimed woods ability to be used for both interior and exteriors, but also because it is an ecologically-friendly building material. With sustainable materials being lauded for reducing their impact on the world, reclaimed wood has numerous advantages over newer wood, including:

• more stability than recently-harvested wood
• natural patina
• more cost-effective than new material
• less susceptible to mold and pests
• character and charm from wear & tear

It’s also worthy to note that reclaimed wood is at home—pun intended—in nearly every room of your house. In its most simple usages as a decoration, reclaimed wood accents draw the eye and can influence how a home’s occupants view the space in a welcoming light. Due to increased strength of reclaimed wood, it can be used to reinforce structures or renovate areas of your house that may need more support. Or, if you’re looking to refurbish your home with this elegant material, reclaimed wood works perfect for cabinets and furniture, as well.

In this article, we’ll touch on a number of interior design trends that use reclaimed wood.

Interior Design Trend #1: Fireplace

First thought that comes to mind when one thinks about wood is fire, so it makes sense to install a reclaimed wood fireplace mantel to match the coziness and natural warmth from your home. Another good interior design trend using reclaimed wood is planking the fireplace with decorative wall panels, which can be adorned with framed photos and other accents to transform a no-frills fireplace into the centerpiece of your home with a modern feel.

Interior Design Trend #2: Shelves

As the years go by, homeowners tend to accumulate more things than they have places to put them. Luckily, installing reclaimed wood shelves anywhere that you have space can create storage space and open up your walls to new eye-catching designs. Wood shelves are incredibly easy to install—all you need is wall anchors and a level—and you now have places for those charming knick knacks, souvenirs from trips, and anything else you’d love to display.

Interior Design Trend #3: Flooring

Considering homeowners spend a good portion of their waking hours on their home’s floor, it makes sense that using a versatile material for flooring is a sound decision. Reclaimed wood can be sealed with any type of finish, sealant or lacquer that “regular” wood uses. This gives it the versatility you’d come to expect with wood, but reclaimed wood has a character that can transform ordinary spaces into unique distressed wood flooring that has a lived-in quality, which newer materials can’t approximate.

Interior Design Trend #4: Wood Beams

Reclaimed wood beams are a good demonstration of the versatility of reclaimed wood. As mentioned in the introduction, reclaimed wood can bolster your existing structure, whether you choose to use reclaimed barn wood to highlight your exterior and provide support that can stand the test of time. Or, you can use it as an accent to supplement the ceiling space of your home. If you’re truly ambitious, using wood beams to create a structure for a loft space can add untold value to your home, particularly when guests stay the night.

As you can see, there are a number of interior design trends that demonstrate a myriad of uses for reclaimed wood. If you’re looking for more information about reclaimed wood, including the process that goes into making it and how to maintain its appearance for years to come, check out the infographic below.

You need to come up with ways that you can make your home a more attractive place to buyers, but you cannot do it in a way that will put people off.  You have to be creative without being abrasive, and you need to think outside the box just a little bit to see if you can come up with something that will make the most sense to you.  You also need to be sure that you have chosen a home plan that will incorporate these ideas so that the house will look better overall.

1.  Paint Opposing Walls

You can paint opposing walls in your home because that will give your rooms some depth.  You might not have realized that they could get so interesting, but you can use opposite colors to make the room appear bigger, and you use just one off-color wall that will make that room stand out.  You also need to be sure that you have use patterns that you think would be best for you.

2.  Add Storage To The Kitchen

IWillBuyHouse and other listing spots have a lot of houses that have a lot of extra storage especially in the kitchen.  You could make the kitchen appear so much bigger than it actually is, and you will discover that people want to see the house because of how large the kitchen is.  The listings for homes with big kitchens tend to do better just because they were created with the idea that someone would buy the house for the kitchen.

3.  Better Bathrooms

Better bathrooms make a difference in a hose because they automatically make the house look a lot more sophisticated.  You can improve the bathrooms by putting a unique sink in the bathroom or making the tub into a hot tub.  You can put in a special claw foot tub, or you could add cabinetry to the bathroom that will make it a much nicer place to be.  The idea is that you are making a haven that people will want to be in. You also should see if you can add tile that would make the bathroom easier to clean.

4.  Add Shelves

You can actually add shelves to your home and make them a part of the overall aesthetic of the space pretty easily.  You will find that adding shelves makes the walls look more interesting, and you can paint the shelves different colors so that you get more interesting colors on the walls.  Also remember that you can make designs with the shelves on the wall so that you can make each room look unique. You can then put books on these shelves that add more color and character to each room.

5.  Add Lighting

Your house probably does not have enough light.  Adding recessed lights and soft fixtures makes it easier for you to read and enjoy the space in general.

There are many ways for you to change the way that the house looks, and these five things will make the house more attractive and more beautiful.

According to sleep experts, side sleeping is the healthiest and most common sleep position. One of the reasons why this sleeping posture is healthy is that it aligns your spine, pelvis, and shoulders.

Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay

Spinal alignment goes a long way in minimizing pressure points in various sensitive areas of your body including the neck and lower back. Investing in the best mattress for side sleeping is the best way to reap the most out of the health benefits of side sleeping. Many mattress companies put side sleepers in mind and develop products that are best suited to their sleeping needs.

Let’s have a look at The Best Mattress store in Ottawa for Side Sleepers to Buy Online.

1.     Purple Mattress

Purple is best known as the royalty color, and the Purple Mattress happens to stick to its moniker. Purple Mattress emphasizes spinal alignment for calming side sleeping. It brings with it Smart Comfort Grids, which react in line with the pressure of your body to achieve a customized firmness. This mattress is designed to keep your spines neutral all night long. It can as well work for backpackers to boost the natural curvature of their spine. And for those who share a bed, this mattress integrates a unique technology that separates the movements of your partner to prevent the likelihood of dreaded wake-ups.

Image by Dieter Robbins from Pixabay

2.     Amalfi Super Pillowtop Firm Queen Mattress Set

The Amalfi Super Pillowtop Firm Queen Mattress Set incorporates up to five layers of foam. The topmost layer is one-inch thick and sits on top of a latex foam layer. A visco elastic memory foam layer occurs beneath the latex layer. A high resiliency foam layer follows it. The support foam layer is the last one. The FIo Foam layer and other layers directly beneath it make this mattress soft, which is what side-sleepers want. Also, this mattress is amazing as far as support is concerned. The support foam layer keeps your spine properly aligned whenever you sleep.

3.     The SERTA Sorrento Super Pillow Top Plush

The SERTA Sorrento Super Pillow Top Plush mattress is an affordably priced option for side sleepers, giving more support for less. Not only is it certified for durability and performance, but it provides the right amount of support that lets you sleep soundly without having to trigger the pressure points. Many customers who have used this mattress have praised its optimum level of support.

4.     The Queen Size Supreme Comfort Pillowtop

The Queen Size Supreme Comfort Pillowtop is the absolute best option for side sleepers who experience such challenges as frequent awakenings, disgruntled bed partners, and sweat-soaked nightclothes. This mattress can breathe to allow for a refreshing side sleeping. The mattress includes the Flex-Support that offers an ingenious combination of pressure-relieving memory foam and the cheerfulness of a regular box spring mattress. It provides a hearty blend of support and comfort necessary for side sleepers. What’s more, the box turns into a mini-castle when unpacked— a bonus for your kids.

Verdict:

Investing in a high-quality mattress for side sleepers allows you to make the most out of your side sleeping posture. Proper alignment of your spine is of utmost importance when sleeping. When combined with the proper mattress, side sleeping offers great lots of health benefits including reduction in snoring, easing of digestion, alleviation of acid influx and heartburn, and improved circulation among others.

Skylights are structures that transmit light forming all or part of the roof space of a building for the purpose of daylighting. They can be traced back to the ancient roman architectures such as Pantheon and Oculus. Since the industrial revolution made advances in the production of glass, glazed closed skylights have been in use ever since. Skylights have been brought to many uses and contexts by their mass production units since the middle of the 20th century. Energy conservation has brought new design innovation, motivation, efficiency rating systems and transmission options for skylights. According to architectural glass, the earliest functional skylights would have been formed either by glass casting, Fourcault process, window glass, machine drawn cylinder sheet or cylinder blown sheet.

Among the different types of skylighting include roof windows, tubular daylighting devices, custom skylights, unit skylights and sloped glazing. Skylights have daylighting elements used to let in direct and sometimes indirect sunlight through toplighting. They also provide a visual connection of the outdoor environment to the indoor occupants and promotes sustainable building. They allow for passive solar heating and with operable units, ventilation for passive cooling and exchange of fresh air.

Types of Skylights

• An open skylight is a type of unglazed hole on the roof.
• A fixed skylight has a structural perimeter frame that supports the light transmitting portion made primarily of plastic and glass called the glazing infill. It is a non-operable type of skylight which means it does not allow for any ventilation.
• The operable skylight has an operable venting unit that used hinged sash which is attached to and supported by the frame. When this type of skylight is installed in a way that it is within reach of the building occupants, it can also be called a roof window.
• A retractable skylight is another type which rolls off the frame on a set of tracks to enable the interior of a building to entirely open to the outside. It is therefore not impended by a hinged skylight.

• The tubular daylighting device as mentioned earlier is used in active daylighting. It is a fixed unit skylight element mounted on the roof used to condense the sunlight which is distributed by a light conveying optic conduit to alight diffusing element. TDDs have small diameters which makes them ale to be used for providing daylight in smaller spaces such as hallways and bounce light in the dark corners of a room. They harvest sunlight through a roof mounted dome which are made from acrylic or polycarbonate formulated to block UV rays and capture and redirect light rays into an aluminum tubing system resembling ductwork.
• Another type of skylight is the Pavement lights which are a walk on skylights. These ones are set into sidewalks, well lit interior floors and open areas.
• Sloped glazing skylights are not the same as other ordinary skylights in that a framing system has one assembly has multiple infill panels. This type is normally designed for specific projects and installed in on-site sections. Lastly are prism lights. Even though they are only at times used as skylights, they are used to redirect the light passing through them.

Most homeowners install skylights specifically for daylighting and ventilation. Because skylights are located on the roof of your home, they are equipped with various glazing technologies to reduce gain of unwanted summer solar heat gain and the winter heat loss. Heat absorbing tints, low-emissivity coatings and insulated glazing helps reduce this impact. Some skylights even contain translucent insulation materials such as aerogel in between several glazing layers to increase their thermal efficiency. There have been recent developments in the designing of skylights in that they can now use sun-tracking, open-sided cylinders, large lens-like elements and mirrored reflectors that are mounted adjacent to a conventional skylight to let in daylight without any daytime heat gain or nighttime heat loss.

When it comes to the ventilation function of skylights, hot air which naturally accumulates near the ceiling during the hot seasons like summer is released. Ventilating skylights normally open outwards to the bottom with some units venting through a small hinged panel. Skylights can be manually opened using either a chain, a pole or a crank or they can have automated units with electric motors, blinds or pneumatic devices to operate them. Some skylights models incorporate moisture sensors that automatically closes the skylights whenever it starts raining. Instead of limiting the amount of solar heat coming through the skylights, you can also opt to install shades o blinds that can be used to cover the windows during the heat of the day and prevent sunlight from creating too much heat in the room. One thing to make sure you get when you choose your skylights is the proper window treatments. You can find skylight blinds online as most need to be custom made based on the size and style of your skylights.

Skylight Design and Price Considerations

Before deciding which skylight to buy, you must establish the type that will work best in your home and decide where to place it so that you can optimize its contribution to your home’s ventilation and daylighting. First, understand the energy performance ratings of the skylights to select one basing on the local climate and the design of your home. When buying skylights loo for NFRC and ENERGY STAR labels to ensure energy efficiency. The skylight glazing is also important to consider, choose from the plastic or glass glazing depending on the performance expected from a skylight. Although when compared to plastic, glass is more durable and do not discolor. Also determine which shape from the rectangular, triangular, oval, round, diamond-shaped, tubular or multi-sides skylights are best for you.

Installing a skylight costs between $450 to $1500 depending on the style selected. For tubular skylights, the buying price ranges $150 to $ 600 with the installation costs ranging from $300 to $600. Fixed skylights can be bought at an average price of $200 or more than that in a home depot. Deposing on the size of the window and complexity of the roofing. For vented skylights, you can buy them at a cost ranging from $300 to $ 1200 per model. The cost for installing are averaged between $1000 and $4000

When you first move into student accommodation, you will find that all of the rooms look exactly the same if not very similar. Of course, there are some of the more luxury accommodations that are a little more varied but overall, you’ll find that everything follows the same format. To make your student flat more of a home, you’ll need to follow some of the tips that we have come up with. Keep reading to find out more.

Add Some Fairy Lights

One of the things that a lot of students like to do with their student flat to make it more like a home is to add some fairy lights. These lights can go around your bed, along the walls or wherever you like. This will add a bit more atmosphere to your bedroom and it will save you from always having to have the lights on when you are in.

Put Up Posters

When you first move into your student accommodation, you will find that the walls are likely to be quite empty. Although some accommodation options like Collegiate offer a bit more of a luxury feel to their student accommodation (as you’ll see if you take a look at some of their most popular apartments in locations like Liverpool), you might want to think about adding something to the walls.

One of the best ways to do this is to add posters of your favourite bands or movies. Make sure that you are allowed to do this and don’t ruin the walls with any sort of adhesive. You can take a look at some of Collegiate’s luxury rooms for inspiration on how you could decorate it.  

Add Some Photographs

At university, you will probably find that you miss your friends and family, especially if you are away from them for long periods of time. This is why you should think about adding some photographs to your wall or in frames that you can look at when you are missing your loved ones. This will really help to make your flat more of a home and you will be adding to the overall décor of the room.

Add A Rug

Another great way to add to the décor and make your flat more of a home is to add a rug. This can add a new texture to your room and will make it seem a lot cosier. Choose a colour that matches the overall colour scheme of your room and your flatmates will all be jealous when you have added this new feature. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a stylish student fla so make sure to try this out.

Final Verdict

Making your student flat more of a home is not too difficult as long as you try out some of the things that we have discussed in this article. Make sure that you initially go for the more luxurious student accommodation on offer and then work from there on the décor and adding some little pieces of home. Once you have done this, you should feel comfortable in your new bedroom.

A certain level of character can only be achieved by a loved, well worn leather sofa. Upcycle an old Chesterfield and bring antique chique into your home.

Bespoke interior pieces are well worth the investment as they instantly transform your living room or office space and elevate the overall aesthetic.

You also want to opt for a leather sofa or an armchair due to the materials excellent properties – it’s durability, stain and spill resistance and heat insulation.

A leather sofa will compliment any aesthetic you’ve envisioned for your home. Light grey sofa bed will go well with your Scandi inspired office space and will provide a great space for putting your feet up at the end of a long day.  A pre-owned traditional, chesterfield design with rolled armrests will offer a unique charm that’s difficult to recreate in modern furnishings.

Regardless of whether you’re looking to revive an armchair or breathe a new lease of life into your tired three-piece, these top tips for upcycling leather, courtesy of sofa experts Robinson of England, can be totally transformational!

As with any project – measure twice, think three times, cut once. Start with gathering all the products required and setting up a well-ventilated workspace. For a leather renovation, you will typically need:

• Detergent-based leather cleaner
• Leather preparation fluid
• Adhesion solution
• Leather pigment
• Leather finish
• A hair dryer
• Sponge
• Rags/ cloths

Step 1:

Remove any dirt or oil build-up from the leather with a detergent-free leather cleaner and a damp cloth. Do this is circular motions.

Step 2:

In a well-ventilated area apply preparation fluid to remove any sealants from the top coat of the leather.

Step 3:

Use an adhesive solution on faded areas that require re-colouring to soften the leather and to remove any remaining dried out coatings.

Step 4:

With a sponge, apply leather pigment anywhere necessary where the wear of the leather is particularly evident. With a hairdryer set to cold seal the pigment. Repeat until desired colour is achieved.

Step 5:

Let the leather dry overnight and apply a finishing coat. Apply 2-3 coats, using a hairdryer in-between applications to seal each layer.

Once done, leave the sofa to dry overnight just to cautious and once that is complete you’re left with a timeless piece of furniture for your home.

With modern homes decreasing in size, lack of space can be a real issue for many, many people, not least when it comes to bathroom design. A rise in urban living, especially for young professionals, and the popularity of ensuites, means the dimensions of a typical master bathroom continue to shrink.

With changing times comes changing attitudes to a room that was, for most of its history, purely functional. Nowadays, the humble bathroom isn’t just a space in which we wash and answer the call of nature—no, it’s now a place in which we rest, relax and recuperate, away from the stresses and strains that our busy lives can bring.

So, it’s no surprise that many of us are on the lookout for inspiring small bathroom ideas, to turn a compact space into something that is greater than the sum of its parts. In this blog article, we’ve come up with 5 big ideas to make the most out of your small bathroom.

1. Use your undersink area

A simple trick that many people ignore or aren’t aware of, is to use the space beneath your bathroom sink for storage. In a large number of bathrooms, you will simply discover a pedestal sink, which, whilst fine for a large bathroom, doesn’t use space efficiently in a compact space. Try adding a vanity unit—choose either a floorstanding or wall hung model—which comes complete with an integrated sink. This will usually have doors or drawers which provide the perfect place for all those bathroom essentials, keeping your surfaces free from clutter.

2. Make use of your corners

The corners of your bathroom can often present a real design challenge. In most cases, they will be left bare, creating dead space which could actually be put to good use. With an increased demand for space-saving products, designers have come up with a range of corner-fitting toilets, basins and furniture which are ideal for utilising the corners of your bathroom. If you can use your corners, it will free up space along the sides of your room.

3. Think creatively about your bathroom space

With the average UK house size the lowest it has been in 90 years, it’s important to think “outside of the box” when it comes to your bathroom. Whilst it may be nice to have an ensuite bathroom, would it make more sense to knock through into your master bathroom to create a larger family bathroom? If your tiny box room is being used for storage at the moment, could it be put to better use as a shower room? How about extending upwards or outwards? Or even using your understairs cupboard as a downstairs cloakroom? If you hire a good tradesperson, they should be able to show you exactly what is possible.

4. Think about door openings

Door openings can cause headaches when designing a small bathroom, so it pays to think about the type of doors and products you use. If you’re looking to squeeze a shower enclosure into your floorplan, consider bifold doors which concertina inwards, rather than a hinged door which swings outwards. By the same token, be mindful of the clearance space required when fitting your toilet near a door. Look out for short projection toilet pans which make best use of your layout.

5. Don’t be restricted to a certain style

Just because you’re designing a small bathroom, shouldn’t mean ruling out your favourite interior style. Whilst many of us might be tempted to squeeze some fairly bland and functional furniture into your bathroom, you can still discover designer products which fit with your perfect theme. Take traditional style for example. The Bath Co. offers a fabulous range of vintage-inspired bathroom suites with modern space-saving designs—perfect if you love that classical look.

Small bathrooms may require some big thinking, but with a bit of imagination and some innovative products, you can create a relaxing space which you’ll love spending time in.