Making Life Beautiful

One of the key items for your interior decoration projects is the use of a rug.  Rugs are great as they can completely change the look and feel of a room.  You can use a rug to add colour, define an area, soften sound, provide insulation, be the focal point or a piece of art on the wall.

One of the first things to consider is where you want to place your rug, as this will determine the size for your rug.  For example, if the rug is to be used as an area rug in the lounge then it is advisable to leave a space of approximately 1 metre between the edge of the rug and wall. 

If the rug is being used under a dining table, then add approximately 1250mm to the dimensions of the table, so when chairs are pulled out for seating, they remain on the rug.

Colour affects the mood, so when it comes to selecting the colour and design of the rug, think about the look and feel you want to achieve.   Are you the vibrant fun-loving type? Or do you want a zen-like room with simple clean lines? Red, orange and black with abstract designs can be a good rug for a party person and for rooms that complement the colours. While black and white are neutral colours that can blend in any set of furniture.

If you are redecorating an active room, choose the vibrant and excited colours. Active rooms are those that have a lot of action like kitchen, living room and dining areas. If you are redesigning a more relaxed room, like the bathroom and bedrooms, choose the more casual, relaxing and serene colours.

If your floor is very light, you might want to put in a darker shade of area rug. On the other hand, if your floor is too dark, adding a cream coloured shag rug or zebra rug will right away turn your room into one with sophistication and elegance.

Should you go for area rugs that are monochromatic or multi-coloured? The answer will depend on your style.  If your room is designed as modern and rich with complementary colours, the modern multi-coloured area rug will tie in all the colours in the room. Be careful though because having too many colours in one room can make it look gaudy.

If you are using rugs to separate different sections of a large room, you can choose different rugs with either same colours or same shapes. Having area rugs with different designs will define the different areas. But since they are sharing the same large rooms, it is important to note that they should have some shapes or colours that tie them up together.

One way to make your room feel richer and whether you prefer it to be warmer or cooler; is by choosing the right texture for your area rugs.

Wool area rugs are a great choice for several reasons, they usually last longer and provide great insulation.  Shag rugs are fancier and provide some hip and yet sexy sophistication to ones room. Shag rug is one alternative that is becoming very popular because while it also provides many options as far as color, shapes and sizes, the texture truly attracts the eyes into it and invites guests to leave the shoes to feel the shag rug. Natural area rugs like sisal rugs, bamboo or jute provide simple, airy, cool feel for the feet and come in different colours.

Contemporary rugs and Modern area rugs are usually either bursting in colours or are in limited colours eg stark white or elegant black. Contemporary area rugs usually have geometric patterns, and are abstract art by themselves.  Traditional rugs include Persian, Oriental, Indian and Tibetan carpets that have fine details that will give your room a classic elegance without being overpowering.

Animal or zebra print rugs can be very versatile. These types of area rugs can go well with modern furnishings such as glass and chrome; and go well with wood and brass. Whether you have a contemporary home or a rustic cabin, zebra rug, leopard rug or a tiger rug can very well fit into your home design.

Whatever your budget is, the mood that you want to experience or the style of your living space that you want to project, an area rug will be one of the most important purchases that you will ever make for your home. Small as it may seem, it will serve a decor that will liven up your room for many, many years, if you know how to choose the right one for your home.

photographs courtesy of www.designerrugs.com.au

With the busy lives we lead, our bedroom is not only where we sleep, but our sanctuary.  It is here, that you can close the door to the world and feel relaxed and peaceful. 

There are oodles of decorating styles for bedrooms, from the natural look with minimalist accessories to the sumptuous and glamorous.  Whatever style you choose, here are some things to consider.

You still need to be able to walk round your room, so before purchasing or changing your furniture, have a good look at your space and, if necessary, map out where the furniture will go.  You can often get carried away with purchasing a new bedroom setting, only to find that you haven’t got quite enough space for all the component parts eg the dresser, lowboy etc.

Personally I favour using a bedhead, it anchors the wall on which the head of the bed is positioned.  If you bed doesn’t have a bedhead, you can easily purchase one or make one to suit your space.   Again, the options are only limited by your imagination and budget.  You can use padded bedheads in leather or beautiful fabric, bamboo or textured natural finishes or a sleek contemporary look using some of the great laminates.

If your room is large enough, then do consider putting a small side table and an armchair in the room.  Personally I think this adds a touch of elegance and relaxation to the ambience of the room.  If you have an old chair, then consider having it reupholstered in a beautiful fabric, and tie this in with your linen and curtains. 

Whilst a lot of people use blinds on the window, I also like to soften the room by using drapery, which can be used in conjunction with blinds.  The style of the drapery reinforces the style of your room eg swags and tails for a formal/traditional look or tab tops or grommet tops for a more contemporary look.  In addition the fabric selected also impacts on the style of the room, for example using sheers or soft hanging material as opposed to heavier and bulkier fabric.

Lighting is often forgotton about in the bedroom.  You need to assess your room for the amount of natural light it receives (as this will impact on the colour you choose) as well as the artifical light required for ambience lighting and task lighting.   Don’t forget that if your are using the dresser in the evening, then you’ll be needing light, often dressers are placed by windows for natural light, however come night time you need artifical light.  If you have downlights in the room, then using dimmer switches is a great way to change the lighting effect.  Lights either side of the bed for reading could be lamps or pendant lights.  (Obviously if your installing pendant lights, then you can’t change the position of the bed.) 

The dressing of the bed with the linen, throws and cushions is where you can really create an impact.  Mix and match sizes of cushions, fabric designs and textures.  This will add depth to the room and will reinforce the style and feeling you want your room to be.

Layering of flooring is popular and adds warmth to the bedroom.  For example if you have carpet as the floor covering, then layer rugs over the top of this.

The final thing is please keep your bedroom clutter free, if this is your space where you can relax and feel at peace then having a clutter free room is only going to add to the end result.  So make a conscious effort to remove old magazines, beverage cups, or whatever else is lying around causing clutter…

Yours, dreamily, chief inspiration officer – Sharon

Many home owners are now looking to see what they can do incorporate environmentally friendly ideas and  ’green up’ their space.  This could include making small changes such as changing a few purchasing habits to incorporating green initiatives when building a new home or office.  What you get is mostly a healthier lifestyle and loads of economical savings, what the surroundings get is sustainability and respect, so it’s a win-win situation.

If you’re not building a property at the moment, what you do have management over is the interior design and style of your living space.  You may feel overwhelmed by the large amount of info readily available on green interior design, so here is a list of 7 uncomplicated points you are able to do to make your home greener.

1.  Start by making use of certified non-toxic glues, paints, finishes, cleaners and polishers.  Besides being eco friendly they aid in keeping your place less toxic.

2.  When looking to replace your carpet or linoleum floor, look at wood or bamboo.  Bamboo is an excellent material due to that fact it is cost effective and it is a tremendously fast growing plant.    Materials that are sourced from specifically grown plantations to meet these needs are a great option.

3.  Make sure you update your electric devices with newer, energy efficient and stylish equipment.  You can also replace your old light bulbs with compact fluoros or LED and reduce your carbon footprint.  We’ve just been through this at home, by replacing the old fridges with newer ones (hate to say it but one fridge was 26yrs old and still going strong).

4.  Make sure your rooms have controllable ventilation so the air gets renewed constantly.  Ceiling fans are a great, and a great alternative to switching on the airconditioner on those days when you ask yourself, do I really need the aircon on?

5.  Check if your windows and doors are insulated.   There are a myriad of options from using window treatments such as curtains to putting on the insultation strips around the edges of the doors etc.

6.  When looking at new furniture, don’t go passed recycled furniture.  Materials like metal and glass, unlike paper, retain their high quality even when recycled, so they’re a great option.

7.  If you are purchasing wood furniture, try to make sure that it was created from wood that was cut locally as this will save significant amounts of energy, which would be spent in transferring it from a remote location.

What you have to keep in mind is that most of the gains from green interiors are long term.  However, as they say, every journey starts with a step.

Your ‘environmentally friendly’ chief inspiration officer.

Sharon

One of the spaces in a house that I find has often been ‘missed out’ when owners are discussing and considering decorating projects is the hallway.  When you think about it, the hallway or entrance to your home really sets the scene when friends, family and visitors arrive at your place.   In addition the hallway can throw up some interesting decorating challenges as it is often a ‘dumping ground’ for family members when they arrive home, and, depending upon the layout of the house, the physical space you have to work with can in itself present challenges. 

Below are a few pointers for your hallway decoration and I’ve included a few pictures I found on http://www.livingetc.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=174&g2_page=2  which hopefully will give you inspiration to decorate your hallway and set the scene for your place – Making Life Beautiful, one space at a time.

1.  Look at the space layout you have to work with, sounds basic I know, but hallways come in numerous shapes and sizes, then select a theme for your decoration, that is how you want the space to look and feel.   This could be elegant, monochrome colour scheme, funky or country look and feel.  Long narrow hallways will dictate the selection of the accessories and furniture, where as larger areas will allow greater scope for larger pieces.

2.  Look at the light, both natural light and artificial light in the hallway.  You can add interest by using a stunning pendant light or chandelier as a focal point, this type of lighting works wonderfully well if you have a lobby type entrance or a stairs leading off the hall.  Wall sconces or downlights are great to provide lighting in a long narrow hallway.  If you have artwork on the walls then consider accent lighting to make this a focal point. 

3. Consider the functionality of the hallway, if you have lots of family coming and going, often it becomes a dumping ground for bags, shoes, coats, hats, keys etc etc.  By selecting furniture and accessories that allow storage of these items, for example consoles with tables, or a place for shoes, then hopefully you won’t be continually nagging family members to ‘put things away’.  By look ing at the space available, you may have the ability to incorporate functional features such as as a fitted bookcase underneath the stairwell, giving you additional storage space to your home.

4.  For smaller hallways, you can’t go past using a light colour scheme, this creates the perception of space and pushes the walls out.  Light colours have a higher light reflectance value which means that a greater percentage of light that enters the space (natural and artifical) is reflected off the walls which obviously adds to the brightness of the hallway.

5.  Also, look at using a mirror in the hallway.  Decorative mirrors are fantastic accessories as they will reflect and disperse light throughout the space.  When looking for a mirror, do take into consideration scale.  A small mirror, on its own, on a large wall is not going to look particuarly good when compared to a large mirror.  However, you could combine a small mirror with wall hangings, for example photos, metal wall hangings etc.  A large mirrors is usually a good choice, especially if it is the only decoration on a particular wall.

6.  The use of accent colours really ties the space together, and adds a splash of colour to the hallway.  Accessories in your chosen accent colour could include picture frames, glass vases or bowls and furniture such as a chair or hat stand.

7.  If you have the space then create a focal point through the use or artwork, lighting, furniture or a quirky item.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be large item but an item of interest.

Here are a few pictures www.LivingEtc.com  which hopefully will add inspiration to your hallway decoration project.

One area of a businesses physical presence, that is often not the best it could be, is the reception area.  Hard to imagine that this doesn’t get the focus and attention to detail as it deserves, as it is your window to the world.  This is the first area that your customers, visitors, partners, prospects and employees see when visiting your premises – and you don’t want to ruin the first opportunity you get to impress and portray a professional image that reflects the ethos of your business.

In this post, I’m covering 4 key elements to the overall design of the space, as opposed to the interior decoration of that space - that will follow.  Whilst reception areas within offices differ dramatically, there are some principles for the reception office design that are consistent for most schemes.

1.  It is important that security and reception staff have visual sight of the space, even when a travel route for staff doesn’t take them to the main Reception area.  Also, don’t forget that this visual control should also extend to visitors whilst they are waiting.  Ideally, the Receptionist and visitor can both maintain contact in the event of a prolonged waiting time.

2. Once a visitor is in the waiting area, then don’t forget the directional control i.e. how the visitor or new staff member is directed once through Reception.  For example, many buildings do not have the lifts in plain view, or internal lobbies may not direct people, assuming that once they’re in the building, then they’ll know where to go.

3.  Most businesses use the Reception area to display their name, brand or logo.  They also reflect the standards within the business such as the style of furniture, layout out and the colour schemes used.  In addition, corporate publications, newspapers and TV news is generally used to enhance their image.  Once these initial elements are in place, it is essential that they are well maintained.  If  TV’s are installed, then they better be working and on a channel that is in alignment with your businesses culture.  Similarly, any printed material, such as brochures, price lists, industry magazines and newspapers should always be current.  The principle here is, avoid putting anything into a reception area that won’t be kept up to date and well maintained.

4.  Reception furniture is designed with several good reasons in mind.  Soft seating shouldn’t be that soft, it should be comfortable yet firm enough to assist people to get up quickly, and avoid getting saggy or tatty from constant use.    Durability in the reception areas is very important.  Generally the reception desk, storage and seating is specified to a high standard so that they don’t deteriorate rapidly.  Consideration to corners that stand up tot he hoover, surfaces that don’t chip or lift, and durable fabrics are all standard practicalites.      Equally important is that everything is serviceable, light fittings must be easy to clean and easy to change the globes.  Corners can easily be knocked, so thought should be given to design them in a way that is either protected from traffic or constructed to withstand a knock.

So, if you are planning a remodelling of your reception area, or if you are locating your business premises, I hope that some of these principles are of use to you.  Once the intial draft of the design is in place, the interior decoration needs to be planned at the same time, so you end up with a practical, functional yet stylish and beautiful reception area to welcome your visitors.

I thought I would share with you a short video I’ve put together showing the end result of a recent project.  The brief was to create a space that had clean lines, a contemporary look and feel which flowed through from the lounge to the dining and kitchen area.  A restricted colour pallette was used, predominantly black and white with accents of Aqua and Silver.   The wall behind the TV unit was painted in silver, using a special roller, to give the effect of wallpaper.  In the dining room, the focal point is the arch light, giving a beautiful pattern on the ceiling at night.  The kitchen optimises the space, with the breakfast bar also housing the microwave.  Waterfall ends on the breakfast bar turns this functional item into a piece of furntiure.