Making Life Beautiful

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

Often the thoughts of using wallpaper bring back dim and distant memories of old fashioned rooms adorned with not so beautiful wallpaper, with the heavy traditional styles to the florals and chintzs. 

Well, over the past few years, there has been a revolution in wallpaper, and there are some fantastic designs and patterns on the market.  Recently at the DesignX show in Syndey, I saw a new range of wallpaper from Eurowalls, which looked like sandstone and slate.  This wallpaper is simply stunning for feature walls and can go around corners and curved edges. 

Using beautiful designs of wallpaper in bedrooms, lounges, studies and hallways is a great option to create a feature wall that comes to life and adds that unique ‘wow’ factor to your space.  You can choose from pastels, geometric patterns, textured or plain papers or strong vibrant colours.   Wallpaper makes a great alternative to paint finishes for a feature wall.  You could always add paneling to half of the wall and wallpaper above it.   Another idea is to cover the back section of an old bookshelf, so when you see the books, behind them is the wallpaper.  For a co-ordinated look, team up the wallpaper design and colours with fabric.  Then use the fabric for cushions, curtains, throws or even have an old favourite chair recovered.  It gives you so many options to mix and match, blend or contrast colours and textures in your room.  Also, you can throw in to the mix a combination of florals with checks or plaids…..you are only limited by your imagination.

Some of the truly gorgeous wallpapers can be on the expensive side, but, if you’re only doing a feature wall or a particular area, then it might not break the budget.  There are oodles of videos on YouTube on how to hang wallpaper, so spend some time and check them out so you get great a great looking result from your efforts.

Also, if you confused on how to put colours together, then sign up for my monthly  newsletter ‘Inside Interiors’ (on the right hand side of this page) and you’ll receive my ebook on Designing with Colour absolutely free.  By the way, the newsletter I put together has hints and tips on interior decorating and includes a selection of things I come across in my world of interior decorating, from funky furniture to classic fabrics and amazing new technology in fixtures and fittings.

good luck in finding that perfect wallpaper for your space.

Sharon

chief inspiration officer……

As a small business owner, you know I’m passionate in the belief that, whether working in an office space or from home,  you present your personal branding and corporate image in a way that reflects your business image and the values that you stand for.  So how do you achieve this on a budget that isn’t going to break the bank?  Well, here are 7 tips you can use to get a result straight away.

1.  Look at your reception furniture with fresh eyes, and be critical.  Is it looking in good condition or a bit worn or tatty around the edges? 

2.  Is the surrounding comfortable?  by comfortable I don’t mean chairs and lounges that you sink into, but does the ambience of the reception area reflect your brand and business.  In relation to reception chairs , they shouldn’t be uncomfortable to sit on, but by the same token, you want to make it easy for visitors to be able to stand up.

3.  Is the colour scheme in the reception area reinforcing your corporate colours that you use in your stationery, business cards and signage? or portraying the type of business you are in? 

4.  Assess the lighting in the reception area.  Can you add interest and a focal point by installing accent lighting on a piece of wall art or over your corporate logo signage?  Are all the light fittings workings and in good condition i.e not dusty, or globes not working?

5.  If you have industry magazines, newspapers and sales brochures in the reception area, are they current and in a presentable condition (no pages falling out, out of date sales brochures, dog earred)?

6.  The reception desk or station, could you improve on the presentation by including fresh flowers, decluttering unnecessary paperwork and tidying up the desk top?

7.  Have you utilised wall space to incorporate industry certificates, awards won, framed press releases or certificates of appreciation from local organisations that you have supported? 

All of the items mentioned here tell a story about you and your business to the visitors, suppliers, partners and potential employees that walk through your front door into your reception area.  The question you have to ask yourself is, is this the story that you want to tell those entering your world?

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.

Are you looking to decorate or remodel your home and not quite sure where to start?  Well, before you go trawling through magazines to get ideas and inspiration, a good starting point is to look at your lifestyle.   This will help determine the functionality the house or room has to deliver which in turn impacts where you spend your budget.  Just because a house is decorated in the latest colours, newest fabrics and furniture, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for you and your lifetyle.

For example, do you have a family with small children and pets?  does Mum and/or Dad work from home? do you like to cook and entertain?  Jotting down the key aspects that need to be considered  for your family lifestyle, will help shape your decorating style and where you spend your decorating budget.

If young children and pets are rattling around the house, then an elegant French Provincial formal setting is probably not a good idea.   Here, the budget would be spent on well constructed, tough fabric covered furniture, easily maintained floors and surfaces that can be easily washed and kept clean.  If you love to cook and entertain, then a well designed and thought out kitchen with heaps of work space and storage will be priority.   On the other hand, a large and flashy media room may not be the best way to spend your budget if there are two working adults in the family with children who are heavily into sports and spend little spare time at home.

So, by taking a step back and jotting down what your space has to deliver for you is a great starting point to help determine the style of your home and where you focus your budget.