How To Make Your Home Look Like You Hired An Interior Designer

---

• How To Make Your Home Look Like You Hired An Interior Designer
• Mind-Stretching Interactive Lamp Brings Thunderstorm Vibes Inside 
• Inviting Home Merging Seamlessly Connected Spaces with Love for Art
• Hypnotizing As The Sea: Sculptural 3D Abyss Table by Duffy London

How To Make Your Home Look Like You Hired An Interior Designer Posted: 10 Jul 2014 04:39 AM PDT The color combination and design textures/elements used in this room make it look like an interior designer has been here. Image Source: Coburn Architecture Here at Freshome, we have a lot of respect for interior designers and all of the hard work they put into their designed spaces. It takes a certain eye to be able to pull a room together and make it fabulous and functional, all at the same time. With that being said, not everyone can afford to hire an interior designer to come into their home, guiding all their design decisions. Some of us actually want to be the one who makes our own design decisions, using our own individual style and preferences. How can we get the inspiration to take our interiors from boring to beautiful— without the expense of a professional designer? Let's look at some tips to help you begin organizing and designing your rooms into a space that, until now, you thought only an interior designer could create. Follow these tips and you will begin to notice your friends sneaking a peek into your phones contact list, looking for the number of your interior designer. Shhhh… it's our little secret that you did it all by yourself. This room definitely looks like an interior designer has been here. Image Source: Elizabeth Gordon Magazines And Design Websites Are Full Of Design Inspiration There is a reason for all the avid ‘Pinners’ on Pinterest — people crave an amazing home interior. As most of us have already discovered, decor websites can spark a flame of creativity that we never knew we had. If you have not already begun to create inspiration boards for your homes decor, then begin now — this is the first step to creating the home you desire. Go onto Pinterest to search for home styles that appeal to you, or go onto Freshome and use the "Collect This Idea" button to gather design images that excite you, or  simply grab some design magazines and cut out pictures that speak to you. After hunting and gathering for creative images that inspire you, step back and look at all that you have collected — this should tell the story of your design style. You may be surprised at the style you crave to create. Collect decorating ideas via online magazines and decorating sites. Image Source: Charetteid Color Schemes: Use Three Colors Or Shades Now that you have a good idea of a style that you hope to call yours, you need to choose a color scheme. This is the tough part. Color is so personal and creates moods within us that inspire. No matter what, choose the colors that call to you. Look at your inspiration boards — what colors are prominent in the rooms you saved? We won't tell you what colors to choose, but we will tell you to try for a mix of three colors or shades. One main color for walls, another color for larger accents such as couches and chairs, and then a third color that pops in smaller accessories such as flowers, pillows and knick knacks. Let's say you choose a color combination of brown, teal and tangerine. A shade of brown would probably be the wall color, teal may be the color you choose for accent chairs or an accent wall, and tangerine could be the color you pull out in pillows and accessories. This formula of three colors works in any combination. Just remember, three is better than one or two, as a room done in one color is boring. Yes, you can have an all-white room but with three shades of white. This open living room is the perfect example of the three color scheme. Main color is white, second color is pink, and then third color in accents is turquoise. Image Source: Armonia Decors Add Texture To Your Home Equally as important to color, is texture — especially if you crave a single color scheme such as all-white or all-grey. A room at first glance can seem like a single color scheme, but if you look closely you will notice shades within the same color and plenty of texture via fabrics/textiles. An all-white room may have linen draperies, a plush velvet chair, shiny silk cushions, rattan chairs and woven baskets, and a nubby cotton sofa with a faux fur blanket tossed on the side. All of these elements add texture and please the eye, creating a warm, rich environment. Consider the textiles that suit your lifestyle. If you have kids and dogs, then you may not want a light cotton sofa, rather a darker leather or mohair sofa may suit your needs. If you crave luxury then consider high-end silk draperies and pillows. Whatever your style, try to add plenty of texture by adding numerous textiles into your home. Notice all the texture used in this room. There is silk, cotton, brushed suede, zebra and a touch of shimmer. Image Source: Tara Sea Wright Add Big Statement Furniture Pieces This is a common mistake most homeowners make —too many small, spindly pieces in one room. A room with leggy chairs, leggy tables and lots of small knick knacks only serve to clutter the room and confuse the eye. Instead try for a room that is well mixed. Have a large sofa, some skirted club chairs (so you can't see the legs) and then one or two slender arm chairs with attractive carved legs (depending on space). This is just one example, but it gives you the idea of mixing furniture styles and sizes so that the room looks balanced —not too bulky and not too spindly. Most designers will recommend that even the smallest of rooms have one large statement piece, such as a large armoire or cabinet. A mixture of big and little is key to a successful design. This rule goes with accessories, too. Notice the mixture of furniture in this room; some chairs are skirted, the coffee table has thin, clean-lined legs, the settee is a large statement piece with heavy legs. Image Source: Tim Barber Use Trays, Decorative Bowls And Baskets Designers love to use trays, decorative bowls and sometimes baskets, to arrange collections or loose items that need a home. For a hint of glamour, try adding a glitzy gold tray to your coffee table, ottoman or side table. On top of the tray, place a pretty candle, a couple of books and a small bowl of colored stones. Little vistas such as this seem frivolous, but they are imperative to a layered, decorated aesthetic. If you desire a more rustic approach, then try woven baskets in your home. Baskets are fabulous decorative tools that can hide a lot of clutter. Try to create these little niches throughout your home. You will love how a tray can collect bathroom soaps and perfumes, arranging these everyday items into a piece of displayed art. This rustic coffee table has used bowls, trays, flowers and books to create a cool vista. Image Source: Cartoloji Add Flowers To Every Room Go back and look over all your inspiration boards — what do you see? Do you see flowers or plants in almost every room? We bet you do. It seems like a simple tip, but adding floral arrangements, live plants and natural items such as vases of shells or rocks, can really add that final touch to your interior design. There are numerous easy-care plants that you can purchase for your home that will last years if properly fed and watered. Most designers will tell you to avoid fake floral arrangements. If flowers or plants are not what you desire, then try other natural elements such as twigs or feathers placed in a large urn. Natural arrangements add the final touch to a room — the final touch that says, ' An interior designer has been here'. A simple floral arrangement arranged in a trio adds the final touch to this dining room. Image Source: Crisp Architects If you can't hire an interior designer, you can still have a home that looks like you did. All of these little tips and tricks work together to create a warm, well-designed home. Try adding texture, color, statement furniture and elements of nature to your home today. If you are unsure of the final outcome or arrangements that you have made, then snap a photo. Pictures of a room will allow you to see the design from a different view point, helping to see if you went wrong somewhere along the way.  Remember, it’s your home and you are the one who has to live in it, so create a home that you love— a home that portrays who you are. Do you have any design tips that you would like to share? The post How To Make Your Home Look Like You Hired An Interior Designer appeared first on Freshome.com.

Mind-Stretching Interactive Lamp Brings Thunderstorm Vibes Inside  Posted: 10 Jul 2014 01:44 AM PDT We strive to bring the outdoors inside and sprint outside every chance we get, so it’s no wonder designers try to conceptualize this need. Multidisciplinary designer Richard Clarkson imagined a phenomenal interactive lamp that looks and acts strikingly like a cloud – hence its name – Cloud. The Cloud is not only an eye-catching lamp, but it also sounds like a storm is approaching. With a built-in-speaker system the user can stream music via Bluetooth, the Cloud was “designed to mimic a thundercloud in both appearance and entertainment”. Its creative shape uses motion sensors to detect the user and offer unique lightning and thunder show that transcends the senses. The Cloud has color-changing lights and the possibility of enjoying dimmed or brightened light, as well as alternative modes like nightlight and music reactive mode, so the customization is complete. Spotted on This Is Colossal, these made on demand lights can be the difference between a boring home and a home your friends will be happy to talk about.   The post Mind-Stretching Interactive Lamp Brings Thunderstorm Vibes Inside  appeared first on Freshome.com.

Inviting Home Merging Seamlessly Connected Spaces with Love for Art Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:59 PM PDT Alexander Brenner Architekten‘s latest project takes us on a journey of modern living within a residence imagined to be the place where an art lover and her family would feel mostly at home. Located at the edge of a forest in Stuttgart’s south side, this home named the SU House is the latest addition to the architects’ portfolio, the most detailed and elaborated one yet. Spreading over 640 square meter on a 2,125 square meter plot, the modern villa stirs up feelings of awe with its seamless connection to the outdoors. Stuttgart-based photographer Zooey Braun shows us once again the wonderful work of Alexander Brenner Architects. Starting from the silvery garage right next to the entrance piazza to the north and culminating in a broader perspective of the volumetric architectural style . Architects describe their work with a vivid passion: “Following the entrance hall the large dining table is placed below a two-storey void and lit by a skylight. The removable floor-to-ceiling glazing opens up at right-angle to the terrace, so that the inside merges with the roofed over outside in the summer months. ” With an eat-in kitchen that provides two different dinner possibilities – either indoor or outdoor – and a large fireplace to warm up the living area, the SU House provides an open floor-plan where entertaining and day-to-day-life seem to be part of a never-ending vacation. With the use of natural light, the architectural team created a contemporary art space for the owner’s collection: “A full-width skylight at the back sends light beams onto the wall with paintings and sculptures. From the southern office- and workspace a narrow sculptural staircase leads down to the studio. This two-storey high, almost sacral area serves to present works of art – a passion of the client. Right next to the studio a storeroom for artwork is attached.” Upstairs, bedrooms and interconnected bathrooms make the most of the private spaces, offering those magic moments of rest and recharging. The garden level is mostly occupied by the pool and the spa area tucked nicely in a warmer environment, while indoor pool can be opened or closed depending on the season. Where would you prefer spending your time if you were living here? The post Inviting Home Merging Seamlessly Connected Spaces with Love for Art appeared first on Freshome.com.

Hypnotizing As The Sea: Sculptural 3D Abyss Table by Duffy London Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:23 AM PDT Christopher Duffy of Duffy London designed the Abyss Table, a conversation piece as much as a functional one. But while the previous works of the studio play with gravity, this new design is concerned with depth, and creates a geological cross-section as mesmerizing as the sea. The project team spent a year developing the table in their London office, experimenting with sculpted glass, Perspex and wood, arranged like a 3-D representation of a geological map, until they recreated something of the hypnotizing abyss that had first captured Duffy’s imagination. Designer Christopher Duffy poetically explains his vision: “I was looking into sheets of thick glass at my glass manufacturer’s factory, and noticed how the material darkened as they added more layers – the same way the sea does as it deepens. I wanted to use this effect to replicate a real piece of the earth’s sea bed. Like a mythical power had lifted a perfect rectangle straight from the earth’s crust to use as his personal ornament.” The Abyss Table is hand made to order in London from sustainable materials, and limited to an edition of 25. [Photos and information provided via e-mail by Duffy London] The post Hypnotizing As The Sea: Sculptural 3D Abyss Table by Duffy London appeared first on Freshome.com.

You are subscribed to email updates from Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610