Archive for the ‘Design Ideas’ Category

This is a two part series of articles dealing with creating harmony in interior design.

Harmony is likened to a jigsaw puzzle in interior design. Putting up together a myriad of pieces that seem to be unrelated is an interior designer’s challenge. The designer’s task is to put all the pieces together and come up with a beautiful interior design. Putting the pieces together to produce a harmonious room requires a vivid imagination from the designer. Interior designers develop in their minds a finished picture of what the room will actually looks like after all the pieces are placed together. This mental image usually guides an interior designer on how to execute every move successfully and come up with a design that elicits his or her client’s happy approval.

How do interior designers develop this mental image of a finished picture? There is a basic decorating philosophy that interior designers follow. This is to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative and when it cannot be eliminated, camouflage it. Take for example a room with windows that don’t appeal much to the designer, but since the budget doesn’t warrant the removal of the structure, eliminating the negative is not an option; rather camouflaging the negative becomes the better way out. To come up with a better interior design, usually the designer in this case designs a window treatment that will hide the undesirable feature and make the windows look more attractive.

You may want to redecorate your own home or help a friend create beautiful changes in his or her place. How do you use this philosophy in your own interior designing projects? You should look around the room. Notice any distinctive features and these should include both the good and the bad features. Have a conversation with the room. This could be a good starting point for all your plans. Create a mental image of a finished picture that will terminate in a well-executed interior design of a given room. Look for striking features such as a beautiful view, a fireplace, a sweeping staircase or a distinctive architectural detail. Let’s say you want to change the interior design of your living room. The first thing people will notice when they enter the room is your fireplace. How should you handle this? Is it a good feature or a bad feature? Do you want to accentuate it, eliminate it or camouflage it? Also look out for problem features like badly placed columns or pillars. After identifying these distinctive features, whether bad or good, ask yourself on how to accentuate any good features that you see. For bad features, ask yourself whether to eliminate them or just camouflage them.

After deciding on what to do with the distinctive features of the room, you should realize that you have already started to formulate a picture in your mind of how the finished room will look. From this budding mental image of the room, you will find that other pieces of the puzzle will start fitting right into place and you are on your way to creating a wonderful interior design of any given room and this is just the beginning.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Interior Design

Author: Michael Russell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Phoenix interior design is something that can add more warmth and feeling to a home. It is something that makes the home owner proud of their home. There is nothing quite like a beautiful interior designed home. A quick process of Phoenix interior design can be read below:

1. The Vision – The first step to any phoenix interior design project is to come up with the vision. Having a solid goal of what needs to be accomplished is key to a successful design. A strong foundation makes it easy to add all the other components of Phoenix interior design.
2. The Concept – It is important to come up with the overall concept of the Phoenix interior design project. This will be the overall “theme” of what is being decorated. It is very important to come up with an overall theme to maintain continuity and flow.
3. The Design – The design is the meat of the process. This is where all the ideas, vision, and concept come together and create something great. Every design should be viewed as an original piece of art and should be given attention to detail. It is very important that the Phoenix interior design is done with quality and time. A rushed job is a huge no-no when it comes to Phoenix interior design. A quality piece always takes time.
4. The Finished Product – Once the design has been completed and everything is done it is time to site back and take a look at the wonderful Phoenix interior design job. The design should follow the original vision. The concept should have an overall theme that invokes a certain mood or emotion when entering the area. The design should bring everything together and make sense. The whole Phoenix interior design needs to capture a certain feeling when inside the room.

I hope this article will server you well the next time you are considering Phoenix interior design. Please remember that interior design in Phoenix is both a form of art and mathematical precision.

Quinton Figueroa has studied Phoenix interior design for over 20 years and designed over 1,000 homes in his career. He is one of the highest authorities when it comes to the interior design in Phoenix.

Author: Quinton Figueroa
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Tuscan kitchen design immediately conjures images of Italy and sunlight and warmth. In fact these kinds of images are just what you need to think of when coming up with the perfect Tuscan kitchen design.

Tuscany a region in north central Italy is known as a warm place almost year round an Tuscan kitchen design should reflect this. Tuscan kitchen designs are defined by colors such as siena, terra, and sepia. Tuscan Kitchen design uses a lot of soft warm colors and textures. Windows in the kitchen should provide as much natural sunlight as possible.

The Tuscan style has evolved through the centuries, influenced by Etruscan metal craft and pottery as well as the Italian Renaissance. The Tuscan style can be seen in mosiac tiles, wrought iron gates, bridges and architecture.

Tuscan kitchen design and décor can enhance the look and feel of any kitchen. You can add a big wooden table, open cupboards, along with ceramics, pots, pans and Tuscan-inspired dinnerware.
These items can also make great decorations when you are not using them.

Kitchen island design in the Tuscan kitchen design style has its origins from ancient Roman times. This is the origins of the nice ornaments you will find with all tuscan kitchen design. The Tuscan kitchen island is usually of a dark color painted on oak. Sometimes the islands are given one coat of white paint. Scratches are added to give the wood a more antique look.

In Tuscany families tend to eat and cook together. A good Tuscan kitchen design should provide for adequate room for you and your family to more around the kitchen freely.

The Tuscan kitchen design style is very popular now. One reason is that this design style be quite affordable while be stylish and providing more comfortable kitchen. The Tuscan kitchen design style accessories include pottery, jars, and hand crafted tiles depicting grapevines and vineyards as well as grapes, tomatos, and olives. Having these design elements just naturally goes with Tuscan meals.

Walls – Wall should be painted in a rich Tuscan color such as rich reds, intense yellows, or strong yellows. Consider a wall treatment such as molding, or murals to create a more Tuscan feel to the walls.

Floors – Use Terra cotta or clay tiles, glazed ceramic and marble inlay in intricate patterns. Wooden floors can be left plain with natural color and finish with a Persian rug.

Furniture – For a Tuscan kitchen design use sturdy pieces of furniture that is also strong and functional. Kitchen tables and chairs should also be well-built and strong.

Cabinetry – Cabinetry should feature open shelves for displaying your ceramics, as well as baskets, and cooking utensils

Sink – Kitchen sink should be white ceramic to be more compatible with your Tuscan kitchen design. You might also consider a large rectangular marble sink.

As for other Tuscan kitchen design ideas you can add racks to display copper pans. Also wrought iron pull for drawers, and wrought iron light fixtures. You might even want to add a brick-fired oven just like the type found in large Italian farmhouse kitchens.

By designing your kitchen with the Tuscan design style and bring in the look of old Tuscany your kitchen and home will never be quite the same.

James Mahoney is the author of many kitchen design articles and has a site about kitchen design ideas at Kitchen Designers Ideas.com. He also publishes a newsletter on kitchen design.

Author: James Mahoney
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The word ‘design’ is multifaceted. It can refer to plans, proposals or creative endeavors. Design surrounds us in every aspect of our life–homes, buildings, city planning, vehicles, art, theater, clothing, and toys. Even food has a design element, presentation. So, design is what makes anything functional, appealing and attractive. It has aesthetic functions that result from inspiration, research, and modeling.

To some the sense of design is ingrained in their genes, while others acquire a design sense through rigorous training.

The principles to be used will of course depend upon whether one is looking at architectural, automotive, computer or machinery design, which are scientific in nature and have different aims, or communication design, which is applied to advertisements, books, magazines, websites, and so on.

In the case of communication design, it must have a focal point, everything else being secondary. It must follow certain simple rules: the design must be simple and clutter free, it must represent clearly the theme or element for which it is in use, it must be functional and have a visual hierarchy. The size, color, texture, and types must be varied to create depth and contrast.

The keys are: alignment, proximity, repetition, and contrast. The spaces must create depth and the colors harmony. Good design is said to be 98% common sense.

Before a design is visualized, one must determine what it represents, its uses, the audience, the focus, and goals. Every design must portray emotion and imagination -it must draw the eye time and again to its center, and elicit a response and recall.

Creativity, the ability to listen and comprehend what others have to say and absorb the very soul of the project concerned, are the qualities of a good designer. Design straddles many worlds–philosophical, scientific, as well as creative. In each world, design, like a potter’s wheel, gives shape as well as functionality.

Design provides detailed information on Design, Logo Design, Web Site Design, Interior Design and more. Design is affiliated with Bedroom Decorating.

Author: Elizabeth Morgan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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With the increasing popularity of new decorating styles and exciting, fun new ways of enhancing the look and feel of a house, designer shower curtains are gaining more and more traction everyday. Recently, a wide variety of design professionals have made an incursion into the world of bathroom décor by offering you the possibility to have your very own designer shower curtains to transform your bathroom into a unique fashion statement that defines your tastes.

Today you can find designer shower curtains made of a great number of different fabrics, including nylon-coated cotton or polyester. They also come in a lot of styles to choose from, ranging from elegant and sophisticated to informal and fun. But no matter what your taste is, there is always a designer shower curtain that will suit your needs and, if you have some more money to spend, you can always ask a designer to make one exclusively for you.

Among the most famous designers that jumped into the bathroom shower curtain universe, you can find brands like Liz Claiborne, Regent, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Laurent. Designer shower curtains are offered by these designing giants in a variety of styles and, of course, prices. Most of these designers also have made available a great line of bathroom accessories to match your curtain and help you set up the bathroom of your dreams. For instance, Liz Claiborne’s Ivory Cable Knit shower curtain can be matched with the exclusive line of towels, lotion pump and wastebasket.

Designer shower curtains are available in a wide range of prices, from tens of dollars to hundreds of them, which ensures that there will be not only a shower curtain that caters to your taste, but also one that will fit your budget.

If you are planning to redecorate your entire home and not just the bathroom you should consider taking advantage of the great line of matching accessories for the rest of your house. You can match your designer shower curtains to your bedroom’s sheets, or your living room curtains! I especially like matching the couch pillows to the shower curtain. Or you can even get a matching robe so you yourself can be a “living part” of your home theme. The décor choices are virtually endless.

I highly recommend that, after you have decided which style to apply to your home, you take the time to carefully look through several designer shower curtains catalogs and, when you see that special curtain that you love, go ahead and buy it. It is also a great idea to purchase not only that one, but also a cheaper one in the same or similar color. That way, in the event that your shower curtain gets somehow damaged, you just switch curtains until you find another designer shower curtain that matches your expectations.

It is great to see that designers are not limiting themselves to bedroom and living room. Designer shower curtains may seem a little more expensive than non-designer ones, but they are really the best way to go. Besides, many of the finest stores (like Macy’s) often have designer shower curtains for discounted prices.

Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Visit Shower Curtains Showcase to receive a variety of free bathroom design ideas as well as view a wide assortment of the shower curtain possibilities ranging from animal print shower curtains to tropical shower curtains. http://www.shower-curtains-showcase.com.

Author: Jared Winston
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you think interior design clients in the high-end don’t pore over their budgets, think again. A background in accounting might be the last place you would expect to look for a key element of managing an interior design company, but interior design is as much a matter of numbers as it is colors.

The majority of residential designers I work with have virtually no knowledge or training, and quite often, no sense for numbers. Colors they are great with. Numbers? Well, they didn’t get into the biz for that.

I have given dozens and dozens of design presentations to clients who came to me to take on a residential interior design project. The projects have ranged from single rooms needing high thread count fine linens that match the colors on their walls or carpets, to full residential design with drawings, space planning and project management of construction trades. What these design projects have in common, whether it is just design direction or a full-on project, is client attention to the budget. How much is it gonna cost!

Early in discussions, long before any presentations, I try to get a feel for the task ahead and ask lots of questions. What is the space used for? Is your taste modern or traditional? Do you have pets? Are you familiar with high-end furnishings? Have you worked with an interior designer before? Pretty soon, I get an idea of the scope of the work, enough so I can inquire about the client’s budget.

I think this moment gives many designers the jitters, especially in the high end. They hesitate to ask about price for fear of scaring off a potential client. I beg to differ.

Most of my clients are busy professionals who come to me in search of a partner who can take the job off their hands and allow them get back to running their own business. I call them one or twice a week and we spend a few hours in designer showrooms considering products I suggest. Otherwise, they leave the project in my hands to manage.

Mostly executives, professionals and business owners, my clients would find it unusual not to have early discussions concerning budgets. They give me an idea of what they are prepared to spend, understanding that I can use the figure as a tool in my sourcing of their products, not so I can figure out how much to run up costs.

For instance, I can suggest to a client a fabric to cover a chair that costs $50 a yard. Or I can offer a similar fabric that costs $100 a yard. I have access to a 6,000 square foot fabric showroom to source from so there are endless choices. Or I can spec a dining table to seat eight for $5,000 or for $25,000. I try to keep design billing as low as possible and to cover my costs with discounts I arrange from designer showrooms. The public can’t shop there without a professional designer. And the way I work, clients never pay more than the product resells for in retail. I just save them the trouble and leg work of finding the products.

It is my job to take a list of often over one hundred items, linens, art, furniture, rugs, lighting, etc. and measure that against an estimate of how much the client indicated is an affordable range for the scope of work. The aforementioned table may wind up costing $12,500 and the fabric for the chair may be $60 a yard. Numbers are so important because the cost of the overall package has to match the beginning budget as closely as the design matches the concepts that were approved by the client.

I am not going to recommend red when the client asked for blue, nor a table for 4 when they live to entertain larger groups, and especially not an invoice for thousands of dollars more than we agreed upon. Of course, substitutions occur, but I get a client to sign off on the details and the cost of each and every item, one by one, so there is no confusion.

During an interior design presentation, color boards get examined, fabric swatches handled and looked at in good light, and drawings for space planning are discussed to see if they make sense for the way the rooms are to be used. A lot of the concepts must be left to the imagination of the client until they have been created. Budget is not one of them.

Veronica Wakeham is a Vancouver Interior Designer and owner of Terra Nova Linen House, a luxury linen establishment in Yaletown in Vancouver, BC. For interior design consultation call 604-688-9280 or go to http://www.threadcounts.com/

Author: Veronica Wakeham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Wabi Sabi, an ancient Chinese philosophy adapted by the Japanese and practiced by many Westerners today, presents an alternative way of living more than a way of decorating your home. However, you can adapt your interior and landscape design using Wabi Sabi principles for happiness.

“Wabi Sabi” (pronounced “wah-bee sah-bee”) was formalized as the Zen Buddhism tea ceremony evolved. Zen Buddhism originated in India, traveled through China in the 6th Century, and to Japan in the 12th century. The ancient wisdom of Wabi Sabi practitioners helps today’s busy home makers with interesting interior design ideas. Wabi Sabi interior design followers learn to relax, take time appreciate the beauty and simplicity of natural design, and to know that their home doesn’t need perfection to bring joy, which compares to our research findings in residential Design Psychology.

Before you relate Wabi Sabi to Shabby Chic style, understand that the Wabi Sabi way of life starts with simplicity, whereas Shabby Chic interiors often fill spaces with a lot of interesting finds, which can end up with too much to care for and eye clutter, according to Design Psychology principles. This lesson of too much design detail, which stops the eye and makes you feel overwhelmed, became apparent to us when we moved from our expansive Victorian home into a smaller house and had to choose the more important furnishings from the treasures discovered over ten years of collecting, both in antique and thrift stores.

If you want to makeover your home for joyous living, consider Wabi Sabi restraints along with Design Psychology principles:

Simplify your life and home design. When you choose the best from your treasures, keep those accessories that support positive memories, regardless of monetary value.

Take pleasure from natural beauty. Choose design details with colors, patterns, and textures similar to those found in nature, which feel harmonious to people because they connect us to the earth.

Appreciate your home and furnishings, no matter how imperfect. When you love your home, this love shines throughout and makes it easier for you to clean and maintain. Your positive attitude brings you encouragement to find beauty all around, inspiring fresh ideas for home makeover projects.

Wabi Sabi beliefs include the principles of incomplete and impermanent designs, which parallel the Design Psychology principle that your home needs to grow and change, to support your changing lifestyle and emotional needs.

In contrast to Wabi Sabi’s use of modest and humble furnishings, Design Psychology appreciates the inherent beauty in all things. Enjoy the fruits of your hard work and don’t feel guilty when mixing the humble with quality showpieces. I love my Italian Millifiore glass lamps sitting next to my Mexican Rose rock.

Like any good design theory, Wabi Sabi finds beauty in the unconventional. Your originality in design makes your home unique. Design Psychology practice avoids the use of furniture “groups” and prefers unique, individual pieces offering comfort. If you were tempted by a furniture set, such as matching sofa, love seat, and the three matching tables, don’t worry; just know that additional pieces don’t need to match perfectly and that blending styles and finishes makes unconventional, unique spaces.

Design Psychology supports fearless home makeovers, bold with colors to lend emotional support yet restrained, without overly-filled rooms, to provide backgrounds for people and harmonious living.

Similar to the Wabi Sabi tea ceremony, practice daily rituals in your home. Create a home to celebrate life, one full of tranquility and beauty. Choose your home interior design style to best support your happiness.

Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author’s information with live links only.)

Jeanette Fisher, author of Joy to the Home Journal, interior design and real estate books, has researched the effects of environment on emotions for over 15 years. Jeanette teaches college courses on Design Psychology and professional real estate investing seminars. For free Design Psychology reports, visit http://www.designpsych.com

Author: Jeanette Joy Fisher
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many people use the words interior designer and interior decorator interchangeably. According to the New World Dictionary of the American Language, a designer is one who makes original sketches, patterns, etc. A decorator is a person who decorates; a specialist in interior decoration.

A general assumption is that it costs a lot of money to hire a designer or decorator. This is not always true. They add value to your project and can actually save you money by helping you avoid costly mistakes.

At one point in time only the so called rich hired interior designers. That changed about twenty years ago when the economy was soaring, home building was at a peak, home improvement and decorating shows became popular and homeowners had the money to hire someone to help them create the perfectly decorated home. This led to more people choosing interior design and decorating as a profession. As a result, there are many levels of these types of services available today and a wide range of fees.

For the last few years there has been an ongoing debate within the design industry of who can call themselves an interior designer and what types of services can be provided by this person. This article is not intended to refer to or comment on this subject. The purpose of this article is to educate homeowners about designers and decorators and help them decide who to hire to help them with their projects.

A designer with an ASID (American Society of Interior Design) designation is required to have a certain level of education, pass a rigorous test and serve an internship with an established ASID designer. This designer knows electrical and plumbing codes and can draw up blueprints. He/she is capable of designing the interiors of commercial structures such as hotels, office buildings and restaurants. They study furniture styles and periods and have training as project managers and some even operate their own construction companies. An ASID designer can design and work on residential or commercial projects. They usually have access to a range of products and materials and can buy at wholesale pricing. They are knowledgeable of these products and know the proper use and applications.

Not everyone who is a trained and experienced interior designer is affiliated with ASID. There are fees associated with an ASID membership. A designer has to pay for the testing and there is an annual fee for being a member of ASID. Without being a member, one cannot use ASID beside his name.

Use an interior designer if you are planning a large remodeling project and need someone to design the space and manage the project (specifying, ordering, hiring and managing trades people).

As stated in the first paragraph of this article a decorator is a person who is a specialist in interior decoration. He/she does not necessarily have a degree in interior design. They deal with the aesthetics of a room such as color, wallpaper, furniture, rugs and accessories. A decorator may be someone who has an eye for these things and can create beautiful rooms, but does not have any formal training in these areas. There have been a few decorators that have become world renowned and have been very much respected in their field.

A decorator can help a homeowner choose decorative type products for the home. Some of them have access to trades people who can install carpet and wallpaper, paint, etc. Most decorators also have an eye for balance in a room and proper placement of furniture and objects.

Use a decorator if you are having trouble pulling a room together or if you need help deciding what type of furniture to use in a room. They can choose paint colors for you and make suggestions that will help you solve your decorating dilemmas.

Next there is the decorator with design training. This person has had training and/or schooling in the interior design field, but has not completed all of the requirements to become a member of the American Society of Interior Design. They have taken classes and/or passed courses that qualify them in specific areas of design. They may or may not have an interior design degree, but, they are proficient in their specialties. They may design kitchens and baths, be window treatment specialists, color analysts or are great at space planning, just to name a few.

Use a trained professional decorator if you have a small to medium house project that you can not do or do not want to do on your own. They usually are capable of consulting with your contractor, they have resources for a variety of home products and are knowledgeable of their applications and are proficient at coordinating projects.

There is a designer or decorator to fit everyone’s needs. It is up to the homeowner to determine what their needs are and also determine an estimated budget. Although, if you are having trouble with these areas a designer or decorator can help by asking specific questions to guide you to the answers. A one hour consultation may be all a person needs to receive advise on how to proceed with a DIY project. This consultation could help a homeowner avoid costly mistakes and save time. A simple example, is the person who buys furniture that is perfect for their home, only to find out, after it is delivered, that the scale of the furniture is too large for the room. Then there is the remodeling job where the contractor suggests putting in an extra doorway, only to realize when the job is complete that there are not any walls long enough in the room to accommodate the furniture.

How do designers and decorators charge? Depending on what part of the country you live in fees will vary. Hourly fees are widely used, as well as costs of materials plus a percentage. Sometimes you will be charged straight retail prices with no extra fees attached. If you are working on a project with multiple products and stages of services, it is not uncommon to be quoted a project fee. These are the most common, but not the only, ways to be charged when working with a designer or decorator. It is important to understand the fee structure before starting a project.

Designers and decorators have a passion for creating beautiful, balanced interior spaces that enrich the lives of those using the spaces. They are problem solvers and can relieve some of the stress and anxiety that may accompany a project. Hiring a professional to help with a project can be a fun and rewarding experience. Give it a try. You may end up asking yourself why you did not do it sooner.

Connie Deamond is a certified professional interior decorator and has been in the interior design industry for nearly twenty years. Her specialties include, but are not limited to, space planning, custom window treatments and color. You can visit Connie’s website at http://www.conniedeamond.com or read her blog at http://www.conniedeamondblog.com

Author: Connie Deamond
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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