April 27, 2008 – 10:57 pm
The History of Styles and Periods is an important topic for interior designers. Having an understanding of the styles of interior design and the periods of fashion and furniture design allows an interior designer the ability to accurately recreate a style or period for an interior or subtly draw down on influences from a particular period or style adding flair to a room.
So here are a few highlights of the Art Deco Period which began in Europe, particularly Paris, in the early years of the 20th century but took off after World War I. The style used geometric and angular shapes, with bold outlines and ziz-zag forms. Preferred materials were chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, mirrors and mirror tiles. Theatrical contrasts were also prevalent, mixing highly polished wood and black lacquer with satin and furs.
To learn more about Art Deco as a Style
Dezine Tip of the Day - Trompe l'oeil
Firstly Trompe l'oeil is the art of painting to deceive the eye. It basically means that something is painted onto a wall in 3D so that when you look at it the room appears to carry on into the painted space.
Another way it is used, often false window frames are painted onto a wall and interesting landscapes are painted in the space to give the appearance that there are real windows with a view.
Trompe l'oeil adds a very definite artistic and three-dimensional element to a room. It also helps create the illusion of space and added dimension, and is a very good talking point.
Further reading on Trompe l'oeil
Dezine Tip of the Day
When looking for a new home, you have to make decisions instantly from a photograph before you even decide to drive by. You must remember arriving at homes and if it doesn't look good on the outside then you just keep driving.
So making your home look presentable and tempting for the buyer is vital. This is an important fact to remember when we go to sell our own home.
The first impression of the house is the one that will mean stop and come in or forget it.
Make your entrance inviting, surround it with good looking well cared for plants, perhaps some flowers in a pot, they always look cheerful and provide color.
Further reading on making your home look good to go on the market
A Few Things to Think About When Selecting Tiles
If you want to use tiles in your home decorating you must do some homework, don't choose on good looks alone. Work from an architect, or interior designer's specifications, or use the tile store for guidance. Make sure you tell them where the tiles are to be laid, especially if they are at an entranceway, stairs, bathrooms, or outdoor patios. You will need to make sure that they are slip resistant for entrance ways and bathrooms and frost proof, or capable of extreme temperature changes for patios, and depending on your local authority building codes you may need to have a contrasting stair nosing for stairs.
Further reading on tiles
How to Disguise an Ugly Feature
A simple idea to keep in your design tool box is if you want to disguise an ugly fixture or feature in a room then paint it the same color as the walls it is on and it will no longer stand out. It seems too easy and often the best ideas are! Your eye will no longer be distracted by the ugly fixture of feature, you may still see it but it won't be offensive.
Learn about water based paint
Dezine Tips - Imperial to Metric Conversion Factors and Measurements
Sometimes we need to be able to convert imperial measurements to metric so we can work out the size of furniture or the dimensions of a plan. Here are some factor tools to use when working between metric and imperial systems.
Imperial to Metric Conversion Factors
Inches to millimetres x 25.4
Feet to millimetres x 0.3048
Links to metres x 0.201168
Miles to kilometres x 1.609
Square inches to square millimetres x 654.16
Square feet to square millimetres x 0.929
To view more factors
February 6, 2008 – 3:39 pm
Save money on cleaning products.
Baking soda and water mixed in a spray bottle makes a great all purpose cleaner around the kitchen and bathroom, no need for expensive chemical alternatives. Give it a go, you will be surprised.
For tips on how to rid yourself of household pests in an environmentally friendly way
February 3, 2008 – 8:05 pm
Dezine Tip of the Day - Joinery or Cabinetry Design
When designing joinery or cabinetry such as a side board, bookcase, chest of drawers or a kitchen bench, always allow space for the toes to slip under the joinery unit, or piece of cabinetry when standing against it. It means you can get closer and protects the furniture from unnecessary toes banging in to it, causing wear and tear.
Think about how high you can reach for the kitchen cabinets, and how deep you can reach in. No point in making things to high or too deep as they will become wasted space as they are not easily accessible and often look out of proportion within the "human" space.
Learn more about anthropometrics and how it can be a great guide for quality and practical joinery design
January 21, 2008 – 3:51 am
Curtain Dezine Tip of the Day - Sheers for Decoration
Sometimes windows can be difficult to dress and decorate if the room is small and dark and you don't want to enclose it with heavy drapery but you still want to create privacy. By using translucent sheers filtered natural light can enter into the room whilst creating privacy and can hide unattractive views seen through the windows. The view can then be turned into an attractive feature, and you still manage to keep the room feeling light and open.
Further reading on sheers
January 19, 2008 – 2:43 pm
Dezine Tip of the Day - Types of Carpet
Carpet is a luxury item for some and a necessity for those in cooler climates. It is warm underfoot and helps absorbs sound. It's composition is not as complex as some think, there are three main types of carpet pile, a cut pile, loop pile and a cut and looped pile. There are so many brands of carpet available that is is vital that you learn about how it is constructed and what it is made of so you can compare "apples with apples" when you are making your final carpet decision.
Find out more about how carpet is constructed here
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