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The Design Inspirationalist

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The Design Inspirationalist

Category Archives: Guest Posts

Guest Post: Designing a New York Child’s Oasis

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

alexsjourneys, apartments, bunks, children, city, design, interior design, modular, new york, playground, small spaces, urban

There are some brilliant new design trends in 2012 that would be a great addition to any home. Because New York real estate is the most expensive in the nation, some of the more affordable spaces are small compared to other regions. Therefore, New York designers show homeowners how to maximize their spaces and make the most of what they can afford. Let’s take a look at one of the latest trends in home design, most particularly, how to take a swanky New York City space and build a children’s oasis.

Many families living in the city want to improve the quality of life for their children. With that said, designers are helping families build mini-playgrounds in the home to make indoor city living more fun and enjoyable for children.

The designers usually tend to try and utilize many existing elements in the home to create an urban oasis. For instance, a supporting beam can be used as the base for an abstract tree in the child’s room. Bright colors, such as baby blues, are also suggested to make the space appear more spacious and inviting.

Guest Post: Designing a New York Child's Oasis

Modular bunks are created with geometric cutouts for the stairs and the beds. Each modular space allows for enough room to install small shelving for a nightstand, light and of course a mattress. Since the unit is built into the wall, it is safer than that traditional unit. Again, whites and pastels can be used to keep the room open and spacious.

Guest Post: Designing a New York Child's Oasis

Kids growing up in city apartments may not get the same outdoor living experience as suburban or country kids, but their urban oasis is something most kids would want regardless of their location.

Designers often take a single element that the homeowner loves and incorporate it into the designs with a twist for children, or teens. Having these fun elements bring out the creative suit of your Manhattan home gives a whole new life to home.

{Alexandra is a travel enthusiast who loves to write about fashion, beaches, food, and the wonderful things in the world.  She provides her own insights on vacationing to the blogosphere.  If you would like to learn more about her, follow her @alexsjourneys or visit her blog alexsjourneys.wordpress.com}

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas

06 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Home

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Animi Causa, bedroom, De Vrouwe van Stavoren, Divan Beds, Feel Seating System, Fiji, interior design, Krisxi Chasanov, Nautilus Undersea Suite, Old Wine Barrels, Sandwich Bed, sea, Switzerland, The Poseidon Resort, water, Waterbed, weird bedroom ideas

Bedrooms are our reserved refuges where we hideaway to every night and get away with the worries of the world outside. Throughout our lives, they are the cozy and private spaces where we first experienced to sleep by ourselves, where we first learned not to sleep forlorn, where we penned our inmost thoughts and concealed them underneath the mattress, where it was acceptable to cater to ourselves flamboyantly and where we all perhaps made our first decisions on design.

Beyond bed skirts and bolsters, see how great design decisions turn into great design ideas. Some even take it to the next level and make a point that they have personalized their rooms thoroughly. Change is inevitable and with comes those people who would like to have their rooms customized similar to their friends. Others have come up with a peculiar taste.

Listed below are some of the weirdest bedroom ideas that have been prevalent these days. They have surfaced the internet and made great noises. We hope you will be amazed by the following and consequently, come out with your own exceptional bedroom concepts.

Old Wine Barrels
A hotel concept that included restored wine barrels might seem bizarre wherever in the world but not in the Netherlands. They always welcome outrageous or odd ideas. As a result, a brilliant De Vrouwe van Stavoren hotel was built from old wine barrels from Switzerland. They were brought to the Netherlands, then rinsed and transformed into hotel rooms.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - wine barrels

Waterbed
A waterbed is not as simple as you think it is. This next idea has added a new meaning to the word. This is not recommended to anyone that sleepwalks for sure! It may appear a little icy and very hazardous if you go home drunk and if you cannot swim, than this is certainly not a great idea. However, this is perhaps the coolest bedroom we have ever witnessed!

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - waterbed

Sandwich Bed
It truly stinks to climb out of bed and walk across the cold floor just to satiate your hunger in the middle of the night. Why not save yourself and turn your room into your personal diner?  This sandwich bed will really provide you with sweet dreams.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - sandwich bed

Nautilus Undersea Suite
It is just so magical, transcendent and inimitably fascinating to live under the sea. This might have been the motivation of the person who developed a Nautilus Undersea Suite, which is located at The Poseidon Resort in Fiji. It can be found 40 feet under water.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - nautilis

Feel Seating System – Animi Causa
Animi Causa designed the Feel Seating System which has a cool and strange shape. It has a molecular structure which is the basic block for all things around us. It consists of 120 sofa balls enclosed in elastic fabric which enables you to feel comfortable and relaxed. Since the design allows you to make various forms, you can utilize it in a number of imaginative ways.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - feel

You might have been surprised by the five bedroom ideas we have presented here. Costs may bring you some hesitation to start now but these bedroom ideas can certainly inspire someone who has a burning passion within him. A third of our lives are being spent in bed so why not make the bedroom the most splendid place in our home? Start now and design your own extraordinary bedroom!

{Krisxi Chasanov writes for Divan Beds, one of the UK’s leading online suppliers of cheapest divan beds and mattresses. When she comes home, she’s a dedicated housewife and a mother of two. You can follow her on Twitter @bedcritter}

Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

04 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, Leo Parker

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bed Sheets, bedroom, color, comfortable living, cushions, decorating, Explore a Theme, Focal Point, furniture, Headboards, interior design, Knick-knacks, living room, paint, pillows, rugs, Statement Lighting, swivel uk, throws

Give your living space a whole new lease of life with these easy and inspiring ideas.

Statement Lighting
Create dramatic, contemporary interiors using statement lighting. Lighting is the key to creating the right ambience and mood in a room. Opt for a large floor lamp to illuminate your living space, pulling everything together and giving the eye a focal point.

This super chic Arco Lamp replica, based on Achille Castiglioni’s iconic piece takes its inspiration from street lamps and the long stem enables the lamp to project light up to 8 feet from its sturdy marble base. A fantastic example of affordable designer lighting.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less - Arco Lamp

Create a Focal Point
Make one wall a feature. This rule can apply to almost all rooms in your home but works extremely well in the bedroom. By painting one wall a vibrant color and the other white, this creates a focal point in the room. Add to your focal point with some well-chosen designer furniture.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Place your bed up against this wall to create a modern and stylish look. Alternatively use wallpaper to exaggerate space, making it lighter and brighter, due to its reflective qualities.

Bed Sheets
For a modern, fuss-free and sophisticated bedroom opt for crisp white bed linen as your bed is the focal part of the room – an easy way to update a drab interior. Add cushions, plenty of pillows and throws for a more lavish look.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Lick of Paint
To create a calm and relaxing boudoir, try your hand at home decorating using soft pastel colors to achieve this effect. This creative process can be very therapeutic so will set the tone for the room from the beginning.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Headboards
If you are not enamored by traditional wooden headboards, a fresh take on this would be to make your own. A painting or photo collage is a great alternative and will create a bespoke, modern mood in no time.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Knick-knacks
Surround yourself with things that make you happy – old photos, books, inspirational objects to create a really homey feel. Not only will it make for a more cheerful living space but will feed into your subconscious which in turn will lead to a happier you.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Rugs
Add a bohemian element to your home with a rug. Bright colors, bold patterns and interesting textures are great for injecting a new lease of life into a living area.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Explore a Theme
Explore different themes and tie together a room by adopting this theme throughout the whole area.  An example of this would be a quirky, retro sixties vibe. Mix bold geometric wallpaper with funky details with an Eero Aarnio BallChair replica for a cool look.

Guest Post: Top Tips for Beautiful, Comfortable Living Areas for Less

Written by Leo Parker

Guest Post: Getting a Wedding Reception Spot On

22 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Guest Posts, Weddings

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bride, dancing, decorating, diy, DJ, groom, kevin mills, marriage, music, party, reception, wedding

Setting up a fabulous wedding reception is the ambition of every bride and groom in the country. From decking out the banquet tables with the right fabrics, to making sure the walls and ceiling are lavishly decorated, you shouldn’t feel the need to skimp on a single thing on your special day.

This is why you should observe the following tips to make sure everything goes by without a hitch – so to speak.

Guest Post: Getting a Wedding Reception Spot On

Allocate the floor space ASAP
Making the best of the space available to you is undeniably the most tricky part of getting your wedding reception on the right track. If dancing is the main focus of your event after eating, then make it known. To this end you should ensure that your banqueting tables remain either at the edges of the room, or are easily carried aside/stowed away after the main meals are over.

Your chairs should be just as flexible and be able to be removed at a moment’s notice. Try to avoid buying or renting heavy pieces of furniture. There’s nothing worse than splitting your wedding outfit, or seeing a family member injured because they can’t move a table!

Arrange the sound, lighting, decorations and entertainment
The chances are you’ll be stuck with the level of lighting and sound system that comes with your venue. However, if you were to hire a DJ then they might have some lights that could spruce up the areas that need it – as well as a beefy sound system to fill the space.

As for decorating, you should probably leave all of your wedding materials in the safe hands of a trusted source; be it your best man, or maid of honour. Realistically these are the only people who have time to organize – or sub-organize – your reception, as you’ll be too busy getting married to!

Guest Post: Getting a Wedding Reception Spot On

{Kevin Mills started his career as a company executive in the Reading area and later relocated in Leicestershire. He is proud father of a sweet boy and happily living with his wife and son. At present he is working at an international furniture house in Leicestershire and occasionally writes some articles on restaurant and banquet tables. Connect with Kevin on Google+}

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