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The Design Inspirationalist

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The Design Inspirationalist

Tag Archives: interior design

Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

21 Thursday Mar 2013

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

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Tags

accessories, decorating, furniture, homeowners, interior design, minimalistic, modern, new home, shopping, sofa, style, traditional

Choosing the right furniture for your new home is important for many reasons. Not only are you are creating a cozy and safe area for you are your family, you are setting the tone for how your home will look like for years ahead as well. The fun part is experimenting with colors, materials, and styles. How do you pick the right furniture and where do you start?

Look and Feel
Before you buy anything, you need to get an idea of the feel that exact piece will bring to your home. It depends on the style you want to create. Whether you are single, married, have children, divorced, or a young  professional, your own status should lead you to the right choice. Modern furniture these days is decorative and minimalistic, the focus is on edgier furniture, bright colors, and functionality. If you want a beautiful and comfortable home, you need to spot the right furniture.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Buy the Right Sofa
Along with the kitchen, the living room is a main area of the home. The room’s appeal depends on the style and size of your sofa, so choose wisely. Sit on the sofa and move around to get an idea of its fit. You will spend most of your time on it, watching TV, eating, reading, or working on the computer, so you need a sofa that is the right material, the right height and size. It is one of the priciest pieces, but it’s worth the investment. A great sofa of a quality material will serve you well for years to come. A sofa made of real suede/leather will have a longer life, but suede and cloth get easily stained and are harder to clean, so think of the top leather conditioner before you buy.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home
Photo Credit: Houzz

Maintain the Theme
In order to have a well-arranged home where all the furniture pieces come together, you need to choose them in a way that they complement each other. Have some consistency and a main theme and your new home will be perfect.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Compare and Shop Around
The furniture in the SW12 house you’ve moved in is above all, a long-term commitment, so don’t buy the first piece you see, unless you are completely in love with it. Go to multiple furniture stores, check websites to read what people say about those pieces you like – for example, Palliser furniture reviews, – and compare prices. You could even negotiate your own price for a set of individual furniture pieces. It’s important to be a smart shopper at all times.

A few more things to think about:
– Choose the furniture after you’ve painted the walls or at least after you’ve determined the colors.
– Select the room accessories after the furniture pieces arrive and finish the look with wall décor and artwork.
– Classic, Mediterranean, minimalist or traditional – the theme of your home has to be in line with the furniture.
– Don’t put too many pieces in the areas of high traffic, so it doesn’t get impossible to move around the house.
– Remember, to extend the theme to the outside of your home since its the first thing people see.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Hopefully, with these few tips of advice, you can move forward in creating the home of your dreams. Don’t forget to have fun in the process!

{Written by Ella Andrews}

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration

15 Friday Mar 2013

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

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accessories, blinds, color, curtains, decorating, design, emerald green, interior design, interior goods direct, mint, rugs, shades, spring, spring colors, window treatments

With winter slowly leaving us and the hope of a bright and cheerful spring, it seems only appropriate to begin to decorate our homes for the long awaited sunny season. There are so many gorgeous colors for us to choose from, and we don’t always know what style and theme we are looking for. So this is why I have created a list of this season’s top spring colors, along with a few simple but effective design features to make your home look and feel like a happy haven.

Spring Colors We Love
My unpredicted favorite color, which has decided to grace us with its presence this year, is green. Emerald green has been given loads of attention over the past year. However, it’s time to put a new spin on green and opt for a new shade for this season, Mint. This beautiful color, which doesn’t require a lot to stand out, has solely become our new favorite color for this spring.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: HGTV

Considering my love for anything neutral, my passion for cream is rapidly disappearing, and in its place are bright pops of color like green, blue, and yellow.
Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Station of Interior and Eksterior Ideas

Now this doesn’t mean I will paint my whole house in this shade. Why not try a statement wall with one of these three colors or opt for bright accessories. This will provide just enough to make your home stand out, but not so much you feel like you’ve taken a step back into the 70s.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Vertical Blinds Direct

Curtains or blinds? That’s the question
I have always had a love for a gorgeous set of curtains, and in my opinion, there’s nothing better than when they fall to the ground in a beautiful pleat. However, lately my opinions are changing. Despite my love for curtains still being strong, they have been taken over by my passion for a set of bright and cheerful blinds.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Vertical Blinds Direct

Now that spring in around the corner, we want to embrace the beautiful bright mornings. Blinds are the perfect opportunity to do so. However, if mornings aren’t your thing, you can still opt for a set of black out blinds in your favorite spring shade, but with the effect of a set of lined curtains. I have recently installed a set of gorgeous blue vertical string blinds to my white and blue home. They are just enough to add a pop of color without it looking over the top.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Vertical Blinds Direct

Everyone Loves Accessories
Accessories are the perfect opportunity to add personality to your home. If you’re not ready to take the step into bright walls and blinds, you can still change the whole look of your home by accessorizing.
Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Houzz

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Coodet

Bright cushions, rugs, and table decorations have the ability to change the look of your home with minimal effort, and if you are anything like me, small touches really count. So invest in little trinkets, wicker baskets, and beautiful wall hangings. Just because we don’t live in the Hamptons doesn’t mean we can’t make our homes look like we do.
Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: GHID

{Written by Alice Lawson on behalf of Interior Goods Direct}

Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

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

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Tags

bay windows, beamed, cathedral, celing, coffered, country kitchen, home, interior design, rustic, staircases, vaulted

When you had visited your friends’ homes, were you attracted to some things that you felt like having in your dream home? There are many creative ways of choosing your interior finishes.

People usually make some noticeable changes when they buy a new house, like opting for granite counter tops, choosing wooden floorings in place of carpet, or potlights to replace standard fixtures. But there are a lot of other upgrades that you can add to your dream home which you might not even be aware of.

Ceiling
A decorative ceiling treatment is a smart way to really highlight your interior spaces. High above the living spaces, they create that special finishing look that can not be left unnoticed. The average home ceiling is 8 feet high and built of materials similar to the walls. Today “popcorn” textured ceilings are gaining popularity as the finish is inexpensive and best for concealing minor imperfections. You can also choose the ceiling to be different shapes such as cathedral, vaulted, coffered, beamed and tray. These are responsible for defining and dividing a room.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: The Ace of Space

Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: Furnishism

Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: HGTV

Bay Windows
Would you like to add some excitement and open up the living space in your home? The perfect addition may be an eye-catching bay window. Bay windows extend outward from the wall of the home to form an indoor bay. They are gaining popularity these days as they make the living space appear larger, allow plenty of natural light to penetrate, and add a fantastic touch to the interior as well as the exterior of the home.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: Fresh Home

Staircases
Besides being extremely functional, a staircase can add to the beautiful architecture of the home. Staircases for homes can be designed in various shapes and sizes to fit exactly within the space provided. Before choosing one, you should first consider: how much weight will your staircase be receiving, who are the people using those staircases, and how are the rooms closer by being reached.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: Houzz

After finding the answers to these questions, you should choose the shape that fits into the floor plan, while complimenting your home. Some shapes are straight, return stair, “L” stair, Winder, circular and spiral.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: BS2H

Creating the Perfect Country Kitchen
The aroma of a sweet dish spreads from the kitchen’s oven. At the same time a large bowl of vegetable soup simmers on the stove. Dishes like this remind you of your favorite spot as a child, your granny’s kitchen. You could design your kitchen to offer just the same kind of memories all over again.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: Trendzona

If you love rustic country, then choose the wooden cabinets to be of brown, barn red, or cream so that it creates an ideal rustic kitchen setting. Nickel hardware is also a nice touch.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: Home Designing

When it comes to flooring you should choose textured tones for an inviting casual feel, and any light colored wood flooring for a formal kitchen. Next, consider the cabinet details. Add attractive crown moldings to the top of your cabinets to create a custom feel. Another interesting way to enhance your cabinets is to include glass. You can also replace some cabinet space with open shelving. These options will help make the kitchen look larger.
Guest Post: Tips for Beginners on Selecting Interior Finishes for Your Home
Photo Credit: Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Cost

When deciding on your interior finishes, try to think outside the box. Read magazines or ask professionals. This your dream home, so be as creative as you can afford to be.

{Diana is a writer/blogger who loves writing, traveling, and reading books. She contributes to Lon Gorman}

Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places

11 Monday Mar 2013

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

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, color, decor, decorating, design, home, interior design

Here are some ideas on how to incorporate vibrant colors in unexpected places in your home and add some pop and spice to your décor.

Living Room
Everybody expects color on the walls and ceilings but its usually painted a boring neutral color. Do the opposite and paint your ceiling a bright metallic blue. The light reflected onto the walls will give your room an ethereal look.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: J Taylor Designs

For architectural interest, add a single red stripe on your wall in an otherwise neutral room. Run the stripe through the ceiling and the opposite wall.  You can also paint an accent wall with chocolate brown. It will act as a perfect backdrop for your flat screen television or an art master piece.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Houzz

Fire up your living room with a single red couch.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Apartment Therapy

Make a statement with yellow, green or purple window blinds and paint your fireplace to match the blinds. Why not add a splash of color in an otherwise white room by displaying a piece of vibrantly colored modern art. Another quick way to add visual interest is by throwing in a couple of black or multi colored pillows on your couch.

Dining Room
Paint alternate chairs in your dining table-set bright green or purchase a green set.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Trend Zona

Add some whimsy by stenciling in a couple of interesting patterns on the walls.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Fresh and Fancy

For some ways to create interest on your table create a gorgeous purple centerpiece or fill a purple bowl with colorful pebbles and water. You can also try floating a few fresh or silk flowers in it. When you have guests over include an odd colored plate in your dinner set or add a lavender desert spoon to your silver ware.

Bedroom
Make your bed more luxurious and inviting or brighten up a guest room with a multi-colored festive patchwork handmade quilt.Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Angela Flicker

Sleep like a baby by painting a soothing blue on your walls or even just an accent wall.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: My So Called Home

To highlight your windows add a glowing golden valance above your blinds and complement it with a flaming yellow carpet on the floor.

Kitchen
Create a colorful herb garden on your window sill. Nature always adds a nice touch to any space. You can also try painting your sill violet and place two or three herb pots painted bold red, yellow, and green for a pop of color.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Yankee Magazine

Paint two random kitchen cabinet doors fuchsia and pale green respectively. The complementary colors will add an unexpected freshness to the room. For a quick pop of color, place a turquoise blue cooking pot on your stove.

Bathroom
Liven up a boring bathroom with a free standing tub in daffodil yellow or electric blue. Pick your color and make it a DIY project.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: SCC Kitchen, Bath & Home

You can also try installing a Fuchsia vanity countertop or paint the frame of your vanity mirror a slate-blue. For instant pop, place a violet-red vase with white flowers on your countertop. Why not add interest to the space and stencil in bright patterns or flowers on the window frame.

Stairwell
Paint a faux salmon colored runner on your stairs. Make it pop out by stenciling in a few flowery accents.
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Babble

Paint each railing in different shades of blue starting with the palest blue at the bottom and moving up the color spectrum as you go up the stairs. Finally, bring in fresh flowers in a riot of colors!
Guest Post: Color in Unexpected Places
Photo Credit: Decoist

{This post was written by Jason Torres brought to you by UniqueVanities.com and UniqueMirrorsOnline.com, where you can find the best modern single sink bathroom vanities}

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