Principles of interior design

Whether you are working with existing furnishings and fabrics or “starting from scratch” with an empty room, you should always use the elements and principles of design as a guide in choosing everything. The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The elements of design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements. The principles of design are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity. Principle #1: Balance Visual equilibrium in a room is called balance. It gives a sense of repose and a feeling of completion. A well-balanced room gives careful consideration to the placement of objects according to their visual weight. The elements of line, form, color and texture all help determine an object’s visual weight, which is the amount of space it appears to occupy. Balance also refers to how and where you place the elements (line, form, color and texture) within a room. To maintain balance, try to distribute the elements throughout the room. • Formal balance, often referred to as symmetrical balance, creates a mirror image effect. • Informal balance uses different objects of the same visual weight to create equilibrium in a room. It is more subtle and spontaneous and gives a warmer, more casual feeling. Principle #2: Emphasis Emphasis is the focal point of the room. The focal point should be obvious as you enter the room; it is the area to which your eye is attracted. Whatever is featured, as the center of interest – a fireplace, artwork or a window treatment framing a beautiful view – must be sufficiently emphasized so that everything else leads the eye toward the featured area. You can add emphasis to a natural focal point or create one in a room through effective use of line, form, color and texture. Principle #3: Rhythm Rhythm supplies the discipline that controls the eye as is moves around a room. Rhythm helps the eye to move easily from one object to another and creates a harmony that tells the eye everything in the room belongs to a unified whole. Rhythm is created through repetition of line, form, color or texture. It can also be created through progression. Progressive rhythm is a gradual increasing or decreasing in size, direction or color. Principle #4: Proportion and Scale Size relationships in a room are defined by proportion and scale. Proportion refers to how the elements within an object relate to the object as a whole. Scale relates to the size of an object when compared with the size of the space in which it is located. Principle #5: Harmony and Unity A well-designed room is a unified whole that encompasses all the other elements and principles of design. Unity assures a sense of order. There is a consistency of sizes and shapes, a harmony of color and pattern. The ultimate goal of decorating is to create a room with unity and harmony and a sense of rhythm. Repeating the elements, balancing them throughout the room, and then adding a little variety so that the room has its own sense of personality accomplishes this. Too much unity can be boring; too much variety can cause a restless feeling. Juggling the elements and principles to get just the right mix is a key to good design.

Fireplace design ideas types of fireplaces

Types of fireplaces such as masonry, gas, electric, pre fabricated and woodstoves are available today. Fireplace design ideas depend on factors such as the area to be covered and the purpose that it needs to serve. While masonry fireplaces in which natural wood is burnt might be a common sight in old, large houses, gas fireplaces are the most common these days because they are easy to install and use. Although masonry fire places may have an old world charm of their own, they are not the most effective means of heating the house as a large amount of heat escapes through the chimney. A wide range of gas fireplaces are available and out those the top vent gas fireplace is the one that can be installed to replace an existing wood burning fireplace. These fireplaces design ideas do not require wood or matches and can be turned on at the flip of a switch! An electric fireplace is also convenient for warming smaller sitting areas and there is no facility to install a chimney. An added advantage of these types of fireplaces is that they reduce heating cost significantly. A prefabricated fireplace is also known as a zero-clearance fireplace design ideas as they are highly insulated and can be installed in the proximity of combustible materials. They are often a good choice in new construction as they are lighter in weight and faster and easier to install than standard masonry fireplaces. A wood stove is made from cast iron or brick line welded plate steel and is essentially a metal container for fire. Since most modern woodstoves are airtight and allow the amount of air feeding the flame to be controlled in some manner, they tend to be highly efficient.

Rustic decor in an urban world

The world of the big city can often be a very unforgiving one. Stress is a way of life. Between the hustle and bustle of work and social engagements, not to mention such things as navigating busy streets jam packed with morning traffic or taking care of children, relaxation is rarely an option. And that is on a good day! While the causes of stress may be unavoidable in your life, this does not mean that there is nothing you can do to make your home environment more relaxing. In many cases, the perfect way to turn your stress-filled house (or apartment, whatever the case may be) into a relaxing place to call home is to simply employ a touch of rustic decor. The careful use of rustic decor can take what would normally be a harsh (or even simply a bit too hectic) environment and give it that warmth that makes people feel right at home. The first thing you will need to do when you set out to redecorate your living space is to pick your battles. For instance, rustic decor may be your idea of an interior designing dream come true, but if you happen to have children, your teen-aged son's bedroom is probably not the best place to express your country style (at least not without his willing cooperation.) You may also want to start out small and work your way outward, particularly if you are not living alone, as this will give the people you live with enough time to get used to the look, rather than having their entire home suddenly taken over by a rustic theme. A bathroom or guest bedroom is the perfect place to begin your work in applying rustic decor. Particularly in the case of a bathroom, you will have a small space to work with which will give you a way to get your feet wet, so to speak, and get in a little practice at rustic design without having to worry about overwhelming yourself at first. Furthermore, bathrooms and guest rooms are somewhat less important in the grand scheme of things than, say, a living room or master bedroom. This means that if your design does not turn out quite the way you had intended it to, you can take another crack at it without disrupting the lives of others. Rustic decor is all about the little touches. For instance, using natural wood molding rather than painted molding, and using earth-tone colors can go a long way to lending a room a warm feel. Even a few little accessories such as a potted plant here or a small embroidery piece with a simple message of welcome or a simple saying would be an excellent addition to your rustic decor. Anything that adds a natural look and makes the space inviting is sure to work well. Once you have your first room complete, you will have (hopefully) learned a little more about rustic design, and what aspects of rustic style suit you best. You should then be able to take what you have learned and expand to larger rooms! Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Take your kitchen to the country

Tired of the ultra-modern black and white and chrome of your kitchen? Have you gone beyond the desire for sleek minimalism and long for the comfort of a warm and cozy country kitchen? Many of us spend a lot of time in our kitchens, so comfort is right up there with convenience. Here are some ways to create that feeling of warmth in your kitchen. Let’s start from the bottom up. You may want to cover the existing linoleum with one of the many laminate hardwood floorings that are available at building supply superstores. Snap-and-glue or lock-together flooring pieces are fairly inexpensive, don’t require a sub floor underneath for installation, and are extremely durable — a good move if you have children or pets. Wood comes in many different shades, so pick one that will work well with your choice of cupboards and countertop. So let’s think about cupboards. Bring home some earth-colored paint swatches and see what strikes your comfort zone. Try an antique olive green, light mocha or honey. Before painting, wash your cupboards clean of grease and grime, then lightly scuff them with sandpaper and wipe down again to remove loose dust. Mix your chosen paint color half and half with glaze. Apply with a 1-4" paintbrush, then take a rag made from an old cotton t-shirt and lightly rub the painted area with the rag to give an antiqued texture to the cupboards. Paint the trim in a solid color without the glaze to add contrast. When choosing doorknobs, try copper or wrought iron to create an aged look. Now for the countertop. Buying countertops can be expensive, especially if you require a custom size or have your heart set on granite. One inexpensive way to resurface the countertop is with ceramic tile, which comes in a variety of colors and sizes. 12 x12 is a good size for countertops, or try smaller Mexican tiles with bright colored designs for the backsplash. After you lay the tiles, grout the seams. Charcoal grout seems to compliment most tile and always looks clean. Finish with two-inch wood trim in a color like red oak for added warmth. Finally, choose a warm color to paint the kitchen walls. Shades of brown — such as desert sand, rice cake, or light coffee — add warmth to the room and don’t compete with the color of the cupboards. If the room is large enough, one wall could be painted with a darker or brighter color. With all the basics in place, add decorative finishing touches, such as aged copper pots and pans hanging from a rack above the stove to wicker baskets or antique cooking utensils picked up at garage sales. A pottery or glass water pitcher filled with fresh flowers is a lovely addition. If you have an eat-in kitchen, a wooden hutch or antique baker’s rack is the perfect setting for your aunt’s tea cozy and your collection of cookbooks. Now fill your country kitchen with the aroma of cinnamon buns made from Grandma’s recipe... and enjoy.

Fitted bedrooms replacement kitchen and bedroom doors

So, you’re thinking of purchasing a new fitted bedroom. The possibilities are endless but you don’t know what to do or where to go. You really need to know your options and how much will it cost etc. Hopefully this article written by an ex bedroom fitter will help you through this decision. Everything really depends on your budget. Basically there are two forms of bedroom installation, these are free standing / kit furniture and fully fitted. Freestanding & Kit form bedroom furniture is usually made up of various components that makeup a box with matching doors and accessories. This is usually fastened to your wall for support. This form of furniture is relatively cheap and can be purchased from companies such as Ikea, MFI and others. Most companies now days offer rather interesting designs. Sometimes these purchases prove an easier option with headaches and cost. However you’ll need to be rather handy with a tool kit in order to assemble it if it’s supplied in kit form. This type of furniture is usually manufactured in severe volume and quality tends to be average with a short life span on product wear. A fully fitted bedroom falls into a different category completely. A fully fitted wardrobe is a product which is purposefully built for your bedroom and installed to suit your walls and ceiling. In a nutshell you’ll either have to rip the old one or replace the existing doors and accessories using a replacement kitchen and bedroom door company. Thus providing your bedroom with a complete facelift. This option is usually the cheapest and should costs around Ј500 - Ј1000 dependant on which products you choose and quantity. Beware as ripping out a fully fitted bedroom (especially old Victorian timber wardrobes) can leave a terrible mess and lots of holes. Only trained fitters should attempt this. Otherwise your costs will spiral more than you think. Holes in walls equal’s plasterers and builders and these guys aren’t cheap and take time to convince to do your job as they are usually very busy on large jobs. Cost wise a new fitted bedroom starts at around Ј1500 for a budget priced wardrobe. This will increase dependant on the finish and material you choose. Solid timber remains the most expensive, whereas melamine faced chipboard and vinyl wrapped doors tend to be the norm for most fitted bedroom companies. Costs increase greatly if French polish or solid timber finishes are chosen. Polished furniture products and timber products cost more due to the expense of purchasing raw timber and the length of time it takes to manufacture. It’s like comparing a new mini to a Bentley. Melamine faced chipboard and vinyl wrapped kitchen and bedroom doors seem the most popular products used in the UK. Now you need to know what construction suits you. The makeup of a fitted bedroom is usually very similar whoever you purchase this from. Usually it’s either a front frame face fixed system or a box system / slim frame system. A front frame face fixed system is always fastened from the floor to the ceiling unless specified. A fitter will assemble a frame which is fastened and scribed to suit your usually bumpy walls and ceiling. Basically battens are fastened to the back wall and floor to take the weight of the top shelf and floor. Fascias and end panels are then cut and scribed and fixed to your frame. Finally doors are fitted using fittings such as Blum hinges. Be warned as you’ll need to ask for backs as you usually don’t get them with this method. Sharps bedrooms have used this system for many years to much success. It’s a slightly time consuming process as a fitter has to tailor the wardrobe specifically to your bedroom. These fitters are usually very highly trained. A box system and slim frame system usually consists of a group of boxes pre made in the workshop and delivered to site for assembly. The fitters usually level these boxes onto a ready made plinth. All boxes are then screwed together quickly with side gaps being filled with scribed in-fill pieces to cover any gaps. This is a popular method due to the fact that most items have been assembled in the workshop. This assembly method varies from company to company. This is usually the fastest method of installation. If you decide to have a home visit from a bedroom company then make sure you ask the right questions of the furniture designer. Ask if its possible to visit a recent installation as this would provide you with an idea of their quality, ask how long the installation will take as sometimes jobs go on forever, ask if you can visit their workshop – don’t just go off their showroom as showrooms are always made to impress, ask how many jobs they install a week as you really want to deal with somebody that’s specializes in fitted bedrooms. Ask what system they use and whether it has backs in. Be prepared! Usually a reputable company will answer these questions without hesitation. When you make the appointment ask how long the sales person will be in your house. If it’s going to be a hard sell then they’ll prompt that the husband and the wife must both be present on the night. This should ring alarms bells as this methods shows that this visit will result in a real hard sell and they want you to sign on the night. Most reputable fitted bedroom companies prefer to sell on the night but don’t usually use hard tactics. Most will give you ample time to decide. Tradesmen don’t like to give too much sales patter and usually prefer to get on with the job at hand. Ask if they use sub contractors for their installations. If they do be very wary. Most good companies employ their own fitters. These fitters are usually known as subbies. It’s sad to say that a fair majority of subbies have no training or experience and usually bumble through a job leaving terrible problem behind. If you’ve paid a subbie upfront then you’ll usually struggle to get them back to sort out problems that may have arisen. Usually a reputable company will ask for a small deposit and settlement on completion based upon the installation team satisfying your needs. This article has been written by Basically doors that operate a replacement kitchen and bedroom door company based in the UK. We supply vinyl wrapped doors and components for the fitted furniture industry. We hope this article helps you on your way to a great bedroom.