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Friday, November 20, 2020

We can all name at least one of our favourite colours, but not all of them are helpful for inducing comfort and relaxation in the bedroom.

While most of us may have strong opinions regarding our own favourite colours - or even a shade of someone else’s choice, there are universally understood implications associated with certain colours. Despite the many ways in which people differ, we generally agree that colours affect us in relatively predictable ways across most cultures.

Interior design by: Bazarbayu

Consequently, saturating a bedroom in a favoured colour may not necessarily result in a space that is conducive for sleep, and the outcome may be a jarring décor that inadvertently induces less sleep. In this decorating guide, we take a closer look at the upsides and downsides of some of the most popular colour schemes and their effects on the psyche.

Earthy Terracotta

Interior design by: Bazarbayu

Traditionally the preferred material for use in sculptures and the sun-baked rooftops of Mediterranean homes, terracotta is prized for the material’s association with antique works of art, but it still sees occasional use in affecting a rustic charm in modern spaces with warm and earthy tones. As a family of colours ranging from yellow to brown and resembling ancient fired clay, terracotta is complemented by neutral coloured backgrounds and softened by plush fabrics. Decorated by Bazerbayu, the pictured bedroom is saturated in a terracotta shade resembling sundried tomatoes, presented alongside rich textiles in a visually appealing balance against a neutral background.

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Hello Yellow

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

The noted sunflower enthusiast Vincent Van Gogh once remarked, “How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." Yellow elicits creative impulses by evoking imagery of sunlight and summer blossoms, making the colour a welcome addition that enlivens and draws attention in neutral coloured bedrooms. But as with everything else in life, some moderation should be exercised as yellow implies heightened energy levels - and when overused, can lead to eye-strain, or even feelings of frustration in introverts. Decorated by Nu Infinity, the pictured bedroom demonstrates the invigorating effect of yellow when used as an accent in an otherwise plain space.

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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Shades of Grey

Interior design by: Surface R

Out of all the colours that make up the neutral palette, grey is perhaps the most versatile - being capable of evoking buoyancy or gravity with slight adjustments in brightness. Light or dark, the use of grey provides a cooling shade that evokes a sense of space and blends easily in contemporary or minimalist interiors. In the pictured bedroom decorated by Surface R, subtle variations in grey are utilised to create the perception of depth and texture, with different shades of grey used in the fabrics of the space and special effects paints to portray brushstrokes on the wall.

Friday, November 20, 2020

If you’re planning on squeezing a dining arrangement into a compact area, or combining spaces in an open layout, you may be interested in seeing some alternative arrangements that preserve a sense of airy volume. In this line-up of dining spaces, you will be treated to some ideas that rely on kitchen islands, wall-hugging furniture, or unconventional designs to provide some intriguing and unique results.

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A simplistic arrangement of Scandinavian design complements the neutral coloured decor and provides necessary seating without detracting from the openness of the space. Interior design by: GI Design

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A noteworthy example of banquette seating arises from the centre of this open layout, with a decorative backing providing minimal segregation. Interior design by: Jashen Interior

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With a bench in place of two chairs, this dining arrangement can be pushed closer to the wall to conserve space. Interior design by: Jashen Interior

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While the shape and size of the table surface has it projecting into the narrow space, a bit of demarcation around the perimeter reduces the prominence of the intrusion. Interior design by: Surface R

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The merging of the dining room and kitchen make for perhaps the most economical use of space. Interior design by: Yong Studio

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This combination of lightly treated wood, bare cement, aged leather, and patinated metal frames create a distinctly masculine space. Interior design by: X-Two Concept

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This kitchen island features a broader-than-average surface that can be turned into a study table or dining table as needed. Interior design by: The Roof Studio

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A projecting island surface is rendered less intrusive with the deliberate echoing of nearby architectural finishes and being made to appear as though it could be folded away. Interior design by: Mode Interior Style

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Every component of this bar-height dining arrangement adheres to the requisite tones of the neutral palette in order to preserve a sense of space. Interior design by: Metrics Global

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This kitchen features a diminutive country inspired nook, serving as a dining arrangement to seat up to four diners in close proximity within the compact confines of a standard kitchen. Interior design by: M Innovative Builders

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This island serves as an implicit barrier to the kitchen and provides a place for guests to linger before heading into the chaos of the kitchen. Interior design by: M Innovative Builders

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In the most compact of apartments, the placement of a dining table against one of the walls is almost a requirement for saving space. Designer: Konan Design

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While not the most appropriate or formal of dining arrangements, a bar provides a place for the casual consumption of a meal. Interior design by: Homlux Interior Furnishing

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Rather than being relegated to the edges of the layout or being hidden in the kitchen, this bar occupies a central position in the foyer to serve as the primary attraction for arriving guests. Interior design by: Homlux Interior Furnishing

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Coloured in the same tones as the surrounding space, this kitchen island is camouflaged while serving as both a functional barrier and as an alternative dining surface. Interior design by: Gusto Design & Build

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The trio of bar stools extend the reach of the reflective metals occurring at the edges of the space. Interior design by: Q1 Interior Concept

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In an inverse demonstration of the previous kitchen island, the thick and dark forms of these bar stools encapsulate the kitchen in a loose array of bold, black lines. Image Credit: Casa Indah Design

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Against a monochromatic background of modern design, the sleek and angular design of these bar stools make the seating the main attractions of this kitchen. Interior design by: Q1 Interior Concept

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A chabudai, or Japanese tea table, is perhaps the most intriguing form of furniture for an unconventional dining arrangement. Interior design by: Q1 Interior Concept

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A favoured trope in modern interiors is the juxtaposition of gratuitous curves against a background of stark lines and monochromatic shades. Interior design by: Q1 Interior Concept

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A dining arrangement with the smallest footprint ever is formed out of a table that was apparently designed to be stowed when not in use. Image Credit: Nice-Style Refurbishment

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While the designs of furniture used in this arrangement are simplistic for the sake of preserving visual space, the application of both contrasting and unifying tones in accessories and upholstery arouses attention. Interior Design by: Nice Style Refurbishment

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The ubiquitous design of these bar stools enables the seating to blend into the background of monochrome and modern lines in the kitchen alcove. Interior design by: Jashen Interior

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Another example of contemporary curves standing in front of a modern background is demonstrated with a highly limited set of materials in this kitchen. Image Credit: Design Spirits

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As with many other arrangements where the kitchen island stands as a physical barrier, the stools here are selected for their potential to draw attention to the receiving face rather than the operative side of the kitchen. Interior design by: Homlux Interior Furnishing

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This arrangement puts modern lines and luxurious upholstery against a background of wood parquet in a herringbone pattern and classical wainscoting on walls. Interior design by: Bazarbayu

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This neutral coloured kitchen is wrapped in a bow of monochrome with glossy black being represented at the outer edges. Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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This dining arrangement utilises a kitchen island as a barrier to the kitchen, as well as the grounding element for the projecting dining surface. Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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This space demonstrates another small-footprint arrangement with a narrow shelf serving as a dining surface along the wall. Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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This kitchen island is made the main attraction of the open layout with the stark contrast between the bold, red upholstery and the neutral coloured architectural finishes. Interior design by: Space Living Interior Furnishing

Friday, November 20, 2020

Through the use of fabrics, rugs, upholstery or solid surfaces, you can infuse a strong wow factor in your living room with patterns and textures.

Patterns and motifs add an immediate wow factor to living rooms - however they must be mixed and matched right. Whether you are introducing patterns and textures using fabrics, rugs, upholstery or solid surfaces, there are multitude ways to work with them to give your spaces their own unique personality.

Interior design by: ST Concepts

One of the key things to remember is that different patterns should have a common element so that they go together. It can be the same colour family, a similar style or complementing shapes. If you are doing this for the first time, the easiest way to ensure your different patterns go together is to use no more than 3 different motifs against a common palette.

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Stay Neutral

Interior design by: ST Concepts

The neutral palette is a safe choice for a backdrop as it tends to bring a variety of patterns together without overwhelming the eye.

Interior design by: ST Concepts

In this living room, the designer successfully paired a variety of lush fabrics and textures together in a pleasing manner - thanks to the beige and off-white palette. To bring the eye to the furnishing pieces, pillows with geometric prints are used. Over on the feature wall, lines complement the decor while the polished marble surface of the coffee table gives the perfect finishing touch.

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Pick a Hero Pattern

Interior design by: Hoe & Yin Design Studio

Pick one pattern to be the hero, and use other patterns to complement it. The hero pattern can be something bolder and more dramatic. From here, it’s essential to create balance with more subtle prints or lighter colours.

Interior design by: Hoe & Yin Design Studio

For this living room, a composition of interesting fabrics are used to create a lush effect. These fabrics serve as the complements for the hero feature in the room - the eye-catching wall-covering with two bright blue armchairs. The gray sofa and gray rug work well to offset the powerful patterns and tones used in this interior.

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Mix Up the Textures

Interior design by: Hoe & Yin Design Studio

Put different textures together to create an interesting ambience. Smooth surfaces can be softened up with cosy fabrics, while solid colours on the walls can be uplifted using flooring materials.

Interior design by: Hoe & Yin Design Studio

This living room features a harmony of textures that blend in with the key furniture pieces. A single painting is effective in creating a secondary focal point while the addition of indoor plants also help to bring out a sense of freshness to the overall theme.

Tip: To find the perfect colour combo for your living room, use a colour wheel: hues that sit opposite each other on the sphere, like purple, orange, pink, and minty green, are guaranteed to look pretty when paired. And while bright shades can be exciting, remember that more neutral palettes have their own charm too.

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Repeat Motifs

Interior design by: Surface R

Using the same fabrics or textures may be monotonous, but when patterns are repeated, they can create a visual boost for your interior. If you are using a graphic pattern or something as simple as stripes, use it continuously within a single area to infuse your space with a focal point.

The partition is in this living room is the perfect example of using patterns in repetition. However, instead of just choosing a singular motif, the designer has gone for several similar motifs to create that patterned effect. What's interesting is the subtle addition of complementary prints in the form of pillows. There is also a second repetition of pattern on the wood finishing that envelopes the stairway.

[gallery link="none" columns="2" size="medium" ids="57465,57464"] Tip: When you want to shy away from bold and colourful patterns, texture is your best friend. Neutral is never boring when a variety of textures are used. Mix it up! Repeating the same pattern throughout a room is also a reliable way to achieve cohesiveness. Interior design by: Surface R

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Go Large

Interior design by: Mode Interior Style

If your living room is big and roomy, large-scale patterns are a good way to bring the space closer together. To avoid overpowering the interior with very strong patterns, use flooring so that it won’t visually steal attention away from your main furnishing pieces.

To introduce patterns, this home features a unique treatment of flooring styles. The laminate wood flooring is done up with irregular patterns that stand out prominently. To tone it down, smooth grey flooring is used next to it. The designer also added on a textural feature wall to create a distinctive focal point in this space.

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Article by: Lily Wong

Friday, November 20, 2020

Now that you have decided on your furnishings, it is time to think about putting your curation in a flattering light.

It would all be for naught, if you put in the time and effort to handpick your furnishings for a dramatic display in daylight - only for them to blend with the shadows when the sun sets. Unless the intended effect was a nocturnal disappearing act, you would want the results of your hard work displayed in full, attention-grabbing light for all to see. With the placement of a few thoughtfully-placed fixtures, even interiors that appear sombre in the evenings can be revitalised.

Interior design by: Luxxu

While putting together your furniture arrangements, you may want to consider planning for lighting fixtures at the same time - as some forms of lighting require additional fixtures, wiring, or plasterwork in order to complete installations. In this guide, we take a closer look at the various forms of lighting available, their benefits, and the considerations that come with each.

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Pendant Lights

Interior design by: X-Two Concept

What minimalism has done to furniture can be seen in modern pendant lights - arguably the result of chandeliers being stripped of their trappings to retain the bare essentials in exposed bulbs. Pendant lights are most suited to modern and minimalist interiors, but are highly versatile with a wide range of styles due to their typically narrow profiles. The installation of pendant lights is not complicated by the weight of the fixtures, but rather by their typical composition in arrays of bulbs, requiring specialist wiring know-how to correctly chain bulbs together without running the risk of shorting out the electrical switchboard.

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Spotlights

Interior design by: Turn Design Interior

For a dramatic cone of light around treasured decorations, consider installing a single spotlight with a narrow zone of effect directly overhead. The result is a gallery-like presentation that is better suited for highlighting specific objects rather than casting light over a wide area. For area effect lighting using spotlights, consider using a number of identical units arranged in a wide array, or selecting a set that includes a rail. Wiring considerations are similar to those for pendant lights, in that their installation is less often plug-and-play, more often requiring specialty adapters or dedicated wiring.

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Wall Sconces

Interior design by: GDY Design & Construction

Decorative lighting fixtures that are mounted to walls help to indirectly illuminate architectural finishes or to highlight decorative features nearby, however their placement is limited to points in a home where wiring has been provided. The installation of wall sconces, at least in locations that lack the requisite wiring points and corresponding switches, would entail the construction of wiring ducts along portions of walls - a process that typically results in a pervasive cloud of brick and concrete dust. If pre-existing conditions permit, consider using wall sconces in places where floor space is scarce.

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Recessed Lighting

Interior design by: Zids Design

One of the most subtly elegant ways to bestow a space with unobtrusive lighting is with LED strips embedded into the crevices and recesses of plaster ceilings. These lighting strips are typically used alongside white plaster ceilings as the pale surfaces serve to reflect light - in a manner very much like lampshades. The soft and indirect rays of light from recessed LEDs make for a low-profile fixture that blends well with styles ranging from classical to modern. The fixtures themselves are typically lightweight and uncomplicated to install, being made to plug into standard sockets - with the addition of adapters supplied by the manufacturers.

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Chandeliers

Interior design by: Design Integra

Even before electric lighting became a requisite household feature, crystal chandeliers have been used to suspend lighting sources high above the ground. The various crystal components are traditionally cut into specific designs to deliberately magnify and spread light out evenly across large spaces. Intricate crystal chandeliers of antique designs are still being used to appoint classically-inspired interiors, while newer offerings ranging in shape from modest to extravagant are better suited for more contemporary interiors. By virtue of their complicated construction, most chandeliers are hefty fixtures requiring the installation of ceiling hook plates to support the weight - meaning that the placement is limited to load-bearing beams or structural slabs rather than thin plaster ceilings.

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Floor Lamps

Interior design by: Sachi Interior Design

If you have the floor space to spare, floor lamps are ideal for casting light over a moderately wide area, working best in corners where the light they emit can be multiplied with the aid of pale or reflective surfaces. As floor lamps are not usually fixed, their positions can be changed to adapt with an evolving arrangement - and their production ensures that all is needed to power one is a domestic power outlet.

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Table Lamps

Tip: For a cohesive arrangement: select a table lamp that complements the space, providing a point where the materials and colours of the décor can converge. The pictured modern table lamps highlight the use of reflective metal accents and cream upholstery in the seating lounge, bringing the common materials to a corner of the space. Interior design by: SQFT Space Design Management

With an available table surface, a large portion of your lighting needs can be served with the simple placement of table lamp. Perhaps the most cost-effective solution for limited lighting, table lamps are often designed to act as decorative pieces on their own.

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Friday, November 20, 2020

If you've read our tips on how to decorate bedrooms for children, you may also be interested in how to affect gender-specific themed decors for boys. We gathered our panel of interior designers to take a look at the composition of children's bedrooms and arrived at the following list of essential ingredients for a boy's themed bedroom.

Wall Colours The nautical theme is often the fall-back decor for most parents with young children, leading to the common use of various shades of blue to depict the sky and sea. Most boys bedrooms sport a palette dominated by blues, which work well as a background for a variety of animated characters.

The walls of this bedroom are saturated in sky-blue, serving as a background for the figurines distributed about the space. Designer: Surface R

Bedspread The fabrics used on the bed can go a long way towards contributing to a theme by virtue of their size. Take special care to select a bedspread that is not only colourful, but also matches the other decorative features of the space in order to solidify a theme.

The bedspreads are the sources of the most vivid colours in this bedroom, providing the most obvious indication of the occupants' genders. Designer: Q1 Interior Concept

Murals Perhaps the most definitive element of any themed bedroom is the central decorative element. Instead of using subtle lines and subdued colours as in adult bedrooms, consider instead a bright and colourful painted mural over the headboard to serve as the theme's centrepiece.

This boy's bedroom embodies the superhero theme, combining various shades of blue in drapery and furnishings with characters from the Marvel Comics Universe above the fabric headboard, while images of DC Comics' Superman occupies the bedspreads. Designer: We Interior

Accessories Adding decorative accents to a boy's space can help bring the theme to a head. The usual accessories would be favoured toys, but more mature boys may prefer sports equipment or recreational facilities.

This room forgoes shades of blue entirely in favour of an energizing yellow. The sports theme is affected by the mural of a soccer player. Designer: Design Base

Storage Shelving can be made to fit particular themes in their designs, making it another viable point of focus when affecting a themed bedroom. Even at young ages, boys can pick up valuable life skills and train for adulthood while putting toys away and sitting down at desks for work.

This bedroom includes shelving and a desk, complete with drawers for additional storage. Designer: Space Matrix What about room for girls? Here are some tips.  

Friday, November 20, 2020

If you're decided on your preferred colours, materials, and configurations for the kitchen, you may also be interested in getting your regular dose of inspiration with these 30 exemplar cooking spaces.

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This kitchen is brought from simplistic monochrome and into neutral territory with the rendition of a backsplash in beige hexagonal tiles. Interior design by: Homlux Interior Furnishing

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In contrast to the rest of the home, this kitchen is almost entirely saturated in white and black to give emphasis to the neutral coloured surroundings. Interior design by: Moonlit Inspiration

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A case for decorating with accessories is made in this nearly all-white kitchen, with a range of books and jars of spices providing bright splashes of colour for intriguing contrast. Interior design by: IDS Interior

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This neutral coloured kitchen serves as an unobtrusive backdrop for the iconic Snowball pendant by Louis Poulsen and the pair of countryside-inspired bar stools. Interior design by: PSQ

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A rendition of a rural cooking space is achieved with a coffered ceiling and darkly stained wood for cabinets. Interior design by: Q1 Interior Concept

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Rather than leaving this kitchen white and utilitarian, the designer opts for the injection of colour via yellow trim around selected shelves, in addition to bench upholstery and a backsplash rendered in a matching shade of indigo. Interior design by: Zids Design

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What would have been a utilitarian and all-white kitchen is instead given some unique character with the use of patinated stone on the floors and backsplash. Interior design by: Craftsmen Valley

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Stark lines of darkly stained wood and steel converge in this kitchen to create a cooking space that is simultaneously modern, yet rustic and industrial. Interior design by: Luna Solutions

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The unadulterated grains of natural wood are utilised to paint this space with intriguing and irreproducible lines. Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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A slab of dramatically veined marble elevates this modern classic kitchen to the height of luxury and adds a layer of organic lines over the stringent décor. Interior design by: FIX Design Solution

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A fine balance between austere and opulent is struck in this kitchen, with dark wood serving as a rustic element while the backsplash speaks of luxury with a near-seamless panel of marble. Interior design by: Global Elite Ventures

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The use of reflective metals in this kitchen serves the dual purpose of camouflaging the appliances and adding a layer of luxury to the monochromatic space. Interior design by: GDY Design & Construction

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This kitchen demonstrates one of the least often seen applications of a kitchen island – as an alternative dining surface and a teppanyaki style stove-top simultaneously. Interior design by: Living Space Creative Design

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While typical kitchens are sequestered behind corners and closed doors, this dry kitchen sits in full view as part of an open layout. Interior design by: D'concepto Design

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The hallmarks of several historical styles converge in this kitchen, along with an abundance of reflective metals and glossy white tiles on the backsplash for a measure of modern flavour. Interior design by: ST Concepts

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A kitchen decorated in rustic industrial style almost requires a striking centrepiece – such as the pictured retro-style fridge from Smeg. Interior design by: Yong Studio

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Another alternative to hiding the kitchen is demonstrated with glass partition walls atop a border of countertops. Interior design by: SQFT Space Design Management

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Composed largely from various tones of wood, this neutral coloured cooking space is given a bit of mirthful colour for an uplifting result. Interior design by: Blaine Robert Design

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Several disparate tones of wood are utilised to accent this all-white kitchen and provide the space with some visual depth. Interior design by: PSQ

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In a departure from the norm, this cooking space embraces its relegation to the outer edges of the home with a practical and intriguing aperture in the wall. Interior design by: Design Spirits

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As with any other monochromatic space, the introduction of a single additional colour provides a some appealing visual complexity. Interior design by: One Roof Kitchen

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This rural-styled kitchen is made memorable with the saturation of its cabinets and countertops in a rarely seen colour – a regal shade of green. Interior design by: Latitude Design

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A specular quality of stone on the countertops, in addition to a similar motif in the tile mosaic of the backsplash, provide this pale kitchen with a subtle dose of texture. Interior design by: Archint Design

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This kitchen demonstrates another variation of speckled motif rendered in tile mosaic, this time to reinforce a monochromatic colour theme. Interior design by: GDY Design & Construction

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Elegance arising from simplicity is demonstrated using nothing more than the requisite neutral palette and straight lines of modern design. Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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Nearly devoid of texture, this kitchen's all-white decor is a deliberate choice made to preserve the perceived width of the space. Interior design by: Deep White Design

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The grains of wood are used to accent this all-white kitchen and unify the space with the neutral coloured décor in the remainder of the home. Interior design by: Architrio design

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In conjunction with the near-complete saturation in white, adjacent planes are kept glossy and reflective to widen the space. Interior design by: Jashen Interior Design

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Friday, November 20, 2020

With the larger half of the year behind us, we take a look at the most intriguing and luxurious decorative trends emerging in bathrooms.

A bathroom may be just that to most, but the most highly prized homes make a masterpiece of every space. If you are seeking to imbue your washrooms with greater value, look beyond what bathrooms should look like and seek inspiration in the trends that have evolved so far. With just over half the year in the bag, there has been a deluge of data from which we were able to discern this year’s progression of trends, and among the notable features what we have seen are encouraging pursuits of natural light, commendable efforts to maximise decorative potential with the very minimum of materials, in addition to some bold experimentations with colours beyond utilitarian white.

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Glass Box

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

A bathroom that receives abundant sunlight during the day remains pleasant as it dries up faster – and there is nothing that dependably keeps a space hygienic like a regular wash of free ultraviolet light. But for a space that requires privacy as the average bathroom does, there is a tendency for few exterior windows providing natural light. In the course of this half year, we have seen a resurgence of bathroom fixtures boldly thrust into the sunlight by way of generous glass boxes, exterior windows, and skylights – as demonstrated in the pictured bathroom designed by Nu Infinity.

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Earthy Enigma

Ordinary spaces rapidly fade from memory, while a boldly coloured space will often be remembered and known by its predominant shade. It takes a certain kind of bravery to experiment with colours beyond the confines of normalcy, especially with the results often literally set in stone, but striking uses of colour can elevate ordinary bathrooms to works of art. While the majority of bathrooms we have seen remain predominantly white for practical reasons, we have also come across some shining examples of earthy colours taking the lead – such as the desert beige tone of the pictured bathroom tiled in terracotta.

[gallery columns="2" link="file" size="medium" ids="60778,60779,60777,60776"] Interior design by: USPA Europe

Tip: While the colour white is a practical choice for spaces where cleanliness is paramount, an all-white bathroom represents a missed opportunity to express oneself. Treat every plane as a canvas to be painted and you’ll end up with a truly memorable and unique bathroom.

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Material Variety

Well-known pieces of art are often valued more for the sum of their parts than for the presence of any particular detail – and with that in mind, one could paint an attractive space with disparate materials held in a balanced composition. If conservation is the guiding principle, or if adequate supplies of a matching variety of tile are lacking, consider some unspoken codes of aesthetics – such as the rule of threes, as expressed in the pictured bathroom. The designers, ID Industries, opted for no more than three sets of tiles to paint this bathroom with inviting contrast and intriguing demarcation.

[gallery columns="2" size="large" link="file" ids="60773,60774"] Interior design by: ID Industries

Tip: All materials provide a measure of colour and texture, but the contrasts don’t just end there. The styles and themes of wall treatments can also be combined to result in truly unique statements.

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Dark Beauty

Interior design by: Maison Valentina

It is often said that style is cyclical – a sentiment that foretells of a return to the sombre and dark aesthetics of the roaring 1920s, an era that saw heights of prosperity unmatched until recent years. Directly contradicting the prevailing shade of modern bathrooms, a dark washroom speaks of a quality of elegance and luxury that is inherently masculine and still largely uncommon in the present age. If you are seeking to craft a truly unique bathroom, look to the dark side, as demonstrated by Maison Valentina, a luxury provider of high-end bathroom fixtures.

Interior design by: Maison Valentina

Tip: A dark décor typically benefits from limited doses of gilded metals and directed light to provide the space with a luxurious sheen.

Interior design by: Maison Valentina

Friday, November 20, 2020

An ordinary bathroom can be made memorable and luxurious with some exploratory whimsy, outside-the-box thinking, and the bravery to try something different.

In the immortal words of Francis Bacon — the father of modern scientific methodology: “Nothing is pleasant that is not spiced with variety.” So if you are in the midst of redecorating your bathroom, you may be interested in considering some convention-defying ways of rendering tiles to imbue the space with awe inspiring characteristics rather than hiding it from sight.

Interior design by: Alpex Design

If you feel inclined to do more than create a utilitarian bathroom entirely in white, then this decorative guide is for you. In this guide, we take a closer look at a range of bathrooms made memorable with unique colours and luxurious with decorative features to draw attention.

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Vein Reign

Interior design by: Alpex Design

As with other parts of the home, the addition of marbled stone surfaces bestows bathrooms with irreproducible and overt symbols of opulence. While the simplistic colour palette of the pictured bathroom would have it categorised as monochromatic from afar, Alpex Design elevates the monotonous space to the height of luxury with near-seamless slabs of white Carrara marble and black Nero Marquina in close proximity for striking contrast. The standard white fixtures, and the accessories that have been selected to match, stand with deliberately reduced prominence when blending in with the wispy grey veins of the white marble in the background.

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Duo Tone

Interior design by: Bathroom Takeaway

One of the longest-surviving hallmarks of classical design is the ubiquitous chair rail, and while tradition implies that the chair rail should accompany seating furniture, the application of subtle delineation at the height of a standard chair rail creates a unique scene that would draw the attention of the artful eye. The horizontal dividing line separates the walls into upper and lower fields, with the upper field of the wall painted pink and the lower field rendered in black to accompany the white fixtures against the monochromatic floor.

Interior design by: Bathroom Takeaway

Tip: Being a characteristic feature of traditional décor, the standard chair rail blends well with other hallmarks of classical style such as wainscoting to walls, gilded metals, and other intricate embellishments.

Interior design by: Bathroom Takeaway

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Pattern Play

Interior design by: GI Design

Just as with a blank white canvas, any neutral-coloured space will eventually serve as the backdrop for intriguing motifs and visually striking elements presented in the scene. As in the pictured bathroom decorated by GI Design, a jigsaw puzzle motif stands out by relying on the off-white tiles and pale wood flooring that constitute the background. Despite being composed from interconnected pieces that range in colour from a matching shade of white through to dark grey, the curved lines and various greys immediately draw the eye to the far wall of the bathroom.

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Hue Renew

Interior design by: Boundary Space

While most bathrooms may feature an all-white décor for space-expanding effects and effortless maintenance, few bathrooms are as memorable as those rendered in unconventional tones. A bold accent in a neutral-coloured space can have striking and memorable effects, as demonstrated in the pictured bathroom designed by Boundary Space, where grey and white marble enclose fixtures and accents soaked in an avocado’s shade of green. In combination with the faint grey veins of the white marble and the gilded metallic elements, the unique shade of green renders the space mature and regal.

Interior design by: Boundary Space

Tip: Adhering to the guideline we sometimes refer to as the “rule of threes” ensures that colours normally considered to be disparate and contrasting will be held in an even balance.

Interior design by: Boundary Space

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Good Divide

Interior design by: Q1 Interior Concept

In a space as compact as the typical bathroom, physical demarcation can be served by a limited set of fixtures entailing customised metal frames and glass panes, or simply with a contrasting choice of tiles to preserve a sense of volume. Rather than opting for an intrusive glass curtain wall around the shower area, Q1 Interior Concept incorporates a darker variety of stone tiles for high-contrast delineation against the pale walls and floors of the pictured bathroom. The result is a bathroom that is kept physically spacious, with only a slight reduction in perceived space evoked by the dark accent.

Friday, November 20, 2020

Render your dining room comfortably liveable with the careful consideration of colour scheme, materials, and architectural planning.

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Celebrated paintings are known more for the sum of their parts than for their individual details, but an attractive visual composition is notoriously difficult to achieve — even master painters have painted over completed works while searching for that elusive sense of visual cohesion and comfort. Just as the frustrated maestros of the past, you may have put considerable effort and resources into selecting your architectural finishes, curating your furnishings, and appointing the dining space with lighting fixtures of your choice, but an uninformed arrangement and a lack of visual cohesion could result in a cold and aloof space. In this guide, we take a look at a selection of dining spaces to distil the factors that make for cosy spaces.

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Perfect Match

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

Just as the details of a mess have unintentional effects on a décor, disparate decorative elements can affect the ambiance in detrimental ways by pulling the message of the space in divergent directions. With furniture and material choices in tune with each other, Nu Infinity renders the pictured space cohesive with a colour scheme of black and pale wood tones against a white background. While the resulting décor is unified to make its appreciation easier for the naïve observer, the space is additionally drenched in warm lighting to produce a soothing ambiance.

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

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Calm & Carefree

Interior design by: GI Design

The neutral palette, the prevailing colour scheme of modern homes, is known to lend itself well in combination with a wide range of decorative styles—the inherent lack of bold shades in the neutral palette renders an ambiance calming, and the subdued colours are ideal for use in creating cohesive presentations of disparate textures.

Interior design by: GI Design

As demonstrated by GI Design with the pictured dining room, the pale background ties together the decorative elements and unobtrusively diverts the wandering gaze across an array of textures: whitewashed bricks on the wall, the lightly treated woodwork of the furniture, andthe sleek black frames.

Interior design by: GI Design

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Woody Warmth

Interior design by: Beverly Home There is something primal about the effect of wood floors—perhaps due to our arboreal ancestry, or because wood has always been an easily workable and highly available building material making up the majority of homes past. Either explanation would go toward explaining why a wood floor invites one to saunter around the space with bare feet. Decorated by Beverly Home, the pictured space is made inviting by way of its floors composed entirely from wood, resulting in a warm expanse that ripples invitingly with a variety of shades and grains that could only be achieved with natural wood cuts. Interior design by: Beverly Home

Tip: Working with natural wood entails a willingness to incorporate a variety of uncontrolled shades and grains – the result of which is a space painted with unique and irreproducible brushstrokes.

Interior design by: Beverly Home

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Breezy Charm

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

While womb-like warmth in close-quarters may be the definition of cosiness in the primitive sense, modern sensibilities require an abundance of space filled with natural sunlight and adequate air ventilation for comfort.

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

Decorated by Nu Infinity, the pictured dining space is strategically placed opposite a length of sliding patio doors and gifted with sunlight filtered through lightweight sheer curtains.

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

Ventilation is provided by the thoughtfully placed ceiling fans, and an uplifting sense of volume is created in the delectably lit ceiling tray, emblazoned with intriguing decorative details for the eye to linger upon.

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Clear Space

Interior design by: Gusto Design

Nothing detracts from the cosiness of a space more than an uncontained mess. While a measure of detail makes a space appear lived-in, an overabundance of clutter burdens the mind and tires the naïve eye with unnecessary details.

Interior design by: Gusto Design

In the pictured home decorated by Gusto Design, the potential clutter of the dining space is contained within neat lines of open shelving on the walls. In the adjacent kitchen, the practical consideration of shelves being closed with cabinet doors further decreases the amount of details appearing in the space and affecting the décor in unintentional ways.

Interior design by: Gusto Design

Tip: Design the visual experience of a space by applying the same principles used in tactical camouflage – draw attention to a feature of your choosing by clearing out any unnecessary details from its surroundings, and obscure the presence of an element with an array of intersecting details.

Interior design by: Gusto Design

Friday, November 20, 2020

Take control of your sleep by incorporating these decorative bedroom ideas to help alleviate sleepless nights and ease transitions into unfamiliar spaces.

Interior design by: Gusto Design & Build

Especially for those among us who would readily self-identify as homebodies, some may recall bouts of endless tossing and turning while getting accustomed to a new home or spending the night in a foreign land. According to the people who study brains for a living, this is all perfectly normal – as we take into account novel sensations in the new environment and the heightened level of information processing disrupts our normal sleep cycles. While this temporary state can be overcome with time and habituation, we have found some methods of crafting a bedroom that will make even the most wakeful and restless feel comforted and at home almost immediately.

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Refreshing Atmosphere

Interior design by: Gusto Design & Build

Much like plants and all living beings, people require air and light to survive – with access to an abundance of both leading to distinctly luxurious and comfortable spaces in the same way that gilded decorations make for unmistakably opulent interiors. Gusto Design maintains a generous stretch of windows in this pictured bedroom to enable the ingress of ample sunlight, while preserving floor space and air volume with the selection of modern furnishings. In all climates, windows warmed by sunlight inadvertently result in higher temperatures on the interior during the day – which necessitates the addition of a fan (or some other form of air circulation) in spaces where air would otherwise remain stagnant.

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Tender Trappings

Interior design by: Metrics Global

While a bright and airy ambiance results in an undeniably attractive space, people of all ages are soothed when swaddled in soft fabrics and sheltered in relative darkness - in the same way that nearly all beings find comfort in a nest, berth, or alcove for rest. Just as moss-lined hollows may have been the epitome of comfort and security for our ancestors, we are calmed by subtle tactile sensations and an incorruptible sense of privacy.

Interior design by: Metrics Global

In the pictured bedroom decorated by Metrics Global, a balance between clarifying brightness and comforting privacy is afforded with a combination of blackout curtains and soft lighting fixtures.

Interior design by: Metrics Global

Tip: An abundance of comforting tactile sensations helps to lull a wakeful mind to sleep. If your bedroom feels empty, throw some fabric around.

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Immaculate Impressions

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

Regardless of where we find the most comfort on the spectrum of order and chaos, a mind in pursuit of sleep would be hounded by a barrage of unwelcome sensations within a cluttered space. A restless and wandering mind expends greater energy in noticing and encoding within memory the unnecessary details of a random mess, detracting from the natural waning of conscious mental processes that typically occur before sleep.

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

Decorated by Nu Infinity, the pictured bedroom is made conducive to sleep with a neutral palette, minimal decoration, and discrete storage compartments helping to limit the presence of distracting visual sensations that would otherwise become points of fixation in the restless mind.

Interior design by: Nu Infinity

Tip: While cleanliness is a universal ideal, a stark bedstead may not be a comforting sight. Without some accessories in plain view, a completely empty bedroom may appear closer to a furniture showroom than an actual bedroom.

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Plush Surfaces

Interior design by: JCS Design Project

Fine textiles have been highly prized ever since one of history’s first recorded acts of industrial espionage resulted in the manufacture of silk fabrics for the elite of Eastern Roman society – with the association between prosperity and high-thread count fabrics prevailing even in this age of genetically-modified silkworms and mass-produced fibres.

Interior design by: JCS Design Project

An abundance of cloth induces sleep by dampening sound, rendering hard surfaces soft, and providing comforting tactile sensations, and when accompanied by a high-quality mattress - as demonstrated in the pictured bedroom decorated by the JCS Design Project, the result is a space that draws and lulls even the most restless into slumber.

Interior design by: JCS Design Project

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Soothing Hues

Interior design by: Surface R

Whether the various effects of colours on our psyches are in fact the result of biology or cultural heritage, most people agree that colours evoke specific emotions. Some attribute the tranquil effects of the colour blue to the association with cloudless skies and majestic expanses of water - but despite the colour being a relatively recent innovation that is rarely expressed in nature, there is a surprising degree of consensus across the globe regarding the calming effects of blue. As demonstrated by Surface R, rendering a bedroom in any of the various shades of blue will imbue the space with calming and sleep-inducing vibes.