BEST FOR HOMES - Great ideas for transforming your home

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Finishing Touches

Above: Small details can make all the difference to
a finished look. Consider trimmings, beads and
sequins to add an extra special touch.

You may not want to change your whole room scheme. Sometimes the small touches can make all the difference and make the room complete – even a single chair covered in a new fabric can transform a room. In the living room, the sofa is the most important piece of furniture. A well-dressed sofa can include any array of patterns as long as these coordinate with the overall scheme in the room.

Small details and finishing touches such as cushions, throws, trimmings, lampshades and smaller accessories are an important factor in giving the room a finished feel. Cushion covers and throws provide an easy way to add instant colour and variation to a room without spending a fortune, while trimmings, fringing, tassels and braid can finish pieces off with delicate detail.

Labels: Introduction

8:12 PM | Permalink |

Introduction - Bedrooms

In the bedroom, bedlinen is normally a dominant player and there is a huge range of different styles, colours and patterns to choose from. Classics colours and styles work best in traditional bedrooms while neutrals, bright colours and bolder prints tend to suit more contemporary settings. Monochrome schemes and pale, muted colours help to create a relaxing atmosphere. Many people choose to decorate their bedroom around a favourite bedlinen set. This is a good way to choose coordinating colours, but don’t forget to add accent colours and smaller details.

Above: Bedlinen can set the tone for the whole bedroom:
there is a marvellous choice in the shops, but it's fun to
decorate plain linen with your own design.

Labels: Introduction

2:13 AM | Permalink |

Practical Considerations

Don’t forget practical aspects, especially when it comes to wear and tear; there are important considerations and questions you need to ask yourself. For example, what will the room be used for? Who will be using it? Are there children using the room? The answer will help you to make some of the more practical decisions. Loose covers that can be put in the washing machine are a good option if you have young children or teenagers. Stain-protection finishes are another option, but make sure they conform to fire regulations. Perhaps the most important practical consideration, however, is that the furniture you choose needs to be comfortable, especially if it will get a lot of use.

1. Classic combinations: simple and effective, blue and white fabrics work brilliantly together and suit many styles of decor.

2. New naturals: soft furnishings in neutral tones are easy to live with and will work in any room. Creamy, natural shades have softness and warmth while darker tones like coffee and chocolate shades add depth and contrast.

3. Fresh florals: there is an enormous range of floral fabrics to choose from and, depending on the design you choose, they can be adapted to fit in with traditional or contemporary room schemes.

4. Pretty pastels: the pastel palette is a delight to work with, and you can mix and match a number of different hues without the effect becoming overpowering.

5. Bold brights: rich colours bring drama to a room. Although they are most popularly used for dining areas and children’s rooms, don’t shrink from using them in sitting rooms or bedrooms.

Labels: Introduction

12:52 AM | Permalink |

Monday, June 1, 2009

Introduction - Choosing fabrics

It is important to choose carefully the fabrics you are planning to use, considering the proportions of the design and the colour in relation to your room scheme. The scale of the fabric design should also be related to the size and the shape of the piece to be furnished. For example, choose a relatively narrow stripe to upholster a small piece of furniture and wider stripes for a larger piece. Think about how much fabric you will need and the areas you are covering – do you need plain coordinating fabric to work with a pattern to make the scheme easier to live with? You may already have a large expanse of patterned or coloured fabric that you want to use as a basis for your scheme – in which case you have to think about smaller elements of colour and pattern to add to the room.

Combining different patterns together can add variety and colour. For instance, you may have a floral theme in a bedroom, but checks or stripes can work wonderfully with this if you choose the right colours and proportions. If you find this part of decorating a little overwhelming, stick to just three colours and you can’t go wrong.

Above: Have fun with fabrics by using two or three
different designs in the same colourway. Here,
florals and checks create a charming look.

Labels: Introduction

3:09 AM | Permalink |

Introduction - Colour Themes

There are endless options and varieties of colour combinations to choose from. You will find most soft furnishing manufacturers will have a particular pattern in a whole selection of colourway, from bright and bold down to neutral mixes and muted, paler combinations.
If you are planning your room scheme from scratch, rather than using a patterned fabric or wallcovering as a base, start by choosing a main colour – this is the colour that there will be most of. Next choose a secondary colour which will be used in roughly half the amount of the main colour; and a third, accent, colour to add in smaller proportions, such as cushions, trimmings, and accessories.

Above: Citrus colours, such as lemon yellow,
orange, and lime work wonderfully together
to create a vibrant, zingy style.

Labels: Introduction

2:42 AM | Permalink |

Introduction

Choosing furnishings in the form of upholstery, loose covers, cushions, throws, curtains and blinds can be the most exciting part of putting a room scheme together. There is a such a vast array of different patterns and colour combinations that it is a good idea to make your own ‘mood board’ with swatches and colours that you like. Collect pictures from magazines of rooms that you like too. This will help you to get an idea of what colours and patterns work together before rushing in.

Labels: Introduction

1:27 AM | Permalink |