COLOR TRENDS & INSPIRATIONS OF 2016

As the hypnotic draw of technology lures the masses into an ever plugged-in existence, a need for analog experiences and environmental stimulation drives us to engage the senses of sight, sound, smell and touch in our homes. This new direction in design is raising the bar to create interiors that are appealing to a design-savvy, yet sensory-deprived society.

In 2016 Trends had address the importance of color in constructing stimulating environments. You’ll see how you can use varying hues, intensity and lightness levels, patterns and textures to establish your own sensory-rich space. Though each theme uses a different style and color approach, the end result creates interiors with impact and dimensionality.

HIGH CONTRAST

Chromatic bright mingle with dark moody tones, glossy surfaces and layered textures in this exotic-Asian-style inspired dining room.

Call it the era of the dinner party revival! More people are staying home to cook and entertain, so the dining room is experiencing a welcome comeback. Spaces that activate the senses with a playful interaction of color, texture and pattern is one way to ensure your guests will keep coming back for more. Dark colors create an illusion of depth by making the edges of a room disappear, while brilliant pops of tropical color envelop this room in adventurous style.

LUXE DIMENSION

The traditional décor in a home office gets a stylish update with strong color, gold detailing and geometric patterns.

Horizontal borders of color at the top and bottom of a wall help a narrow room feel wider and more expansive. Eye-catching combinations are established through contrasting blends of bright and dark color, sleek lines and translucent surfaces. Neutral tones are enlivened with gold, coral and sapphire, resulting in a room that radiates confidence. 

BLURRED BOUNDARIES

When it comes to modern style, everything is getting softer and rounder. Look for organic furniture shapes, subtle color combinations and natural materials that envelope in quiet serenity.

Natural greens and blues create a relaxed setting for a bedroom loft space. An ombre alcove is reminiscent of a misty, atmospheric landscape, balanced by black side chairs and abstract artwork. Orange and turquoise are pop accents that reveal a sense of optimism, while a mix of geometric patterns and soft textiles invite you into the room.

LYRICAL LIVING

A well-lit living room embodies feminine elegance through classic styling, a tonal palette and reflective surface treatments.

Color and light is visual music that lifts the soul! Using layers of warm colors, shiny surfaces and plush textures, a dialogue between the past and present has been opened. A high gloss finish on the ceiling, trim and cabinetry reflects light in dazzling ways.

Home Decorating Tips for Merry Christmas

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, it’s also one of the busiest. Between gift buying, food preparing and party attending we still need to find the time to transform our homes into a wintry wonderland. Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle over the festive decoration this year, instead take inspiration from our interior experts and style the perfect dining table, accessorize a beautiful festive lounge or put the finishing touches on your tree or wreath. From an abundance of pretty baubles and bows, to a delicate glittering snow scheme, there are many different ways to decorate your home at Christmas time and we love them all! For this feature, we thought we'd take a peek at the slightly more modern approach to yuletide festivities, keeping color palettes limited and fresh, and decorations sweetly simple.

A paired down, candy cane color scheme of just red and white can be fabulously effective in a pale room.

 

If your walls are very dark or have a lot of pattern, then white accessories may be all you need, a collection of different shapes and textures will play with light and shadow to ice your room with a soft frosted look.

If space is limited, decorating with light can be a terrific solution to twinkle your way through December, using hanging star lights with pretty cuts outs, and adding a sprinkling of candle light to create the ultimate cozy factor.

Of course we couldn’t leave out the most popular color plan of red, gold and green, which always looks storybook perfect by a roaring fire. Resist the tangle of tinsel for your tree, and instead opt for wide curls of luxurious ribbon to achieve an up to date edge.

For a completely coordinated look, don’t forget to match the color of your gift wrapping to your tree toys!

Kids Room Decor Ideas

 When it comes to choosing your kids’ room sets, you have to go for cartoon sets as they are popular.Kids love playful themes and lively decor. A kids room decor should be bright and chilled out. Keep in mind that the fresh paint will promptly freshen and fill in the room and a sunny cream or a warm beige color is a lovely color for your kids’ decoration. Remember, lighting your kid’s room should be enough so as to achieve that; you should add lamps and install proper lightening above a desk or above the middle of your kids’ room.

To brighten your kids’ room, add brightly colored animal-motif bedding, pennant-shaped curtains, valances, or lampshades. Gender is an important factor when decorating your kids’ room. If your children are young, you could allow them to share a room and do the decor with Disney cartoons, bears and stars.

Here is some interesting kids room decor for you to try.

1 ) Bright Kids Room

Children like bright, bubbly colors. Use vibrant wallpaper to decorate the walls of your kid’s room. Add an interesting area rug, matching sofa and lots of storage space. I love the flower shaped chairs and the door design.

2) Funky Kids Room Décor

Here is a cool room for your teenager. Go for grown-up patterns. The room beautifully combines and balances the mix of patterns and plains. In a red-white wallpaper room, create harmony with a white bed, study table and chair.

3) Interesting Kids Room Décor

Redecorate your kid’s room by adding a floating tree branch bookshelf. You can either paint a tree or buy a similar wall decal. Fit shelves on the branches of this cute tree design so it doubles as storage too.

4) Creative Kids Room Décor

How about creating an indoor tree house for your kid? Take a look at this dreamy play area with a tree house. Paint a tree wall mural, add ladder and fence to get this outdoor look. Paint the ceiling in blue color to make it appear like the sky.

5) Chalkboard Kids Room Décor

A loft with a ladder and a slide! Design a bunk with a build-in desk in the lower and a chalkboard on the upper deck. I’m sure every kid will love to have this kind of set up in their room.

6) Personalized Kids Room Décor

Here is another way of using a tree design while decorating your kid’s room. Paint a tree mural, or paste a decal on the wall. Use ribbons to hang alphabets that appear in your child’s name on to the tree.

7) Kids Room Décor With Disney Theme

A great way to decorate your kid’s room! Choose their favorite Disney characters and paint them on to the wall. Or, opt for wall decals. Keep it cool and simple. Don’t make it too childish or your kid will overgrow it pretty soon.

8) Kids Room Décor Using Light

This is a cute study space for kids. Integrate this build-in desk into their room and decorate the area with lots of hanging lights. Go for a floating bookshelf. Add a tree decal and paint birds to get this look.

9) Kids Room Décor Using Artwork

Decorate the wall with your kids painting. Create an awesome reading nook for them. Turn a day bed into a sitting area. Kids’ artwork is often so exuberant, and colorful, that it is an instant hit in any room.

10) Whimsical Kids Room Décor

Choose this fun-filled kids room decor with lots of storage. This is a twin sharing bedroom has storage nightstand and storage bench. Also check out the lovely tree bookshelf – it can help kids organize their books.

Bohemian Home Décor Ideas

Home décor is said to be a reflection of the decorator’s personality. The way I perceive it, the décor is a representation of the decorator’s journey: emotions and thoughts. It’s a portal that depicts their past as well as their dreams and aspirations. Of late, the Bohemian culture is resurfacing in our society. The Bohemians were considered to be adventurous free folk, who were artists, musicians or writers. They loved travelling, believed in love and freedom and they collected various artifacts from all around the world. Today, the bohemian effect can be seen everywhere, in our attire, our lifestyle and even in our home décor! Bohemian décor indulges in a lot of play with color and prints. The décor is never plain, but instead is vibrant and eye-catchy. Extravagance is not a criterion for this décor, even minimal use of color but in an idyllic manner can be a part of the Bohemian trend. Every Bohemian enthusiast should be aware of certain aspects, which not only express the free spiritedness but also leaves an ever-lasting impact on the viewer!

Here we are sharing a few of the Bohemian décor Ideas.

Creative Corners 

The corners in a Bohemian themed home are never left unattended. There’s always the presence of either an artifact, colorful drapery or wall art which is highlighted. The color scheme need not be monochromatic. Splashes of different colors in a balanced manner results in vibrancy!

 

The Couch Effect

A couch or a sofa is the center of attraction in any room. Usually, a smart way to ensure that the theme isn’t disrupted is by having a printed couch. The prints could be either traditional or Aztec or even a combination of various prints, thus portraying the Bohemian scheme. If the couch is of a solid color, the cushions and pillows could be contrasting and a mish-mash of colors!

Wall Art

An important aspect to be kept in mind is that the walls shouldn’t be left blank. A fabulous way of portraying Bohemianism is by painting the walls. This displays the decorator’s passion and creativity as well. The other options include covering the wall with either travel or family photographs or displaying colorful tapestry.

Celestial Ceilings

 Often while decorating a room, the fifth wall or the ceiling is left unattended. The décor on the ceiling could be very simple with maybe just a chandelier or it could be innovative such as umbrellas reformed into lanterns, thus creating a mesmerizing appeal.

Funky lighting

Even the most beautiful interior fails to leave an impact on the viewer unless the lighting in the room illustrates every aspect of detail. The lighting can be minimalistic with simple fairy-lights hung by the walls or portray lavishness by suspending decorative lanterns from the roof.

INDOOR GARDEN IDEAS

With many of us living in overcrowded cities and towns, the craving for our own patch of natural green space can too often go unsatisfied. Many of us make do with the odd pot plant or window box, but in this piece we've rallied together 9 approaches to the indoor garden.

A narrow strip of landing space is utilized in this home with the installation of a long planter, enabling the planting of a path of bamboo that stretches up the staircase.

If you long to see the trees stretching their branches out over the countryside, then how about a mini version? A bonsai tree offers the same stunning silhouette as the beautiful green giants, and a mossy base creates a rolling hillside. The small scene in its entirety acts almost like a living snapshot.

For something sturdier, that doesn’t require the delicate touch of green fingers, how about a cactus cutaway like these? Simply section out part of your floor plan–however big or small–plant a few prickly friends and fill with pebbles for an attractive and clean finish.

This indoor balcony garden has a cascading mass of greenery that overhangs the space below. This kind of design looks great in an open plan space, over a mezzanine or even as part of a large hallway design.

Not many people have the space for this kind of interior landscaping, but it really does look stunning! Lit by skylights, a stream with freely swimming koi fish cuts through shrubs and quaint al fresco-style dining areas.

Nestled in a light well, a grassy border decorates this long bathroom space. The lush green strip brings a sense of health and well being–a perfect pick me up for the early morning routine.

This bathroom enjoys a fuller garden complete with palm trees for a tropical bathing experience; you can even take a shower beneath the fronds.

Vertical gardens like this one use up minimal floor space, so you can enjoy a huge amount of greenery in a home that has very little square footage.

 

Indoor salad gardens are very much practical in kitchens. We recommend all  to try this unique idea. 

5 Ways to Avoid Exceeding Interior Design Budgets

 

Every Interior Design project starts with a budget and unfortunately by the time of completion, most of these projects have exceeded the initial budget. Knowing that though your home looks beautiful, it cost more than you planned for can tone down your celebrations. For this reason it is essential to begin every project however big or small with a realistic budget and to keep it as detailed as possible.

Shopping Without a Plan

Impulse buys are often biggest reason interior projects surpass their budget. The blue porcelain vase that you thought was a steal can turn into a white elephant if it does not match the rest of your décor. The first step to decorating a home within a budget is to define the budget and prioritize purchases. Make a list of things you need and their associated accessories. Carry paint, polish and upholstery swatches with you while shopping so that you can match these to whatever purchases are being made.

Communication Lapses

Miscommunications can not only delay work but also cost quite a bit. Not giving a contractor clear instructions can what type of shelving you require within a cabinet can lead to him building shelves which later need to be redone. Another often miscommunicated point is the quality of material and hardware to be used. Your contractor might have estimated for laminate in places where you expected veneers leading the initial budget to be much lower than the actual cost. Any easy way to ensure clear communication is to always insist on having detailed written estimates.

Omissions

Renovation projects that include shifting plumbing lines, gas lines or sewage lines may require permission from civil authorities. Obtaining these permissions may need a few payments that seem minor at the point but can add up to a lot. Another cost often forgotten to be considered in estimating a project cost is tax.

Changes in Prices

Prices often change n the time between creating an estimate and actually making purchases. If you aren’t flexible about what you want this can blow your budget. You may also find a difference in prices if you decide to buy and do something yourself instead of getting your contractor to do it. This is because interior designers and contractors often pass on the discounts they get to their clients. So, the amount of money you save on the contractors fees are an amount you may end up paying for the material.

Insufficient Material

It is always better to buy excess material rather than buying less or the exact amount required when it comes to materials like tiles and upholstery fabrics etc. Keep extra tiles handy for mishaps that might occur at the time of installation. Tiles are often not sold individually and when they are sold individually it is often at a much higher cost. When it comes to fabrics, there are always minute differences in colour that can be noted between fabric woven in different batches. Running short of fabric in the middle of upholstering a sofa and not finding the same fabric can lead to you buying a complete new set of upholstery fabric thus blowing your budget.

Some factors cannot be accounted for while estimating a budget. Some of the most common surprises a site throws at contractors are wood damage, seepage or damage due to insects. The only way to avoid  going over budget in cases like these is to keep a buffer amount as part of your interior project budget.

10 Top-Notch Decorating Tips for Furnishing Small Apartments

Just because your home is pint-sized that doesn't mean you have to live with pint-sized decor. Try these apartment decorating ideas on for size, and you'll find your small apartment has never looked bigger.

Go Curvy

Because most apartments are boxy, it's fun to add some curves. We suggests round tables, chairs with a curve and rugs that are either shaped or adorned with spirals and dots.

Lighten Up

"A light rug can open up your room and make it feel larger". A bound carpet remnant can work great. If your apartment came with stained or dark wall-to-wall carpeting, cover it up with a rug in a lighter hue.

Go With Curtains

You don't have to live with those standard-issue apartment blinds. Add a touch of drama with curtains, and consider the tricks you can do with them to make your space appear larger. Hang curtains outside the window or even on bare walls. Hang them floor to ceiling to create height, or have them flow from a cornice that hides the curtain rod.

Layer It

Contrary to what you might think, small spaces don't have to forgo a bed with lots of linens and fabrics. Layers and an elegant mix of colors, prints and pillows can make a space seem airy and give depth to what is likely one of the biggest pieces in the home.

All About Scale

Unless you're trying to make a statement with a dramatic, overstuffed couch, your small space will actually look larger with moderately sized or slightly smaller furnishings. It's all about scale!

See Clearly

Lucite tables or chairs and glass tops all give the impression of openness while still delivering the function you need.

Sleep On It

An old solution for cramped spaces has come back into style for good reason. Today's Murphy beds pop out of sight and look just as great when they're in use.

Brighten Things Up

Add light up, down and all around to create interest and the feeling of space. "Lights are the most amazing way of making a home feel warm and welcoming. Using several lamps throughout a space creates a warm glow in the room," says designer.

Priorities, Priorities

Because small spaces are very limited, you need to figure out your priorities and allocate accordingly. Some people need a desk area, but not a dining area. Some people want a living area and would prefer a bed that folds up. "Make the space work for your needs and don't hold yourself to what is traditional in a home. It's your home."

Float It

Our Designer likes to recommend mounting floating shelves wherever there is space. Because they float, this kind of shelving adds tons of storage but looks sleek and contemporary. And then go crazy with the stacking.