Monday, April 27, 2009

Forever Young: Timeless Designs That Always Keep You Trendy

People usually wonder about how often they need to redecorate their homes to stay chic and fashionable. Making your home the latest and the coolest market trends is more of an art of changing as little as possible rather than revamping the whole home every couple of years. Smart design and decorating pattern is one that stays relevant at any point of time and is timeless when it comes to appeal. But is it really possible to achieve a timeless design? Here’s how you can get yourself started in that direction…

Add wooden furniture that is classy and lasts long


Every designer and decorator will tell you that there is nothing that adds charm to a room, like the classic wooden furniture. Pick out real high quality and elegant wooden furniture irrespective of the theme and the style that you have chosen for your home. Wood ages beautifully with time and further adds to the grandeur of your interiors. The charisma of wooden furniture is never lost irrespective of how futuristic the world wishes to turn into.


Pick a suitable theme and work within those limitations


Traditional, oriental and Victorian styles are generally always cool and once you step into such homes you start to marvel at the beauty that surrounds you. You can bring the same touch to even a minimalist theme that you love. There is no need to limit yourself with the options of the theme, but once you have decided on what you want, make sure you pick furniture and accessories that exude grace and will last for quite sometime.



Blend in the usage of glass, wood and stone

The one look that always stays visually appealing is a blend of sweeping stone floors, sensible usage of wood (as a complimentary material) and appropriate use of glass (in the form of floor to ceiling windows whenever needed). This is a trend that seems to never run out of style and with such a combination you can always improvise to suit your taste. An increased use of stone gives you a Gothic look, beefing up the wood can transform the same space into one with classic style and variations in glass with tainted or even frosted types can offer a Victorian look.

Adding a fireplace adds to the room’s warmth

To take the appeal of any home up by several notches, there is nothing like a fireplace. You can either use a classic stone fireplace or the magnificent and sleek modern designs that are being dished out for the minimalist homes these days. A fireplace just brings that stamp of authenticity to the timeless look.




Ambient lighting and appropriate shades

There are some colors that are relevant just for a small lifespan and they become outdated once the fashion season changes. Avoiding them keeps you on the safe side. Right now people seem to love the blue, orange and yellow, but the phase will pass and then you would need to repaint. Instead opt for classic colors like black, white and gray and alter the choice depending on the theme. Ambient lighting with a chandelier thrown in, helps a lot as well.

Accessories that portray your personality

Your home must be timeless, but still it has to have its own unique personality. Use artwork and sculptures in the right fashion to further bring out the beauty of the home. It is the accessories that make a good home great or mediocre, depending on their choice and arrangement. The better your picks, the more awesome the home looks.
Achieving a timeless design is an issue that even the experts of the design world often fail to agree on as the perception varies with individuals. But the above mentioned tips surely are a part of common consensus on what makes a timeless home.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Dream House Design in Rising Glen by Tocha

Tocha is one those firms with design one-of-a-kind modern living spaces and buildings. This house is one of their works in Rising Glen, LA. It’s one store building but with 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms, two cinemas, wine room, pool and spa, private yoga area and two kitchens. The house is very open to outdoors what have as pros as cons. Some cons are eleminated by 1/2 acre private area around but other of them like depending from temperature are still here. Although having outdoor kitchen, outdoor cinema probably make owners to forget about cons.
The house is also full of hi-tech features like having remote which control everything from temperature and lights to audio and video components all around the house. The lighting system around the house combined to be programmed from one place. The pool has under water audio system and salty water. Everything that is guarded by 24-hour security system which includes motion sensors and cameras.


Natural Kitchen Design - Dogma from Arrita Cucine


Dogma is one of the latest kitchens designed by Arrita Cucine. It presents new door made of solid yellow pine wood with frame thickness of 22 millimeters and brushed finish. There are 6 finishes available: dark brown, white, grey, red, platinum and natural sandblasted. They all could be combined with smoked or white sateen glass panels. Three types of handles are available: vertical with a satin nickel finish and two horizontal ones in the same finish but in different size. The kitchen also interesting because of shelves and frames with integrated LED lights. In addition everybody could accompany Dogma kitchen with external table and chairs made in the same finishes. New Arrita Cucine kitchens are a durable gift of the natural designed kitchen that lasts in time. [Arrita Cucine]






Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Storage splurge: How to buy a wardrobe

You are trying to redecorate your bedroom or even conjure up the design and decorating aspects of a new one and you are always faced with the daunting challenge of picking a new wardrobe that will suit all your needs? Whether you wish to use this storage space for your precious and fragile clothes or any other stuff you’ll put in, the right wardrobe can satisfy these needs with ease. But what exactly constitutes a good wardrobe and how is it that you can pick one from the whole lot in the market? Here is the answer to that puzzling question.

#1 Cross-check for the size
The wardrobe that you wish to invite into your home’s interior must fit in perfectly with its new found destination, hence why you should consider the available space. A wardrobe that is too large or diminutive, looks out of place and will diminish the overall appeal of your home. Just get the size right before anything else.


#2 Quality (materials)
There is no doubt that most often wood is the preferred material for closets. But even with wood, there are various types which range in quality. That’s why picking something that is low on build means that the top layer will peel off within no time. There are other materials available like plastic and metal, which go just great with sleek and contemporary interiors.





#3 Wardrobe types
You can either custom order the wardrobe or have an already made wardrobe modified to certain extent. Or even get an unaltered existing one. While this one is the cheapest, the comfort factor also varies greatly. What you need here is a balance between your necessities and how much cash you can spare. The choice is purely individual.


#4 Wardrobe styles
From the Victorian in the classical-style to the eclectic in the exotic, from the light wood in country style to the heavy metals of the retro; it is just a matter of choosing what you want as there are truckloads of models available in various designs and following multitude of themes.




*5 The quality of thefinish
You can easily check that out in every little closet of the wardrobe. Push them in and out and listen for squeaking sounds which are clear indicators that the product is flawed. Check the edges to know the exact quality of finishing and how long it will really last.



#6 A test to the Knobs and Pulls
These will have to last as long as the wardrobe does. Hence, have a complete check of how these work, the quality of metal used and scan for any rust or cracks in the joints. Do not ignore them because if the joints or the knobs come off, then there will be little left of your lovely wardrobe.
Once you are convinced with the quality and floored by the beauty of the wardrobe, then go ahead and consider the price options. But in case of a wardrobe it is best if you spend well once as it will prove to be a worthwhile investment.


Stylish minimalist home in the heart of Sweden

It is nice and lovely to see a modern minimalist home with plenty of “green” and snow all around. This simple, yet stylish contemporary structure in Saltsjo-Boo, Sweden, looks both sophisticated and inviting with its extensive use of glass and wonderful amalgamation of wood and stone. Designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune to use the available space to the hilt, yet promoting large interior spaces, the house sports 3 bedrooms, a living/dining space with kitchen and a bathroom. An interesting bathroom with no wall openings that features a roof window, instead. Looks simply vivacious!







Lord of the Rings Residence in Barbados

If it wouldn’t have been built in 1975 (long before the movie itself), some would probably argue that this 3,500-square-foot multilevel home by Ian Morrison on top of a hill in Barbados, is definitely inspired by the Lord of the Rings movie. Built in a stunning setting with soothing interiors that seem to be brimming with green life, the house brings a relaxing atmosphere that you can “almost” feel. Scoring very high on coziness, it’s the pool and the pristine white interiors that got us sold on the design. Looks far too alluring to take a pass on if you can afford it.