The Basics of Interior Design
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Article by: Greg Lipke The luxury lifestyle does not require a mansion. You don't have to wait until you can afford a huge house , Drapery Buying Tips on the beach to live in a beautiful home. , Considering Sunroom Plans Remember the luxury lifestyle is about quality things and people. Small cosy houses , Log Home Decorating Tips and Ideas can be made luxurious for a small amount of money through clever interior design. , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters Remember the self made wealthy don't spend money when they don't have to. Living a luxury lifestyle is not about throwing money away to look cool, it is simply about raising your standard of living. If you can do that inexpensively, so much the better. In this article I will introduce you to the basics of interior design , Bamboo Flooring which I studied when I was renovating , The Function of Hurricane Shutters houses. The key to a successful renovation is to make cosmetic improvements, , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget not structural improvements, , Rugs to a house. , Selecting Indian Banjara Tapestry or Wall Hanging Building , Interior Design new rooms, , Interior Design Psychology adding another level to a structure or moving walls , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants around is very expensive and moving walls , Lladro: A Porcelain Marvel especially can weaken the structure. You want to improve a houses , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters WOW factor to make an impression. Here are some tips. , Magic Carpet Ride? .. Painting - A new paint , Spruce Up Your House With A Country Style Home Decor Theme job will do more to improve the look of your home , Painting The Walls than anything. It is a relatively simple job too, so you can save yourself , Considering Sunroom Plans a fortune by doing it yourself. , The Flea Market Can Help When Redecorating Give the surfaces to be painted a good clean up with sugar soap and scrape of any loose stuff. Bog up any cracks or any depressions to make the surface smooth, then paint. , Table Top Silk Trees Whether you use an undercoat or not depends on what paint , Spruce Up Your House With A Country Style Home Decor Theme you use. Get advice , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget from a interiors , Heart of the Home - Faux Finished Kitchen Cabinetry shop. The underlying principle for all renovations , Discount Bathroom Vanities including painting , Considering Sunroom Plans is KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. Keep your color , Lladro: A Porcelain Marvel schemes simple, use neutral colors, , How to Buy an Oriental Rug they reflect light , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor better making rooms , Futon Slip Covers Protect While Adding A Decorative Designer's Touch! look bigger and they look cleaner. Be consistent throughout the house. , Drapery Buying Tips Kitchens - Don't go crazy, these can eat heaps of cash if you are not careful. If your kitchen , Interior Design is falling apart then you have no choice but to get a new one. If you can avoid it though, don't get a new one just cosmetically touch up the one you have. New benchtops, tile , A Baker’s Rack: Always A Favorite splashbacks, door , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants handles, cupboard handles, tap handles, a paint , Cuckoo Clocks For Decorating The Walls job and floor , A Baker’s Rack: Always A Favorite job will make a huge difference and won't cost the earth. , Bamboo Flooring Bathrooms - Another money pit. Light , Magic Carpet Ride? and bright is the secret here. Just like the kitchen , Selecting Indian Banjara Tapestry or Wall Hanging if it's falling apart, you have no choice but to spent the big bucks and replace things. If you can get away with it though, change , Interior Design Psychology your benchtops, door , Painting The Walls handles, cupboard handles, tap handles and floor , Feng Shui Synchronicity tiles (wall tiles , Kitchen Cabinet Finishes and Design can be a huge expensive job, avoid changing if possible) Get a new paint , Motherpie and Applehood job, a new toilet seat, toilet roll holder and towel racks. This will transform the room , 5 Tips to Create Style and Elegance in Your Home and won't cost much. Flooring - Makes a huge difference. New carpet, , Help with Picking a Discount Ceiling Fan tiles , Baby Quilts - Traditional Or With A Twist or linoleum will transform a room. , Rugs Also consider, if you have a timber floor , Silk Flower Arrangements of good enough quality, ripping up the carpet , The Function of Hurricane Shutters and polishing the floorboards. This looks fantastic and is inexpensive. Doors - Change , Teen Rooms on the Cheap! the door , Drapery Buying Tips knobs throughout the home , Feng Shui Synchronicity for a classier style and make sure you stay consistent throughout. Window treatments - These also transform a room. , Futon Slip Covers Protect While Adding A Decorative Designer's Touch! Make sure they fit in with the rest of the room. , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants Landscaping - Can cost you a fortune. All you really need to do (unless your yard , Is Feng Shui Certification for You? is a write off) is rip out all the plants , Beds In A Bag Make You An Instant Designing Pro! except for the larger established ones. Install some edging, re lay some turf where necessary (if you have dead spots where grass , The Function of Hurricane Shutters won't grow, , Log Home Decorating Tips and Ideas you can pave that area which is expensive or extend the garden , Where to Find Discount Home Furnishings over this area and plant , Custom Mini Blinds shade resistant plants), replant the garden , Drapery Buying Tips with colorful plants , Drapery Buying Tips and add mulch to your garden , The Reasons Why Gas Fireplace Logs Heat Your Chimney Better Than Your Room beds. Plant , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget tall plants , Upholstery Fabric with Color and Fashion at the back of perimeter gardens , The Flea Market Can Help When Redecorating or the middle of central gardens , Discount Bathroom Vanities and have smaller plants , Magic Carpet Ride? in front. Try to get a few different shades of green , Kitchen Cabinet Finishes and Design in the leaves of different plants. , Motherpie and Applehood Try to plant , Drapery Buying Tips a range of flowers , Interior Design so you have something blooming at most times of the year. Flowers , Where to Find Discount Wedgwood China can give your garden , Magic Carpet Ride? a pleasant smell as well and attract birds. , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom River pebbles or conrete treads are also an inexpensive alternative to paths. , A Baker’s Rack: Always A Favorite Painting of the exterior - Makes a huge difference to the WOW factor. Probably best to get a professional to do it though, they own scaffolding, let them risk their necks. Decking and verandahs - Cheaper than adding rooms , The Flea Market Can Help When Redecorating to your house , Discount Bathroom Vanities but adds square footage to your living space. If you live above the snow , Interior Design line this may not appeal, but for warmer climates outdoor , Teen Rooms on the Cheap! living spaces are wonderful for entertaining. Tile , Rugs over concrete porches. , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants Fences - If you have an existing fence, give it a new paint , Teen Rooms on the Cheap! job. If you don't have a front fence put in a white , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style picket fence. Add an attractive letterbox. Get a new front door , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom - These really add or detract from the look of your home. , Silk Flower Arrangements The bottom line is, you don't need to change , How to Buy an Oriental Rug where you live necesarily, just how it looks. Spend your money on luxurious homewares not on expensive structural changes. , Bamboo Flooring Read on now to learn about how to , Help with Picking a Discount Ceiling Fan layout your home , Discount Bathroom Vanities and how to decorate , Table Top Silk Trees it to raise your standard of living and to add to your luxury lifestyle. 1. The Basics of Interior , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom Design There are 3 basic guidelines for successful interior design. , Hiring a er for Your Kitchen Remodeling Project A successful room , Decorating A With Limited Space In Style is functional. A successful room , Creating a Tropical Bath on a Budget expresses a mood. A successful room , Baby Quilts - Traditional Or With A Twist exhibits a sense of harmony. Function - Ask yourself, , Is Feng Shui Certification for You? what are the intended functions of this room? A room , Silk Flower Arrangements must serve it's intended function. No matter how beautifully you decorate , Motherpie and Applehood a room, , Feng Shui Synchronicity if your scheme can't fulfill all the functions you require the room , Rugs to perform, then the room , How to Buy an Oriental Rug has failed. If a dining room , The Function of Hurricane Shutters is not convenient to eat in, then it fails. If a bedroom is not convenient to sleep in, then it fails. Does your living room , The Flea Market Can Help When Redecorating have appropriate lighting for reading, if that is one of the functions of the room? Are there tables in easy reach of the seating to put your drink on? You get the idea. Mood - What is the mood you want this room , Where to Find Discount Home Furnishings to express? Are you after a sleek, modern, sophisticated look, or a rustic, , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor casual, warm mood etc? Every aspect of the room , Discount Bath Vanities you create must maintain the same mood. Mood refers to the general look or feeling you want the room , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants to express. The color , Custom Mini Blinds schemes, furniture, , Lladro: A Porcelain Marvel window , Granite Countertop Colors treatments, floor , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style treatments and lighting styles etc. must all be consistent with this look and feeling. Harmony - All the separate elements in a room , Decorating A With Limited Space In Style must work together in harmony. All elements should feel appropriate and nothing should feel out of place. , Teen Rooms on the Cheap! Every element should be harmonious in mood, scale, quality and color. , Silk Flower Arrangements We have already discussed mood. The scale must also be harmonious, this means all elements should be the same scale as each other and the same scale of the room , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters itself. No huge chairs , Cuckoo Clocks For Decorating The Walls in small rooms , Ideas and Tips for Small Kitchen Remodeling or small chairs , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor in huge rooms. , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters No huge chairs , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget with small chairs , Lladro: A Porcelain Marvel etc. The quality also needs to be harmonious. If you are using expensive high quality furniture , Kitchen Cabinet Finishes and Design then don't use them with cheap looking curtains etc. And lastly the color , A Guide To Discount Bedroom Furniture schemes must be harmonious. The color , The Reasons Why Gas Fireplace Logs Heat Your Chimney Better Than Your Room schemes in your furniture , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style must not clash with the color , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget schemes in your rug , 5 Tips to Create Style and Elegance in Your Home etc. In every room , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor you design , Bamboo Flooring for yourself , A Baker’s Rack: Always A Favorite you must follow these 3 guidelines. Now let's discuss the 4 steps for designing a room. , Interior Design Sketching a room. , Upholstery Fabric with Color and Fashion Drawing a floor , A Look At A Few Popular Decorating Styles plan. Furniture layout. Lighting plan. , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters Sketching a room , Curio Cabinet - At this stage you just need to do a rough sketch of your room , Cuckoo Clocks For Decorating The Walls and write down accurate measurements for length of the room, , Table Top Silk Trees breadth of the room , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor and ceiling height. Height of mouldings (the boards along the floor , How to Buy an Oriental Rug and between the walls , Upholstery Fabric with Color and Fashion and ceiling and the boards around doors , Discount Bathroom Vanities and windows , Curio Cabinet etc.), and the dimensions of your doors , Table Top Silk Trees and windows , Considering Sunroom Plans need to be measured and noted. Measure how far windows , Lladro: A Porcelain Marvel and doors , Discount Bathroom Vanities are from the corners of the room , Futon Slip Covers Protect While Adding A Decorative Designer's Touch! and from the ceilings and floor. , Considering Sunroom Plans Are there any features , Curio Cabinet in the room , Bamboo Flooring (air conditioner units, fireplaces etc.)? Measure these and write it down. Note where the electrical outlets and switches are. Note where any lighting fixtures are. Conduct a room , Interior Design condition checklist. Write down what everything is made out of and what condition it is in. Everything except the furniture , Table Top Silk Trees I mean. Does anything need to be repaired? Note down what the window , Rugs types are. Are they aluminium sliding windows, , Rugs wooden , A Guide To Discount Bedroom Furniture casement windows , Baby Quilts - Traditional Or With A Twist etc? Now take photographs of every angle of the room , Drapery Buying Tips for reference. Drawing a floorplan - Buy some graph paper from a stationery supply shop. Re draw your rough sketch to scale on the graph paper. A good scale to use for most rooms , Painting The Walls is 1/4 inch = 1 foot. You need an accurate floorplan so you can do a furniture , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor plan later. Show on your floorplan where the doors , Bamboo Flooring and windows , 5 Tips to Create Style and Elegance in Your Home are, also to scale. Don't show your measurements on the floorplan it will clutter it too much, keep all your measurements on your rough sketch. Indicate on your floorplan which way is North. This is important as it tells you where the sun , A Baker’s Rack: Always A Favorite will rise and set in relation to your rooms , Drapery Buying Tips windows. How will the sun light , Bamboo Flooring your room? Will the setting sun , Granite Countertop Colors need to be blocked by heavy drapes? Will you use the morning sun , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style to your advantage to warm the room , Feng Shui Synchronicity after a cool night? Furniture layout - There are 4 questions you need to ask yourself , Stained Glass when deciding where to put your furniture. , Heart of the Home - Faux Finished Kitchen Cabinetry What are the balance lines of the room? Where are the traffic patterns in the room? What is the focus in the room? How can I establish the axis of the room? The balance lines are easy to determine. Draw 2 faint lines accross your floorplan dividing the room , Decorating A With Limited Space In Style in half length wise and breadth wise. This will divide your room , Teen s on the Cheap! into 4 quadrants. This is important because you need to have an equal "weight" of furniture , Baby Quilts - Traditional Or With A Twist in each quadrant in order for the room , Log Home Decorating Tips and Ideas to be balanced. Traffic patterns are also easy. Leave 36 inches clear in front of each door , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters opening to allow space for the swing of the door. , Where to Find Discount Home Furnishings Also keep 12 inches clear in front of the windows , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants for access. Traffic patterns tell you where not to put furniture, , Heart of the Home - Faux Finished Kitchen Cabinetry mark these on your floor , Painting The Walls plan. Now, what about the focus of the room? Is it a fireplace? Bay window? Blank wall , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom where the home , Upholstery Fabric with Color and Fashion theater screen or an artwork will go? Plan , Hiring a Designer for Your Kitchen Remodeling Project your furniture , How to Buy an Oriental Rug layout to take advantage of this focus. Establish an axis for the room. , Interior Design You now want to draw an imaginery line up the middle of the wall , Beds In A Bag Make You An Instant Designing Pro! from floor , Motherpie and Applehood to ceiling through your focus. Continue this line across the ceiling and down the opposite wall , Selecting Indian Banjara Tapestry or Hanging to the floor. , The Flea Market Can Help When Redecorating The idea is this, you want the focus balanced from floor , How to Buy an Oriental Rug to ceiling. If your focus is a fireplace this would mean putting a picture or something above it to fill the space. You also need to balance both sides of the room. , A Look At A Few Popular Decorating Styles So you would have to put something on the other wall , Discount Bathroom Vanities of equal visual "weight" along the axis line. Everything is about balance. You are now ready to start planning where your furniture , Drapery Buying Tips will go in the room. , Table Top Silk Trees You need to place , Log Home Decorating Tips and Ideas the furniture , Beds In A Bag Make You An Instant Designing Pro! in the room , Decorating A With Limited Space In Style so it takes advantage of the focus and so it serves the function of the room. , Motherpie and Applehood Arrange your furniture , Custom Mini Blinds so that all 4 quadrants have equal visual "weight". This does not mean you need to have a mirror image of furniture , How to Buy an Oriental Rug in the quadrants, but it simply means you don't want every piece of furniture , Discount Bathroom Vanities in one quadrant or one half. Visually on your floor , Rugs plan the room , Spruce Up Your House With A Country Style Home Decor Theme should look balanced. Draw representitives of your furniture , Feng Shui Synchronicity on your floorplan to scale. Try various ideas. Decide which one you find most appealing. Lighting plan , Hiring a Designer for Your Kitchen Remodeling Project - Do not try to light , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom the room. , Kitchen Cabinet Finishes and Design Light , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style objects in the room. , Discount Bath Vanities Firstly your lighting must permit people to perform the specific tasks of the room. , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bed For example using lamps for reading, playing cards etc. This is called task lighting. You also need sufficient lighting so people don't bump into things. This is called ambient lighting. You can use lighting to influence the mood. Bright lights , Log Home Decorating Tips and Ideas for an upbeat mood, low lighting for a more intimate and romantic mood. As with everything else the different elements (elements, pardon the pun, I'm so clever) of your lighting plan , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget must be harmonious with each other. Lighting decorative objects with spot lighting is also a nice touch. Don't forget to take into account where the electrical outlets are. You want to keep unsightly electrical cords as short as possible and hidden if you can. 2. Furniture When it comes to choosing furniture , Selecting Indian Banjara Tapestry or Wall Hanging there are a few points to consider. Is the piece suitable in function and cost? Is it suitable in mood and style? Does it have the right look? Is it suitable in quality? Is it similar quality to the other furniture , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom pieces? Does the piece have suitable proportions? Are the different parts in pleasing harmony with each other? Is the piece the right scale? Is it harmonious with the size of the objects and space around it? Are the fabrics appropriate? Bright, intense colors , Ideas and Tips for Small Kitchen Remodeling and bold patterns increase visual "weight". Muted, neutral tones and solid colors , Silk Flower Arrangements reduce visual "weight". When it comes to arranging furniture , Teen Rooms on the Cheap! follow these guidelines: The shape of the sides of the piece of furniture , Cuckoo Clocks For Decorating The Walls should match the shape of the wall. , Heart of the Home - Faux Finished Kitchen Cabinetry Don't put round tables in the corner of rooms. , Considering Sun Plans Avoid placing rectangular furniture , Considering Sunroom Plans at an angle to straight walls. , Log Cabin Living: Soften the Decor with Fabric, Artwork, and Plants If the space on the wall , Teen Rooms on the Cheap! is horizontal, a horizontally shaped piece of furniture , Motherpie and Applehood will look best there. If the space on the wall , Tiki Bar and Tiki Hut Headquarters is square, a square shaped piece of furniture , Motherpie and Applehood will look best there. Vary the heights of the major pieces in the room. , Help with Picking a Discount Ceiling Fan Spread your colors , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor throughout the room. , Interior Design Psychology Here are a selection of some of the major furniture , Motherpie and Applehood styles from throughout history and how to , Heart of the Home - Faux Finished Kitchen Cabinetry spot them. Early American styles - The lines of this furniture , Upholstery Fabric with Color and Fashion is very simple. The workmanship is unrefined and rustic. , Painting The Walls It is small in size, has a square frame structure, is usually painted and has square shaped legs with simple decorative turnings. Mediterranean styles - This is heavy furniture. , Interior Design Psychology There is nothing delicate about it. It is solid, squarish and built to last. It is usually made of ornately carved wood. , Help with Picking a Discount Ceiling Fan The Spanish Mediterranean furniture , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor often featured leather that was decorated with metal , A Look At A Few Popular Decorating Styles nailheads. French styles - Louis XIV style (1643 - 1715) has massive scale, X shaped stretchers that support the legs, a bacically square form and the seat & back were upholstered. This style had detailed ornamentation. - Regence style (1700 - 1730) was a transition between Louis XIV and Louis XV. It had cabriole legs (curved legs) and a curvature on the top edge of the seat back. - Louis XV style (1730 - 1775) had curved shapes and forms, extensive rococo decoration (elaborate decoration incorporating a shell mofif), romantic imagery, delicate shape & design , Futon Slip Covers Protect While Adding A Decorative er's Touch! and no leg stretchers. - Louis XVI (1775 - 1789) had straight slim legs (usually fluted and topped with a box shape containing a carved rosette), rectangular shapes or mechanically produced curves, classical motifs (such as columns, urns and lyres) and delicate construction. - Directoire style (1790 - 1804) had simple elegant lines, patriotic motifs (including military motifs, agricultural motifs and crossed flags), classical motifs (inspired by ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece), curled chair , Interior Design backs and scrolled sofa arms, outward curving legs or classic fat straight legs. - Empire style (1804 - 1831) had a heavy masculine look, polished veneers more often than carved wood , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor surfaces, excessive use of ormolu mounts (often large and badly cast), chairs , How to Buy an Oriental Rug with wooden , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom backs and upholstered seats, inspired by classical Greece (including the boat bed, , Where to Find Discount Wedgwood China recamiore day bed , A Baker’s Rack: Always A Favorite and tripod stand), mirror back console table, motifs inspired by ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece as well as patriotic and military motifs. English styles - William & Mary style (1689 - 1702) had hooded tops (tops in the shape of single or double round arches that look like dutch roofs), curved X shaped stretchers, inverted cup on straight turned legs, besides these features , A Guide To Discount Bedroom Furniture they had basically straight lines. Queen Anne style (1702 - 1714) had cabriole legs often with shell motif on the knee, fiddle back splats and basically curved lines. Early Georgian style (1714 - 1760) was the same as the Queen Anne style but with extensive addition of carving, particularly eagles, lions, satyrs and cabochons. This carving was made possible by the introduction of mahogany. Late Georgian styles (1760 - 1811) was a collection of styles. In this era individual cabinetmakers developed their own styles. Some of these were: Chippendale - He tried many different things so it is hard to pin down his "style", but look for rococo motifs with open carved backs, Chinese motifs, Gothic motifs and curved open pediment tops. Adam Brothers - Had straight legs that were often fluted but with no boxed rosette like you would find with the Louis XVI style. Also look for oval shaped chair , Is Feng Shui Certification for You? backs with spokes, lyres or other classical motifs like vases and urns. Hepplewhite - Had curved chair , Feng Shui Synchronicity backs (featuring shield, interlacing heart and oval), straight legs (but with no fluting like in the Adam style), spade foot and serpentine front on casepieces. Sheraton - The apostle of the straight line. Straight legs (no fluting but frequently reeded), lightness and eegance. Regency style (1810 - 1837) was similar to French Empire style but used different symbols. Victorian style (1837 - 1901) was an attempt by the nouveau rich to emulate the luxury of an earlier time. It was materialistic and ostentatious. It ultimately became a caricature of itself. Don't let this happen to you. 20th Century styles - are often produced out of formed wood, , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style metal , Is Feng Shui Certification for You? and plastics. , Motherpie and Applehood We see these styles all around us. Four major styles were and are: Art Nouveau - attempted to reject the machine age with carved wood , Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor and lines imitating nature , Considering Sunroom Plans with convoluted curves and shapes. An example of this is Tiffany lamps. Art Deco - glorified ornamentation. Heavily influenced by the cubist movement of the day. It had geometric forms and shapes. Bauhaus - embraced the machine age. It rejected all ornamentation and elevated function as it's ideal. A very minimalist style. Post Modernism - is more of an architectural style really but makes it's presence felt in furniture , Decorating A Room With Limited Space In Style design as well. Basically this is what is being produced today and it takes many different forms being explored by many different designers. , Silk Flower Arrangements Dr Gregory Lipke is the CEO of Cyber Publishing Ltd. He has a Doctorate of Business Administration & a Bachelor of Science as well as years of experience in Private Investigation, Personal Protection & Security. , Where to Find Discount Home Furnishings He is the author of Your Luxury Guide . |
  
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