Home Design Tips
Get home design tips to increase your general knowledge on interior design. There is so much to learn that by reading a few design tips at a time, you will start to have a good background in the design industry.
Fluorescent lighting is available in many color temperatures. This will effect how things look under it. Make sure you find out what color temperature you need for the application you are doing. This is as easy as approaching the electrical supplier and asking for them to recommend what color is best for your situation.
I have seen so many broken outdoor tiles so I want to stress the importance of finding out a bit more about your tiles before you lay them. Make sure that they are not porous if you want to use them outside, they need to be able to withstand extremes in temperatures, especially the frost in a cool climate.
Use music to alter the atmosphere of the room.
Moving furniture around your room from season to season enables a new look to be created; alter cushions and covers, add some different colored vases and flowers, a new rug and you can easily keep creating different looks for years to come.
Glass blocks have multiple uses and are a great decorating item. They are able to let light in, including sunlight while still providing privacy, have aesthetic qualities, as well as being available in a number of finishes and colors. They also create a feature and add texture to the room. Placed correctly they will focus light.
Lighting your artwork is very important, it allows us to see it. Installing specialist lighting to enhance the natural beauty of the piece is not cheap but it is money well spent. Highlighting this focal point of the room with light creates a wonderful discussion point with guests.
At tip if you are in a dilemma about selecting door handles is that lever door handles can be actioned by leaning on them while door knobs cannot; this makes it easier to open the door if your arms are full.
Interior Home Design Ideas
A good safety tip to think about when choosing floorcoverings is the different thicknesses that they have. You need to think about how you are going to make the transition from one to the other. Sometimes the floor can be ramped slightly under the product so that when it meets the different material they are the same height and then there is no change in level to cause tripping. Look at this for all floor junctions.
Remember to have good quality products to finish off the edges of your flooring products, this looks neater and tidier, as well as protecting the edges of your floor, especially with tiles.
When selecting any form of color, bear in mind that the final color will not look the same as the little color chip sample. If you have a friendly paint store you could request a larger sized sample and view it in the room that you wish to paint or you can buy test or sample pots of paint to trial directly onto the walls of your room. You will be surprised with the difference. Do be disappointed with your color choices, test them first!
Junction between Tiles and Cork, made tidy with a simple stainless steel junction which is almost invisible.
Mini Fluoro in pantry on a door switch
Coving vinyl up the walls in wet areas will, save you lots of money in the long run. It will eliminate the possibility of water getting into the base of your walls and ruining your linings and trim. This also reduces the possibility of the elusive smells sometimes found in wet areas, (often caused by water in the walls causing havoc.) It is also great for when you forget to turn the tap of in the bathtub. What helps even more here is to have a floor drain. This removes any water that arrives on the floor, and stops it flowing down the hall to meet you.
Vinyl coved up wall under vanity unit
Looking for something different to add a talking point to your home. Try chrome plating cleaned deformed reinforcing steel and use it as a handle or edge trim.
Good lighting is all about balance, so ensure that your lighting layout includes natural sources of light such as windows or reflective surfaces to top up the general lighting that you have.
The most robust tiles are porcelain tiles, as they have the color the entire way through them. The will usually wear better than a colored glazed tile that only has surface coloring, and aren’t as prone to chipping.
A designer tip that is often overlooked is cupboard lighting, ensure that you have mini cupboard lights on impact switches for all your wardrobes and cupboards and pantries that are away from any natural light or main room light source. You will not believe how much easier it makes finding things in the back of the pantry.
Written by Lee Brown
