A wonderful example of clever eco design. Creating an innovative home within a small awkward space is never easy and these architects have found multiple ways of using and re-using materials. A triumph! I particularly like the bath in a room with a view.
Here is the logo design I put together for Huntingdon Business Women – a group we set up through LinkedIn. We have some fun and help each other with personal and professional development. As well as networking for new business leads we support a local charity Cambridgeshire Wood Green Animal Shelter, where we hold our meetings. We have now over 100 members and our meetings attract an average of 20 members each month. Contact me, Yasmin Chopin, if you wish to join us!
New Swedish Range from Vanessa Arbuthnott
This picture is a good illustration of how different patterns can work well together. How and why it works is due to the size and shape of the patterns used and the particular blend of hues. We will look at this in more detail at our July workshops – come along and have some fun designing!
Blue and white china on a black background
1. Do you have a small room? You may shy away from black but it is useful as it blurs edges tricking the eye into thinking there is more depth. Use it in recesses, such as inside a bookcase or in an alcove.
2. When matching fabric, paint and wallpaper choose everything else before the paint – there are thousands of paint colours so it will be simple to make the right selection for your scheme.
3. If hanging a number of pictures in a room consider lining them up either along the bottom edge or along the top edge for a smart finish. This lets the eye travel more easily around the room suggesting a bigger space.
4. I have a cottage with low ceilings; if yours are lower than the ‘usual’ 2.3m swop central pendent lights for recessed fittings or do away with ceiling lights altogether. Use a mix of wall, floor and table lamps.
5. If you need to brighten up a dark room mirrors will bounce light around – but also stainless steel surfaces, silver spheres, metallic wallpaper and gloss paint too.
6. Colours ‘pop’ when put against black. Use black frames, black fabric, or black paint to provide a solid backdrop and watch your colours glow!
7. High gloss kitchen units contrast well with matt materials such as wooden work surfaces and porcelain tiles. Be careful though, in a sunny south facing room too much reflection may be uncomfortable.
8. Use BIG rugs – they add a feeling of warmth, positively alter the room acoustics, and ‘ground and group’ the furniture.
9. If you want to give the impression of larger windows hang your curtains right across the wall and only draw back to the window edge.
10. You can visually extend the space with sheet mirror but remember to remove the skirting board and cornice to give full effect to the illusion.
BOOK REVIEW
You just know a treat is in store with this book because the well-chosen cover photograph shows a dining table dressed with interesting items thatpromise something quirky. The square shaped book and hard cover lend gravitas to the ideas that form flea market style: ideas that are proffered with passionate sincerity in the text and images.You can whip through the words quickly but the photographs arrest the eye and demand more leisurely consideration making this an easy read that inspires without making a fuss! Read more…
BOOK REVIEW
Once past the celebrity Foreward, written by Victoria Beckham and the short Introduction, written by Kelly Hoppen, we move into a chic world of beautiful luxurious interiors. The photographs hit you first, each one dominating the page whilst the text takes second place. Immediately this book identifies itself as one for the coffee table to dip in and out of with ease.
The text, which is conversational and informal, opens a voyeuristic window on Kelly’s life allowing us to glimpse inside her homes and see what she loves to have around her. As expected there is a neutral colour scheme on every page, dominated by black. The odd flash of colour can be found but you get the impression its presence is tolerated rather than welcomed. Read more…
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