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Thursday, March 31st, 2016
The Biltmore Collection from FFDM shows what class and luxury is all about.
Owning a beautiful beachfront property is not common as is having a Victorian home. If you happen to have any of these prime properties, then you might consider having it rented out. Whether you decide that it’s going to be on a short-term or long-term, it pays to dress up the place. You can redecorate or even remodel from the ground up; or you can just fix a room or two.
Welcome to the Hospitality Business
Okay, so you have finally decided to rent out your home but make no mistake in thinking that it is going to be a rosy road. The sharing economy is going through some hassles of its own just like any other kind of business. There are issues about neighbors who do not want to live right next to a short-term rented property. There is also the fear that short-term rentals will make long-term leases a lot more difficult to offer.
There is definitely some money to be made if you rent out your home. Now all you have to worry about is to prepare the place so that the visitor or renter will feel welcome.
The Fine Furniture Design Bedroom Bridgeport Pencil Post Headboard, Queen 5.0 1020-451 showcases the warmth and coziness of wood. You will surely feel rejuvenated after whiling away time in this lovely four-poster bed.
The Sophisticated Traveler
Say you have a classic Victorian home; now you can rent this out to sophisticated travellers who do not want the commercial feel of hotels. You can have this space renovated through a DIY project or you can
Invest in your chosen design as what you put into the space will come back to you. Remember also that people are attracted to beautiful surroundings and lovely stuff.hire a professional interior designer to finish the task for you. Should you consider the latter, find someone who has had an experience in dressing up properties for the hospitality industry in the past.
Classic lines even when fused with modern stuff will always work. You may borrow the exterior patterns of your Victorian home and have them adorn the living room rug, for instance.
Dark-colored walls tend to make expansive homes cozier while smaller properties would do well to have neutral or pastel walls. An accent wall would also be a nice addition to a room. Bright green, for example, wouldn’t be the first choice for many homeowners but it is definitely an interesting color that you could consider when you are on vacation.
When selecting the finishes and fabrics, be sure to find those that are easy to clean and maintain. Choosing the bedding can be extra tough but the rule is pretty simple – just find the fabrics that are easy to clean and are durable.
Ottomans can serve a dual purpose – as a seating unit or as a coffee table of sorts. Make sure that all furniture units are durable and are easy to maintain. Choose materials that will add to the beauty of the place, say, a wooden piece that will develop a patina over time.
There are travellers who choose large rental properties in order to hold special occasions or because they simply want to entertain. When this is the case of your would-be renter, then make sure to add furniture units that can accommodate small to huge gatherings. It would be great if you could invest in furniture that you can see through such as glass because they can make a small place appear more spacious.
Expect also that the guests would expect a zero corporate look. These people are, after all, trying to rest from the hustle and bustle of city living so you have to make their retreat a restful one.
Add elements that are unique such as extraordinary lighting fixtures or vintage-looking accessories.
Take your time when planning for the bedroom. Now is the space in your rental property that gets the least amount of sunlight. You can have a series of shelves lined up against the bedroom walls. Placing your books and collections on these shelves should keep the guests busy for hours. Make their experience a rich one especially when the ones who rent your property are bookworms.
Renting out your home can be a profitable business especially when you are able to present a property that is worth spending a time in.
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Tags: McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, rental home, renting out your home, renting out your property
Posted in Hospitality Industry, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Thursday, March 31st, 2016
This Kelsey Living Room Collection by Jonathan Louis depicts the exquisiteness of Nordic design.
Everyone knows that white is a reliable shade that can deliver astounding interior design results. It can make any space feel and look brighter, bigger and lighter. What’s great about white paint is that you don’t even have to waste time looking through piles of paint samples before you make your decision. Pulling off a white living room can be a tad more difficult to do, though.
What to Do with a White Living Room
Okay, so you’ve got a sort of blank canvas to work with. Let’s face it – those white walls would eventually look and feel boring if you don’t do something about them. A lot of white can look sterile or it is just too dull.
To get the best look with the color white, you need to consider bringing in some greenery. Green potted plants will stand out against the white walls and could even up the level of warmth and welcoming feel in your living room.
Add accessories that are equally interesting if not colorful.
Another way to go is to embrace the Nordic style. The Scandinavians are a huge success in making white work in their homes. They all know the value of white when it comes to boosting light and making a space appear airier.
Pierce Living Room Collection by Jonathan Louis
Again, white walls are overly predictable so you have to do something to create an element of surprise. Try to incorporate panelling such as a horizontal design that will create lines all around the living room. The extra movements created will keep observers’ eyes away from the white walls. Those dark shadows and gaps between every board is a color theme that you can work on and even reproduce on the furniture and accessories.Nordic design is great at punctuating the edge of a white room. It can have wood, black or gray elements to make the living room look more exciting.
While it is necessary to deviate the attention of your visitors and friends from the white walls, it is also equally important to keep the freshness of white. To achieve this, you need to look for colors that would stand out against the sterility of white.
Teak sideboards can add a different kind of warmth while yellow or blue accents are sure to pop out from the white backdrop. When you do these color combinations, you get to keep the sharpness of white while using it as a canvas for interesting furniture and accessories as well.
Remember Scaling
One important aspect that you need to remember when using white for your living room is playing with scale. Introduce large pieces so that your all white living room won’t feel bland. While color is an important element, you also need to realize the role of scale.
When you don’t even stop to think about scale, particularly human scale, it would be difficult to design the entire living room. Scale is that relationship between two or more objects that share a common size. More often than not, the size is compared to the human scale (e.g. standardized heights for chairs and countertops).
The term proportion is also often used interchangeably with scale. The only difference between the two is that proportion related to two or more objects’ general size while scale compares two objects with the actual size being known for at least one object. Scale, therefore, is more absolute while proportion is just relative.
To use scaling in a white living room means you control the details of the elements that you put in. This means you don’t just cram large furniture pieces inside a small room. Your white space should be rich in detail not drowning in shapes or forms.
Personalize your white living room, otherwise, it will just be one other white room inside your home.
Tags: colors for the living room, decorating the living room, designing the living room, living room color palette, living room color scheme, living room concepts, living room design elements, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, white interiors, white living room, white paint for living room
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Living Room Design | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 30th, 2016
The Living Room Uttermost Chalina High Back Armchair 23611 offers a curvy, exposed wood frame. The white velvet fuses uniquely with the linen box cushion, giving it an exceptional look.
One of the most beautiful textiles that never go out of style is velvet. It has a rich history beginning from the Renaissance period when it was mostly spun from silk. It was the dress for nobles and the cover for the furniture pieces in many palaces ranging from Asia to Europe.
Hundreds of years later, Edmund Cartwright introduced the power loom. It was around 1785 when velvet became abundantly available. There were more fibers used in spinning this lovely textile.
The Silk Velvet
This textile offers that signature sheen and softness. One look at it and you’d know that it is luxurious. This type easily shows pressure marks as well as creases, though. To meet the demand of silk fans, there were mills that produced viscose velvet during turn of the 20th century. These budget velvets feel just like real silk.
The Cotton Velvet
This kind of velvet is more casual and cozy. These vary widely with regard to the length of their piles and naps. They may show creases, wrinkles and wear but these days, more polyester fibers may be blended in to make velvet that shows less wear.
Linen Velvet
When compared to silk velvet, this type of velvet appears more matte though it feels drier to the touch. Linen velvets have a subtle strie which is not a defect, rather it is there because it can be a tad difficult to spin uniform linen yarn.
The Wool Velvet
This kind of velvet is warm and cozy. It is highly durable and is best for seating units used during the wintry months. Use a slipcover during summer then bring out the wool velvet pieces during colder months.
Bedroom Uttermost Chahna King Headboard 23703 has a white and dark chocolate velvet fusion that mixes well with the aqua blue frame.
Bedroom Uttermost Chahna King Headboard 23703 has a white and dark chocolate velvet fusion that mixes well with the aqua blue frame.
Mohair Velvet
This is a soft, woolly fabric spun from the silky hair of Angora goats. Invest in this piece if you are ready to love it for the rest of your life. It is a durable textile that can outlive even its owners. It is spun at $100 a yard though the prices change considerably.
This kind of velvet has high-density warp, a high gauge of yarn, and has a deeper color. When you go shopping for velvet furniture pieces, take the liberty to bend the fabric. If you are not able to see rows in the pile, then you are definitely looking at quality product.
Panne Velvet
This is the result of velvet being crushed to a single direction using heavy pressure. It comes with a brilliant shine, to the point of being glossy. There are even pieces that appear metallic. It can be dyed with a neutral color if you are not a big fan of anything flashy.
Chenille
This may be a fabric with a character of its own but when you look more closely its luster is just like velvet’s. It has a flatter pile and is usually less smooth compared to velvet but it offers unique patterns and textures.
Chenille, just like velvet, is durable but it could show some sagging and stretching over time.
Crushed Velvet
There isn’t a lot of crushed velvet around since they are just used in holiday stockings placed over the mantel. It is a textile that offers a wonderful sheen that can easily overtake any room. To many homeowners, this look-at-me feature is what they are actually looking for.
Crushed velvet can be made from any fiber. What makes it distinguishable is that the velvet goes through a tapered cylinder to tamp down the pile.
Why Velvet?
You may ask yourself why you should choose velvet for furniture upholstery. Velvet is luxurious, it can be durable under proper care, and it will never go out of style. These are reasons good enough for you to bring home the lavish beauty of this fabric.
Tags: fabric, fabric choices, fabric options, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, seating fabrics, sofa fabric, velvet, velvet design, velvet styles
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 30th, 2016
FFDM Hyde Park Collection: Be sure to measure the dimensions of large furniture against the doorways in your home.
When your home is all painted and done and you have decided on a theme, then the next huge step to take is to buy furniture. Begin by accounting for every piece that you already own. Decide whether you would still use any of them or if you will need to do some furniture shopping.
To glean through the pile in your garage, you need to see which pieces are already outdated. Throw those ones out unless, of course, if they have sentimental value. If the latter is the case, then you need to think of ways to refresh the furniture’s look.
Most of the time, homeowners realize that it is more logical to shop for new furniture than to go through the hassle of reupholstering old pieces.
Prepping the Rooms
Now make sure that have everything in order before you begin your furniture shopping project. Do not purchase any furniture till you have the whole room worked out – from the window treatments, rug, to the lighting fixtures.
Visualize the look in each room then try to make sense of the furniture pieces that you have been considering, how they would be assembled, how they would harmonize, etc.
A lot of homeowners make the mistake of purchasing an item then they end up decorating the rest of the room around the furniture piece. So, how would you know what pieces to work on? Do you begin your search in interior design magazines or websites?
Comfort Is Crucial
There are interior designers who advise their clients to buy large pieces first. Whether you decide to follow that advice or to buy the pieces last, it’s all about understatement. It is best to keep the fabrics neutral then have the colors splashed on throw pillows and walls.
Comfort always comes first. Do not be afraid to invest in some good seats. Purchase the best kind of sofa that your money can afford.
Test the seating unit before you purchase it. If you spend more time inside the family room than the living room, then take more time in planning the furniture sets in the former. Purchase pieces that will last through time more so if you intend to keep the theme for many years.
Upholstered furniture is a huge investment so you would want to find one that can last changes even in your lifestyle. Go for clean, simple lines to be on the safe side.
Decide also on the amount of time, budget and style that you would soon work on. Stick with trusted furniture shops. Say no to department stores because furniture making is not their principal business. Buy from furniture shops that would stand by their products.
Jonathan Louis Strathmore Living Room Collection
Good vs. Bad Furniture
Would you want to know how to recognize quality furniture?
If you are purchasing upholstered furniture, take the time to lift up a corner then shake it. If it feels light, then don’t buy it. Remember that the heavier the cushion, the more that it will last.
When buying cabinets, find drawers that have dovetail joints; when it is a mattress that you are shopping for, then consider the coil count. Again, the higher the number of coils, the more durable the mattress is.
One major homeowner mistake when buying furniture is misjudging the size of the furniture in relation to the rooms of their home. That chaise lounge might look perfect in a showroom with high ceilings but it may look less spectacular inside a regular home.
Prior to buying, mark the furniture’s dimensions right on the floor using painter’s tape or newspaper. You can also build an approximation with cardboard boxes.
Oh, and one last thing – make sure that the furniture you buy will fit through the doorways as well as the elevators and around corners or you would be left with furniture that you can’t even let into your home.
Tags: furniture, furniture investment, furniture shopping, investing in furniture, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, shopping for furniture
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 29th, 2016
Jonathan Louis Norton Living Room Collection: This living room balances the vibrance of the bright colors and the subdued look offered by the neutral pieces.
Are you now at a stage when you have figured out what you would want your house to look like? If so, have you also come to the decision as to who would decorate your new or remodelled home? Will you hire a professional interior designer or would you take on a DIY project?
Back in the day, it was just the nobles who had the notion to decorate their homes but they always hired someone else to do the job for them. You don’t have to live in a palace or be a noble just to enjoy the services of a decorator. You also should not fear the cost that much.
Your concern in hiring an interior designer could also be because of your fear of a result that does not reflect your tastes anymore.
Some homeowners immediately collaborate with a professional designer while others hesitate or are simply confident with their decorating skills.
There are downsides and upsides in hiring an interior designer or in doing the project yourself. It is really up to you to weigh the consequences.
FFDM’s Boulevard Collection: The warmth of food is balanced by the water element and green leaf in a glass vase. The white cabinets house the most beautiful collections. As for accessories, what could be more interesting than the distinctive modern chandelier and silver cubed candelabra?
Advantages of DIY Interior Design Projects
The best reason to decorate your own home is that you love designing things. Your creative side just won’t say no to a project.
An advantage to this, apart from showing your artistic flair, is that you don’t need to pay anyone else to do the job. Add to this the glorious fact that your design will surely reflect who you are. As for the bragging rights, you also take full credit for the project since no one else pitched in their ideas.
Should you feel pleased with your living room design, then go ahead and carry out the project throughout the rest of your home. Where your do-it-yourself project takes you depends a lot on your strengths. If you are the kind of person who knows what he wants, then you are bound to love your creation.
DIY projects can also be done according to levels or stages or as funds allow.
The Downsides of DIY Projects
Primarily, you could mess up the project especially if you have no idea what you would want to include in your design. You have two choices when this happens – you can either live with the mess that you have created or you can invest another large sum of money to correct the error.
Errors in interior design are quite common which is why you gotta have the ability to visualize. You are either an effective creative artist or you’re not – it’s that simple. If you have trouble visualizing and putting creative projects into full gear, then you absolutely need help.
Lastly, DIY projects can be time and fund consuming especially when your learning curve is too steep.
The Upside of Hiring a Designer
Hiring a pro means you have a larger selection of furnishings, wall coverings, fabrics, and trades people. The designer has cultivated many professional relationships with tradesmen so you could potentially own a home that is tailor-fitted to your lifestyle and taste.
A designer can also save you money by doing the project correctly from the onset.
The Downside of Hiring a Designer
It’s always about the cost. It can be costly to work with an interior designer as it is an intimate process that could take months, even years to complete. If you pick the wrong kind of designer, then you end up with an adversary rather than an ally who would affirm all of your design decisions.
Hiring someone who was on the cover of an interior design magazine does not automatically mean that he or she is the right professional to work with. You need to find someone that you can trust and communicate with. You should also discuss your budget upfront as this is one of the most common causes of arguments between a homeowner and the designer.
Tags: DIY interior design projects, DIY projects, do-it-yourself project, guidelines, hiring a designer, hiring an interior designer, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips
Posted in The Interior Designer | No Comments »
Monday, March 28th, 2016
FFDM’s Camden Grove Collection depicts here the perfect harmony of textures, patterns, and colors.
If you’re thinking that interior designers follow a set of rules or that they own a secret book, then you’re in tough luck. There is no one rule that governs all that they do, after all, they are the creative people so they use their imagination, follow their intuition and they even go as far as dreaming and exploring. One could say, perhaps, that they have some rough principles that direct them to the right result. Here are some of the top interior design tips that you can work on –
Pick the Right Paint Color
Some designers say that it is ideal to pick the color of paint last. You may find the logic in this, you may not. What matters at the end of the day is that you pick the right kind of color for your chosen theme, one that is in rhythm with the architectural beauty of your home, and one that functions the way you perceived it to.
Let’s accept this – there are literally thousands of paint colors in different shades, tones and tints. Every single one can look different from one home to the next because there are factors to consider such as the lighting, the overall theme, even the size of the home.
You would want a paint color that complements the artwork, upholstery, lighting fixtures, carpeting, and the furniture sets.
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Overcrowd Not
While you may have ample budget to buy every piece of furniture that you want, resist the urge to overcrowd all of your chosen pieces inside one room. Gracious living is tantamount to having enough
You must also know how to arrange furniture on a rug. Here are two techniques –breathing space. Focus on the quality and not the quantity of the furniture. Find the ones that will stand out without being stuffy.
You must also resist the urge to display all of your collectibles. If you really love each piece from your travels, then assign a season for each batch.
Hang Artwork Correctly
You can learn a lot from the museums and galleries that professionally hang artwork. The midline or center of the artwork should be 57” to 60” from the floor. The logic behind this is that the human eye level is often at 57 inches.
In a room where the ceilings are as high as the sky (of course this is an exaggeration), you must hang the artworks at a greater height. Though this is the case, you still need to remind yourself about human scale and not the structural scale.
If you are uncertain about where to hang artworks, then it is best to take a picture first. The photo should be able to reveal what level you can hang the artwork. Photographs often will give you an idea whether it is better to use a smaller or bigger piece of art; or if the spot is just right for a potted tall plant.
Always Have a Focal Point
Just as musicales or any stage production, there are protagonists and antagonists. This concept is also true when it comes to interior design. Choose the best pieces that you would want to highlight or make the star of the show then the rest of the items would just play a secondary role.
In the kitchen, the focal point can be that grand oven you just bought, in the living room it could be an art piece, and in the bedroom it can be the fireplace.
The focal point can also be a single wall. This is also called a statement wall.
Tags: arranging furniture, artwork, artwork on walls, choosing paint, creating a focal point, determining the focal point, displaying artwork, finding the focal point, focal point, furniture arrangement, furniture placement, home paint, home painting, interior design tips, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, recognizing a focal point
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Sunday, March 27th, 2016
Maitland-Smith Bathroom Seahorse Tissue Holder 1253-462
People consider home remodeling as they grow older. When such projects happen, it is crucial to make plans in age-proofing the bathroom. While style and comfort are great factors to make plan for during your younger years, aging brings about a different kind of perspective.
If you are planning on growing old in your current home, then it is wise to have the bathroom renovated in a much more accessible design. Together with kitchens, the bathrooms in your home are some of the wettest, most used areas. These are also the areas where accidents such as falls and slips often happen. With these slip hazards, it then becomes doubly important to take note of safety features that could make a difference.
Here are some ideas that will make any bathroom safe for every age level –
Shower Case Essentials
Installing a shower bench becomes more and more of a necessity as the homeowners begin to grow old. Age-proofing that part of your bathroom means the one who bathes will spend less time in a standing position. This could remove a huge amount of strain on the body, thus, reducing falling and slipping.
Another thing that you would need to install is a double-duty grab bar. This will serve as a bar for you to hold on to as you enter or exit the shower. This will also ensure that you won’t slip as you shampoo your hair or cleanse your body with soap.
Have one installed outside of the shower case and also in every interior wall. This is so an elderly member of the family can easily navigate the whole space.
A grab bar is functional because they can double as a robe or towel rack.
Have an handheld shower head installed. Adjust the height and you’re good; just place it right next to your shower bench and you can already take a bath while seated.
Age-Proofing Means Thinking Ten Times about Glass
While glass doors will effectively open up any bathroom space, they won’t be as functional when you have elderly members in your family or if two retirees are living with no help from younger family members.
Glass is a lot more difficult to maintain and they can easily get streak marks. Since this is so, glass requires more frequent cleanups, something that the elderly won’t be able to do as actively as when they were still young.
Install Good Lighting
Proper illumination can also make a huge difference. Ensuring that the bathroom space is well-lit means having lights that won’t cause strain on your eyes. Proper lighting will also show any wet spot that could be hidden by some shadows.
Choose from recessed, vanity, natural or sconce lighting.
Choose Durable Materials
Another way to age-proof a bathroom is to use porcelain tiles on your walls and any kind of textured tile on your flooring. Porcelain will last a lifetime so there are very little chances that you’d need to replace them. A wet rag can also clean porcelain in just a few minutes so this is the most feasible material to use if you plan to grow old with your partner in your home.
High slip resistance should be the factor that you will consider the most when choosing a material for the bathroom flooring. The rule here is simple, the higher the texture of the tile, the higher also its slip resistance.
These tips are simple ways that you can make the bathrooms in your home a lot safer. It pays to fortify this room in your home while you are yet young. Accidents can happen to anyone at any age so it is best to be prepared.
Tags: age-proofing bathrooms, bathroom safety, guidelines, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips
Posted in Apartment Living, Bathroom Design, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Saturday, March 26th, 2016
The Thomasville Living Room Margeaux Chair 1185 15 will be sublime in a colorful backdrop.
A client who wants to consult a color consultant is someone who might have already taken multiple trips to a paint store. She must have a collection of paint swatches, she might even have samples already used on the walls yet she still cannot make up her mind regarding what to do. These are the kinds of people who might think that they do not have an inkling about what to do but all that their minds need to do is to visualize and have the confidence to carry out their vision.
Do you need a color professional? Don’t fret because it is not difficult to find one. Just type the keywords – color consultant – online and you should be able to find a list in no time. There are also other professionals who might already be working in your home. Just look at those painters, architects and contractors. They might know a number of color consultants that could meet your color requirements.
The Color Consultant – Who Is He?
Uttermost Accessories Vintage License Plates Clock 06675 is a colorful addition to a neutral room.
Interview several candidates before considering someone. You would want to establish a working relationship with this person so there’s gotta be chemistry. Ask also for their references so that you will know what past projects they have made, especially those that are similar to yours.
Color proficiency also requires the color consultant to provide what you think is a wonderful hue. Getting a sense of what the client actually wants and the duration and scope of the project are the things that they want to grant.
The consultancy could be as short as a single session or the consultant might ask for several meetings. This all depends on the process that is about to be undertaken and the complexity of the painting project.
It is wrong to think that the color consultant will tell you what to do. He may be an expert but he can only give some advice. You still are the client so your preferences are given priority. Hourly rates can range from $85 to $200 USD. To get an average approximation about the color consultancy, the three to four bedroom home can be given an expert advice in about three to four hours. Of course, this time varies depending on how indecisive the client is.
Uttermost Accessories Vintage License Plates Clock 06675 is a colorful addition to a neutral room.
There are also color consultants who charge for a flat fee. This fee already includes the follow-up visits. Initial visits are often just a walk-through the home that is about to be painted. The consultants then envision what kind of color scheme would work during this first visit. It can be difficult for some clients to envision things using mere paint chips. The consultant, therefore, has to be able to offer 50 draw-downs in various neutrals.
The neutrals can be shown in their finishes such as the flooring or the countertop. Here, the client will be able to see which works and what shouldn’t be given much time. After this walk-through, a brainstorming session usually follows. The color swatches are then brought out by the consultant and held up against the walls. The client should have an idea about the decision that she will make by looking through the samples.
Most consultants ask for their client’s most-used or favorite room. To the perennial workaholic, this could be the home office; to the foodie, this is definitely the kitchen or the dining room.
No consultant will force his favorite colors on you. What they want to achieve is a happy customer and they are only able to do this if they personalize the rooms in a client’s home. They would only recommend colors that can endure the test of time and those that will work well when you begin furnishing the rooms.
The color consultant is there to help should you start feeling dizzy around the swirling color suggestions of family and friends. It’s time to rely on his proficiency.
Tags: color choices, color combination, color consultant, color in interior design, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Color Schemes, The Interior Designer | No Comments »
Friday, March 25th, 2016
FFDM Sunset Canyon Collection: The colorful oranges provide a necessary deviation from the warmth of the wood and the neutral tabletop.
Using the Zen theme in your home means you have to understand the principles behind it. You can begin with shibumi which is an ideal. Its definition is not clear in Japanese but it can be used for experiences and objects that exemplify both everything and nothingness. Based on this, a Zen theme spells elegance and simplicity. It is an understatement and it is also excellent.
Shibumi, as spoken by James Michener in his novel Iberia, can be understood in the context of writing, art, or of any true work of art.
Shibumi has seven principles – austerity, simplicity, naturalness, subtlety, asymmetry, breaking from routine, and tranquility.
Austerity: Koko
This focuses on omission, exclusion or restraint. This means that you should not add any interior design aspect that was not necessary to begin with.
Simplicity: Kanso
This emphasizes the beauty and downplays utility or anything that is fanciful. The effects are neatness, freshness and cleanliness. The lesson here is that you should eliminate anything that does not have any use; instead, you should make room for ideas that work.
Naturalness: Shizen
This means you can use interior design concepts that are one with nature yet divergent from it. The essence of shizen can be captured in furniture that aims to recreate the sunset, light filtering through the beautiful trees, or the shadows of various passing clouds.
Use naturally occurring patterns in nature, as well as rhythms into your interior design.
Subtlety: Yugen
This principle explains that anything that’s finite is an enemy of nature. This implies the loss or stagnation of life. People’s curiosity is piqued when they see an interesting object just once. The world hypes everything from products to services yet when silence counters the usual hype, the former almost always wins.
Asymmetry: Fukinsei
The natural world is symmetrical but this symmetry can also be achieved in imperfect renderings. The viewer then tends to supply the absent symmetry then participates in the art of creation. This means that interior design does not have to depend on you all of the time. You can also seek the help of friends or relatives to co-create with you. You must be open for ideas that can produce necessary innovations.
FFDM Harbor Spring Collection: Flower arrangements in vases give character and a sense of serenity in a traditional dining room.
Breaking from Routine: Datsuzoku
This principle implies rest from convention. Patterns that worked in the past that have been used by different designers can – and should – take a rest, too. This interruptive break can work well in your interior design if you give it a chance.
Tranquility: Seijaku
Lastly, there’s stillness or tranquility. Those who practice Zen living know that the state of calmness or quietude is the very state where energy is created. This is the meditation phase which can up one’s self-awareness and focus.
The lesson here is that you should do something than left doing nothing.
Your home should be the first place in the whole wide world where you feel most calm and peaceful. There is nothing better than a Zen-inspired home to promote these positive feelings of serenity. If you still have no idea how this looks like, just picture the Zen Gardens in Japanese websites, magazines or photos.
Going Zen does not automatically mean that you have to resort to traditional style, though. Zen could also be contemporary with the right elements. For instance, Zen is epitomized in a room where floor cushions are scattered all around a low table. This can serve as an Oriental dining area, a unique place to enjoy meals with your family. The dark contrast of a table against a warm cream setting should be enough to evoke feelings of balance and stillness.
Tags: asymmetry, balance, designing with nature, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, nature, nature in interior design, nature-inspired design, nature-inspired home, Zen design, Zen home, Zen interior, Zen interiors, Zen living, Zen style, Zen-inspired home
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Interior Design Themes | No Comments »
Thursday, March 24th, 2016
Hooker Furniture Living Room North Hampton Bonnet Top Display Cabinet. Organization is key to a beautiful and functional kitchen.
Are you a recent graduate who wants to move into your own apartment soon? Or are you a newlywed settling in your first home? Whatever your current situation, you will need some recipes and the right kind of kitchen equipment to start this new phase in your life.
Take a long look at your parents’ kitchen and see if you can do some window shopping in houseware shops. This should help you make a list of essentials that are needed for prepping, baking, or cooking the most flavorful dishes.
You might be tempted to buy new products straight away but you don’t have to break the bank just to obtain quality in your kitchen stuff. You can search for different pieces that offer durability, value and beauty.
Cooking and Baking Tools
You can splurge on your set of knives. Yeah, go ahead, it’s okay. It is essential to have a sharp chef’s knife inside your kitchen. This is one of the major tools that you need to always have. Stainless steel, high-carbon knives won’t stain or rust so they are your best option.
The knife that you buy should feel comfortable in your hand as you slice and dice. Invest also in paring knives, and a serrated knife. The types whose metal blades extend to the back of the handles offer the perfect balance.
Other cooking tools include the cutting board (plastic, glass or wood should work); vegetable peeler (the stainless steel type); can opener (the non-slip type); a salad spinner; cheese grater preferably with soft rubber handles; grater; steamer; etc.
Must-have appliances include a steamer, oven, toaster oven or a microwave oven.
Universal Furniture Dining Room Chelsea Kitchen Table 311751 is what every kitchen needs.
Kitchen furniture
Update your dining/kitchen furniture by investing in McCreery’s Home Furnishings. There is a wide array of chairs, dining tables, bar stools, dining benches, buffets, and kitchen islands to choose from. Gather your family around the table for a scrumptious dinner with your new kitchen furniture. Entertain your guests in style with your new dining room set.
The dining room is no less than the place where you enjoy your meals with friends and family. In order to create the perfect space, it is crucial to invest in the right kind of furniture. Our shops have individual pieces as well as coordinating choices for both casual and formal dining functions.
Dining tables range from rectangular, oval and round styles. Dining chairs can be traditional wood with fabric, leather, or wicker. There are also dining room collections to choose from.
How about the benches? These work in either formal or informal dining. These are often used as extra seating to a dining table. Benches can match the dining chairs or they can be oddly different yet still look cohesive.
Buffets can store extra stemware, dinnerware, and table linens. The sideboards can also be used to display vases, lamps, and other decorative accessories.
Apart from the dining tables, chairs and benches, you can also invest in a kitchen island. These are great for prepping meals. It can also serve as extra countertop for your kitchen. Kitchen carts can also provide extra counter space inside the kitchen. These are smaller than the kitchen island yet they can still provide ample space for storage.
Bar stools are often used for casual seating for guests or family members. There are short and tall stools that you can pair with the kitchen islands.
All kitchen furniture shouldn’t be merely stylish but also durable. Being the foodie that you are, and having invested in these kitchen essentials, all you need now is that first casserole dish to prove that you’re ready to please palates.
Tags: foodie kitchen, kitchen, kitchen design, kitchen essentials, kitchen of a foodie, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, organizing the kitchen, planning the kitchen, tips
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Kitchen Design | No Comments »
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