A place to store and a place to sit.
S Interior Design LOVES multi-functional furnishings such as the storage ottoman fabricated by Pacific Manufacturing. Great in a family room, master bedroom or guest bedroom to store a multitude of things you want or need close by, but don’t want to see out in plan sight.
Welted Arm, Built to the floor, swivel, tight back, Palmcroft Arm, Transitional, contemporary
One of several custom upholstered furniture pieces we designed for a Desert Mountain client looking for some color in her interior environment. Thanks Pacific Manufacturing for making it so easy !
Below is a guest post entitled ‘How to Create a Traditional Style Living Room’.
S Interior Design often has residential design clients who have what could be described as traditional style furnishings that they want to keep, yet update with more contemporary surrounding design elements. One of our favorite things to do is to re-upholster a traditional style accent chair in modern fabrics. It becomes a unique piece that can be the focal point of a seating arrangement.
This is an example we completed recently.
Now upholstered in this fabric
A home that mixes design styles is one that is reflective of the owner’s unique personality. Mix away and don’t be afraid!
Guest Post:
How to create a traditional style living room
Not so long ago, traditional style was regarded as the grandmother’s home style, with impossibly uncomfortable furniture, pristine carpets and vintage wallpaper. I am very pleased to say that this is longer the case. Traditional home styles have been toned down considerably and are now more cleanly lined than ever. The traditional style covers a wide range of time periods and cultures, and can include just about anything, whether ornate and opulent or simple and spare. One of the reasons this style is regarded as traditional is due to the familiarity of silhouette and the use of architectural details.
Quite often, living rooms with a traditional style tend to be older and possess an abundance of suave architectural details such as elaborate chunky moldings, columns, arches, wood floor patterns, and inbuilt cabinetry. The reason these shapes are familiar is because they have a real sense of historical influence. The majority of the textiles and furnishings are labeled “traditional” because the patterns and shapes have been used for long periods of time.
Traditional style is no longer stale or fussy; instead it is now more casual and welcoming. The traditional style is literally the little black dress of the design world, looks great, always appropriate, feels fantastic, and goes with just about everything.
Below are a few ideas to help you create a traditional style living room:
Textiles
Luxurious fabrics can be used in traditional style but not limited to cashmere, velvet, mohair, and silk. Other more humble fabrics such as cotton and linen can also be found. In reality, not many homeowners can get away with a sofa that is upholstered in high maintenance fabrics such as silk, but this doesn’t mean they can’t be utilized in low traffic areas such as pillows or curtains. Start off with a pivotal fabric and then blend other patters from the same color palate. A layering of texture and pattern will add interest to the space. Damask, paisley, floral, and even geometrics are common patterns. Rugs are highly people because traditional homes usually have very hard floors, either tile or wood.
Artwork
Artwork introduces texture, mood, personality, and color. It is often beneficial to choose room arrangements and a color palate based on a great art piece. If you do not have the budget to buy a large piece of art, there are other more cost-effective ways to create impact. Try grouping similar images in matched frames to create a graphic punch.
Colors
Try to develop a consistent theme throughout your living room that is based on color. Neutral color tones are often utilized on large upholstery pieces and walls. Homeowners and designers often mute color pallets to show off other elements such as rugs and impressive pieces of art. An all white color palette is extremely popular because it can lend both minimalism and opulence depending on how it’s applied. Balance should be one of the key considerations when choosing colors; you should only use bright colors if they are offset by neutral tones.
Furnishings
Furnishings found in traditional styles commonly have a familiar shape that is recognizable and iconic to the majority of people. A perfect example of this is the wing back chair; although it is quite often reinterpreted and updated, it is mostly at home in traditional décor styles. Pieces of upholstery are often comfortable and neutral, a lot less fussy than in previous years. Traditional leather sofas are available in a variety of colors and styles; these can be mixed with contemporary pieces, reproductions, and antiques to create a relaxed feeling of elegance. Painted pieces and rich wood tones are also common in traditional styling.
Piecing it all together
The key to a great living space is the way in which pieces are put together. Be sure to create a focal point, this will give the human eye a resting place. Not only does it ground the room, but everything can be positioned in relation to it. Focal points can be artwork, a fireplace, or even an item of furniture such as a sofa or bed. Make use of symmetry to keep a sense of balance within the space. For example, you could have two chairs on either side of your fireplace. They do not have to be identical, but they should have similar proportions.
Author byline:
This article was written by David at Thomas Lloyd Leather Furniture, David is an interior design and home improvement enthusiast that has written articles for numerous magazines and blogs.
Here is the U.S. we call them Family Rooms or Great Rooms. In other countries they are sometimes called Sitting Rooms. No matter what they are called, it is a space in every home all over the world where families and friends gather on a daily basis. Below is a guest post that speaks to the basic design elements that everyone should consider when designing their Family Room space.
The importance of creating the perfect family room
All family homes need an appropriate sitting room. The room can act as the centre of the household and serve a number of functions. A perfect sitting room should be a space where everyone can get together and spend some time enjoying each other’s company.
Designing the perfect sitting room doesn’t have to be challenging. Individuals simply need to think about their requirements and how to meet them appropriately. The key element is having sufficient seating; there needs to be enough room for all the family to sit comfortably. Individuals who often entertain guests may choose to purchase some extra seating to accommodate them.
The Sofa
A comfortable sofa is of course an essential. It’s important to think about using space efficiently when selecting sofas. Purchasing a stylish corner sofa is a great way to add extra seating to a room. These luxurious items are versatile enough to cater for any situation and don’t look oversized when not being used. A corner sofa can comfortably seat the entire family and create a cosy, warm atmosphere.
Pets
Many people think of their pets as family members, so the perfect sitting room should also cater for their needs. Making room for a basket – or saving a dedicated space on the sofa – is an excellent way to do this. Consider using carpet rather than laminate flooring, as slippery surfaces can cause some pets problems when walking.
TV
Once the ideal sofa has been chosen for the room, the next important item to consider is the TV. This can be a difficult decision. Choosing the right size of screen can make or break the room – if it’s too small, family members will go elsewhere to watch their favourite programmes, and if it’s too large, it will overwhelm the room. Children may also want the capability to play video games in the sitting room, so purchasing an appropriate TV cabinet will ensure that they have somewhere to store the console and games when they are not in use.
Finishing touches
A good sitting room is a place to celebrate the family. Using a bright colour scheme that everyone likes is a good idea, and hanging photos of family members on the wall will help to create a sense of togetherness. A coffee table can make a nice centrepiece to a room, but those with young families may want to leave the space open and obstruction free so that children can play without causing any problems. Storage is also worth thinking about. It is sensible to have somewhere to store toys and books, and furniture that is large enough to keep the room tidy will be required. Don’t focus the room too closely towards young children, however. It should also be a comfortable environment for the parents to relax in.
A well-designed living room will be one of the most popular rooms in the house. For this reason, individuals should prioritize practicality in their design. Making it easy to clean will save hours of time and ensure that any spilt food, drinks and mess can be cleaned up quickly. The perfect sitting room takes some planning, but will benefit every member of the family over time.
Leather furniture—folks either love it or tend to dislike it. S Interior Design spends time speaking with their clients about the pros and cons of leather seating and often will mix leather furniture with furniture upholstered in fabrics. As the guest post below states, too much leather in a space is not the way to go, rather use in moderation for the best end result.
Great Room Design -S Interior Design-Leather Ottomans, Leather Sofa
Furnishing your home is a personal choice. Whether you’re moving into a new home or redecorating or refreshing your current one, your choice of furniture is important. Many homeowners try to find the balance between stylish and durability. Many furniture pieces on the market today have a lot of pizzazz, but may be too delicate or poorly made to last more than a few years. If you’re looking for furniture that’s beautiful, easy to care for, and will last a lifetime or two, then consider leather furniture. Leather is a wonderful, organic material that’s strong, durable, and if made right, can be a beautiful addition to any home. Many manufacturers offer a wide range of leather pieces, from sofas to leather-bound tables and you can use leather furniture to varying effects in your own home.
Decorating with Leather Furniture
Decorating with leather furniture in your own home can be easy. Much like anything, the secret is moderation. Having one or two large pieces is usually the best way to go, otherwise, if you used leather for everything, then you may go overboard and it just will look kitschy. For most people, a leather sofa or sectional would be the main purchase, since this is also the largest and most-used piece you’ll have at home. If you pick a good, full-grain leather sofa, this can last for years and it can look good in any living room.
If you want to incorporate leather furniture in your bedroom, consider a plush leather headboard. Not only does this make your room look elegant, but if you like to read or sit up in bed, you won’t need additional pillows. A leather armchair can also bring some Old World elegance into your bedroom alcove or any room, for that matter. If you have a sitting room, office, or library, a leather armchair would look great next to the window or near the fireplace.
Don’t think you can’t use leather in the kitchen. If you have a counter or breakfast nook, why not purchase matching stools upholstered in leather? Better yet, handsome leather bar stools would look great standing next to a shiny, wet bar.
Caring For Your Leather Furniture
Leather can be quite tough and will last a long time, not to mention become even softer and more beautiful after a few years. However, you should also take measures to care for your leather pieces. For one thing, make sure you clean and dust them like you would any furniture piece. Dust them regularly to prevent dirt from accumulating on the surface and small nooks and crannies. If you or a guest spills something on the leather, mop it up right away. Although leather is water-resistant, liquids can still seep in between the seams and cause moisture to build inside. This is bad because this can cause mold and mildew to form or promote rust in the metal parts of the frame (or both). Once the inside of your furniture begins to deteriorate, there may be little you can do to save it. Once in a while, every six months or so, you should use a special leather oil or conditioner (available at many furniture shops) to keep the surface soft and supple. Apply as directed on the bottle and your leather furniture will stay shiny and new as the day you bought it.
Using leather around the home can be advantageous in many ways. Not only does leather look classy when used right, but it can last for a long time. That means you won’t have to spend for repairing the furniture or having them replaced every few years. Indeed, many happy owners of leather furniture refuse to replace their pieces because after a few years, it still looks good or even better than when they bought it.
I admit, Vintage style decor is not generally my favored style. That said, there are wonderful re-purposed, unique decorating elements to be found in this genre. Just take a look at what a Google search of images for Vintage Decor shows. A search on Pinterest or Etsy also yield some very interesting results.
Below is a guest post on the subject of you guessed it—-Creating a Vintage Feel for Your House
Just when you thought you had seen the last of the flower power wall-paper and funky brass wall art from eras gone by, vintage-inspired design has become a popular theme again. As the saying goes “old always becomes new again” and this is certainly true when it comes to the world of home interior design. So, it’s time to start digging through your grandmother’s attic to find some kitschy pieces to add to your home this year. Here are some fun ideas for bringing a touch of the vintage feel into your home.
The Reminiscent Living Room
Love to entertain guests ala “Mad Men” style? Head for your nearest thrift stores and flea markets for some serious sixties finds. Start with a redesign of your seating arrangement with a comfortable couch with glamorous wooden legs, paired with two vintage Eames-era chairs. Cover with plenty of class in velvets, rich brocades, and patterned fabrics. Go for hues of gold, green, orange and browns for a vintage touch. Create throw pillows and pinched window drapes in coordinating fabrics and textures. Use impactful artwork on walls, and include at least one large piece of metal art or a mirror painted in your favorite metallic shade. Add a vintage bar set to your coffee table or a console table nearby.
The Vintage Kitchen
If your favorite space in your home happens to be the kitchen, then a vintage-y kitchen should be your starting point as you decorate. Try taking cues from your Great-aunt Betty’s kitchen with plenty of bright colors inspired by the outdoors. Grab a classic Formica top and metal leg table, and vinyl seat chairs from a local garage sale or vintage shop. Pick your favorite rooster canisters for storing coffee and other staples. Add a big metal wall clock in a flower or star shape. Upgrade your kitchen cabinets with wooden painted doors, and add some counter top paint in a bright shade of orange or green. Then get yourself vintage inspired appliances to grace counter tops.
Vintage Inspired Bedrooms
The vintage bedroom is a romantic and soft place for privacy anytime you need to unwind. Make yours stand out with a large upholstered headboard, with matching drapes in glamorous silk brocade. If your walls need it, add a fresh coat of a soft pastel color to them. Think powder pink, light violet or teal. Then add a chenille bedspread and pillows to your bed. Replace dressers and night tables with retro-look pieces that give the look of your parents’ bedroom from the 50s. Add lamps that are old fashioned with paper shades, and an Electrolux alarm clock for the final touch.
Bathrooms with Classic Appeal
Love to spend hours in the tub soaking with a good novel from Sylvia Plath? Then a vintage bathroom should be on your list. The vintage bathroom usually starts with tile”¦lots of it. Add tiles to your bathroom vanity back-splash and around your tub and commode “” any color will do but pink or yellow is a favorite. Replace your old shower with an over sized cast iron bathtub, complete with ceiling hanging shower curtains. Add crisp cotton window curtains and monogrammed towels to complete the look.
Your vintage home can start with little things that you collect over time, or you can go big with a complete home overhaul. Remember, to have fun and add charm and personality to your home with the vintage look.
About the Author: When she’s not goggling over her new vintage-styled remodeled kitchen, Jillian Watkinson is sitting out in her backyard hammock enjoying a short nap or a lemonade.
Here’s another great guest blog with some wonderful tips for designing a room for a child. This blog identifies the major areas of design and offers some interesting solutions. Give it a read and let us know if you agree with their creative ideas.
Designing a bedroom for your child can be one of the most fun home projects. You can really get creative and design something that your child will remember forever. So when you design your child’s bedroom, make sure that you have their personality and the things they love in mind. The most important part of your child’s bedroom is the walls. The walls cover a large area of the room and getting them right is critical for the overall design of the room.
Having a theme will help to direct your ideas and unify the room.
The best way to design a kids bedroom is with a theme in mind. Some theme ideas are medieval, cityscape, auto racing, dinosaurs, forest, the universe, and the old west. There are many more of course, but these should give you some ideas. Make sure to get your child’s input when deciding on a final theme. Searching the internet is also a good way of coming up with ideas or getting examples of ideas you have come up with.
Once you have come up with a theme, it is time to get designing. Decorating the walls is the most important because they will set the scene for the entire room. Wallpaper is the best way to decorate the walls in your child’s bedroom. It is easier to find intricate designs children like, it can be removed if they damage it, and it keeps the walls underneath in good shape.
Custom wallpaper is a great way to get just the look you are going for and allows you to be as creative as you want when designing your project.
While there are many great wallpaper designs for children’s rooms out there, you may want something a little more unique, or perhaps you’re not able to find exactly what you are looking for. The best thing to do in this situation is to have custom wallpaper made for your child’s bedroom.
When designing custom wallpaper, you can use any digital photo or digital image as the template for the walls. A single six megapixel photo can be blown up to the size of an entire wall. This means that any photo you have from family vacations, trips to the zoo, baseball games, or pictures of their favorite park can become decorations on your child’s wall.
You are not restricted to photographs either. You can use a graphic design program to design digital images to decorate your child’s walls as well. You could make a cartoon background, a stars and planets scene, or even an alien world.
Once you have designed the walls, it is time to move on to the rest of the room. Choose paint for furniture that matches your theme. Choose carpet that is darker and good at hiding stains. Your child’s bed is another element where you can let your imagination run wild. There are many premade child’s bed designs that are amazing. Of course, if you have the carpentry skills, know someone who does, or can afford to have a bed custom made; you can really get creative.
So, I hope this has given you some ideas on how to make your child’s wildest dreams come true when designing a bedroom for them.
Author Bio: Blake Pearson is a large format printing expert and online publisher for www.megaprint.com who writes on the topics of design and printing.
About Suzanne Lasky, Allied ASID
Suzanne Lasky, Allied ASID, is the owner and founder of S Interior Design, the exclusive provider of Pawprint Design Services™. Suzanne works with her clients to develop a winning combination of design elements that result in warm, comfortable and functional spaces that reflect each client’s personal style. Suzanne and her team specialize in residential, contract and hospitality interior design, from simple color selections, to office build outs, to restaurant, spa and hotel designs. Suzanne shares her years of expertise through the power of social media. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and at this blog. To speak to Suzanne about your interior design needs, please call 480-220-4659 or visit her website at www.sinteriordesign.com.
Homeowners seeking modern interior designs for their living areas are constantly searching for a way to make their space look unique and cutting edge. This has pushed furniture designers to come up with ever more creative ways of reinventing existing pieces, ranging from anything between foot stools and electric radiators
In terms of storage, it doesn’t get much better than this Stack 8 Drawer Veneer from New York based company Matter. Designed by Shay Alkay this really is a striking piece of furniture. The draws sit in a tower arrangement but can be pulled either way, which gives an incredibly interesting form to the set and really catches the eye. (source: mattermatters.com)
Next up is this amazing Drift Bench designed by Amanda Levete, again for Matter. This piece was inspired by a piece of driftwood apparently, which must have been an incredible find, as the bench is stunning and has an equally stunning price tag. However, with its smooth lines and gloss finish it would create a beautiful focal point in any room. (source: mattermatters.com)
Staying with seating for a moment, designed by Singapore based Ministry of Design and built by Italian furniture company Saporiti Italia, the Woofer Chair, is quite something to behold. Inspired by a simple speaker, the chair allows user to feel the music around them as well as just listen to it and creates a “fully immersive soundscape”. The body of the chair is made of fibreglass with a soft canvas covering. Although it looks great in a minimal rectangular shape, the main body of the chair around the seat is designed to be reformed in order to create any number of aesthetics. (source: zillamag.com)\
Designed to examine the basic connection between human and fire, Moscow MA graduate Alexandra Mazur-Knyazeva created the Essence of Flame. This is a series of bio inserts that can be fitted to transform a normal dull looking fireplace into something that really excites the imagination and actively shapes how the fire acts, as opposed to merely framing it. (source: essenceofflame.co.uk)
Last up is the BotoxLamp. Now, this is not strictly a piece of furniture so much as an installation. However, it is a brilliant piece of design and creativity, as it is a light feature that can interact with the users in its close proximity. Bent, plasma cut aluminium geometrically houses a set of LEDs, which are attached to a sensor designed to pick up the movements of users around the fitting and alter the lighting pattern accordingly. See it in action here http://vimeo.com/27123472.
An upholstered headboard can define the style of a bedroom. Styles range from traditional to ultra modern with everything in between to choose from.
What a luxury to lean back on a soft upholstered headboard to read a book or watch television before counting sheep. Continue reading
S Interior Design- Scottsdale, Arizona Blog 