Glass Shelves- Simple and Beautiful

Below is a guest posting on the subject of glass shelves.  Whether inside a lit cabinet, or used to showcase items, glass is a great option for shelving materials to consider

Glass Shelves: Simplicity + Beauty

No matter which room of your house you’re redecorating and how clutter-free you live, you will always need a place to keep your possessions. Even the strictest minimalist requires practical objects at hand on a daily basis. Closets or cabinets are functional, but their overuse can make your rooms look smaller. If you have an empty corner or wall space that you want to utilize more effectively, glass shelves may be the solution.

Let’s say you have an all-white or cream-colored bathroom with a large tub for luxurious baths. You want a clean and simple way to organize your bare necessities. Fitting a set of glass shelves in the nook next to the tub will maintain the room’s relaxed, spa-like ambiance, while keeping your toiletries, candles and towels nearby.

If you’re transforming your living room or basement into a bar, you will probably use wooden cabinetry. To create a contrast to the dark wood, install a few floating glass shelves above the sink. The shelves, as well as the glasses and bottles you display, will sparkle in the light. In this particular example, the thick, frosted shelves match the modern fixtures and feel of the bar. The great thing about glass is that you can customize it, choosing the hue, finish, and width of your shelves.

On the topic of customization, glass shelves can also be fashioned in unexpected shapes and designs. Are you an art lover looking for a unique way to show your collection? Get your sculptures and vases out of the stuffy display case and onto multi-level, zigzagged shelves. The interesting form of the shelves will guarantee that the art is the focal point of the room, starting conversation and spurring compliments from your guests.

As you can see, glass shelves are a simple, beautiful way to add practical storage space to your home. There is an abundance of shelving styles on the market, but don’t limit yourself to the options found in big-box stores. Whether you want etched or smooth, curved or straight, green-tinted or crystal clear glass, have an expert create shelves that match your taste.

About the Author: Glass and Mirror Pros in Orlando is a company with over 30 years of experience in the glass industry. Our dedicated technicians can repair or replace windows, sliding glass doors, and install glass shelves, shower enclosures, and more. We are passionate about interior design and making homes beautiful with glass products. Find us on Facebook for more information and creative ideas!

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All About Mirrors

The Story Behind The Decorative Mirror

Throughout history mirrors have played an important part in our lives as both household objects and objects of decoration. The ancients created these mirrors out of polished obsidian stone all the way back in the year 4000 B.C.  Polished copper was used in Ancient Egypt to create mirrors that were often made with a round face and contained emblems and ornamentation.

However it was the Romans that introduced a mirror made of glass in the First Century, these mirrors were made from glass that was blown with a lead backing.

It was the glass blowing technique that revolutionised the way mirrors were produced and Venetians in the 16th Century created a flat glass mirror in a time where Hand blown mirrors meant serious business, so much so that Venetians tightly guarded their secret to the extent that a craftsman faced imprisonment or even execution for breeching the secrecy of their technique!

Only Fit For A King!

Until the early 1800′s mirrors were a luxury item which only the nobility could afford, if there was anything fit for a king to collect it was the mirror. King Henry VIII and France’s King Francis I were both avid collectors of mirrors. The mirror was once literally worth its weight in gold and only the most affluent could hope to own a small example.

An example of an early Venetian Mirror

A medium-sized Venetian mirror was comparable in price to that of a naval ship or aristocrats country estate!

The invention of the first modern mirror is credited to German chemist Justus von Liebig. In the early 1800′s he developed the process of layering glass with a silver salt and sugar solution, it was through this invention that mirrors then became manufactured on a much wider scale enabling ordinary people to afford to buy what was once a luxury item.

Fancy Times of the 18th and 19th Century

During the Baroque and Rococo periods in the 17th and 18th Century frames were either inlaid with marquetry or elaborately carved or gilded, with designs ranging from the grandeur of the Baroque to the more fluid Rococo carvings best encapsulated by Thomas Chippendale. In the 19th Century frames made from plaster on a wire base were common, known as composition frames, these are highly decorative and attractive but are often found damaged and in need of restoration.

English Rococo Mirror were often richly carved from giltwood in the early 19th Century.

Mirrors Today

Today mirrors are very affordable for all and come in a wide variety of styles and sizes. Many period mirror styles are still reproduced today. Such as the highly decorative Rococo mirror.

Other styles include reproduction Venetian mirrors, Art Deco style to ultra contemporary styles like frameless all glass mirrors.

 

This gives the consumer a broad selection when choosing to buy a mirror for the home, whether your taste is ultra modern or you want a mirror that fits in with the period style of your home there is a fantastic selection out there on the market.

About the Author

This information comes from Soraya Interiors, a supplier of wall mirrors to the UK. Soraya Williams  has worked in the picture and mirror framing trade in North London for many years and takes great pride in seeing her mirror collections decorating people’s homes across the UK.

Paint Color 2013

Are you considering doing some painting around your house or office in the coming year?  Here are ideas to consider based on  2013 Color ‘discussions’ by some of the leading paint companies.
In a sentence–“Look for a lot of variety and contrast to be popular in 2013.”

Sherwin Williams, Dunn Edwards, Benjamin Moore, Behr and Pantone all have published their predictions for what the popular paint colors and combinations of colors will be in the coming year. 

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Moore: Intersection– Flow, Cycle, Animate, Connect 

Sherwin Williams: Opposites Attract–Midnight mystery, Honed Vitality, Vintage Moxie, High Voltage

Dunn Edwards: A New Renaissance Influences Palette and Textures–Simply Re-invented, Simply Re-newal, Simply Re-imagined and Simply Re-vival.

Behr:  Watch this short video!

 

 

Pantone   According to the PANTONE VIEW home + interiors 2013 book, there are nine color palettes predicted to dominate interior design and furniture trends in 2013. A mix of muted palettes serve as the new classics while rainbow-inspired colors provoke bolder style statements.     Note:  From the Casa Sugar Blog

Before you begin your  painting, it is always a good idea to try your color choices on several walls in the room.  Different walls have different levels of light reflection and the colors will look a bit different in different spaces due to the levels and types of light they will have.  We recommend at least a 3′-0″ x 3′-0″ square on the wall.  If the wall already has paint color on it, we also recommend priming before putting the new paint color up.

Of course S Interior Design is always available to help in the Phoenix metro area!

Interior Design for the World of Babies and Children

I have said it many times — the children always come first.  When there is a design budget and prioritization needs to occur, 9 times out of 10 the design of the children’s rooms will come before the master bedroom design.

We are fortunate to live in a time where there are fabulous design options available to help us make our little one’s rooms look great.  One of our new discoveries is Pink Taffy Designs.  They have a great on-line children’s boutique where you can find everything from bedding to clothing for your little ones.

They are having a contest to win a set of their hand crafted wall letters. You can use the letters to spell out your child’s name, or a word of choice.  They also make great gifts for new parents.

Here is the link to click on to enter the contest.  Hurry though, it is only available a few more weeks.

 

 

Don’t Be Afraid to Go Big with Graphics In Your Home

Below is a guest post about over sized wall murals and how they can be used to make a statement in your home.  I recently used a wonderful full size (10′ high x 7′ wide) wall mural graphic in a client’s guest house casita.  They wanted a tropical feeling so the mural depicted a beach scene.  So a plain wall became reminiscent of the Caribbean beach in no time at all.   These murals are quite a bit less expensive than having  an artist paint a custom mural on a wall.  Many companies will be able to use your own photography to create a customized graphic for you.  Imagine a life-size picture from your last vacation spot, or your wedding photo……..

Giant Graphics are Ideal for the Home

Creating a certain ambiance in your home can be achieved in many ways, but a very trendy, very artsy way to do this is to utilize full wall graphics with custom printed wallpaper. There are particular things to keep in mind as you decide what photo or art piece to use and where it will go. Keep in mind that you want this wall to be a focal point in the room, not the entire room being the wall.

Pick your Shot

Even amateur photographers can have fun with this decorating tool as long as there is one favorite shot to be chosen from a collection. If you had gone on vacation to tour the castles in Europe or just captured the perfect beam of light on your favorite lake in the mountains, you are able to transform that masterpiece into a sizeable work of art. Be sure to carefully measure the wall you are working with to get the correct dimensions. Nothing is worse than having to improvise after receiving the wrong measurements back (and it is your fault).

Where to put it?

Now, you may be wondering, what wall is the best wall to use? Well, it is pretty simple. You want people to notice this amazing piece of art, correct? So if you walk into the room you are dressing up, what wall do you see first? If that one has a window, is there another that might work better? Perhaps you have a short wall, like a wide column that has no function at all. Make that one the statue you snapped a picture of in Cancun, just on a much more impressive, more pleasing to the eye version. Scan that award-winning painting you have stored away and upload it. Avoid using areas that people will naturally turn their back on or never see, unless it is done for your pleasure only. And a real window can ruin the effect a mural has on a wall. Unless it will incorporate your window into the picture, choose a different area. It will cut into the graphic and make it look incomplete. Imagine looking at the sunset on the beach and missing one-third of it. No, just pick a wall that is free and clear of obstacles like doors and windows.

Color…

Color or black and white? That is completely up to your preferences. Personally, I prefer black and whites for personal photos, family shots, if the original colors were rich enough to make the shades vary enough for some depth. Scenery, I prefer to leave in color. They are very pleasing to the eye when they host an array of colors and can provoke emotions when they feel tangible. One of the main reasons people will put a mural up is to make a vacation or favorite place immortal to them…unchanging.

Décor

Now, when incorporating a large graphic such as this, don’t forget that it is a part of your home and decorate the room as such. Unless it is a useless wall that you are coating for effect, place furniture in front of it. I’m not saying to stack bookshelves right through the middle, but a nice ensemble of couch, loveseat and tables that complement the theme of the photo will do wonders for y our sanctuary. It then makes it a part of what is going on and less like a museum artifact. Many put graphics up on staircases because they are so difficult to decorate unless you just do a “gallery” of family photos that no one can see unless they go up your stairs. Something like this can be seen, even in a semi-open concept plan, from the main level and will be the conversation starter for the night.

Be bold when it comes to the bones of your home. If you set the bar with your walls in bright, lively, or serene fashions, the rest of your décor will follow.  Your guests will love the atmosphere you have created because they will feel how much you love being there.

Chris Garrett is a large format printing expert and online publisher for the customized wallpaper expert http://www.megaprint.com/wallpaper.php.  He frequently blogs on the topics of design, printing, and photography.

Have you Considered Vintage Decor For Your Home?

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.

Is Clutter an Avenue to Creativity?

Here is  a guest post with an interesting twist on de-cluttering your closets and cabinets.  Think of the de-cluttering process as  a treasure hunt, a way to find items to work with to design ‘creative displays’.    If you need inspiration, Pinterest is an excellent site to search through.   While you are there, don’t forget to check the S Interior Design Pinterest boards

Here is the guest post.  So if it is too hot outside, start cleaning out your closets and think off the ‘hanger’.

How to De-Clutter Your Closets and Cabinets and Put Up Creative Displays

The small storage areas in your home, your closets and cabinets, can easily become cluttered. As a part of your overall home organization efforts, you should try to de-clutter these areas in both conventional and innovative ways. In addition to regularly getting rid of excess items in your cabinets and closets, you can also do things like put up creative displays in your home. If you’re wondering how you should go about putting up displays, here are some tips to guide you through the process:

1. Search for hidden treasure in your closets and cabinets –

Look through your closets and cabinets for things you might want to put on display. For instance, that vintage electric guitar you’ve had stowed away in your bedroom closet for ages would look pretty cool on your living room wall. Additionally, your stainless steel pots and pans would look great on a hanging rack in your kitchen. Pick out a few items from each of your closets and a couple of items from your cabinets that you want to put up on display in your home.

2. Invest in some racks, hooks, and shelves –

You’ll need to get some attractive racks, hooks, and shelves to use to put up displays throughout your home. You can get these at most home improvement stores, and they’re usually pretty easy to put up with yourself (if you’re adept at following written instructions). Additionally, you may want to purchase attractive racks for your kitchen and shelved furniture at a department store. Take your time searching for attractive and sturdy racks, hooks, shelves, and other furniture for your displays. Remember that details always matter in the realm of interior design.

3. Don’t go overboard –

Covering your walls with displays isn’t necessarily the best strategy. Putting up creative displays is a great way to clear out some extra space in your closets and cabinets. However, it’s not the ultimate solution to clutter in those storage areas of your home. Regular organization and getting rid of excess belongings is the best way to de-clutter your closets and cabinets. Putting up a few, tasteful displays throughout your home should only be a part of your overall organization efforts.

Author’s Bio: Author’s Bio: Lisa is a blogger at Self Storage Deals who writes on the subjects of home storage, home organization, and self storage options. Professionally, she splits her time between helping people organize their homes and helping people organize their storage units, specifically storage units in Colorado Springs and storage units in McAllen. “

Transformative Power of Art

 Trans-formative Value of Art

Below is a guest post about what I will call ‘the power of art’.

S Interior Design uses a generous definition for the word art.  We believe that art should make you smile   when you look at it. So, that said a nicely framed picture of a vineyard you visited could indeed be great art, as could a child’s drawing.  The key is in the presentation—don’t expect a poster thumb tacked to the wall to be pleasing to the eye.  Invest in the proper mat board and framing and you will be amazed at what can happen to your child’s painting from 5th grade.

Guest Post

Although I’ve always been a big fan of interior design it has only been recently that I’ve truly begun to have a full appreciation for the trans-formative values of art. I must confess, I always thought ill of those overly proud of their new painting, sculpture, or art. I was an avid fan of contemporary styles, with a minimalist approach. I was of the opinion that the sleek look, along with sparse furnishing and sharp lines, gave a real clean, organized, powerful aura.

Recently however, I’ve come to appreciate an appropriately placed piece of art. It can add true depth to a room, granting reflection and meaning where previously there was blank space. Whether you feel the way I once did, or share my current views, here is why I now consider art to be a trans-formative agent in a room.

The greatest way in which a piece of wall art transforms living space is adding a depth of reflection. Artwork inspires reflection for various reasons. Mainly for these three:

The art was made by a human being, and you can’t help but reflect on the thoughts of the human behind the art.

This is one of the most powerful ways art makes one reflect. Art, whether through beauty, abstractness, or sheer uniqueness, makes one wonder. To consider that a human made this piece of wonder causes a further wonder that someone was not only able to, but had deeper motives. Humans, being naturally curious, can’t help but reflect and consider what might have been the motivation and thoughts behind the creation.

The wondrous qualities of the artwork itself.

This is often the initial way that artwork causes us to reflect and wonder. It draws the eye, pulls us in, and suddenly, before we know it, we’re standing and reflecting and staring. Thinking about the amazing, unbelievable qualities of beauty, strength, power, subtlety, or whatever aspect the painting best personifies.

The depths of your own imagination.

A surprisingly large portion of artwork plays off the imagination of the viewer. Almost all abstract art relies on the viewer to draw their own, deep conclusions based upon what can actually be surprisingly simple. This leads the perceiver to wonder and reflect at the depths of their own imagination, and reflect upon not only what lies in the depths of imagination but also what in the artwork causes such a visceral reaction of thought.

To help capture the attention needed for reflection, and further add to the trans-formative value of artwork, one should attempt to subtly orient furniture toward artwork. Many people will throw a painting on a wall and be happy. Or, if someone is over proud of their new painting, they’ll frame it, hang it up, throw a light feature on it, and attempt to force everyone to stare at it. This can, in ways, be worse than hanging art without accentuating it.

Artwork should be subtly brought to attention. To do this, try placing it somewhere where people usually face. For example, place it somewhere it can immediately be seen upon entering the home. Or, if in a bedroom, have it facing the bed. Somewhere where the eye will naturally happen across the artwork.

I still firmly believe in a minimalist approach to interior design. However, I believe with the right piece of art a room gains much-needed depth. Try including a medium-sized piece of art alone in a clean, uncluttered room. Enjoy the reflection, beauty, and depth added. Everyone must follow their own heart’s guidelines when making their own living space, but I hope you have appreciated my own thoughts on the trans-formative properties of art.

Author Bio: Edward Stuart is an interior design aficionado, and follows all things design and fashion. He is an online publisher for the framed art expert www.framedart.com and blogs on the topics of interior design, home decor, and fashion tips.

Desert Wonder-Artwork Concepts

Woke to get the newspaper (yes, I still read an actual newspaper) and was greeted by a phenom known as night-blooming cactus.  I wanted to share and suggest use of the wonder of nature as artwork in your homes and offices.  I show you 2 pictures:

1- straight shot from my iPhone
2- altered slightly in Adobe Photoshop

Imagine printing this out and surrounding by a colorful mat board and thick frame–You get unique artwork with a very small dollar investment!

101 Designer Secrets–#4 and #5

The May issue of House Beautiful magazine has a 4 page spread of 101 Designer Secrets.  We read them and decided to share along with some commentary.  Not all 101 will be shared, but you can click on the link above to HB, or subscribe to their hard copy magazine to read them all if you wish to.

SECRET #4:  

The hang up–where to hang my artwork?  I’ve found that 63″ on center above the floor is a perfect viewing height for most pieces-Hunter Kaiser

Commentary by S Interior Design–

It is definitely one of the most common faux pas —hanging the artwork too high on a wall.  If the person doing the hanging is 6′-3″ their perspective is different from someone who is 5′-5″.  This is a good rule of thumb to begin with, 63″ above the floor.  Variables to consider include whether the art is above a piece of furniture and the height of that furniture.

When the art is not being hung above a piece of furniture, the guideline changes.  I like to ‘own the wall visually’ if that is the only element being placed.  Then lower placement and stacked art work higher on the wall often makes more sense.

This artwork is 78"x78" and the ceiling is 12'-0" high

SECRET #5

When you are hanging a series of pictures together, keep the gap between them 2 to 2 1/2″ to really utilized the wall space, and keep a minimum of 9″ between the art and the tops of sofas and chairs-Milly De Cabrol

Commentary by S Interior Design-

Agree and then a small disagree.  Yes to the gap between pieces of art being hung together, but we generally keep the space between the art and tops of sofas and chairs to 7″.  Again, style of the furniture, height of the ceiling and the composition of the art being hung are variables to be considered.

 

Summary-

There are good rules of thumb but all situations should be evaluated as unique to determine the best way to hang and display your artwork.