Unique Modern Outdoor Furnishings

S Interior Design  is designing the interior and exterior spaces for a client whose home is nestled against Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ.  The house is unique and has many Mid-Century modern aesthetic elements.  Their main outdoor space has an amazing infinity edge pool.  Their existing outdoor furniture is resin wicker–a good choice for the severe sun and heat of Arizona. Like all things there are quality levels of resin wicker and theirs is breaking down.  Additionally the layout and types of furniture is not meeting their personal and entertaining needs.

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So what to do?  A higher quality resin wicker ?  Different colored outdoor cushioning?

NO!!  Gloster Outdoor Lounge Cloud and Nomad  is our design solution. The main upholstery will be neutral- Lunar fabric. Pops of bright color will be used on accent pillows and on the Nomad seating

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Under the high top table, an outdoor area rug will be placed to provide color and visually tie the area to the rest of the furnishings.

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We are very excited to see this outdoor living space become reality.  Our clients who value unique design are thrilled with the design plan!

It will be about 8 weeks from order placement to installation.  In Arizona this actually times very well as our weather will be on the way to bearable temperatures again beginning in late September.

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Budget Is Not A Four Letter Word

We received a guest post entitled “Tricks for Decorating on a Budget”.  We suggest that a better title would be “Establishing Your Design Budget”S Interior Design has prospective clients fill out a Client Profile. One of the questions asked is  how much the client is comfortable investing in their project.  A list of ranges are shown to chose from.  Without knowing the level of investment, we cannot make sound design recommendations. Is it an IKEA level furnishing project or a high end strictly custom project? Something in between?

Before embarking on your design project whether a professional interior designer is involved or not, it is a very good idea to assess what you are ready to spend on the project.
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Photo Credit: Homebuyers Centre

As there are two sides to everything, the same goes for decorating. On one hand the prospect of having the home refreshed, bathed in new colors and equipped with several new pieces of furniture is definitely a reason for joy, on the other, the preparations are certainly not.

If you have set yourself with a task of redecorating your home and are not in a situation to spend much money, you should know that it can be accomplished according to your wishes and within budget, all it takes is some research, time and taste.

1. Stay within budget. The first thing that needs to be done is determining the budget. Once we know how much we can spend, it is easy to choose within a specific range of items. Things we will pay more for are those that we do not replace so often, like couches, sofas, dining room tables and larger furniture. These are used the most, so they must be of higher quality. However, you can save even on armchairs, dining room and coffee tables, shelves or night stands if you decide to reupholster them.

If there is nothing you can do with your furniture, before resorting to buying retail, you can visit a garage sale or eBay. You can sometimes get a bargin, especially if you go for second hand items which you can transform on your own. (are you creative and handy?)
2. Accessorizing. Guests should feel the owner’s character the moment they enter the home, which is why special attention should be paid to the entry area or hallway. It is easy to stay within the budget by placing a fruit bowl in the hallway or an interesting key stand. Coat hangers, shoe racks, framed pictures or souvenirs from the travels can tell a life story if they are the right color and placed the right way.

Home accessorizing does not have to be expensive. An affordable way of redecorating is using accessories such as cushions, covers, throw blankets, curtains, glass shelves, vases and picture frames for getting the new look of the house.

What is also gained is a possibility to change the interior seasonally or whenever we feel like it without much effect to the home budget. This is easily done by changing accessories or replacing the smaller decor items with the one of different color, but still according to our mood, season or current trend.
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Photo Credit: Flickr

3. Rearrange furniture. When people get bored with the furniture they have, instead of starting with redecorating and spending additional money, redesigning the furniture layout is something to consider.

The sense of novelty can be achieved by making one piece of furniture central and organizing other items around it. Changing placement of the flower pots, decorative baskets or paintings from one room of the house to another will instantly refresh the home and give it a dash of originality.

Whenever there is a wish to change something, we can start by changing the focal point of the room. We can also do this by making some other pieces of the furniture stand out through lighting.
4. Renting appliances. If you need a new appliance and you do not have the money to buy it immediately, you can always rent it. With rent to own stores, you have the option of having an appliance for a weekly or monthly fee. There is also an option of signing a contract which will guarantee owning the appliance after a certain time period, with the amount you paid for renting deducted. On the other hand, if you decide that for some reason you no longer need it, it can always be returned.

The reasons why we redecorate are many, from moving to another home or apartment and having a clean start, to just replacing the old furniture with new. However, there does not have to be a reason for redecorating other than indulging the need for creating our private sanctuaries and expressing our creativity.

The Vignette–Every Successful Design Should Master This!

Great share from HOUZZ about design vignettes.  About 15 years ago I tried explaining ‘The Vignette’ to my husband who insisted it was a description being used incorrectly.  For those of us in the professional design industry, it is a very commonly used phrase–read the article below and try your hand at creating new vignetttes in your home!

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Balance In Your Interior Design

Last we spoke of scale and proportion.  Today’s post will talk about BALANCE.

Just like you are attracted to a color but don’t really know why, you will be attracted to either a SYMMETRICAL design style, or an  ASYMMETRICAL design style.

Symmetrical balance creates a mirror image by the placement of items that are identical on both sides of a central point.  Think 2 twin beds with a nightstand in between.  The beds have the same bed style and the same bedding, the night stands and lamps are identical.  How does this picture make you feel?

Symmetrical Example

Symmetrical balance suggests formality, orderliness and restraint.

Asymmetrical balance requires finding objects that are compatible but varied enough to be interesting. Objects and furniture balance well because they are judged by their visual weight, not pairings.  For example, you may have a large sofa  on one side of a room that is balanced by two large chairs with an accent table in the middle.

Note the height of the tall white vessel and the floor lamp.  It is the visual ‘likeness’ that creates balance.
asymmetrical balance suggests a more informal or ‘active’ room.

Okay, how do you react to the picture used to illustrate asymmetrical balance?

Look around your rooms and you will quickly see what type of ‘balance’ of design elements you are most comfortable with.

Tomorrow wear a non-matching set of jewelry if you usually always ‘match’ .  Start playing around and see where it all leads!

Unique Furniture – Sustainable Materials

Just got found by NUSA Furniture.  Nusa represents several distinct lines of furniture; all unique designs  containing materials from nature such as coconut shells, capiz shells,  reclaimed woods.

I think it is fair to describe their furnishings as functional art.  Importantly, the items are not just for show, they are highly functional as well.  Warm to the eye and I am certain to the touch (although I have not have the ‘honor).

These are the type of furniture pieces that are sure to start conversations!!