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Victorian Interior Design – Wallpaper, Hardwood and More

February 25th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Victorian interior design is very distinctive in its look and its feel and it is actually pretty hard to miss once you get exposed to it. We have all seen the pictures of the lady dressed in 1800’s clothing holding her umbrella as her special someone helps her into a small rowboat for an afternoon of rowing on the lake. The Victorian interior design concept is extremely popular especially in the New England states of the United States and there are several key elements involved with Victorian interior design that you will need to stick with if you want the true Victorian feel.

History

The Victorian era was started in England and it is usually attached to the reign of Queen Victoria, hence the name Victorian, that was from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria had the longest rule in the history of British monarchs and the period of her rule is remembered so fondly because not only was it a time of unmatched peace in England but it was also a time of exciting innovation as the industrial revolution was beginning and fortunes were being made.

The general positive feeling of the period is something that people look at in a very positive light and even those people that never lived during that period find joy and happiness in images from that period. The architecture of the day was grand and Victorian interior design was very busy and could almost be considered clutter today. But it lives on and is preferred by people all over the world.

Stick It on Your Wall

One of the hallmarks of Victorian interior design was wallpaper. Wallpaper has been around since the Roman Empire but it was developed into the form we know now right around the Victorian period. People of means would use wallpaper as a statement that indicated that they could afford to paper their walls in these beautiful colors.

From this notion of wallpaper being a status symbol came the idea that Victorian interior design must include wallpaper. If you are going to start redecorating your home to be in the Victorian interior design motif then you will be hanging wallpaper. If you are not a big fan of wallpaper then you will probably not enjoy a true Victorian interior design concept and you may want to consider collecting Victorian era furniture.

The floors for Victorian interior design are usually well kept, and beautiful, hard wood floors with decorative throw rugs on them. Wall to wall carpeting is not very Victorian and if you have wall to wall carpeting then changing them to hard wood floors should be the first order of business. Circular picture frames, for some reason, are also associated with the Victorian look although the idea of circular picture frames has been around for centuries. All in all a Victorian look is about having means in the 1800’s and while it can be a very cluttered theme, it can also be very beautiful.

The Elements of Tropical Interior Design

February 23rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Many people like to use minor elements of tropical interior design as a way to escape the pressures of the day. Some people will have tropical interior design posters at their desks at work and some even go so far as to have tropical fish at their desk. These are all attempts to get away from the stress of the day because everyone always equates tropical interior design with vacation time and a time to get away from reality.

Tropical Theme Basics

However, the tropics are more than just posters and small fishbowls filled with fish that are probably as bored as you are. The tropics are about simplicity and a mix of colors that can revitalize the soul. The tropics are about a warm breeze blowing through your hair and even the feel of sand between your toes. Yes the tropics are about relaxing but there are so many other elements to tropical interior design that people seem to leave out.

It is kind of sad to go to any bar in the United States that is trying to get a tropical interior design theme going and see how miserably they fail. Meanwhile the new tropical interior design theme restaurant down the street is doing just fine and seems to offer a more authentic tropical feel. Why is that? One of the key elements to any tropical interior design theme is warmth and light. I am not talking about the buzz of an overhead fluorescent work lamp; I mean real natural light that flows in all day long.

Then at night that light shifts to the dim but effective light of firelight from torches and bon fires. The warm breeze hits you all day long and then that cool breeze comes in at night off the ocean and then you are talking tropics. If you want to really get a tropical interior design theme going get some nice big windows installed and regulate the temperature of your building to be warm during the day and cool at night.

Using Bamboo

It really doesn’t scream tropics but for some reason using bamboo does seem to lend a tropical feel to any motif. Bamboo wall coverings, bamboo mats on the floor and even on the ceilings, or even a bamboo hardwood floor all seem to have their unique qualities that make something feel truly tropical. If you really want to help that along then get some fake palm tree leaves and then you are talking a real tropical feel. Bamboo is nice but bamboo combined with palm tree leaves and you are talking Jamaica.

It doesn’t take a lot to make people feel somewhat tropical but if you what to do it right then you need to do some of the basics. Lots of natural light during the day, dim firelight at night, and a warm breeze can make anyone feel tropical.

Some Advice for Restaurant Interior Design

February 21st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Sometimes the way a building looks on the inside can completely determine the success of the business that it houses. This is extremely apparent when you consider restaurant interior design. When people come into a restaurant the first thing they notice, besides the smell of the food, is the décor inside the restaurant.

Unless you run a McDonald’s or some other fast food place, the ambiance is created by the combination of the smell of the food, the look of the restaurant, and the quality of service. The best prepared food can be made to taste terrible if the restaurant interior design is not appealing. This is where a lot of restaurants go wrong; they try and appeal to everyone when in reality they should be appealing primarily to their client base. If you appeal only to your client base then that client base will grow.

A Chinese restaurant with a restaurant interior design theme of a 1950’s diner is simply not going to work. Although it may be a great novelty for a little while it will soon wear off and the notion of an incorrect restaurant interior design can kill a restaurant. If you have a Chinese restaurant then decorate it as such and make it feel like a real Chinese restaurant.

You will need to get professional decorators in to really give it an authentic feel but once it is decorated properly then you should be able to get customers. Dining is an experience and the restaurant interior design should help add to that experience. A neutral restaurant interior design is boring and offers nothing to help add to the experience of the evening and will drive customers away.

Keep Them Separated from the Kitchen

There are too many people out there who get access to what amounts to a huge banquet hall with a kitchen and think they have a restaurant. They very well may have a restaurant but there is nothing that kills a restaurant quicker than a wide open and brightly lit room. Once again people go to restaurants for ambiance and for a feel that they cannot get in their own dining rooms and if you have some tables and chairs on a linoleum floor then you aren’t giving them anything they haven’t already seen. Separate the dining room from the reception area somehow. Maybe have a wall put in or even a curtain would do the trick.

Too many people take restaurant interior design for granted and when their restaurant fails they have no idea why. Take the time to make your restaurant an experience and you will have a better chance of watching your business grow than if you offered people nothing different than eating at home.

Picking The Right Office Interior Design

February 19th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

It is vital for every professional space across the world to have the right office interior design. This is often times not looked at as important when small businesses are starting up and believe it or not, this can sometimes lead to their fall. Generally, it is only the big name companies and businesses that take a close look at office interior design. But now the small companies need to follow in their lead and start thinking about how to improve their office interior design in a way to fit their needs.

Taking action in getting some design into your office does not have to be a costly experience. There are many professional designers who would be willing to assist you in sprucing up your office without charging you an arm and a leg. These lower costing, yet highly efficient designers can be found in your local yellow pages or on the Internet. You do want to make sure though that you check their references and request to see samples of work they have done. A good designer, no matter how cheap they are, will have a portfolio for you to see.

Reasons For Office Interior Design

Have you ever walked into an office that made you feel cold, unwelcome, or not even sure you are in the right place? It is vitally important that your office gives all of its visitors a warm feeling and an appropriate setting. You want your office interior design to visually express the type of business you run as well as giving your customers a chance to feel at home. It is much easier to do business in a welcoming environment versus a cold, white walled room with no design effort. A white room with just a desk and two chairs is not a setting many people would feel comfortable in.

The best example of why the need for properly done office interior design would be mismatched themes. A doctors office would not want to look like a music store no more then a principals office would want to look like arcade at the mall. While these are extreme examples, this gives you the idea of how important the right office interior design can be.

So whether you are updating your current design, or lack there of, it is important to get a general idea of how you would want your office to look and start making phone calls. It is best to have several different designers come out because of how important it is to make sure the two of you are on the right page.

Modern Interior Home Design Equal Clean Lines

February 17th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Interior design is an art that is open to quite a bit of interpretation and what one person may think of as rustic, another may think of as country. However, there is little problem in interpreting modern interior home design as many people view it in the same way. Clean lines with an uncluttered look is the most agreed upon interpretation of modern interior home design and sometimes, it is viewed or called contemporary as well.

Home Theater and Living Area

The explosion of flat screen LCD or plasma televisions have really done wonders in terms of modern interior home design for the home theater. Because the modern look is sleek and contemporary with clean lines and no fussy details, the flat screens are perfect. To perpetuate the modern look, you should either mount the television onto the wall (make sure it is in a wall stud) or place it on an anchored pedestal such as an entertainment center made from wood, steel or glass.

You won’t see a cushy recliner or lumpy sofa in a living room with a modern interior home design. Instead you will see contoured furniture in different shapes, angles and materials like metal, chrome, glass or sleek wood.

Colors and Materials

When it comes to modern interior home design, there is really no limit to the colors used in your décor but you will likely not ever see chintz or any patterns which are deemed “busy” or “fussy.” Bold colors like red, lime green and orange are at home in modern interior home design just as much as darker or more muted colors like black, gray, dark brown or even purple. While there are patterns in the modern look, they are typically clean pinstripes or something that would not be construed as busy.

Texture is also very big in modern interior home design and you will find these textures in the rugs, curtains and even the materials for linens. Contrasts of sleek and smooth are identifiable in the modern or contemporary look so you might have satiny sheets paired with an organic, solid color nubby looking or quilted blanket.

Glass, geometric shapes and interesting contours are often found in modern interior home design as opposed to warm woods and boxy design. Glass tables, frosted glass in lamps or even glass in cabinets sets off a particular modern interior home design look. The use of metal, such as metal framing for a glass table or shiny metal chair legs or even chrome cabinet pulls are other examples of the style.

Things to Consider when Deciding on Modern Interior Design

February 15th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Modern interior design is many things. It is fresh, classic, fun, and functional, all at the same time. When deciding on modern interior design for your own home there are several things to consider.

Layout

Layout is very important to the functionality of modern interior design. For example, electronics should be accounted for when making a design. Built-ins should be designed so that won’t be strung out in the middle of the floor to reduce tripping hazards or out in the open, which also cuts down on the simple lines and aesthetics of the design. Furniture should be placed so that visitors can easily talk to the person next to them and still sit in comfort. Modern interior design is not just for looks, but comfort as well.

Style

Modern interior design incorporates clean lines and order. Though many modern styles are considered kitch or vintage, one thing that it is not considered is cluttered. Modern design hides clutter and focuses on the graceful lines of a chair or a table, not on scads of knickknacks and odds and ends.

On the other hand, one element that is quite varied is the use of many different fabric types and prints used in one room. The element that ties these looks together and keeps them from looking random is color. One or two unifying colors are used to tie the look together and make it ‘fit’.

Adding Elements to Rooms

When building a home you will have to consider different kinds of modern interior designs for your home. First, you need to decide if you would like an open layout. The open layout option is good if you like to entertain or talk to people in the living room while you cook or clean up in the kitchen and vice versa.

Next, decide how much natural light and how much task lighting you want in your home. Track lighting and recessed lighting are very popular modern interior design elements that add stylish light. Another thing to think about is what kind of storage would be best to cut down on clutter. Consider if you would like a built-in entertainment center, TV, and/or book shelves. Also consider shelving made especially for any gaming systems you may have, including storage for extra controllers. You may want custom built shelves to hold collections, extra wide shelving for board games, a built-in dart board, or other features to accommodate hobbies and entertainment for a modern interior design element.

 

 

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Credits: Make Money Online | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund