Blog

Blue Leads the Way in Autumn Colour Trends

Blue is one of the key colours trending for autumn/winter 2014 and designers are creating stunning interiors using its many different shades. From bright cobalt and electric blue, through sky blue to the more subtle aqua, blue is an ideal base colour for any interior scheme.

Blue is very versatile and whether used as a main or an accent colour, it can be paired with reds, purples, greens, yellows, greys or white. As a ‘cool’ colour, blue, particularly its darker shades, works best in a room which gets plenty of natural light, as it can dominate a north facing space, for example.

Use blue together with grey for a cool, contemporary look in a modern loft or apartment, or a stylish wet room. Blue has long been a popular choice for bathrooms and an azure or aquamarine, teamed with yellow or white will create a fresh, welcoming environment – especially ideal to step into first thing in the morning.

In a living room, particularly one opening onto a garden terrace or deck, opting for sky blue walls, white paintwork and either a light wood or wood effect laminate floor, or a geometric patterned carpet in shades of blue and white, will give you a light, summery feel.

If you have an older style property, designers, such as those working on home renovation Leicestershire, may suggest pairing peacock blue with deep crimsons or purples for a rich, traditional feel which will suit your period home perfectly.Cobalt is a key fashion shade for autumn/winter 2014 and this strong blue can be partnered with anything from the palest ice blue to vibrant fuschia or lime green to create a stand out look for a living area, or even a kitchen. You could use either the blue or the toning colour for upholstery, curtains, flooring or cabinet doors.

At one time, children’s rooms were decorated in ‘blue for a boy’, ‘pink for a girl’, but now such traditions no longer apply and both boys and girls can enjoy blue and green, blue and yellow or blue and red or pink colour schemes.

If you’re thinking of basing a redecoration or renovation scheme around blue, take time to consider which blue would work best in your room. Ask for paint, wall covering, upholstery and flooring samples to try in your home at different times of day and in different lighting levels. Don’t be afraid to mix different blues together, but in a small room, be aware that too many shades and patterns will make the space seem much smaller.

Blue is such a versatile colour, that whatever shade or shades of blue you choose, and whatever complementary colours you use, you can be use that your choice is right on trend.

Create a Custom Designed Welcoming Hallway to Attract the Visitors

When people visit your home, what first impression do they get: warm, bright and welcoming, or cold, dull and crowded? Use your hall to create an inviting space, drawing visitors in, while not forgetting the family’s needs in this high traffic area.

If you live in a period home, you might have original features like checkerboard floor tiles or even a fireplace but, if painted in period colours, the hall may be quite dark. To introduce more light, painting the walls in a neutral colour or pastel shade and adding a statement mirror, will immediately make the space seem brighter. Try placing a large vase of flowers on the hearth or mantel to reduce the dominance of a dark fireplace.

For a contemporary home, you’ll find plenty of flooring choices: natural stone, ceramic tiles, laminates vinyls or carpets. Bear in mind the maintenance needed on natural floors and look for non-slip ceramics and easy cleaning if you have children or animals. A single colour will draw the eye, visually increasing the size of the hall. But including the occasional ‘bright’ tile (fuschia or purple for example), in a neutral run, will give your hall the “wow” factor. Continue the flooring into living areas opening off the hall for a natural transition.

If you opt for wallpaper, you’ll be spoilt for choice with bold prints, retro chic and botanical just some of the current trends. Remember, a large pattern can overwhelm a small space and that an expensive designer paper might be ideal for a single person’s home, but be less practical for the busy hallway of a young family.

Plan in furniture without cluttering the space. A seat, possibly incorporating storage, is a useful option. Think period armchair or reclaimed church pew in an older style hall, pale wood or rustic painted settle piled with vintage fabric cushions for a country style, or a unique designer piece to complement a minimalist, contemporary hall.

Console tables are great space savers. Choose a metal, glass or a polished or painted wood finish, with drawers to keep your daily clutter out of sight. Then, with just a vase of flowers, a few well chosen photos or a lamp, and placed, if possible, beneath a mirror, your table will add to the feeling of welcome you want to achieve.

In most homes, the stairs lead up from the hall, so they need thinking about too. If the staircase is narrow but the stairs are in good condition, paint them white and carpet the center only, to make them look wider. In a contemporary home, consider clear glazing panels to replace conventional banisters. Also, think about the space below the stairs. Could you open it up and install a custom designed storage system, maybe even a home office?

Whether you’re scouring reclamation yards in London, using an interior design company in Leicester or contemplating tartan wallpaper in Edinburgh, create a welcoming hallway and you’ll never be short of visitors. You can also browse The Spinney for a New Venue Leicester

Modern Wallpapers Giving a Glimpse of the Past

Just as fashions in the colours and fabrics used for clothes change, so do trends in the world of wallpaper design.

In the 1960s, Modern Wallpapers Giving a Glimpse of the Past, like fashion, embraced both monochrome Op art and the joyful colours of Flower Power. In comparison, in the 1970s, the milkmaid look popularized by Laura Ashley sent sprigs of tiny blooms spreading across our walls. The 1980s saw densely patterned floral papers with accompanying borders start to make way, in the 1990s, for a minimalist look with wallpaper often being ditched in favour of plain painted walls. As the decade went on, a partial revolt against minimalism saw the introduction of techniques such as sponging to add texture to the walls.

Since the dawn of the new millennium, and in today’s tighter financial conditions, many firms, including an interior design company in Leicester, are reporting a rise in nostalgia and growing interest in all things vintage and handmade, as people look for ways to stamp their individuality on their homes.

So, retro prints copied from original 1960s or 70s pattern books are big news. The bold geometric designs, often in greens, oranges or browns, are best kept to one wall in a small room, with a complementary or contrast colour paper on the other walls. Carry the theme through with cushions or ceramics in key colours from the wallpaper.

Botanic is another current trend, but, unlike the tiny floral prints of the 1980s, the 2014 wallpapers often feature much larger blooms, combining well with bold modern furniture or adding a striking backdrop to a deliberately mismatched, retro-chic scheme. You’ll find flowers featuring heavily on ‘oriental’ inspired papers, too, and if you choose one with a dark background, these can work well in a contemporary, minimalist home.

If you prefer plain to patterned walls, introducing texture is a great way to individualize your room. And it has the further advantage of helping to disguise any imperfections on a less-than-perfect wall surface! Go for a 30s throwback anaglypta paper which can be painted or left plain, or look for a paper with a metallic finish that will reflect light and make the room seem bigger.

Children’s rooms have been transformed too. The latest trends see an end to the TV tie-ins and, instead, a wealth of beautiful vintage-inspired designs, featuring stylized animals, cars, brightly coloured Paisley patterns and bold geometric stripes that suit both boys and girls and which won’t date as the child grows.

Wallpaper has been part of our homes and our lives for generations, and, as with so many things, wallpaper design trends seem to be coming full circle. But experiments with the latest 3D printer technology have already seen wallpaper being produced. We may be on the threshold of a completely new era that could one day see us all able to produce our designs for our homes within our homes.

Give your kitchen an elegant look with kitchen interior designing tips

When the sun comes out, we want it to be reflected in our homes with welcoming colours and a sense of space. Whether you have a small or large kitchen, you can make it the heart of your summer living. Follow the below-mentioned kitchen interior designing tips to make your home look great.

If you’re redesigning or redecorating, base your scheme on fresh, light tones of your favourite colour. If you prefer neutrals to colours, find ones with a warm base tone which will work well in the winter, too, especially if your kitchen faces north and doesn’t get much natural light.

A north facing kitchen may not need curtains or blinds, but if your kitchen faces south or west, you’ll certainly need to think about the window treatment. If your windows are shut while you’re out at work all day, in the summer, heat will soon build up and make the room unwelcoming.

If you have children or dogs using the kitchen as a route to the garden, choose a practical floor covering such as laminate, which is easy to clean and should withstand the occasional dropped plate.

In a large family kitchen, guests will want to come and chat with you as you cook, so introduce a breakfast bar, stools for an island unit or put a table and chairs near the patio doors. Make the most of summer by enjoying the lighter days and the garden as you cook and eat. Try and make sure that your main working space faces the window.

As well as enjoying the extra daylight, think carefully about task lighting. Use spotlights in the ceiling targeting high use areas such as the sink or under cupboard lights to flood your worktops. If you eat in the kitchen, consider pendant lights above the table for a more subtle effect.

If you have a small kitchen, keep to a palette of pale colours for cupboards, worktops, tiles and paintwork to increase the impression of space. If your main worktop or sink faces a wall in a “galley” kitchen, consider putting a mirror above it to reflect the light. (You’ll be able to keep an eye on children playing in the garden too!)

Why not some have glass-fronted cabinets or open shelves? They’ll open up the space more than a run of solid cupboard fronts. Keep worktops as clear as possible of large appliances to make them seem longer and go for a floor covering in a single colour rather than a ‘busy’ pattern.

For a summery look on a budget, a great idea from an interior design company in Leicester is to add new storage tins, t-towels or utensils in ice cream colours or a vintage pattern, or put pots of herbs in painted flowerpots along the windowsill.

So, whether you’re considering a major revamp or want to make a few subtle changes, a little planning will make sure that, whatever weather we have, your kitchen will be the sunny heart of your home this summer.

You can also take a look at

Engaging Most Beautiful Interior Designs for showcasing your Children’s Bedroom

AND

Blue Leads the Way in Autumn Colour Trends

Engaging Most Beautiful Interior Designs for showcasing your Children’s Bedroom

Transform your child’s room into a place that can carry them gently off into their dreams or allow them to venture into their wildest fantasies. If you are looking to decorate your child’s bedroom or playroom with Engaging Most Beautiful Interior Designs, then Craven and Hargreaves, an interior design company in Leicester, are the people to go to.

Think back to your childhood. Those dreamlike, stress-free days may seem so distant now, but to your child, they are ever-present. Creating that perfect space to nurture their imagination and creativity is important and is just one of the many things this Interior designer Leicestershire could do for you.

Youngsters have dreams, passions, wild ideas, and fantasies. Perhaps your child wants to blast off into space as an astronaut or explore the murky depths of the ocean. Maybe they fantasise about becoming a racing car driver, tearing round the track at a hundred miles an hour, or being a master of the waves, sailing the high seas as a pirate captain with the fresh breeze rushing through their hair. They might dream of living in a world of their favourite Disney character or want to live like a princess in their very own castle. No matter what it is that captures the imagination of your little one and makes them dream big, let Craven and Hargreaves bring these dreams to life in your child’s room.

The key to realising these fantasies is an inspired and creative design. Craven and Hargreaves use dreamlike wallpapers and patterns, combined with an imaginative bed or sleeping space, with other carefully selected decorations and accessories to create the ideal room for your child. Simple but effective textures, colours, and lighting all come together to make their fantasies come true.

If it’s the spaceship theme that they’re after, then how about a rocket bed under a star-lit ceiling? Or how about a race car bed for your budding Formula 1 driver? Perhaps they love animals and nature, so why not create their little woodland wonderland with all their favourite critters? If they want to soar in the skies, then an aeroplane bed set among dreamy, cloudy wallpaper might take them just where they want to go! Immerse your young explorer in the African sunset, surrounded by giraffes, rhinos, lions, and elephants – just the thing to give them their little slice of the savannah.

Come to Craven and Hargreaves, an interior design company in Leicester, for inspirational ideas, a professional and experienced team, and let them transform your child’s room into their fantasy world.

You can also take a look at

Give your kitchen an elegant look with kitchen interior designing tips

AND

Create a Custom Designed Welcoming Hallway to Attract the Visitors

← Previous 1 … 16 17