Industrial style interior design. It’s sleek, sexy, urban sophistication. Its hip, it’s in, it’s now. Done right it’s as cool as an upscale penthouse flat. Done wrong it can leave you feeling as cold as a New York City street! Industrial style is all about structure, clean lines, simplicity and zero clutter.
In effort to maintain the sleek clean design, it’s easy to end up with a room that feels cold and somehow underdone. When you’re working with such a bare bones kind of style, each piece in the room becomes emphasized and important. The pressure is on to choose well. So how do you cozy it up without cluttering it up? How do you make metal and cement feel warm? How do you make industrial spaces feel inviting? It’s easier than you might think!
Texture
The use of texture softens of the cold hard surfaces used in Industrial design. With so many hard surfaces you have few opportunities to add texture. This makes the fabrics in your furniture and area rugs key. Think shag, heavy waffle weave, sisal or even leather! Stay sleek, not Country. Keep it in solid colors or very bold design. Nothing busy or fussy. You can add a single large textural throw pillow or even a couple of bolsters without loosing your look. You may even soften the windows with silky sheers.
Color
Warm colors have the power to warm virtually any space. Obviously warmth can be added with the color of hardwood floors or the exposed red brick walls as so often seen, but what about in other places? How do you add warm color without straying from the machine made loft feeling? Use it very deliberately. Apply it to an accent wall, the fabric on your furniture, wood accents, or better yet, with art. Large bold canvas paintings or sculptural pieces. Very sheik. Very sophisticated.
Plants
A single plant can add life to a space that may other wise feel rather dead. In keeping with the simple and polished look, choose plants that have strong lines. Stay away from small frilly type plants with tiny leaves. Make it big, bold, deliberate and sculptural.
Light
Light is a simple, beautiful and functional way to warm up a space. We’re not talking about cold cool white florescent light here. We’re talking about a warm wash of yellow light. Don’t use this warm light everywhere, just in a few strategic places. Warm yellow light is like adding instant sunshine to your space. Keep your light fixtures in line with your Industrial style for a seamless blend of warm and cool.
The Industrial look is all about exposure. That is, it’s about allowing the inherent beauty of the structure of things to be seen. Simplicity in everything from the furniture to the accessories allows the structure of things to be enjoyed without the distraction of too much pattern or ’stuff’. The trick to adding warmth to Industrial design is well placed moderation. The look is so clean and clutter free, that you have to be careful not to overdo it. You just need to sprinkle a little warmth here and there. A striking plant, a colorful art piece, a splash of warm light, a inviting area rug to draw you in; it all adds up to an ultra cool, ultra sheik urban industrial look that anybody can warm up to!
Popularity: 95% [?]
So you have a small apartment. You are possibly wondering, how do I make my small space look comfortable and inviting with out looking cluttered? I have your answer. Actually several answers first of all start with looking around, notice the placement of windows and which way the light reflects in the rooms during different times of day. You do not want to blind someone, who could possibly be visiting, by that stunning sunset. Also look at your current furniture and the colors that it is or is not. Some colors can make a room look small, clinical and cold. Good warm toned colors also make it more comfortable for you to live there. Browns, Reds, Yellows, and Oranges are great colors to open up space and make the room warm and inviting. Use accent rugs to help with the addition of colors as some Landlords do not allow you to paint. Sofa Covers are a great way to add color and save from wear and tear on your furniture.
When choosing a color scheme please note that you should choose something that is easy to clean i.e., browns and grays. White is not a good choice, unless you plan on never really living in your place. Try to look at the big picture, small living rooms means that you shouldn’t get a sectional sofa. Instead try a small love seat or futon couch. Not only does the futon couch help with space but it can be converted to a bed for those single room apartments. If you are on a budget and don’t want to get rid of your current bed and you are in a studio apartment try a bed that looks like a bunk bed with out the lower bunk. That way you can store your dress and other articles under the bunk and enclose it with a curtain and no one can see your unmade bed up top. This is very useful for bachelors.
Try creating rooms with the use of decorative screens. It can make a single room look like two or more rooms are there. Also remember your curtains, they should be allowing the light in, the more light you allow in the bigger the space looks. Use a small bistro table as a dining table. It is intimate and makes for a great coffee talk spot. If you are lucky enough to have some one in your apartment remember to always hide your laundry. Laundry laying around makes the apartment appear cluttered and small. Plants are a great way to make your room appear bigger. Try hanging them from the ceiling or by using hooks on the wall. Don’t forget the importance of mirrors. The use of mirrors can make your small apartment look large. Use a focal point and angle your mirror towards it, it gives the illusion of depth. Most importantly make sure you always have a clean space, it is always bigger when it is clean.
Ok so now you have gone and cleaned, you are noticing that the apartment still looks small. Question your storage. You need some ideas for storage you say? Well I am full of them. Look around and if you notice you have lots of magazines lying around get yourself a magazine holder. It is a handy little box that is decorative to your specific likes and it cleans up your tables of clutter. Get your self a footrest that has storage inside of it. It is nice for when the surprise guest comes over and you need to store something quickly. A coffee table with storage underneath it is also a wise choice. The more storage you have that isn’t added clutter makes your life easier. Wall shelves help to eliminate tabletop mess. Put your collectible gnomes on a small wall shelf and look at all the free space you have just created for yourself. All of the suggestions presented here to you are easy do it yourself projects. You can get most of these easy to use items at your local all purpose store and hardware store.
Popularity: 100% [?]
All you want at the end of the day is to relax and soak in a hot bath, but your current bathroom offers a tub the size of a teacup and feels dated. Whether you spend a lot of time in the bathroom or only a little, the bathroom is a vital part of your day.
Modern bathroom interior design focuses heavily on incorporating warmth, style, and functionality in equal measures. Designers will often look at adjacent space and consider the possibility of losing space in one room to add space to the small bathroom. They view the room as a potential retreat and design with that in mind. By adding storage space, square footage, and modern fixtures built for real people, bathroom interior designers can take your bathroom out of its time warp and into the new millennium.
Lighting Fixtures
You might spend a lot of money renovating the bathroom, but it will be the lighting fixtures that will add the finishing touch and make the bathroom a pleasure to use. Be sure to give sufficient attention to lighting from the start. Proper lighting will highlight your remodeling efforts, while inadequate lighting will detract from them. Too often bathroom lighting is inadequate. You don’t have to buy expensive bathroom lighting fixtures to solve the problem, but you do need to buy the right fixtures. You can be creative and buy distinctive yet tasteful fixtures that go with the rest of your dcor.
Integrating Storage
When you’re planning your bathroom interior design, remember that you’ll need somewhere to put the linen cupboard. Storage is a boring but essential aspect of bathroom design; you’d be surprised at just how much we keep in our bathrooms, including medicines, toiletries, stacks of towels and sometimes the laundry basket too. Don’t be tempted to skimp on storage to save space. This is a false economy, because the mess has to go somewhere, and a bathroom with little storage is a cluttered bathroom - not spacious or restful at all. Don’t be shy with ideas: matching your storage receptacles to your bathroom’s theme will make you feel less resentful about devoting space to it. A minimalist bathroom will look great with a traditional white bathroom cupboard, while a rustic-style bathroom will be enhanced by a pine cupboard, perhaps with stenciling.
Bathroom Mirrors
Bathroom mirrors come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles: rectangular, round, oval, special shapes, with and without frames, and large to small. Decorative wall light fixtures mounted on each side of a standard mirror will illuminate both sides of the face evenly, without shadows. A wall bracket lighting fixture can also be mounted across the top of the mirror. Fixtures using incandescent bulbs behind glass or plastic diffusers emit the most flattering light.
Safety precautions in bathroom design
One of the most important safety precautions to remember is that water and electricity don’t mix. Light switches should either be the cord kind or be situated outside the bathroom itself. You should also make sure that the electrical outlets for items such as hair dryers are safe, especially if those outlets are positioned near water sources. Old or damaged outlets may cause electrocution, or overheat and present a fire hazard. If your outlets are showing signs of wear and tear, get a qualified electrician to replace them. A good way of reducing your risk of electrocution is to install ground-fault circuit interrupters, which detect faults and stop the power supply when there are any electrical leaks in a circuit.
Popularity: 93% [?]
When experts cost a fortune just for an advice, designing your kitchen becomes your job. Kitchen interior design comes into the picture after your architect has done his job of erecting a building for you.
The kitchen interior design is very dependant on the right decor to make this design work. Unfortunately, many people mess up this very important component when remodeling their kitchen, and end up with the wrong look or feel. Here are some guidelines to help you avoid this scenario and achieve your dream kitchen.
The kitchen decor is probably the most important aspect of your kitchen interior design, because it is the measuring stick you use to decide if all your other appliances match accordingly. The dcor all about choosing the theme that you want. For different people this will be different. The most important component is that it matches your personality and tastes.
If you have a big kitchen then chances are you have probably wished for a smaller one from time to time and chances are that with a smaller kitchen you have asked for a bigger one. When you are changing the interior design of the kitchen you may be able to make your kitchen look bigger or smaller all based on the type of paint you use.
If your kitchen is small (or any room for that matter) use light colors: off white, beige etc. but you can accent the room with bright colors if you like to brighten up your kitchen. Dark colors will make a room look smaller than it’s actual size.
The kitchen sink, cooking stove and the refrigerator should form a work triangle where the total distance of the three stations is no more than 26 feet. The three stations should be close enough for convenience when preparing food.
Other small things which you can do to improve the overall appearance of your kitchen includes getting kitchen accessories such as a shiny new kettle, maybe a soap dish, and don’t forget the all-important tea cloths.
These all come in kitchen sets of course - other than the kettle - so you’re fine on cash as well, since getting things in sets does tend to be less expensive than buying things individually. Another good idea for kitchen sets is an assortment of salt and pepper shakers. The soap dish idea with a hand pump dispenser also works well if you’re leaning in the way of updating the oddments in your kitchen.
You also have the choice of getting things like coasters and place mats, trivets, dishes, bowls and the all important cutlery. These all work well in the whole scheme of things and need not be expensive either. As long as you go about it in an orderly fashion you won’t even need to cut down on quality or quantity.
You can also place a mirror in the kitchen. A good place is opposite the window, it will not only make the room larger but it will reflect the light and brighten the room.
Put small indoor plants on small pots in your kitchen. Plants gives a fresh feeling to the interior design of the kitchen.
Always make sure that there is adequate lighting on kitchen. Inadequate lighting makes the kitchen feel cramped and gloomy. Aside from the general lighting fixture at the center of the room. Put task lights under the kitchen hanging cabinets.
Follow these simple tips to finding the right kitchen interior design decor for your kitchen, and you will achieve your dream kitchen affordably and even quickly. Many people make the mistake of limiting their options in this process, such as only shopping at the local improvement store without taking in the other outlets available.
Popularity: 90% [?]