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Inspiration

Importance of Quiet Space

September 1, 2015
Lana Hawkins
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Being a parent usually means that you have to deal with ordinary things in a way you’re not used to. Having a curious and active child is both bliss and a curse, since they will be needing a lot attention and help from you to channel that. In addition, children who struggle with their emotions may have hard time calming down when they are angry, sad, or excited. This is the reason why come parents choose to give their children space where they can calm down.

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Find the right place

You don’t need a lot of space to create a ‘quiet place’ for your child. Sometimes a quiet corner will do, or you can choose to give them a separate place like room beneath the stairs, or an old reading nook. It does not have to be spacious, it only needs to be safe and comfortable enough for your child to spend some time when upset. A nice and cozy corner will do just fine; it should be away from all the noise and bustle and closed off. Remember, your child should be alone with their thoughts.

What to have in there?

The space should not be too stimulating, it should calm the child down and help them relax, but still it should not be bare and sterile. A few cozy cushions and blankets for them to sit on or sleep in, and a box of things to help them relax. However, too many toys will have the opposite effect and the child might be too stimulated to relax. Instead, you could place a box of simple and useful things: a nice book for them to read, since reading can help them relax and forget about things they were upset with, a stress ball, a glitter bottle or a snow bowl (you can easily make these yourself if you have the time and the patience), and a soft toy they can cuddle.

Light and sounds

The environment is extremely important here and it should serve only one purpose: calming them down. Just as you should put only soft cushions, pillows, and blankets in there, so should you make sure the light is soothing as well. Simple fairy lights on the ceiling, lava lamp, or a lamp with adjustable brightness are all great choices (the latter one is the best if your child wishes to read as well). As for the sounds, you could put in a small iPod with calming music and teach them to turn it on and off (they will master it quite quickly). Classical music or compilations for meditating, studying, and sleeping will all be good.

When to use quiet space

There are many reasons you should send your child to quiet space for, but you should always send them in when you see they are struggling to keep themselves together: when they are really sad because, upset or even mad because they fought with their siblings, angry because they didn’t get what they asked for, etc. You could send them in to calm down and tell them you can talk about it when they are calmer. If your children are still little, quiet space is great to help them deal with all the excessive energy they have, especially if they stopped napping during daytime.

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By providing your children with ‘quiet space’, you will give them an effective way to handle their emotions. Staying in a peaceful and quiet space will have a calming effect on them, and as they grow they will learn to calm down more easily.

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Mid-Century for a new Century: Short Guide

July 24, 2015
Zoe Clark
2 Comments

Mid-century modern was a style in architecture, interior and graphic design from the mid 1930s – 1960s. The style developed from Bauhaus and Scandinavian modern in America, since many architects and industrial designers from Germany and Scandinavia migrated to the USA during the Second World War. After the war, there was an expansion of cities and suburbs, as well as the appearance of new technologies and new materials which combined into the new mid-century modern which explored new forms, textures and colors.

mid-century modern architecture
Image source: www.dwell.com

This style is recognizable by a simple, understated look, clean lines and geometric forms. It is uncluttered and functionality is a priority. Plastic entered the world of interior design with mid-century modern, and materials like wood, metal, stone, glass, vinyl and plywood were also commonly used. Colors were bold as well as neutral, but there was no excess of ornamentation.

Mid-century modern never went out of fashion, and in recent years its popularity has been growing even more. In this article we give you a few ideas on how to achieve a mid-century modern look in your house without changing all of your furniture or traveling back in time.

Furniture

You can look for original pieces in antique shops, but this can get rather pricy. If you already have some furniture of this style, it is possible to repair and refinish it. There are still some companies that produce and sell mid-century modern pieces, like Knoll, Vitra, 2Modern, Artek and DWR, to name just a few. You don’t need to go for an exact replica of those times, iconic pieces have been copied endlessly and something resembling an original can fully fit your needs. Also, you might only need a few pieces of mid-century modern furniture to nicely set the tone of your space, try not to go overboard with bold colors and patterns, stay in one color range and one pattern. Some sculptural, curved central pieces like armchairs and chairs, especially if made of molded plywood, or fiberglass will make a big design statement in your living room.

mid-century modern furniture
Image source: thedesignfiles.net

Accessories

Mid-century modern interiors are minimal but can speak loudly and boldly with stand-out wallpapers, bright textured rugs or curtains, colored glassware, designer lamps and modern artwork framed simply. For example, design mirrors are a perfect accessory, like the famous sunburst mirror from this era. Wallpapers with bold graphic prints were popular at this time, but if you wouldn’t dare go that far, you could try decorating only one wall with it. It is important not to clutter the walls with artwork; one or two bold high-end pieces of art will be enough. They can be abstract art, pattern prints, metallic wall plaques or large oil on canvases.

mid-century modern living room
Image source: www.household-decoration.com

Colors and finishes

The color palette was eclectic: red, yellow, blue, pink, aqua, orange and purple were frequently used, as well as muted colors like grey, olive green and brown. These were combined with the white walls and wooden ceilings. Timber stains were light, tables and chairs featured warm stains, such as golden chestnut or the classic walnut finish. Ceilings and walls were plain, without decorations. Floors were made of polished timber, concrete and stone and were carpeted. It was important there was a lot of natural light indoors and glass walls were not uncommon.

Whether you live in a new building, or are remodeling your old home, mid-century modern is proving to be a timeless way to design your space well in terms of both aesthetics and functionality.

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The innovations in sustainable architecture

June 4, 2015
Lana Hawkins
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The concept of sustainable building primarily involves the harmonious relationship between ecology and economy in order to preserve the natural wealth for future generations. In real life, sustainable construction is based on many principles of which are the most important: reducing the negative impact of the construction site, the integration of renewable energy sources in the design phase, the use of secondary materials in the construction process in order to preserve natural resources, reducing CO2 emissions, reducing energy consumption and generate their own energy.

GT Tower East

https://www.contemporist.com/

One of the most interesting sustainable building is the GT Tower East in Seoul. This skyscraper with its elegant building facade brings a significant change in a very sharp and orthogonal architecture of Seoul. The tower is 130 meters high, and what makes it specific is its pure organic form. Wavy effect exterior creates an optical illusion when viewed from the side of the building. Designers have integrated many sustainability measures such as solar panels to collect energy, a good ventilation system, well insulated facade and lots of natural light to reduce energy consumption and to make pleasant working environment.

The Hearst Tower

http://inhabitat.com/

Another interesting and sustainable building, the Hearst Tower in New York. This 46 stores high tower is the first commercial building that has won LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council. Building meets the highest level of the sustainable construction requirements. It is made from 90% recycled steel, with fascinating ventilation system, heating that can be adjusted on each floor. There are light and humidity as well as the VOC and CO2 sensors installed. Next to these fascinating features, the building has a rainwater-collection tank and the water is mostly used for the air conditioning system and watering plants

Pixel building

http://futuresparks.org.au/

There is another example of architectural environmental solutions in Australia known as Pixel building. The building is a fantastic example of sustainability since it generates all its energy with the help of roof wind turbines and solar panels. It is equipped with a so-called smart window that opens automatically during the night to get enough air ventilated without excessive cooling of the building. In addition, building has its own rainwater harvesting system. The building is made of a special type of concrete, which is called Pixelcrete, which contains half as much carbon than conventional concrete. Pixel is known to be visually attractive because of  the colourful sun shades that are not there just for decoration. They are set to allow maximum utilization of daylight while helping preventing overheating of the room.

TMB building

http://inhabitat.com/

The capital city of Turkey, Ankara is home to Turkish Contractor’s Association headquarters. The outer part of the façade of this building is composed of two layers. The first layer consists of frameless glass to glass and glass to metal panels, while the second layer is made of stainless steel wire mesh. This type of construction gives a sense of connection between the building and its surrounding, while on the other hand limits sun exposure which reduces the temperature during warm days. Many local natural materials were used during construction which decreases ecological footprint. TMB building is also equipped with solar panels and rainwater tanks.

What most distinguishes this building from all the above mentioned is specific air-conditioning system in the form of underground labyrinth cooling system. During the night when the temperature drops, cooled air is stored in labyrinth cells, and is distributed afterwards through the building. On the other hand, during the winter, heat from the soil is used for passive heating of day-time air.

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The Glamour Of India

March 25, 2015
Lillian Connors
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Like the truly kingdom of colourfulness, mixture of cultures and tradition, India belongs to those countries which are considered as real treasure placed on the planet Earth. With an extremely impressive combination of old religions, sacral oriental skills and natural approach to the lifestyle, Indian style contains a plentiful source of ideas and extraordinary creative power which can be applied in almost every segment of living. Whether is it quite rustic ambient or pure mystic essence of ancient East, those irresistible elements bring a dozens of glamorous alternatives for home arranging, decoration and furniture design.

 

Indian style inspired furniture and floor

  • Equipping home premises in the spirit of India is best to achieve with choosing those pieces of furniture based on old harden wood, which is usually decorated with unique curved ornaments. It’s not too much to say that this kind of furniture represents pure little masterpieces, which will revive old oriental spirit in your home. The furniture in dark, but still natural colours, mostly mahogany, would be the excellent hit if it’s made from little frayed pieces of wood.
  • To accomplish the unique sense of glamour and authenticity, include hard darken wood when designing floor and it would wrap up the oriental picture of the house. Not that far from the initial idea, naturally and neutrally coloured ceramic or marble tiles can be perfect solution in designing some parts of the house, such as living room or kitchen. Traditionally knotted Indian rugs and floor coverings, enriched with endless colour shades and adorable Hindu motives are absolute must for creating Indian style indoor environment.

 

Image courtesy of http://interiorhomepic.com/
Image courtesy of http://interiorhomepic.com/

 

Patterns, fabrics and colours for extraordinary pleasure

  • It’s almost impossible to achieve the true eastern atmosphere without recognizable and usually hand -designed patterns. Often inspired with floral shapes, geometrical elements or traditional mosaic based motives, those patterns are perfect ornaments on wall coverings, bed covers, bed clothes or curtains. There’s no better way to give your home a simple doze of Indian stylishness from choosing items created of natural silk, cotton or flax, originally combined in the bed room or living room design.
  • An ideal way of achieving full glamour and mystique of Indian design style is picking pleasant and vivid colours as a part of your interior. Those exotic colours, which include purple, red, orange and purple-blue will make tremendous contrast to the darken furniture, giving your premises cheerful and warm sense. Since the bold and deep colours are original impress of astonishing Indian temperament and lifestyle, they are instant connection to the entire wealth of Indian exoticism.

 

Image courtesy of https://bhaviillustrations.wordpress.com/
Image courtesy of https://bhaviillustrations.wordpress.com/

 

Image courtesy of http://aws.amazon.com/s3/
Image courtesy of http://aws.amazon.com/s3/

 

Unforgettable decor

  • India is definitely the country of ornaments and remarkable accessories, which is why you simply can’t miss those details in your home. Curved wooden pieces, candle holders combined with scented candles, or detailed religious statues must have been placed either on your tables or shelves. A plenty of decorated colourful pillows will bring pleasant cozy Indian ambient, whether they are laid on your bed or just gently placed on your living room sofa. Combine vases decorated with pieces of glass with fresh flowers, get scented sticks with aroma or jasmine or sandal wood and you can enjoy the radiant energy of your Indian home.

 

Image courtesy of http://www.decosee.com/
Image courtesy of http://www.decosee.com/
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Story About Colours Of Your Home

March 3, 2015
Zoe Clark
0 Comments

From the ancient times, colours have been important to human race. Each and every had a meaning, so that trend continued until today. Now we wear different coloured clothes, in order to reflect our mood, but this matter works vice-versa. We can also surround us with different colours, in order to boost different aspects of our personality. This is my guide on how colour of your rooms affects you. Take it into consideration next time you are going to repaint and redecorate.

 

Living room

Image courtesy of http://www.homebest.info/
Image courtesy of http://www.homebest.info/

According to colour psychology, living rooms, as well as dining ones, should be painted in orange colour, for it is widespread knowledge that this shade inspires and improves digestion. In addition, it keeps you awake, so you surely wish it for the room where you spend most of the time. Also, the sense of warmth is important, for you wish for your guests to feel cozy and jolly at the same time.

 

Bedroom

Image courtesy of http://www.goodshomedesign.com/
Image courtesy of http://www.goodshomedesign.com/

This is the room where all the passion is happening. You will definitely want to avoid using cold colours, such as blue, but instead, it is better to go with pink or red. These are connected with passion and to avoid your room to look a bit too muck reddish, break it out with the subtle usage of black, for these two combined are simply giving out the passion. Also, the furniture gives its impact, so it would be wise to go with natural tones, for the warmth of the wood is nice when combined, it will relax you, but not too much.

 

The Kitchen

Image courtesy of http://www.fengshuidana.com/
Image courtesy of http://www.fengshuidana.com/

Your creativity is best shown among the yellow walls of the kitchen. This colour is considered to be lively, spry and inspiring for people who are exposed to it. Your cooking skills will surely get boosted, for those skills are based upon creativity. In addition, if you can set you kitchen to the north, you will add up a bit of Feng Shui to the mixture, so you will benefit on several fronts.

 

Kidsroom

Image courtesy of http://www.homebest.info/
Image courtesy of http://www.homebest.info/

Tender and gentle, the temperament of kids and babies should be reflected in the colour of the walls. If you have a boy, take into consideration pale blue colour, and if you have a girl, pale or dirty pink is also great advice. But, if you don’t have kids yet, you can set for clean white, or a combination of those three. In any case, avoid dark, deep or suffocating colours. You can, however, break out the stillness, and to introduce darker tones of blue or green, but keep it limited, and only in few details.

 

Work room

Image courtesy of http://www.decorfeed.com/
Image courtesy of http://www.decorfeed.com/

A place suited for your intellectual efforts should be painted in such manner, that it will increase your mental abilities. The most suitable colours for this, are definitely blue and green. First will often remind you of the stillness of the sea, enabling you to calm and settle down, and to settle your thoughts much faster. The latter will inspire you to feel the grass under your feet, invoking vigor and joy, giving you the boost in energy. But, you must be careful, for overstepping with those colours will backfire, and blue can be too cold and distant. Green, however, can get you too sleepy, or tired.

The key is to be modest and not to exaggerate.

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Earth Friendly Houses

February 2, 2015
Lillian Connors
0 Comments

Nowadays, the consequences of global warming have finally shown up and triggered many people’s concerns about our planet. Realizing how important the preservation of natural resources is, many people started using eco-friendly products and appliances. There are numerous decisions we can make in order to save our planet. There is a wide range of things we can possibly do, from recycling or low-budget everyday products, such as paper bags to energy-saving windows.

 

Energy Efficiency

Today, the term “Energy Efficiency” is used more and more. It doesn’t refer to the reducing or renouncing something in order to preserve energy. On the contrary, the same service can be provided by using less energy. This is probably the main idea of the modern time, when you need to invest more work into something that will be highly beneficial for the entire planet.

However, building eco-friendly houses, people would contribute to the preservation of our nature a lot. All around the world, especially in more developed societies, eco-friendly buildings, bridges, or even skyscrapers are being built. Many large corporations started rising such constructions in order to provoke people’s consciousness, and it proved as a great idea. There are numerous people who decided to sell everything they had and to invest all money in an eco-friendly house building.

 

What does an eco-friendly house entail?

The industry of ecologically- friendly homes is based on the newest innovations that enable us construct our homes using eco- materials and techniques. Everything in such houses, from their very bottom to the roof is meant to be energy-saving.

For example, wind turbines represent an alternative energy source. Modern turbines are quiet and their size depends on the energy they must produce.

Even lighting should be appropriate. Instead of using an incandescent lamp, a compact fluorescent lamp should be used.

Solar panels on the roof, which convert solar energy to electricity, are one of the most prominent characteristics of green homes.  Solar windows are also of great importance, since they don’t let heat leave our homes through them. Also, insulation plays a great role when it comes to eco-friendly homes. There are two things you need to pay attention to- the insulation of your walls and loft. Underfloor heating systems are gaining an immense popularity lately. Such floors require much lower temperatures for heating the rooms and that is how they manage to save our energy.

It is also worth mentioning that many home appliances, such as fridges or ovens tend to pollute out environment, thus, their eco versions are highly recommended.

Finally, you should pay attention to the gardening because by growing your own vegetables, you won’t need any kind of its delivery, which will again lower the emission of harmful carbon.

 

Types of eco-friendly houses

There are numerous types of eco-friendly houses, usually based on their structure and materials that are used. .

There are numerous types of houses that are built out of natural materials, such as wood or stone, which are becoming more and more popular.

Large recycled shipping containers could also serve as a modern ecologically- friendly homes. Such houses could contain one shipping container or be a mixture of several ones.

Passive solar houses have been considered as the best possible solution, since they contain everything that was previously mentioned. They are well-isolated and have numerous solar panels, thus, they are able to produce and save the sufficient amount of energy. The perfect example for passive eco-homes is 100% Eco Green House at Costa Rica.

Earth-sheltered eco-houses are in a way, a modern type of dogouts, since they are dug into the hill or even buried. Although their position might sound strange for the modern times, such houses are well-insulated and warm during whole year.

Finally, there are Concrete form houses, where concrete is literally poured into polystyrene forms. One such example is Tepoztlan’s Tubohotel, which is very cheap because it is made out of recycled concrete tubes.

Finally, through the aforementioned examples of most popular types of eco-homes, we actually realize that the future of Earth is in our hands only. Depending on our further actions and tendencies, we can save our planet or keep ruining it.

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Copy the Style of Celebrity Homes

January 21, 2015
Lillian Connors
0 Comments

 

Everyone has their dream house. A place you would live in if you were rich. Most of us cannot afford such luxury. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. You can mimic their design ideas and integrate them into your own house. Lets get started.

 

Chandler’s living room

Mathew Perry has got style. His living room is cozy and tidy. You can achieve this too without having to spend a ton of money. It is all about the colors. Pick any color you like and combine it with white! You can see how the brown carpet matches the color of the wooden table. The table itself is great because it doesn’t take up too much space. There are other things you can try. Buy or make a sculpture and put it in the corner of your room. You will immediately notice some improvement.

 

John Abraham’s kitchen

Light placement can do wonders for your kitchen. Simple designs can be improved with the use of spotlights. Focus them on the most important parts of your kitchen. Parts of it that are less important will remain in shadow. This gives the illusion of an interesting paint job. Did you ever think about putting some plants inside your kitchen? It is a great idea! Place a led light bulb into the plant pot and see how it affects your mood. Green is perfect for relaxation. It will keep you calm while you make dinner.

 

Intelligent design

Bryan Cranston owns a magnificent house. It features a brilliant open plan living area. Vibrant orange color accents are cleverly placed to contrast overall greyness of the space. Cushions in the lounge are the same color as the chairs in the kitchen. This helps connect the different areas of the open plan. The combination of the two colors is very powerful.

Paintings can also add a lot of character and warmth to a particular space. A wide painting just above the cupboard will look great! Choose paintings which go well with the existing colors. They can fill up empty spaces and serve as a positive distraction.

 

Simply beautiful

Lance Armstrong’s house is not a high tech mansion. On the contrary, its simplicity is what makes it appealing. Outside walls are plain and white. The roof extends over the garden furniture. A well cut lawn stretches around the house. All of this is put together in a tasteful manner. Get this kind of garden furniture for yourself if it matches the style of your home. Wood can be replaced by metal if necessary. Always think about what colors go together but be careful not to let the furniture get wet.

 

Have fun!

This is the most important thing about design. It should be a blast. It should induce positive feelings. After all, you are the one who has to live there so better give it your best shot! Pay attention to details and colors. If you see a certain piece of furniture that you like, try to make a replica of it. Hire someone cheap. The results will be amazing. It is not difficult to rearrange your home. Just make sure to do it according to your personal needs and desires. This is how you will transform our house into a piece of art.

 

 

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Art Pieces For Contemporary Crib

January 3, 2015
Lana Hawkins
0 Comments

Modern crib is simply not complete without some cool artwork to bring in some style and life to it. It seems that art has never been so available in all its forms, especially when it comes to interior design.

The rules and trends about art pieces are flexible now and there are some very interesting art pieces that could easily find place in some of the modern style cribs.

Here are some examples of this cool modern day art.

Inside Graffiti

Urban style looks really cool. So, it comes logically to try and bring in some of the street art inside. This is a very cool and a very interesting example for it.

This is Chris Brown’s apartment in which he left a really awesome graffiti piece on the wall. Those bright colors are well supported by pretty basic and dark color of the floor and furniture and the light is just perfect for that street charm. The whole apartment is just fun because of it.

 

Graffiti
image credit: frontdoor.com

 

Wall Sculptures

When there is enough space and the design of the room allows it, a way to go with the sculptures nowadays is to make them into wall sculptures. In that way, it seems like a fusion of wall painting and sculpture and the texture and the ambiance that such artwork creates makes the home a very interesting place to be at.

This third dimension added to the place on which you expect to find a painting is just the touch of modern at that makes it interesting and more enjoyable.

Wall Sculpture
image credit: realsearchri.com

 

Artsy Furniture

Modern art is all about blending, redefining, reinventing and making new uses of the old things. Therefore, it is easy to imagine that some forms of contemporary art pieces can very well and very easily serve as furniture.

In that way, you get usable art that brings in style and adds real quality to your everyday life. We all know about the big, red, lip shaped, pop art sofa. Here is something in that direction and how such stuff look in modern versions of home.

You need a really big place to have this sculpture in, but if you consider that it can be used as a bed or a type of sofa at the same time, it seems a bit easier to decide on using it in your home.

However, the really cool design of it justifies the space it will take up.

Artsy Furniture
image credit: gizmag.com

 

Another chair like that is this lovely rattan chair. Its form resembles a real sculpture, while it is obvious that it is still furniture. However, not only does it look good, but it also redefines the way you sit and keep your entire body while you talk to somebody.

You have to lean over and turn. This forces you to pay attention to the person with whom you are communicating. This is a far more artistic piece of furniture that it may seem on the first glance because of this function that it has.

Artsy Furniture
image credit: architectureartdesigns.com

 

Modern Day Animal Trophies

Of course, you won’t go killing animals and severing their heads just to put them on the walls. Something like that would be totally inexcusable.

However, we all know that there used to be such way of decorating homes and it is fun to see the modern version of art that communicates with that old style of decoration and still introduces the modern form, material and look in general. Wyatt Ellison has made this elegant and interesting bear head to be mounted on the wall.

It is just a perfect piece for a modern home that wants art with a good message but not too pretentious so that it can still find its place in a home rather than in a gallery.

Modern Animal Trophies
image credit: cmybacon.com

Outro

If you want a very elegant and cool look for your crib today, it means that the art that you are bringing in and choosing to be a part of your everyday life has to be thought provoking but it also needs to stay within the limits of the interior design and not overstep it as too much art in home renders it useless and misses out the point of art.

And of home.

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Smooth Decorator is a website dedicated to our little sanctuaries from the hustle and bustle of the outside world – to our homes, sweet homes. We believe that the foundation of a quality life needs to be set right there, in the place where we first dream things up, and that only when we organized our homes can we hope to organize the rest of our everyday existence.

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