When you first move into a shoebox apartment, it can be tricky to know exactly how to make the space shine so that it is as good as a show home. You will need to organise the rooms very carefully so that the spaces look roomy and airy. Achieving this can mean that you will always find these rooms welcoming, inviting you to spend time inside.
With these five decorating ideas and interior design tips, you might just be tempted to say "apartment, sweet apartment" and fall in love with your ex-shoebox apartment.
As clients are increasingly becoming health conscious, interior designers can take on board some tips from health research as they are planning out a space. Jotting down some of these notes in the margins of your sketchpad can help as you are conceptualising where to put that sofa, or what colour to paint the walls.
Here we look at a range of health and interior design research, and narrow down how you can use this wealth of knowledge in your daily tasks as a designer.
Fashion designers have often said that they think of themselves as artists. From sketching illustrations to sowing sculptural garments for the runway, big fashion houses such as Dior, Chanel and Prada have treated the fashion industry like a real life art gallery for showing off creativity and quality design.
Why not channel this world of fashion in interior design? Here are some decorating ideas to get you started.
Luxe curtains
Fabrics are, in many ways, the essence of the fashion industry. Dazzle your home with a variety of different luxe fabric curtains, some with reflective shimmering materials, others with pleats or some turned into Roman blinds. The Resene Curtain Collection has a wide range of curtains expertly chosen to match with our paint colours, so you can double the elegance with complementary walls and window coverings.
The fact of the matter is, first impressions count.
During your career as a designer or specifier, you will be tasked with showing your portfolio of sketches, mood boards, look-books and images of rooms you have decorated to potential clients. The time they spend flicking through your portfolio is usually when they develop an impression of your work and style, so it's important to wow them.
Here are three tips for presenting a quality, professional portfolio.
Metallic accents are all the rage in interior design right now. From copper light fixtures dangling from the ceiling, to laserfoil prints framed on the walls, metallics are everywhere. The good news is there are many ways of incorporating this trend simply by picking up a paintbrush and a can of paint from the Resene Metallics and special effects colour palette.
Here we look at five ways of using paint to embrace this trend.
Don't think that swanky brushstrokes are only meant for the canvas. You can jazz up your walls with artistic painting skills, too!
Here are two masterful techniques for you to try in your own home.
Impressionism ombre
The art galleries of Paris, from the Louvre to the Musee d'Orsay, are full of stunning impressionistic paintings. The art style of impressionism is famous for its delicate, dabbed effects that seem to blur the picture, so that when you see it from far away it makes sense, but the closer you walk to it, you realise it's simply blots of colour brushed on in dots, placed side-by-side.
Interior design is an art form, requiring creativity and instinct. Every now and then, though, research is published that can give the job even more merit – especially when this research is about improving the mental health and overall wellbeing of clients who spend time in the spaces you design.
If you're currently working on designing or decorating a commercial office space, check out this research by Human Spaces and the University of Melbourne.
Any novelist, poet or author will be the first to tell you that writer's block is a frustrating experience. But, as most designers and specifiers will know, feeling lost without inspiration is just as bad – designer's block isn't a walk in the park.
If you're currently stuck in this mood, don't you worry, as the Resene Total Colour Awards gallery can spruce things up.
For colour inspiration:
For industrial design inspiration:
Magicians use optical illusions all the time to trick the eyes. Coming up with design strategies for organising a room's layout, decor and colour scheme is no different – you can use these simple steps to make a small space, such as a studio or tiny office, seem much larger.
Let there be light
"Cream colours and icy blues are just a few of the best colour combinations that can convert a tiny interior into a seemingly bigger living area," wrote Mihai for Freshome Design & Architecture Magazine.
"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again," wrote author Lewis Carroll in the classic novel 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass'.
Winter can be a wonderland, so don't shiver away from it – embrace it in your home decor. Here are some decorating ideas inspired by the chilly season.
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