Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts

Friday, April 18, 2014

Brick Walls, Large Size Photographs and Stainless Steel - Urban is here!

Nowadays people are obsessed with the idea of incorporating urban style in their apartments and homes. Many people live in cities crowded with people and they live in small apartments and lofts where the urban style fits perfectly. Others like generation Y are beginning to follow a trend of buying homes in the suburbs, but they want to preserve the urban feel even in the suburbian home.

Here are some tips that will help you get the urban look.

#1 Brick Walls- If you haven’t bought an apartment you can look for one with brick walls, they just scream urban design. A lot of public venues and especially restaurants are beginning to count on brick walls for creating a cutting edge design.

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#2 Contemporary furnishings- minimalistic and modern furniture is the best in order to get the urban look. Simple white lack shelves, stainless steel minimalistic lamps, fluffy carpets, simple sofas.

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# 3 Bare Floors- in order to get an urban look leave the floors bare. If you want to cover up a part of the floor do it with a fluffy carpet in white, grayish, dark purple.

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#4 Simple windows- do not cover especially if they are tall. An urban window look requires lack of interference from any type of thick fabrics for covering. However, if you feel like the place does not look finished without something covering the windows then choose a simple sheer fabric that will allow for some view.

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#5 Leave open spaces- urban look requires a lot of open spaces. If you live in a big apartment you can have a lot of open space without cutting on storage furnishings, but if you live in a loft you will have to get rid of some of the commodes or numerous bookshelves in order to leave some air for breathing. Also, one big space consisting of several different-purpose rooms is very appealing. Get rid of some of the walls- it is very appealing to have living room, dining room and kitchen in one big open space.

#6 Clean-lined Furniture- if you like clean-lined furniture that’s great because urban style likes it too. Cleanliness and less frills makes the place look more spacious. Also, clean-looking pieces of furniture and simple accessories imply a feeling of calm and tranquility.

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#7 Dual purpose furniture- urban apartments are usually not that big. Use some of the furniture for more than one purpose.  For example put a couple of storage stools in the living room along with the sofa. You can use the stool as a place to sit, to put your legs when you sit on the sofa, or to use it as a storage space.

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#8 Stainless Steel- it Is inevitable when we talk about urban style. You can choose stainless steel not only for the refrigerator and oven, but for the kitchen island, for some of the lamps in the house, definitely for the accessories. Look how nice those stainless steel frames fit the whole atmosphere.

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#9 Large-size photographs and posters- posters and large sized photographs are very urban. Photographs of urban city life, of bridges, cars, abstract art are perfect for the walls. A lot of designers count on wallpapers that cover the whole walls to create the feel. Black and white photographs are also a very good choice.

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#10 Nature- urban style loves live plants in pots- the bigger the better. Also, urban design allows for flowing fountains, pictures of flowing water, waterfalls, etc. 

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#11 Color- It is true that the predominantly used colors in urban design include white, black, grey, put you can also spice up a bit with colors. Put colorful cushions, blankets, elements and accessories to brighten up the place. Also, you can always paint one of the walls in some bold color.


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Inspired by Nature

Often nature plays a huge role in the decoration of our home. I am not only talking about flowers and plants, but accessories, posters, details on cushions and bedsheets, prints on carpets, etc. I was searching the internet for some new ideas and I came across hundreds of lovely cushion inspired by nature. Let's see some of the best.

This ostrich faux feather cushion is available at Marks& Spencer for about 40$. This is one of my favorite, inspired by the Great Gatsby and the 20s this cushion is both cozy and stylish.
www. housetohome.co.uk
Here the feathers are only used as a detail on the cushion. Done in black and white by Bloomingville this cushion can be a very nice accessory to a white sofa.
feather cushion from rockett st george
This one is a bit more colorful and expressionistic. But I think it will very well fit a bit more eclectic living space. For the more bold ones I think it can perfectly fit a velvet peacock-blue sofa. I found this one on a website called Lovely Decor. The cushion is available in different sizes an the price is as high as $33.

Lovely Decor
This one is again with feathers but is more glamorous than the ostrich one. However, think twice before you purchase it because with the wrong furniture you will go from chick to tawdry. In my personal opinion this can fit very well on a contemporary white-leather sofa. I found in on Wallace Sacks Linens.

Wallace Sacks Linens
 I found this amazing rustic looking cushion that resembles the soft blue flecked feathers of the bird Kookaburra. The blue on the feathers of the bird are represented as a washed mixed blue print on the cushion. I personally adore this one! Found it on Etsy for about $70.

Etsy
This also looks more natural and maybe the washed color prints are done on organic cotton or linen. 
However, those look a bit more eclectic than the the previous one. The blue prints resemble peacock feathers. I found those on Houzz for $46.


This one is very classy and fabulous- look how the feather pattern is entwined! One of my favorite for sure! This one is 100% cotton cushion cover that has been printed in Macclesfield and stitched in London. On the website this is one from a range of cushions inspired by quotes from English authors and poets.The quote here says:  'I am a feather for each wind that blows' from The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare.The price is £46.95


Linden Williamson

Sarah Jessica Parker - peacock blue, vintage ping pong table and globes

Less than a month ago Sarah Jessica Parker revealed parts of her NYC apartment for Vogue magazine. She answered 73 questions, yes 73 questions, while allowing the world to take a sneak peak into her apartment. 

With the opening of the door we can immediately spot the amazing tiles on the stairs leading to the second floor. The pattern tiles reminisce of the Spanish interior design details we talked about couple of weeks ago. Also we can spot an arch right behind SJP which also is an interior-design detail influenced by the Spanish culture.

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As we enter the living room we see walls painted in bright green, a very eclectic velvet peacock blue sofa on which she comfortably sits while answering the numerous questions of the reporter. One of the walls is covered from bottom to top with bookshelves.We can spot the fancy accessorized bar cart on the right behind SJP.

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The living rooms continues in another room and at the very entrance we are stunned by a vintage-looking ping pong table. The open-plan living room is full of artwork but the ping pong table does not break the atmosphere. In a strange way it fits the whole idea.

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The white fireplace is a masterpiece- very elegant, sophisticated, French, dreamy. But it is not SJP's favorite thing in the apartment and neither is the small piano situated in one of the corners of the living room. She admits the one thing she adores in her home is the collection of glowing globes which she carefully organized on the top of what looks like closet.

Vogue
She does not show any other part of the apartment but definitely she leaves us with strong curiosity what they might look like. Indeed, as she is a complicated and diverse person, so is her home. She combined completely different styles, materials, fabrics, etc. but as a whole the home feels very cozy, intimate, and very much like her.

If you want to see the whole video that shows Sarah Jessica's home check the link of Vogue's exclusive video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W511rtnnlZM

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Feng Shui in the Bedroom

The ancient art of arranging our living places Feng Shui has been popular for quite a long time and has been teaching us how to make the energy, or "chi", in our homes the right one, so that we can be in harmony and find tranquility. The room in which we need the most tranquility is our bedroom and here are some tips on how to decorate your room so that you can improve your sleep. For the more passionate ones I will give you some tips on how to improve your romantic life by redesigning your bedroom.

#1 Basic guidelines for your bed
Position it so that you can approach it from both sides and make sure it is not in one line with the door. Feng Shui says that being able to see the door, but not being too close to it, will give you a feeling of safety. Have bedside tables from both sides, good mattress, and high-quality sheets. Those things may sound simple, common sense, or even lame, but they work, at least according to Feng Shui.















#2 The colors
Use soothing warm colors, or as Feng Shui calls them "skin-tone" colors. Light blue, green, lavender, cream, peach are said to be the most suitable. Those are proved to create harmony, and set the right energy in your bedroom; this applies both for good sleep and sexual healing.

#3 Make your bedroom be only bedroom
Get rid of the TV and the computer! According to Feng Shui this destroys the right atmosphere and breaks the balance of energy. Those devices take from your energy and the bedroom is the place when you actually want to restore it, not waste it. Feng Shui proposes to cover it with a piece of fabric which in my personal opinion will not look very nice. So, better leave the TV and the computer in your living room and don't bother with covering them with anything.

#4 Keep it fresh
Open the windows regularly or use a good air-purifier. I won't spend time on that because I think the idea is pretty straight forward. One important note is that according to Feng Shui plants are not a good idea for the bedroom, unless it is really spacious. So, forget about compensating with flowers.

#5 Be careful with the mirrors.
Either get rid of the mirrors or be cautious how you arrange them. Mirrors bounce energy around the room, which can lead to low-quality of sleep. According to Feng Shui mirrors can amplify worries. I do not know about the last one, but if you are a strong believer, get rid of the mirrors for sure. If you insist on having a
mirror though, do not place it next to your bed or anywhere where you can look at yourself while lying in the bed. This may be a difficult one for all the Narcissistic ones. Something that caught my attention was that you should not place a mirror on the wall facing your bed when you are in a relationship, because it promotes intrusion from a third party and thus provokes infidelity. 

#6 Accessories, Pictures, Paintings
Paintings, posters and pictures especially next to the bed have to be
chosen carefully- they are the last thing you see before you go to sleep and the first thing you see when you wake up. Avoid ones that present only one person, because this implies solitude. Although,
rivers, waterfalls and water seem soothing, Feng Shui does not recommend them for the bedroom. Although they represent financial gains and money in all other rooms, in the bedroom they may promote both financial and relationship losses. 
As for the accessories Feng Shui proposes to pair them- two bedside tables, two cushions, etc. Also, stick to the round shapes
and avoid furniture with sharp corners. 


 #7 Get rid of the mess
A messy or cluttered room will block the flow of energy and destroy the harmony. Keep the things that you need and use, and a few accessories to make it more personal and cozy but do not overdecorate the place.