Designing Living Spaces With Indoor & Outdoor Lighting

When furnishing a cozy home, an appropriate illumination must not be missed. A respective choice of extraordinary lights and special lighting designs is sufficient to give any room a certain ambiance. There are almost no limits to style, as a respective lighting concept can draw attention to individual furniture pieces as well as to entire living areas.

To bring sufficient brightness in a room, the choice of proper lights and illuminants is crucial. The living room can therefore not only be decorated with stylish ceiling fixtures or impressive chandeliers to create a special atmosphere. Even a dimmable floor light can create the right atmosphere for a romantic evening at home. A wall unit that is equipped with indirect light can additionally bring comfort in the room. Dimmed lighting and design lamps are also perfectly suitable in bedrooms. Besides various ceiling lamps, especially bedside lamps can create personal accents. Regarding the right choice of illumination for kitchen and bathroom, many residential- and homeowners decide for a bright and penetrating lighting.

Even if the hallway is the room in which people spent least time in, a proper illumination is especially important. Those who often welcome guests in their home will learn to appreciate the importance of a stylish hallway with appropriate lighting accents. For all design-newbies it is recommendable to visit several furniture stores which often present their offers on the Internet, too. 

Homeowners should also take attractive outdoor lightings into consideration, to illuminate the entrance area in a friendly light. Those include lights for illuminating path- and driveways for both security reasons and decorational aspects. Current lighting trends lead to the use of energy-saving LED lights and to the application of solar lighting techniques.

Bathroom Planning 101

Here are some tips from designer Connie Edwards CKD, CBD and Waypoint Living Spaces to help you plan your next bathroom remodeling project:

1. Establish a budget. Bathrooms rate second only to kitchens as the most expensive home remodeling project. According to Remodeling magazine, the average cost of a mid-range bathroom is just over $16,500.00. A realistic budget is something that has to be determined early in the process. It’s also a good idea to have a cushion set aside to handle unexpected cost. Mechanical problems lurking behind the walls have a nasty way of increasing project costs.

2. Make a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. Nearly every component in a bathroom comes in a variety of price points. I am always a fan of buying the best quality that fits the budget but knowing what is personally important will help you sort through the process. One important tip: as popular as super showers are, always have at least one bathtub in the house for re-sale purposes.

3. Find a designer that ‘clicks’ with you. The designer will be your guide throughout the process. Many will also provide installation. Going it alone can be daunting so choose wisely.

4.  Consider storage needs. Even a tiny powder room needs space to store and extra roll of toilet paper and cleaning supplies. The space over the toilet is sometimes the only available place, so make the most of it. Busy family or master bathrooms have additional needs. A new bathroom is a chance to improve the quality of life in your own home.

5. Layer lighting. Like any other room, a number of different lighting systems are needed. Sconces on either sides of the mirror, overall lighting and task lighting such as special waterproof shower lights are all important.

6. Most importantly, consider safety every step of the way. From grab bars to flooring with non-skid finishes plan for a safe as well as beautiful bathroom.

There are few projects as satisfying as a new or remodeled bathroom. Start planning now for a successful project and then relax and enjoy it. You deserve it!

Lighting Ideas: Light Up Your Home

How to use lighting for decoration purposes? Frequently underestimated, lighting is vital for a convincing interior design. As illumination highly determines the atmosphere, choosing well from all the lighting offers is of importance. The following lighting ideas will provide some basics on modern home lighting and hopefully be inspirational enough for creating a unique style at your home!

Natural & Artificial Light

First of all, the illumination of living spaces starts with natural light. It will provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere and be amplified by just a few means. Well lit rooms do not only require huge windows and spacious dimensions. They will also benefit from some lighting tricks such as using mirrors to reflect the light. Covering one of the walls with mirrors will visually create a more spacious environment. Additionally, lighting effects will be more intense if brighter wall paint is used.

Many interior designers focus on ambient lighting when doing their work. Take advantage of the combination of reflections from different light sources by knowing that illumination has more than just one function. Again, mirrors will enhance the ambient lighting effects achieved. Avoiding glare is another basic principle of home lighting. A glare free environment is especially recommended for working spaces, computer screens and TV sets. By the means of indirect lighting and wall-washing glare does not any longer have to be your home lighting enemy.

Lighting Fixture Types

When natural and artificial lighting are covered, details on the types of lighting fixtures edge ever closer to the spotlight. There is a variety of lighting fixtures for almost any kind of application. In particular, floor and table lamps - being adjustable and flexible in terms of their position- are becoming favorite lighting products. Furthermore, they can create a cozy atmosphere or even provide the right light for task lighting.

Generally speaking, there is a high demand for ceiling light fixtures. Distributing light from above they are primarily used for general lighting. For ambient and accent lighting many more lighting fixtures are taken into account, from highly decorative chandeliers to simply elegant floor lights. With all that variety, using lighting for decorating purposes should not be hard at all.

It’s Out in the Open: Dish Storage That is

Modern kitchen design is the topic of todays' RoomStyling.net blog. Connie Edwards from WaypointLivingSpaces.com has already spent more than 30 years in the kitchen and bath industry and will share her design ideas for dish storage with us: 

Open storage for dinnerware is so popular today. Pick up any shelter magazine and you will see what I mean. Now that surprises even me because you’d think that people wouldn’t want to store their dishes where they would collect dust daily. And frankly, not all everyday dishes are attractive. But so it goes. 

If open shelves aren’t quite right for you, consider cabinets with clear glass inserts and mullions to display your dishes. Choosing glass inserts with a small pattern will help obscure the contents if they aren’t all that perfect.

Of course you can always put dishes behind glass doors and that’s a great look and solves the dust part of the problem. But, we’re talking about putting dishes on open shelves or in plate racks. Here are some tips that will make this trend go more smoothly for you: 

Tip #1: Only use frequently used dinnerware. If they’re used regularly, it stands to reason that they will be washed all the time and will never become dusty.

A contemporary open shelving unit in Waypoint’s Cherry Spice is suspended from shorter wall cabinets by chrome tubing. The three inch thick shelf has a modern, substantial look.

Tip #2: Old or brand new, when dishes are out, they become part of the kitchen décor. Choose a color or pattern that works with your design theme or even adds a much-needed touch of color. 

Two Wall China Display cabinets are stacked, one on the other, to create easy to reach dish storage. The color and pattern of dishes on display are important to the look of any kitchen. They should be interesting and can add a real color accent to even a simple kitchen like the one shown here in maple with a linen white finish.

Tip #3: Place the shelf low enough so that dishes are easy to reach on a daily basis…maybe even for the kids. If the dishes are easy to reach, an open shelf is a practical place to store them. 

So while there are a few things to think about before planning open storage for your everyday dishes, it’s a great look. And despite all my cautionary words, you will laugh to know that in my last remodel…I put my everyday dinnerware on an open shelf. Right there for all the world to see. And guess what? I love it!

www.waypointlivingspaces.com/connie-edwards/

Homemade Christmas Decorations & Lights

Homemade Christmas design guaranteed to brighten the whole holiday season. As there is a free choice of hundreds of tree ornaments, wreaths, Christmas lights and festive display, interior design for Christmas can't be offering more. Constructing and using homemade decorations is worth the effort. In many cases, you will only need a few simple materials and your creativity to get started. The outcome includes Christmas decorations that are completely personal and tailored to your specific wishes.

Light Up Your Holidays

When outdoor and indoor Christmas lights are lit up the holiday season does reach its peak. Choosing a warm and colorful illumination is a long lasting tradition and an excellent way to celebrate Christmas. Constructing homemade Christmas light can also be the fun part of decorating by involving all family members. Furthermore, it saves money to stick to homemade lights which can be constructed with only a few simple materials. Best, start with LED lights. Those diodes are able to produce specific colors, so that your chosen lighting can be easily personalized. It is also nice to dress up any Christmas light with common household items. You may also get a beautiful light display by creating your own chain of lights, for example by using a standard string of white bulbs and encasing them in some covering. Of course this is also a possibility for the more eco-friendly LED lights which can perfectly be encased in paper lanterns. From outdoor areas back to interior design: Candles will light up your holidays by creating a warm and welcoming ambiance. For decorating houses, the flames of the candles might be protected by a glass cover.

Highlighting With Homemade Christmas Decorations

Homemade Christmas decorations will put emphasis on your interior design during the holiday season. Additionally, those creative Christmas crafts are always a perfect gift. From welcoming guests with a self-made Christmas wreath to doing handicrafts for decorating the Christmas tree: Let your inspiration allow full bent!

Christmas wreath announce the arrival of the holiday season and are best for decorating front doors or fireplaces. On the internet there is a lot of informative sites about how to create a handmade wreath including flower arrangements or working with unexpected materials.

Salt dough ornaments and homemade paper chains can complete any Christmas tree decoration with a very personal note. For the salt dough recipe you need just 4 cups white all-purpose flour, 1 cup salt and 1 cup hot water. After having mixed those ingredients, roll the dough and form seasonal ornaments. Later on, those ornaments are baked about 30-40 minutes until they get hard.

Another wonderful in- and outdoor decor is an arrangement of Christmas balls. Just group the together. Add some fir sprigs or candles and out it all together with glue and ribbon. If you yourself want to be part of the Christmas decoration inside the house, you only need to choose some pictures and form a collage that can be 'framed' by festive ribbons or wrapping paper.

Interior Design Secrets

You are interested in the best-kept secrets of interior design? Then please follow our RoomStyling Blog offering a wide range of information on interior design including personal tips to transform any home into a warm and beautiful living space. First of all, it is important to designate a theme for remodeling. Your personal decorative 'flow' will then lead to the best results in modern furnishing, lighting and decoration. Also remember that any little idea might be of interest and that changes in interior design do not automatically require a big budget. Lets share some helpful interior design secrets!

After having designated a decoration theme, just do some shopping to find accessories and furniture you want to work with. Be sure to test your ideas before you start redecorating the whole room. That is especially of interest, if you want to achieve the maximum result with just a minimum of input. Therefore, using what you've already got will save costs. Finally, pick new paint colors, choose some new pieces of furniture and accessories and find yourself decorating with the following thoughts kept at the back of your mind.

Get The Right Furnishing & Allow Space

Furniture needs to be both functional and decorative. As there is a variety of products everyone has a free choice which style to dedicate to. Allowing spaces is an important part of remodeling, too. It goes hand in hand with modern furnishing that reflects trends like spacious living room, artless equipped bedrooms and some more for a timeless elegant home decor.

Before buying new decoration items or furniture, mark out an imaginary plan, for example by using sheets of paper or pillowcases as place holders on the floor. Furnishing also includes little changes like adding new accessories. Photos and pictures, a vase of fresh flowers, foliage plants and candles are just a few suggestions.

Choose The Right Colors & Wall Design

Painting walls in fresh and warm colors might provide a new living ambiance to your rooms. Even though choosing a paint color can be tricky, it's worth it. Changing the color theme is an cost-effective means of interior design. Furthermore, there is a variety of choices from simple to elegant wall design.

Colors mainly affect the appearance of the room and might even have an optical influence on how big or small a room looks. Therefore, it might be recommendable to add some mirrors or eye-catching pictures that visually enlarge rooms.

Get The Lighting Right

Last but not least, lighting is one of the basics for feeling at ease with your interior design. Depending on the chosen lamps, a relaxed and welcoming ambiance can be created. Furthermore, the variety of lighting fixtures allows individual combinations of light sources throughout the area.

In 2011, the lighting industry especially concentrated pendant lamps and lights with dimmers. They belong to the most wanted products on the market. Additionally, light-emitting diodes (LED) found favor with the customers. LED lights convince with both functional and decorative characteristics.

Famous Design Museums

There is a variety of design collections in museums around the world. Those interested in contemporary design and modern room styling will especially find outstanding exhibitions in New York City and London. Both cities are known as capitals of fine arts. They are the home of many internationally famous museums.

Traveling the worlds' design museums, visitors may find a lot of ideas for remodeling, too. Additionally, the  exhibits will provide information on the history of design and will portray the state-of-the-art works in several fields of design. Follow our three commendations for design museums at RoomStyling.net and get to know their collections' characteristics.

Contemporary Design in N.Y.C: MoMA & Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is one of the most visited museums in New York City. It is regularly holding outstanding collections of contemporary art and exclusively dedicates one part to architecture and design. The exhibits range from cutting-edge art works to famous design of the 1920s, including some remarkable lighting design. With MoMA design store, every visit may end with the purchase of little souvenirs or even bigger design gifts.

Historic and contemporary design are the essential parts of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Visiting this museum, design travelers might have a look at centuries of design. Furthermore, the department of Product Design & Decorative Arts offers a lot of interesting exhibits. In 2007, the museum organized a very successful exhibition on lighting design by Ingo Maurer. This German industrial designer is very well-known around the globe and is providing a lot of his works directly in New York.

Contemporary Design in Europe: Design Museum London

More than two thousand single objects form part of the collection of Londons' Design Museum. It is especially concentrating on design from the early 20th century up to the latest modern design. Another interesting point to mention is the variety of design works being presented. In London, it's not just about contemporary design in the field of lighting or furniture, but also about communication technology.

Of course, there are many more collections to discover. But New York and London offer the foremost design museums world-wide. For those interested in design awards, we can recommend visits to the red dot design museums. One is located in Essen, Germany, and offers insights to more than 1,500 award winning design products. The second red dot design museum is located in Singapur.