Tag: Decor

New Year, New Design

Moving house or home improvements are often on New Year’s resolutions lists. It is the perfect time of year to have a rethink as new design trends are filtering through and inspiring new products. Maybe you’re considering moving house because your current home doesn’t offer you the space you need. Your home decoration may need a refresh or you want to put your design stamp on your new home.

We love what we do, and we are incredibly lucky to work with some fantastic clients, as well as developers, who are personalising their home décor. We work with those who need to reconfigure the space in their home to make it work for them, providing clever storage solutions and maximising space. But why should you consider using an interior designer?

Why use an Interior Designer?

There are lots of reasons to hire an interior designer to help design your living and working space, and some of them might surprise you!

Save money

With our knowledge and experience, we will help you make the best choices for your home. This means that you will avoid making costly mistakes when you try and do it yourself. A well-designed house can also increase the value of your house and make it more desirable to buyers; great if you are thinking about putting your house on the market. Design helps too with selling new developments, as it allows potential buyers to see the lifestyle acquiring the property will bring, rather than looking at empty, blank rooms.

Budgeting and Planning

A designer will work within your given budget, making the most of every penny you have to spend. With our resources and knowledge of product ranges, we know where to look, not only for the perfect item but for budget friendly options. We take care of any necessary research and put a plan in place so that everything commences smoothly.

Making the Space Work

Our clients often know the end result that they would like to achieve but they don’t know how to make it happen. This can lead to people moving house unnecessarily because the owners feel the house doesn’t work for them, but with the right design a home can be transformed. A common problem is that people lack storage space; we can find ingenious ways to overcome this. Whatever style you would like to go for – we have the skills to accomplish the desired finish.

Making it Happen

When you are redecorating yourself, it can be easy to procrastinate and put things off; life often gets in the way with things cropping up. As a designer, we focus on your project, designing and sourcing. Having an interior designer involved means that you are likely to complete the work in a shorter timescale, not to mention making it simpler!

Have a look at our full gallery of projects.

If you are considering making changes within your home this year, contact us to find out how we can help you, and follow us on Facebook for more trends and ideas.

January 2020

Hygge Interior Design – Something Cosy and Comfortable for Winter

The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and there is no doubt that we are well on the way to winter with colder weather here to stay. We often talk about seasonal themes in design, and this is a perfect example of why. Winter trends create warmth in your house and lend themselves to utilising luxe fabrics and textures.

Scandinavian influence is often prevalent in the type of design that suits colder seasons. In fact, there is a word for cosiness and comfort in Danish; Hygge, it defines cosy and warm:

Hygge: a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).

You can even learn to live the Hygge way; is it any wonder, therefore, that our list of favourite things for the season will help you create a warm and cosy home?

Warmth is all about rustic finishes, low lighting and layering textures and there’s no better way to start than with these Icelandic Sheepskins from Cowshed Interiors. With a choice of colour and length, you can throw these anywhere in your home to great effect.

Sheepskin doesn’t just make great rugs and throws, it is more versatile than that. We love these sheepskin beanbags from The White Company. Sumptuous curly sheepskin; perfect for getting comfortable and ideal for the family as sheepskin is naturally durable.

If you like a thick, lustrous fabric, faux fur is also an option for you. It can be used to finish and upholster a variety of soft furnishings and pieces of furniture, such as this vintage style chair with birch legs from Maison du Monde. It will enhance a cosy atmosphere and is a perfect match for a Nordic styled room.

Wood and wooden finishes inject warmth into a room with their natural finishes. The installation of wooden furniture will prevent a space feeling stark and cold, but smaller wooden items will have a similar effect. Add these oak stools from Rose and Grey, they would compliment many interior themes.

Soft lighting and candlelight are essential parts of creating the Hygge feel in your home. This scented candle from H&M is pretty, and reasonably priced – good to create a warm glow. Even scent alone can complete a room; a Hygge scent diffuser from Trouva embodies cosiness. Low lighting effects can be created a variety of ways, so if you would like an alternative to candlelight, why not look for a table light, like our pick from Atkin and Thyme, to throw out the perfect amount of light

      

Never forget the benefit of a rug. It will keep your feet warm during the colder months. This rug from Westelm keeps you and your rooms warm in style. Its lustrous silky texture demonstrates its quality, and it will instantly dress up any room.

Follow us on Facebook to see more of our favourite things and finished projects.

November 2019

Interior Design for All Budgets

Interior design is about making the best possible use of available space, and adding style and personality. Design can work with any budget, and if you haven’t got a lot to splurge there are savvy ways to make the most of every single item in your home. We are going to guide you on where to invest and where to save.

Invest

Manage your budget, and decide on key pieces that are vital and that deserve investment.

   

Sofas and beds are where you spend the most time, and their comfort is vital. Choose wisely, and spend as much as you can on these items because they will last the test of time.

Statement lighting always adds a wow factor to any room and every home. A careful choice of lighting means that a room can evolve and change around it, without it becoming dated.

   

Kitchens and bathrooms feature high in the list of frequently used rooms, and they are key areas for investment in your home. Opting for timeless, neutral finishes give you a solid, long-lasting foundation of each room. Energise the units and furniture with accessories, wallpaper, lighting and art. These are things that can be easily and affordably changed, but can change the style of a room dramatically.

Save

Whatever your budget, there are areas where you can save without compromising the finished project.

  • You can save on accent chairs and occasional pieces. These don’t get the day to day wear and tear that key items, like a sofa, will. This means that comfort and quality aren’t as big an issue and you can choose lower budget items.
  • When choosing things that are overly trend-led, think about how long the trend will last. The budget you allocate for an on-trend finish needs to be proportional to the amount of time the trend will last. A seasonal finish, for example, will only last a few months before you look to change it.
  • There are rooms and furniture in your home that will be most heavily hit by wear and tear. Hallway wallpaper, rugs, kitchen dining chairs, playroom furniture; all things that are likely to get damaged through everyday use. Choose lower budget items that won’t break your heart when they do get damaged, and don’t break the bank when you, frequently, need to repair or replace them.

Re-Use

Upcycling furniture is the perfect way to be cost-effective, and allows you to hang on to heirlooms and loved pieces but giving them an up to date twist.

  • Re-upholstering is an easy way to breathe new life into old furniture. This is a great option where smaller areas of fabric are needed, such as headboards, dining chairs and ottomans. Larger items or fabric areas may be uneconomical to change, however you may be able to re-purpose an item instead.
  • ‘Orange’ pine furniture can look outdated, but this is easily remedied by giving them a whitewash or coast of chalk paint which will give a much more contemporary look.
  • Changing the handles can transform the look of a piece –a simple white Ikea wooden unit can be transformed by gold/colourful or jewelled handles.

For more hints and tips for your interior design ideas, follow us on Facebook.

October 2019

International Inspiration for Interior Design

Summer holiday season is upon us, and many of us will be jetting off for beaches, sight-seeing or culture. At Interiors at 58, we think what better way to make the memories last than by incorporating into your home some of the key design elements from your destinations. Below are some of our favourite pieces that will introduce an international flavour to your home!

The Hamptons

The Hamptons is a string of seaside communities often thought of as a summer destination for affluent New York City residents. Hampton homes have their own style and you will often see blues, whites and stripes featuring in their interior design. They have a cosy, natural feel. Here are some ideas to add Hamptons style into your home.

This sisal rug from benuta.co.uk brings a touch of comfort and style to your interior. The natural colour embodies the Hamptons style, but to create a different effect you could choose a different colour to complement your scheme.

 

White wood brings a coastal feel to rooms, and works perfectly with all shades of blue. This coffee table from furn-on is charming and would suit a dining or living room.

We love the Poirot Grande Sofa from Arlo and Jacob. Get your fix of blue and white stripes with this stylish piece. This will fit in with both a contemporary or classic design.

Parisian

Parisian interior design makes use of luxe fabrics, such as brocade, velvets and silks, to complement the Louis style furniture with ornate decoration. You can choose décor and furniture to create a thoroughly French theme, alternatively, opt for one or two key pieces to make a statement. There are some French-inspired furniture collections that blend with a contemporary style to give you a fantastic addition for your home. Here is our pick of the best to use in your Parisian styled home.

This Louis XV style dining table from Crown French Furniture, crafted from mahogany, gives an authentic French feel with its ornate carved legs being typical of the style.

Gilt decoration is also characteristic of Parisian style; a touch of gold always creates a luxurious finish. You can source this mirror from Anthropologie and make a bold statement wherever it is installed.

 

Turnball and Thomas offer the perfect French inspired centrepiece for any home. The Montpellier Chaise has a silver and gold ornate frame which is impeccably complemented with exquisite opulent silk.

Scandinavian

Scandinavian design is characterised by minimalism, simplicity and functionality. But don’t be fooled into thinking you might be left with a bland look! Colours typically used in this interior style are blacks and whites, and bring together natural woods and metal finishes. A variety of textures and the greens of foliage are the finishing touches to a Scandinavian room. Here are some of our favourite choices to form your Nordic feel.

The natural wood of this dining table from furnish.co.uk demonstrates the Scandinavian influence of the design. Its clean, contemporary design enhances a minimalist appearance.

Nordic design makes use of textures to give depth to simply designed spaces. A sheepskin rug or cushion adds interest to the straight lines of the design. This Murciana Goat Hair Armchair from Oka perfectly combines a padded seat upholstered in fur, with the striking black frame. The design is versatile and can be used as a dining chair, or on its own at a desk.

Keep an uncluttered room with this wall-mounted rack from Nordic House. The colour and material are classically Scandinavian and are the ideal fit for a simple, minimalist room. Display a plant, and get your foliage fix too.

Opt for furniture that unites a wood finish and textured fabrics like this occasional chair from Houseology. The oak legs and linen or velvet upholstery come together for a feeling of simple elegance.

Lastly, don’t forget to display your photographs. In this digital age we often take reams of photos, but rarely print them out. Make your memories into wall art; print out your favourites and choose frames to complement your room design. You could choose a collage effect, simply have a handful of single photos mounted on a wall or displayed on a shelf or cabinet.

For more ideas and inspiration like and follow us on Facebook.

August 2019

How to Design a Small Room

When it comes to designing any room there are always challenges, but with smaller rooms the design difficulties are even more apparent. However, if you follow some simple guidelines you can maximise the space you have and make even the smallest room feel airy and spacious!

Décor

When maximising space you need lightness and brightness. The use of too much of a dark colour can shrink any room. Pale, neutral colours are perfect for an airy feel in a room. Brilliant white on walls can be a little stark, but with a wide variety of white, there is something for everyone. Farrow and Ball have a range of white paints to create a stylish look; click here to see their colour range.

Horizontal lines on wallpaper create a simple optical illusion, making a room seem larger by drawing the eyes across the room. You could also install a long horizontal shelf on a wall to give a similar effect and at the same time introduce some additional functional space.

Furniture

A lack of space doesn’t need to restrict your living, but you need to make considered choices. A dining table that folds away can be a great choice and dining chairs with a rounded back mean they are easier to walk around in a snug kitchen. Sofas and armchairs with legs give a sense of space on the floor and you should avoid pushing them right up to walls to give them a ‘floating’ feel within the room.

Here’s some inspiration for your home:

Living

Often a living room is the hub of the home so it needs to be comfortable and suitable for your lifestyle. With sofas being one of the larger pieces of furniture in your home it needs to work for you. There are so many options, but careful choices will give you the perfect sofa for any room. Choose a sofa with high legs and that isn’t too deep; we love this sofa from Swoon and it’s just 80cm deep!

The addition of a footstool will give you added comfort and can double up as a coffee table when necessary; small rooms love multi-purpose furniture. If you are opting for a separate coffee table, choose something narrow. This glass coffee table from Wayfair would look great piled on the bottom with beautiful books and candles.

Dining

When you have your dining area in either a kitchen or living room you often need to consider a more creative design to fit everything in seamlessly. For a table, glass and slim framed pieces work well for a tighter space. This contemporary table from Oak Furniture Superstore would look great in a modern home – the glass will make the room feel spacious and the position of the legs in the middle ensure you can seat the maximum number of people.

Transparent furniture, in general, is perfect for any small room; embrace these acrylic Ghost chairs from Amara to use with your dining table.

Sleeping

Every bedroom needs a bed, but an undersized room might leave you sleepless thinking about how to fit in everything you need. When choosing a bed for a smaller bedroom keep the frames fine rather than chunky and choose styles with high legs such as this stunning copper bed frame from Dunelm. Positioning the bed by a window ensures that you’re not wasting any of the precious wall space.

General Rules

  • Reflect light where you can to create a feeling of space. Mirrors and lighting can be used to accomplish this
  • Keep clutter to a minimum in rooms; a plethora of ornaments and accessories will make a room feel crowded and closed in
  • If you are pushed for space in a small bedroom wall or ceiling mounted bedside lights will save valuable bedside table space
  • Don’t let a lack of space restrict your storage. There creative solutions and furniture that has craftily concealed storage aplenty.

If you would like more interior design information, hints and tips, follow us on Facebook.

March 2019

Fall in Love with your Home

If you are ready to give your home an update or looking at furnishing a new extension or home it can be overwhelming and hard to know where to start! We can help, as Interior Designers we spend time, we spend time getting to know our clients, learning about their likes, dislikes and how they use their home. Our clients may have a style that they would like, and we’ll work with that. There may be an existing piece of furniture or something to restore or upcycle, that is the inspiration for the room. Your home is personal to you, and we ensure that your interior reflects your personality and style.

It can often seem daunting when you are faced with a brand new room or house to style. You don’t yet know how you will use the room; you may not be able to see clearly what will fit in the room. Faced with blank or magnolia walls you may feel a little overwhelmed. This is where an interior designer can help; experience helps us know what will work and getting to know our clients means we can tailor that.

We have had the opportunity to style some amazing new build houses. Here is an example of what you can do with those blank walls:

You can see more shots of this stunning contemporary house in our gallery.

Developers with either large scale developments or a single residence are also faced with blank, character-free spaces. In order to appeal to potential buyers, it is important to demonstrate how a home could look. When there is a large plot developed, there is always a minimum of one show home to allow potential buyers to imagine themselves living there. Interior designers can also help here; we dress a room to appeal to the ideal market. Here are some examples of a project we took on in Bedford.

We take into account the lifestyle of those who live in the house and create designs and ideas that fall within our clients’ budget. Restored antique furniture may suit some homes, but we aren’t afraid to look to high street retailers to get something more budget friendly. If you have pets and children running about the house, we’ll take into consideration that you need something that is practical as well beautiful.

Interior design is not a luxury. Our skill and experience will save you time and money, and create a space that you truly love. We put furniture, colours and accessories together to craft the perfect finish for you.

If you would like to see more from Interiorsat58 follow us on Facebook.

February 2019

Gold – Tasteful or Tacky?

Gold is on trend at the moment, but not everyone knows how to use it effectively to get a tasteful effect. Gold is associated with opulence, luxury and wealth but the misuse of gold, in interior design, can look inelegant and garish.  We think that gold is a great addition to an interior, and you can find gold accessories dotted around our office. The Golden rule, is to use gold sparingly, in the right proportion and right places.

Accessories are a great way to introduce an accent colour, without it overwhelming the room.  You can also use the decor with the addition of a feature wall, alternatively a thoughtfully chosen wallpaper can bring pattern, texture and colour on the perfect proportions.

We want to inspire you and put you on the right path to how you can inject a splash of gold into your home.  Here are some of our favourite things:

This Magazine Rack from Alchemy is a stylish addition to any living room. It’s functional yet quirky; nothing boring about this!

This Golden Shell, again from Alchemy, would look great displayed on a shelf, in a glass-fronted cabinet or on a mantelpiece. It is eye-catching, and the perfect way to get gold into the room.

We do love a quirky accessory, and this is another example; this Golden Beetle from Graham and Green is a unique piece that will add drama to your walls. The detail and the finish of this piece are beautiful.

This Standing Planter is another way of how a functional item can be used to bring colour into your room. Functional doesn’t need to be boring and every day.

These Gilded Vases can be used to create interest in your room. The variety of sizes and shapes mean that you don’t need to just have the one, and they are a modern twist on a glass vase.

If you’re inspired to update your décor, have a look for gold accessories that catch your eye, or look at how you can add gold with the use of wallpaper, like this one from Graham and Brown, or furniture, such as this side table from Wayfair. Contact us if you want help and advice on how to get the look that you are after, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for more great ideas.

Interior Design Inspiration for Awkward Spaces

It’s not often that you find a home full of large, rectangular rooms with not a challenging corner in sight. Our homes, and therefore the rooms, are all unique. While that leads to a lot of variety, it can leave home owners confused about how best to decorate and furnish an awkward shaped room. Maybe you have a long narrow living room, and L shaped bedroom, or a room with sloped ceilings or curved walls. There is a design for every place.

Have a look at our tips for dealing with some spaces to give you some ideas:

Asymmetry

We often strive for symmetry in a room, but with a small or awkward space this may be compromised. Try for balance rather than symmetry, for example if you are using a tone or pattern in one area of the room for curtains use it on lampshades or cushions in another area. With the right choice of furniture and accessories, it can be a stylish space that doesn’t feel compromised.

Zone a Large Room

You may not consider a big room to be awkward to design, but sometimes a bigger space leads to too many decisions resulting in a confusing or muddled space. Use furniture and colours and patterns to divide a room into different sections with different functions. The result is a well-organised room with clearly defined areas.

Embrace the Quirk

Instead of trying to hide or disguise an awkward, embrace it, for example an awkwardly shaped alcove could become a desk space with the help of a simple shelf! Use bespoke elements, maybe an usually shaped mirror, or make a feature with a bold pattern or accent colour.

Nooks and Corners

Utilise the space with fitted storage. A bespoke storage system will make any space functional and can be designed in keeping with the rest of the room. This technique is also useful for a small or awkward shaped bedroom where you need storage built around the bed. In narrow spaces consider a sliding door rather than one opening into the area for a more spacious feel, and use mirrors to bounce the light around the room.

With space planning and thinking outside the box, any room can reach its full potential. Work with the space you have and don’t be afraid to be bold.

For more ideas for small and awkward spaces, see our Facebook page and check out the May edition of ‘Ask the Expert’ in House Beautiful.

Interior Design for New Build Properties

You might think that interior design is all about updating décor and refreshing a look, but as interior designers we work with a lot of blank canvases too; new build flats and houses. There are two main reasons why you might get a designer involved, one if you are the purchaser of a newly completed project and two if you are a property developer.

Home Owners

When you’ve bought a new property, you have often waited quite some time for its completion, and you’re raring to move in. If you have just bought a brand new, freshly decorated home, you may be wondering why you would consider changing anything at this stage. It is usual for a new home to be finished in a fairly bland style, with magnolia paintwork and neutral carpets for example. Nothing about the house says anything about your style; about your personality. Interior design not only brings your personality to each room but it allows the very best use of the space throughout.

With our knowledge and expertise we can recommend what works, both for style and practicality, and we can source everything for you. What might take you months to decide and find, we can present to you in a fraction of that time. With the decisions made, you’re ready to go with the designs and for the work to be carried out. Potentially, at this point, you are in a great position to employ an interior designer and get the work done prior to moving in. If this is an option for you, you will be able to avoid the inevitable hassle that comes with living in your home whilst the work happens around you.

You can see our work on a contemporary new build in the gallery section.

Services for Property Developers

We can help developers design and shape their properties from the outset so that they appeal to the widest market of potential purchasers. This can include curating decisions on paint and floor, and choosing the right kitchens and bathrooms – these are all critical elements in creating the right atmosphere and attracting the right kind of buyer for your property. We can also dress the project for sale to help buyers envisage how the space will be used as an empty, bare house does not demonstrate its potential to best effect. Houses need to stand out from the crowd to sell quickly and achieve the best possible price. We can, cost-effectively, dress the house, inject ambience and personality, and show prospective buyers the lifestyle that can come with owning the property.

We work to developers’ brief, however strict or vague; selecting kitchens, bathrooms, paint colours, taps and tiles as well as providing stylish and desirable furniture to showcase your property at its very best.

We have recently completed a project for a number of flats in Bedford; you can see the results here. (link to photos to be added).

If you have a new home that needs the wow factor, contact us now. And remember, we’re on Facebook too.

Interior Design Inspiration

A question that often comes up is “where does the design inspiration come from?”. A good interior designer will get to know their clients and truly understand their styles and tastes. Then they can begin to put together a room or a home that reflects the client’s personality and interests. If a client is unsure about what direction to take their project we often start with images from magazines and Pinterest that the client likes and piece together their desired look. Then once the project is underway the client can see it all come together on a bespoke mood board which really brings the inspiration to life!

Travel can be a great place to look for ideas; think of countries you have been to and what you love about the typical look of that region.  Throughout the world, different cultures have iconic styles that you may wish to replicate in your own home, office or working environment.

Scandinavian and French styles are extremely popular for interior design and have quite a timeless feel, they can be used on their own or mixed successfully with other looks such as vintage or modern.

If you fancy a minimalistic look with clear lines, then a Scandinavian look could be for you. You’ll see wood, often reclaimed timber, playing a big part in a Scandinavian styled room, with wooden floors and wooden furniture. Tapered and angled legs on furniture are a signature look of this style. Neutral, light colours create an airy light room with accessories and furnishings used to add colour and texture to the room.

We recently used this elegant coffee table from Coachhouse that had a bleached out Scandinavian wood top but is paired with contemporary chrome legs for an updated take on the look.

If you prefer a refined, elegant look then a French style is for you. You generally won’t see bold colours on the wall of a French style room. The décor is characterised by white walls; not a blue based cold white, you will see a warm white. Black furnishings are popular in French homes and upholstery will add some indulgent luxury into the room. Gold, gilded or metallic accessories make a statement in the room and reflect light creating a spacious feel. This cute mini French side table from Melody Maison was one we used recently.

A room doesn’t need to rigidly stick to style guidelines; it is your room and should be designed to your tastes. You can take a handful of elements initially and build on that. You can use items with personal meaning to accessorise your rooms whatever style they are, just try and group them together to create a feature or frame photos in such a way as to complement the scheme.

If you don’t know where to start on your interiors, contact Interiors at 58 for help and advice.

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