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

Design your Christmas Dining Table

Christmas, a time to celebrate and spend time with your loved ones. Christmas dinner, for many, is the highlight of Christmas day and as Interior Designers we think that your dinner table should look the part.

We at Interiors at 58 wanted to share with you some of our favourite things. There is still time to be inspired and create your own spectacular table.

Start with a centrepiece on your table; a focal point. We love this Pinecone Candle Holder from Marquis and Dawe. The light of the candle flame creates a warm, cosy glow and the frosted finish ensure that there is a wintery decorative touch.

Alternatively, a snow globe makes a great centrepiece, adding a touch of class. This globe from We R Christmas features a white reindeer in a forest; shake it for a magical scene.

A table runner gives a great start for your Christmas dining table. With the runner laid, you can keep the decorations simple, or layer them to create a more complex design.

These foliage sprays from Sarah Raven add a pop of fresh greenery. Display they them in a vase to great effect.

You can avoid any seating arguments by using place names on your table. These lovely snow globe Christmas place cards, from Ginger Ray, are a little bit of festive fun for the day.

To finish the table, scatter these stars, from the White Company,  around. The silver sparkle adds some glitter and Christmas magic. You don’t just need to consign them to the table, why not try using them to accessorise your mantlepiece or windowsill. And, of course, remember the Christmas crackers too. These beautiful Angel Christmas crackers from Selfridges will wow your diners.

Your table is all set, but why make your guests wait until dinner to get into the festive spirit? Use a scented candle to fill your home with Christmas magic, like this one from Jo Malone, with the seasonal combination of pine and eucalyptus.

We at Interiors at 58 would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.

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December 2019

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.

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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.

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October 2019

Interior Design Isn’t Exclusive to Adults

The children are back at school, and now is the perfect time to think about their bedrooms and study space. Interior design isn’t just for the adult spaces in the house, you can use the same strategies to create the perfect space for your children that achieves the right balance of fun, style and practicality!

Study Space

The older they get the more homework that will be dished out and the bigger the need for children to have a place dedicated for them to study; somewhere they can focus and concentrate.

Raised beds with storage and workspace underneath are a great idea. It makes sensible use of the space without being boring. This cabin bed from Noa and Nani is versatile and stylish and will complement a changing décor over time.

You can create something special with star wallpaper from Rockett St George. This could feature in any child’s bedroom, whatever their age.

When styling a room for older children, or teenagers, they sway towards a style that represents the maturity that they are heading for. The choices for the decoration and furniture should be led by this.

This bedside cabinet from Graham and Green is perfect for a maturing style, with its distinctive cloud design.

This gorgeous pink faux fur chair from Maisons du Monde is the perfect addition to a teenage girl’s bedroom. A statement piece that is both practical and comfortable, and that can be used with a desk or a dressing table.

Choosing a double bed for your child’s room can seem a grown up step, but this copper framed bed from Made.com is a great choice. It beautifully designed, and its slender frame won’t dominate the room. It definitely brings some Wow into the room.

Studying for hours, preparing for exams; this all needs to be done in comfort. Choose an office chair that is fit for the job, like the Neptune chair from Wayfair.

Thinking about interior design with children in mind, remember the family areas too. Furniture 123 offer a great bench which combines storage, functionality and, of course, style. It gives you somewhere to hide away shoes and bags, as well as a comfortable seat for getting ready in the morning.

Hints and Tips

  • Invest in neutral, long-lasting pieces. Choosing neutral, quality beds and wardrobes, means they will stand the test of time and you can inject some fun with affordable accessories such as the fur chair or a vibrant rug that can easily be updated as they grow. These rugs are both available from Wayfair.

      

  • Wallpaper is great in children’s bedrooms and if you choose a style such as stars or stripes, they will also age well and can be updated with new pieces as necessary.
  • A high-rise bed will allow for room underneath for either workspace or play space and make the room feel larger.
  • Incorporate plenty of storage but try to have storage the children can access themselves when they want to play such as benches with low baskets otherwise things can tend to be forgotten about!

September 2019

Are you ready for summer?

With summer knocking at our doors, we all need somewhere to relax and enjoy every ray of sunshine that comes our way. Outdoor living, whether it’s a patio, balcony or terrace, can be just as stylish and luxurious as any internal room. You can create your perfect patio for relaxing, entertaining and topping up your vitamin D.

The garden itself can create a backdrop with the greens of foliage and the colour of flowers in bloom, but you don’t need to rely on the natural flora. Here are some of our favourite things to add to your garden to inject colour and create your perfect outdoor space.

An outdoor rug from Westelm brings colour and a touch of luxury to your back garden. Whether your patio is set up for seating or dining, walking on this soft wool with bare feet will make you feel like you’re on holiday.

We love this garden bench from Maisons du Monde with its Mediterranean feel. This modern bench is understated and timeless and, importantly, comfortable.

As with an internal dining table, you can dress it up with table linen and crockery. With this vibrant table cloth from Graham and Green you will have no problem feeling summery. Dress your table for a little al fresco dining, or for a tropical garden party.

As much as we want to enjoy the sun, it’s a must to provide some shade too. A perfect parasol lives up this job perfectly! We love this teak and ecru cotton parasol from Maison du Monde. Functional definitely doesn’t need to be boring.

If your priority for your patio is relaxation, there is no better way than lounging in a hanging chair. With its own hanging stand, this chair from Cox and Cox is a great choice.

Small rooms can be maximised with considered choices. Choosing paler colours always works to make a space feel airy and bright, and mirrors are a classic way to increase the sense of space; gardens are no different. This beautiful arched window mirror, also from Cox and Cox, creates new dimensions on even the tiniest terrace.

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June 2019

Colours and Interior Design

Interior designers always consider colours when they are putting together designs for a room or space. There will be colours that their clients are drawn to, and equally colours they want to avoid. There are colours that will optimise the room and create certain effects.

When we commence a project, we take the time to get to know our clients, their tastes and preferences and desired finish for each room. We build a design around that and get creating. So, what can colour bring to your room?

Blue

This calming, meditative colour works well for workspaces, and rooms in which you wish to relax in. Blue can sometimes be thought of as a cold colour, but a room with plenty of natural light and sunlight work perfectly with blue hues. Organic material, such as wicker and wood, has innate warmth and will add texture and balance to a blue room.   Blue is extremely versatile; use it in any room and to create a variety of themes. Used with white, blue gives a feel of lightness and freshness, opening up small spaces.

Green

Bring the outdoors in with the use of green in your room. There are many different shades of green, from emeralds and forest greens which are vibrant and contemporary to pastel hues which work well in a more classic scheme. Aside from the décor, greens look great in velvets and you can use faux greenery to complement the tones.

Yellow

Yellow is a welcoming colour and it can be used to warm up and brighten up spaces without windows and with a lack of light. For these reasons, yellow is perfect for entryways and hallways. To avoid yellow being overwhelming, it is especially suited to accent the room whether that is with a feature wall or selected yellow accessories. Yellow particularly suits Scandinavian themes and is very effective when paired with navy blues.

White

White is the most commonly used colour in interior design, whether it’s ceilings and woodwork or fittings and walls, it is a solid choice. White reflects light so can be used to make spaces seem larger and rooms more spacious. This neutral colour can be used to complement a bold accent colour, such as black or gold. It can also be used with great effect to showcase architectural features and as a backdrop for artwork. To avoid a room feeling cold from the use of a lot of white, use accessories with warm colours and introduce textures or accent colours. White will help you create a minimalist, modern look.

Colour affects our moods, so choosing the right colours within your home is vital. If you’re not sure how to achieve the desired effects contact us.

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May 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.

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February 2019

Interior Design your New Year

Happy New Year! Christmas is over, and the decorations have come down. How many of you are thinking how blank your walls look? A new year, a new interior look; now is the time to start planning your home renovations for the year. We have talked about colours, textures and statements within the design of a space, but with the fresh start of the New Year in our mind, we are looking at how to use white in your home to great effect.

You can bring a fresh crisp white into a room by decorating, using paint or wallpaper, or with accessories or furniture. A white paint, or white paint with a hint of a colour, can create a great backdrop for bold accessories or statement furniture without overcrowding the space with too many elements.

Accessorising with White

If you choose to have a single colour palette, with one shade of white, it is important to mix up the textures to bring depth and avoid a bland look.

This off-white Sheepskin rug, from www.nordichouse.co.uk, adds texture and luxury to your room. This luxurious rug is beautifully soft and versatile; why not add it to a sofa rather than the floor?

Another Scandinavian touch to add is this pure wool chunky knit blanket. Throw it over a chair, on the end of the end of the bed, or the perfect blanket to snuggle up to; this chunky knit is a beautiful decorative piece, and the ideal choice to cuddle up with on a cold winter’s night.

Invest in beautiful linen for your bedroom. Make every morning crisp and bright with this beautiful bed linen from www.oka.com; the ultimate in luxury.

When you have a dark painted wall as a feature in a room, try this statement piece of white wall art, from Maisons du Monde, for a dramatic finish

Furniture

With many shades of white available, it may be a challenge to exactly match the colour you choose. Try one of these gorgeous Angel and Bohos wooden chairs – they can be painted in any colour so you can choose exactly the right kind of white for your scheme, from pure and brilliant through to a more soft and gentle hue.

There’s no need to worry that white furniture will not stand up to your lifestyle; children and pets, in particular, may be a consideration. With careful choices, white can be made to work in any home. Loaf offer a clever linen that can be used on any Loaf sofa or chair and is spill resistant, no need to be scared of using white.

This high gloss, wipe clean coffee table is a functional item, but still a contemporary addition to style a room.

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January 2019