Tag: interior designer bedford

Upcycling: The Eco-Friendly Design Feature

Upcycling has been around for a while, but in a world where impact on the environment is becoming a bigger priority to people, it is increasing in popularity. Not to mention that it can be a cost-effective way to add a personal and unique to your home.

We’re taking this opportunity to help you decide whether upcycling is for you.

While recycling breaks items down to produce raw materials, upcycling is more creative, and doesn’t involve breaking it down, but rather reimagining it for a new lease of life. Upcycling’s roots are in the practice of resourcefulness, and is now fuelled by environmental awareness.

Re-using furniture in this way reduces waste and minimises the average carbon footprint.

What can you upcycle?

Not all furniture is created equal when it comes to upcycling potential, but don’t worry! These are the key qualities to look for in your potential furniture:

  • Quality of material – durable woods such as oak or teak and sturdy metals are ideal for upcycling. These materials will withstand modification and age beautifully.
  • Structural integrity – look for pieces that are solid and stable. Cosmetic damage like scratches or faded finishes is fine, but avoid items with severe structural damage.
  • Aesthetic potential: Pieces with a unique design, interesting lines or historic values can become standout features in your home.
  • Where to find your potential piece: it might already be in your home, or you could find the perfect thing in a charity shop, eBay or car boot sales.           
  • Potential for Easy Repairs and Refurbishments: Choose pieces that can be easily cleaned, sanded, or painted. Items that require minimal effort to restore are ideal.
  • Style and Functionality: Ensure the piece fits your design scheme and consider its potential for multifunctionality, like a table that can also serve as a storage unit.

If you have a creative flair, then you may wish to tackle an upcycling DIY project there are plenty of resources online to help you. Our top tip for your projects is to use primers and paints that are suitable for the work. Primers will help you prepare tricky surfaces, whether that’s a smooth service that you need paint to be able to stick to, or a rough finish that you want to even out ready for a smooth top coat of paint. Choose your paint carefully too, making sure it will help you achieve the look you are after. We love Chalk Paints from Annie Sloan; there is no need for sanding or priming, you simply choose the colour you want, from the large range of gorgeous shades, and get going.

If you don’t feel up to taking on DIY, there are skilled professionals who can help you achieve a beautiful upcycled piece. In the Bedfordshire area, you have options like Absolutely Shabbylass, based on Castle Road in Bedford and Gracie’s House, based in Bromham. Bedfordshire.

If we’ve inspired you to upcycle, then good luck with your projects, and remember that you can follow us on Facebook for more interior design tips and ideas.

Make the Most of Your Space

Spring is the time for cleaning, clearing and rearranging. With the clocks going forward and the days getting longer, we often look around our houses for something to change or update. But where do you start? When it is your own home, it can be difficult to be objective, and you don’t always have the knowledge of what is available. It is at this point that engaging an interior designer can be helpful.

As interior designers, we work with a variety of clients. It may be the complete refurbishment of a house, designing a commercial space, updating one room or even just advising on where to source one particular item.

How can an Interior Designer help you?

Save you time

You may have ideas that you’d like to incorporate into your home, but we will help you plan the best layout for you and your needs, save you time by sourcing the very best options for you to choose from and create a variety of mood boards to help you visualise the room and make the best decisions for you. We will design, plan and shop. You can involve us as much or as little as you like, saving you the time exactly where you need it.

Save you money

Our hourly rates mean that you have the flexibility to use us in the areas you need it most, you are not tied into paying for whole room designs, or complicated fee structures and our clients find this works extremely well for them. In sourcing the perfect pieces for you we will save you costly mistakes and ensure everything goes together beautifully. We have a wealth of knowledge of interiors and furniture retailers and will often instantly know retailers and pieces that you will love that are making great products at fantastic value! We will compare the prices and pass on trade discounts of up to 50%. We have no vested interest in you purchasing from any retailers and our clients feel secure that our recommendations are all made with your best interests at heart. We will take into account how your lifestyle may change, recommending pieces that will be flexible and can be updated if necessary to suit your needs.

Creative Ideas

We’ve been doing this for a long time, and we understand interiors and the options that are available to you. We can bring unique and clever ideas to your home, solving layout and storage problems. We know how to make the most of tricky spaces and where we can add secret storage and are full of tips and hints that can cost next to nothing, but make a huge difference to your home!

We know our stuff

Through our experience of transforming homes and commercial spaces, we have built up contacts, knowledge, techniques and collaborations. This means that we are in the perfect position to speak with the right retailer. We work with a variety of trades and will often involve them in the projects we work on.

We love what we do

We know that you want to achieve a stunning finish, but you may not enjoy the laborious process of researching, planning and executing the transformation. That’s where we can help as we do! We will work tirelessly for you and with you to ensure you get your dream home!

If you want a fabulous home, but need inspiration and help achieving it, contact Interiors at 58. Remember to follow us on Facebook for more interior design ideas.

Give your home a facelift

It is now officially Spring, and time to have a clear out and refresh your home. As much as we love redoing a room from top to bottom, sometimes that just isn’t practical. There are little things that you can do or change in your home to give you a different look without a complete overhaul.

Soft Furnishings

You can make an impact or a subtle change with an update of your soft furnishings; a simple yet effective transformation. New textures and colours instantly refresh a room. There is a huge range of furnishings meaning there is something for every room and every taste. Here are some of our favourites:

We love these cushions from Amara with their bold design and colours they will make an impact in any room.

A simple change of curtains can add a touch of glamour. These striped curtains with tassel details from Anthropologie would do just the job.

In the bedroom, you have the option of making an easy yet effective adjustment simply by dressing your bed. A bedspread can inject colour into a room. We love these quilts, available in a range of sumptuous colours, from Graham and Green. You can also complement the colour with the addition of cushions. A simple yet effective investment for your interior.

A new rug can really change the feel of a room instantly so it is a fantastic choice if you are only looking to update a few pieces. This rug from Westelm is both stylish and functional.

There are other simple ways to freshen up your interiors:

  • Painting the walls a new colour is a great way to make a big change at low cost. Do make sure that the new tone doesn’t clash with your key items such as your sofa!
  • Add faux plants and greenery; focal points that look fresh
  • Rearrange your existing furniture to create a new layout. Consider if there are pieces of furniture under-utilised elsewhere in your home that could be put to better use in the room
  • Hanging art and mirrors will bring walls to life, adding colour and interest to the room
  • Declutter your rooms so that you can display your favourite pieces to full effect. Group items together in odd numbers for an eye-catching display.

Follow us on Facebook and keep up to date with interior trends, hints and tips.

April 2019

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.

Using an Interior Designer

You’re thinking about using an interior design service; where do you start?

First let’s look at what an interior designer can do for you. Interior design is the art or process of designing the interior decoration of a room or building. The end results are that the rooms are more aesthetically pleasing and the environment reflects the mood you want. An interior designer plans, researches, coordinates and manages projects. To put it into real terms, an interior designer works with her clients to create their ideal space.

What are the benefits from using an interior designer?

A good question, and one I am asked a lot. The perception can often be that interior design is only for a luxury finish or big budget. In reality, an interior designer will create the finish that a client desires within their budget. Interior designers save their clients time and money; with their bank of contacts from suppliers to tradespeople, they will be able to research and source furniture, furnishings and accessories much more efficiently and cost-effectively. They can work within a budget, and their trained eye will be invaluable when it comes to recommending the best options to meet the brief.  When you employ an interior designer, you are not only tapping into her expertise and experience, you also have access to a wide range of established and recommended contacts.

You know the benefits of interior design, and you want to hire a designer; where do you look?

I would always advise to use recommended companies and individuals where you can. If that’s not an option, there are websites that list local interior designers, for example www.designdirectory.co.uk. Remember to check out their reviews and testimonials; Facebook is a good place to look for reviews. It’s important to meet with a designer prior to hiring them and make sure that you get on. Projects can be a lengthy, and you need a friendly, approachable person who you can communicate with.

You’ve hired a designer, what can you expect?

I work with my clients to achieve the finish they wish for. You can leave the whole job in my capable hands, and I will communicate with all parties throughout, suggest the décor and source everything required. I will liaise with all the other trades involved whether that’s an architect, builder or decorator. Or you can set me to work on a smaller task; this could be planning a room layout to maximise the space, or sourcing the perfect sofa.

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