Tag: benefits of interior design

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Easy decorating ideas for a nursery room

From toddler to energetic little one, rooms for this age can really be lots of colour, fun and not to mentioned beautifully themed – with style of course!

Looking for nursery decorating ideas? It’s the one space in the house where you can cut-loose and indulge your sense of fun when choosing a decorating scheme. A kid’s room isn’t only a place for sleep – see it as a play space that will spark children’s imaginations, too.

Whether you’ve got months or weeks until your new bundle of joy comes home for the first time you’ll be keen to get the baby’s room ready in time for their arrival.

From brightly coloured wallpaper to gender neutral colour palettes and nursery furniture ideas, there are plenty of nursery decorating tips for every budget. And when your little one gets a bit older we’ve got plenty of inspiration for transforming a baby’s room with our gallery of nursery decorating ideas.

Add in a peg rail to organise clothes

Any new mum will tell you that getting your little one ready for a day out can be a nightmare. You’ve managed to wrestle them into their closest clean t-shirt, only to discover that it is a PJ top. Install a peg rail on the nursery wall at your height, away from little fingers, where you can coordinate there outfits in advance and have them close to hand when it’s time to get ready.

Include a comfy chair and blanket

It’s likely that in your child’s first year you’ll be spending as much time sleeping in their nursery as they do. A comfy chair is an absolute must for perching on as you read your little one a bed time story, or for bouncing them up and down in when they cry through the night. Choose a comfy large arm chair that you would be happy to sleep in and breast feed in, trust us you won’t regret this nursery addition.

Create a colorful feature wall

It’s tempting to want to create a paradise of cream and sheepskin rugs when you have a little one on the way. However, don’t shy away from the brighter colours which your baby will be drawn too. Stimulate your babies senses with walls painted in primary colours – red, yellow and blue. Create a feature wall with brightly coloured wallpaper like this animal one which can double as a learning aid.

Incorporate plenty of storage

Babies usually come with lots of things, from nappies to baby wipes. Keep everything in its designated place with plenty of built in storage in your new nursery. Drawers are perfect for storing your supply of nappies and cotton wool pads. However, be careful about using drawers anywhere little fingers can get caught, instead consider a fabric box slotted into a shelf.

Think tactile and textures

From the silky mustard hanging bed canopy to the potato sack effect toy storage unit and seagrass-style runner, playing with texture in this room really helps to lift this space. A tasseled wall hanging and a rattan style

Paint the walls a neutral grey

Yellows, blues or pinks are usually the go-to colours for a nursery, but why not consider a grey-and-white colour scheme instead? This combination is not only timeless, but can be customised by adding extras, such as painted stars, which can be changed as your child gets older.

Line toys up on a shelf

Make a display of books, teddies or dolls on a set of shelves lined up horizontally on one wall. This is a great way of keeping toys off the floor, yet still to hand when your child wants to get one down.

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SAVE money by making use of an interior designer

There are many misconceptions about what an interior designer does. The main one is that they are only for the wealthy, people who are happy to get rid of what they own and subsequently spend outrageous amounts money on pricey goods famously marked up by absurd percentages. Yes, those people do exist and their homes are ready to be shot for a glossy magazine, but that’s not what most interior designers do.

Surprise, surprise. Designers are not only for trust fund families. In reality, an interior designer will not only save you money, but will also save you hours of frustration and stress — which undoubtably is priceless.

The top five ways a designer saves you cash:

1. Discounts (there is no one who doesn’t love a discount)

Furniture stores from Restoration Hardware to the “trade only” offer discounts to designers that range from 10% to 50% off. Also, crafts workers like tilers, painters, carpenters, and flooring specialists who often work with your designer will give you the best price as they know your designer will give them more business if they do great work and are reasonable. Using a designer is like getting things at a bulk rate without buying the bulk.

2. Reuse, Recycle, and get BANG BANG for your buck

Interior designers love a challenge. If you must keep that sofa because it was a gift from your grandmother, they work with it (it might be reupholstered with new legs, but hey, grandma won’t mind the makeover). They also know that on a budget, sometimes a fresh coat of paint and new hardware can make a piece of furniture feel brand new.

3. Time IS money

With their years of knowledge and experience, a designer quickly sizes up and offers sensible suggestions on how your space can be improved. They create a plan including a timeline, a budget, and a list of priorities. It is their job to know where to find a Spanish revival dining chair or who can custom make that kitchen banquet. They answer the hundreds of questions on details such as finishes and sizes that come up in every room so you don’t have spend time figuring it out (and perhaps fixing it if you get it wrong). They coordinate with the stores, contractors, architects and other artisans to complete your project on time and within budget.

4. Learn something, and become a wiser investor

Unlike the fickle fashion world, a wide range of furniture actually never goes out of style or loses its value. A designer will know what those pieces are and when and where it makes most sense to use them. Your designer is like your personal furniture investor.

5. Impress people, especially potential buyers

Everyone loves an aesthetically pleasing picture. If your home is eye candy, people will want to buy the candy. The value of your home increases, showings increase, and that results in an exponentially faster sale. A faster turn around equals faster money in your pocket.

Get in contact with us to see how we can save you time and money in decorating an existing or new space.

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Decorating ideas for spring

Add bursts of bright color, energetic patterns, and lively springtime motifs to your home to effortlessly transition it into spring.

Tabletop Terrarium

Carve out a sunny nook to refresh and recharge with a mini tabletop greenscape. A tray table makes it easy to move plants near a window’s natural light. Place plants that share light and watering needs but vary in texture and color for a fresh spring display in a glass terrarium.

Easy Accent

Bring a spare birdbath indoors to create living artwork. A shallow model can hold just enough soil to make a pretty display of moss, spring-flowering bulbs, and pussy willow branches. It’s the perfect miniature garden to enjoy indoors before your outdoor landscape blooms.

Ombre Update

Refresh a spare dresser, console, or nightstand with a fun ombre paint effect. Vary the brightness of a soft spring paint shade by mixing in different amounts of white paint. Apply the lightest shade to the top of your furniture piece, and gradually work down to the darkest shade.

Wonderful Windows

Sometimes all you need to update a room for a new season is a fresh window treatment. Use a pretty, floral-pattern Roman shade to turn a window into a work of art.

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10 of the best decorating tips of all time

Some things, simply put, are never finished. In the hopes of helping you decorate savvily for all the rest of your live long days, we went ahead and rounded up the greatest design tips and tricks in our arsenal.

1. Mount curtains high above your windows
The closer to the ceiling, the grander the room will feel.

2. Hang art pieces right at eye level
Aka 57 inches off the ground.

3. Station pretty baskets around the house
Three cheers for strategically placed clutter catchalls.

4. Style decorative objects in odd numbered groupings. 
Use the “rule of three,” people.

5. Layer your light sources
Task, ambient and accent: Layers = warmth.

6. Always, always make your bed
Nothing says “I don’t care about my home” quite like a duvet cover crumpled on the floor.

7. Use rugs to separate zones
Voilà: Insta-dining room in your open-concept kitchen.

8. Think of produce as decor
Fruits and veggies in a bowl make a gorgeous centerpiece in a pinch.

9. Make big statements in tiny rooms
Powder/laundry rooms + brazen wallpapers are always a good idea.

10. Fresh flowers, always
And fresh water too (no murky green business, thanks).  

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Pet Friendly Apartment Decorating Tips

Getting your apartment decorated and suitable for both you and your four-legged friend can be a challenge. Between your own style, your pet’s needs, and your space restrictions, there’s a lot to think about when decorating for a pet friendly apartment. Read on for a few tips about how to decorate with your pet in mind.

DECORATE UP

Use your wall space as much as possible. Tables and bookshelves can be great for storage and aesthetics, but you run the risk of your valuables getting damaged. Your pet might knock into a table while playing in the house and accidentally break vases, picture frames, artwork, or other expensive decorations. Avoid this by placing your decorations out of reach from your pet. Consider floating shelves, hang artwork on the walls, and keep breakable items away from your four-legged friend.

FLOOR RUGS: DO’S AND DON’TS

If you have hardwood floors, you might want to consider skipping the rugs. Cloth absorbs all sorts of things — smells, spills, bacteria — and you can easily avoid this by sticking with hard, smooth surfaces. If your pet has an accident on your hardwood floors, you can easily clean it up without anything soaking into the floor.

On the other hand, if you have wall-to-wall carpeting, you might want to consider a rug. Since rugs absorb most of a spill or smell, you can easily toss it in the washing machine. It will protect the carpet beneath it and can add a nice pop of color to an otherwise bland room.

CONSIDER YOUR FABRICS

Thinking of getting a new couch? How about a chic loveseat? Consider the type fabric you’ll be putting in your home or apartment. Is it going to attract your pet’s fur? Will it be easy to remove fur and stains from it? Typically, fabrics like velvet and silk are notoriously bad choices for pet owners. Instead, try furniture made from materials like leather (faux or real) and ultra-suede (machine-washable); they’re both pet friendly and can still create the look you want.

MAKE DEDICATED PLAY AREA

If you’re lucky enough to have space in your home or apartment to create a dedicated play area for your pet, then do it. It could be something as small as a corner of the living room that houses your cat’s scratching post or a basket full of your dog’s chew toys, or even an entire room for your pet to play in while you’re at work. Whatever it looks like for you, confining the play space to one area of the apartment is an easy way to create a pet friendly apartment.