Author: cainter

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Stylish wallpaper ideas for 2019/2020

With a heady series of updates, the return of printed wallpaper remains high on most decorators design agendas, with continued interest soon going into 2020. We still expect to start seeing inspiring wallpaper updates to bring life and great design to any space, from commercial to residential. Unique floral prints and patterns are also making a big comeback as we’re noting more botanical-inspired wallpapers on the market. Texture also features heavily for the best wallpaper options, helping to create an interesting, cozy environment in your home.

We are also seeing a move back towards more traditional wallpaper designs inspired by the past; there is plenty of flocked inspired paper available, and we are seeing more traditional designs and colors make a refreshing come back as well. There’s such a wide variety of things going on in the world of wallpaper at the moment (even sustainable and eco-friendly options) that are certain to inspire you. Here’s our take on the most stylish wallpaper ideas of 2019 and beyond.

BIRD PRINTS

Add a sense of play in any room in your home with bold bird printed wallpaper with an oversized scale to really maximize the look. Our interior designers love Salamndre’s iconic and wildly popular flamingo and various bird prints.

They’re great for adding depth in a room via an accent wall or for small areas like powder rooms and entryways.

GRAPHIC GEOMETRY

Channel the heady spirit of the Art-Deco era with a graphic and symmetrical geometrically printed wall covering that’ll be sure to never go out of style while adding a sense of every day glamor in your home.

To get the look right and keep it timeless, go for classic colors that you won’t tire of as trends come and go.

ASIAN INSPIRED

It may come as a surprise to see Asian-inspired styles when considering modern wallpaper for your home as they haven’t been popular since the early 90’s, but there’s always an exception when traditional styles get glorious updates.

From metallic finishes to intricate details, there’s something to said about the beauty of Chinoiserie flora and fauna elevating a room. And if Asian-inspired wallpaper wasn’t inspiring enough, look at how clever the placement the dining room wallpaper featured above is. By only placing the wallpaper within molded rectangles, the look comes off as though they are traditional screens. Pretty clever indeed.

TERRAZO

With Terrazo, that 80’s era marble-inspired flecked print, seriously trending over the past few seasons on everything from upholstery to bathroom accessories, it was only a matter of time that it would appear as a riotous contender when considering modern wallpaper for your home.

Playful, abstract, and forever-cool, Terrazo wallpaper ideas are great for a home with transitional or mid-century modern interior design as it works perfectly with the era’s and mood of both. Plus, since its background is usually based around a common neutral, it will help any room appear larger and brighter.

GET IN CONTACT WITH US, TO VIEW OUR COLLECTION OF WALLPAPERS

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Everything to know about Upholstery

The fabric of an upholstered piece is the most visible sign of quality and style. Upholstery fabric also is the part most likely to show wear and soil. When choosing upholstery, you should be aware of its durability, cleanability, and resistance to soil and fading.

How will your upholstered pieces be used in your home? Sofas, chairs, and ottomans receiving only moderate amounts of wear will do fine with a less durable fabric. However, pieces subjected to daily heavy wear need to be covered in tough, durable, tightly woven fabrics.

When purchasing upholstery fabric or upholstered furniture, be aware that the higher the thread count, the more tightly woven the fabric is, and the better it will wear. Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric.

NATURAL FABRICS

Linen: Linen is best suited for formal living rooms or adult areas because it soils and wrinkles easily. And, it won’t withstand heavy wear. However, linen does resist pilling and fading. Soiled linen upholstery must be professionally cleaned to avoid shrinkage.

Leather: This tough material can be gently vacuumed, damp-wiped as needed, and cleaned with leather conditioner or saddle soap.

Cotton: This natural fiber provides good resistance to wear, fading, and pilling. It is less resistant to soil, wrinkling, and fire. Surface treatments and blending with other fibers often atone for these weaknesses. Durability and use depend on the weave and finish. Damask weaves are formal; canvas (duck and sailcloth) is more casual and more durable.

Wool: Sturdy and durable, wool and wool blends offer good resistance to pilling, fading, wrinkling, and soil. Generally, wool is blended with a synthetic fiber to make it easier to clean and to reduce the possibility of felting the fibers (causing them to bond together until they resemble felt). Blends can be spot-cleaned when necessary.

Cotton Blend: Depending on the weave, cotton blends can be sturdy, family-friendly fabrics. A stain-resistant finish should be applied for everyday use.

Vinyl: Easy-care and less expensive than leather, vinyls are ideal for busy family living and dining rooms. Durability depends on quality.

Silk: This delicate fabric is only suitable for adult areas, such as formal living rooms. It must be professionally cleaned if soiled.

SYNTHETIC FABRICS

Acetate: Developed as imitation silk, acetate can withstand mildew, pilling, and shrinking. However, it offers only fair resistance to soil and tends to wear, wrinkle, and fade in the sun. It’s not a good choice for furniture that will get tough everyday use.

Acrylic: This synthetic fiber was developed as imitation wool. It resists wear, wrinkling, soiling, and fading. Low-quality acrylic may pill excessively in areas that receive high degrees of abrasion. High-quality acrylics are manufactured to pill significantly less.

Nylon: Rarely used alone, nylon is usually blended with other fibers to make it one of the strongest upholstery fabrics. Nylon is very resilient; in a blend, it helps eliminate the crushing of napped fabrics such as velvet. It doesn’t readily soil or wrinkle, but it does tend to fade and pill.

Olefin: This is a good choice for furniture that will receive heavy wear. It has no pronounced weaknesses.

Polyester: Rarely used alone in upholstery, polyester is blended with other fibers to add wrinkle resistance, eliminate crushing of napped fabrics, and reduce fading. When blended with wool, polyester aggravates pilling problems.

Rayon: Developed as an imitation silk, linen, and cotton, rayon is durable. However, it wrinkles. Recent developments have made high-quality rayon very practical.

CA INTERIORS UPHOLSTERY

Reupholstery a piece of furniture can save you hundreds of rands, but the process can be a little tricky. Talk to us about options available for your current and treasured pieces of furniture.

MORE INFO ABOUT THE FABRIC HOUSES ASSOCIATED WITH CA INTERIORS

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Top trends in kitchen design for 2019/2020

Decades ago, the kitchen was hidden in the back of the house. It was a place where meals were prepared and dirty dishes were washed. Fast forward to 2019 and the kitchen has a much different role. Today, the kitchen is the focal point of the home, the place that brings everyone together at the start of the day or after a long day way.  Now instead, the kitchen is paraded in all its beauty and warmth at the very center of the house.

TREND #1: SMART KITCHENS

Technology has entered the kitchen in full force and not just in the form of fancy gadgets and appliances. Today, you can have a kitchen with technology integrated into every function and appliance–from the faucets to the fridge to the lighting. This is what we call a smart kitchen.

Smart kitchens are an evolving aspect of design. In fact, a lot of kitchens today are built smart from the ground up. For older kitchens, sensors, smart gadgets and other devices can be added to for convenience to the homeowner.

TREND #2: STREAMLINED DESIGNS & TEXTURES

While styles like farmhouse and mid-century modern are still popular, homeowners are getting more streamlined in their overall aesthetic, designs and alternative materials for kitchens. Stress-free environments are what you would like to come home too, and drown out the day to day stresses of life.  Which usually means, simplicity. Simple looks are all about modern clean lines. They will continue to be a huge hit even in 2020.

TREND #3: EFFECTIVE STORAGE SOLUTION

One of the biggest annoyances with kitchen cabinetry is an unnecessary waste of space. The way the basic shelves and drawers are structured leaves a lot of wasted space. Worst of all, available space is often too small for some of your larger things or the opposite: it’s too wide and does not give you a way to properly and efficiently organize the space.

2020 will also see a range of new kitchen storage options throughout the whole kitchen–focused on making daily lives more effortless and making cooking fun.

TREND #4: MULTIPURPOSE KITCHEN ISLANDS

Kitchen islands are no longer an afterthought or something small to squeeze into space. They have become focal points and the hub of the kitchen. One of the changes emerging is the single level larger sizing, serving multiple uses; especially since we are seeing less wall cabinet space in kitchen design. The kitchen island is meant to create an impact, and its design must make a statement.

TREND #5: CONNECTING WITH THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Literally! Homeowners are connecting the kitchen to an outdoor space or patio. They are also adding entry points from the kitchen to outside entertainment areas. By installing a glass door in your kitchen, you can easily connect these two spaces in your home.

Speak to our team for innovative kitchen design ideas and see what brilliant designs can be brought to life in your new kitchen.

VISIT OUR KITCHEN DESIGN PAGE

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Tips on how to choose the right window blind

Not sure about the different styles of window blinds available? Or confused about what type of blind would be better suited to a particular room of your home? Follow this essential guide which provides you with all the advice you need to help make your decision easier.

MEASURING UP

  • Before you measure up, decide which fitting option you’d prefer: inside or outside the recess. Inside the recess is a good option for windows in small rooms without much wall space around them. It’s also ideal if you are teaming your blind with curtains. For larger rooms, choose a blind that sits outside the recess and blocks out more light.
  • For a blind that’s going inside the window recess, measure the width of the recess at its narrowest point and the height of the recess.
  • For a blind that’s going to hang outside the recess, measure the width of the recess and add 4cm to each side, then measure the height of the recess and add 15cm.
  • Decide which side the pulley and catch should be in case accessing them will be an issue.

CHOOSE A STYLE

Roller blinds roll up or down by means of a cord. To add interest when they’re open, they can have a different fabric on either side. They are an affordable option for informal settings, such as a home office.

Roman blinds give a formal look. They are made from fabric and operate by a pulley. When raised, the blind concertinas into large horizontal pleats, leaving a good segment of fabric on show.

Venetian blinds are slatted blinds made from wood, metal or plastic. They often feature in sleek kitchens or bathrooms, and metal or plastic blinds are a practical choice for rooms with high levels of moisture. As you can filter the light, they are also great for a home office.

CHECK OUR BLINDS PAGE

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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.