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Interior Design: Wall stencils & Decals
Brighten your home, workplace, dorm, or store with stencil art. Decorate your walls, bed post, refrigerator, windows, tables, store fronts, doors, and more!...

Interior Design: Christmas Color Schemes
Are you in full Christmas-mode or not yet? It's never too early (or too late) to start planning for Christmas! Christmas is almost here again and it's time...

Interior Design: Sample/Mood Boards for Interior Designer 
 Are you a student of interior design college? You are in the right place. Are you looking for inspiration or advice on how to design and create mood & ....

Interior Design: Decorative Paint Effects
So you came to the store, selected a colour paint but have you thought about the paint finish you want to use? There are so many different types of decorati...

World's Most Famous Women Interior Designers / Decorators
Interior design increasingly gains popularity due to appreciation of art and beauty as these components are incorporated to establishments and landscapes.

100 Christmas Decorating Ideas 100 Christmas Decorating Ideas 
We, Rocket Moms on Squidoo, have compiled a list of 100 CHRISTMAS DECORATING IDEAS If you're looking for Christmas decorating inspirations, you've come to the...

Irish Christmas Decorating Ideas
 Nollaig Shona Duit or Happy Christmas to you! Christmas is almost here again and it's time to start thinking about decorating your home. Are you looking for...

Top 10 Christmas Wall Stickers 
Are you looking for easy way to transform your house into festive Christmas mood? Whether your home is traditional, contemporary, or eclectic, I have an eas...

Interior Design Directory of Squidoo
Hi to all! Are you an interior designer? Do you love to design? Do you have an interior design lenses on Squidoo? Please join this Interior Design Directory...

World's Most Famous Men Interior Designers / Decorators 
Ever wondered who is World's Most Famous Men Interior Designer? There are so many talented interior designers in the world, so I decided to mention 10 men...

Colour in Interior Design
The word "colour" looks and sounds simple but itself it's having really very powerful meaning. Human eye reacts to everything and colour is having ability to...

Interior Design: Tiles
Ok, you have decided that you want to use tiles in your house... Do you want to know more about Advantages and Disadvantages of Tiles? I have been working...

Interior Design: Mosaics
If you want to create a WOW factor, use the mosaics. When I was working for a high end tile boutique, I fell in love with mosaics. There are so many...

Top 10 Color Wheels
What is a color wheel? Color wheel is a tool for interior designers, decorators and graphic designers. There are many types of color wheels but most of them...

Drafting tools for Interior Designers
With all the technology available today, drafting has not just become a science but also an art. Nearly all commercial and industrial architectural firms ar...

Interior Design: Chandeliers
Chandeliers!!! They come in different shapes, colours and material. There are so many different types of them. You can buy plastic chandelier for a tenner & 

Grow herbs in your kitchen!

See what have I discovered! The AeroGarden is the world's first indoor smart garden. For those who love to cook this garden would perfect. It would great for apartment and houses in the city centre... little piece of nature in your house. Love this idea!

It's so easy to use that anyone, with or without gardening experience can grow lush, beautiful gardens right in their homes. This computerized AeroGarden tells you to add water and nutrients. The micro-processor automatically adjusts nutrient delivery and water flow, and even turns grow lights on and off to simulate the sun. Grow herbs, vegetables, fruits or flowers!

Grow Vegetables in your kitchen All Year Round

New community - Social Spark.

Social Spark is new star.Social Spark is new star.

I’m trying new community - SocialSpark. Social Spark is here and can help you monetize your blog, build community and drive traffic.I will try to figure it out soon.I know you can make friends, you can find some blog job opportunities there or you can advertise yourself! There is a community place and there is a marketplace where you can look for job proposition from various companies and self-made bloggers.

There are the three main types of marketplace opportunities: Sponsored Post, Blog Sponsorship and Spark.

“In the Sponsored Post Opportunity, a Blogger will create a unique sponsored post on his/her blog based on the guidance the Advertiser provides. The Advertiser can choose to have each Blogger include an image, video or press release along with the Blogger's own text.

Blog sponsorships are a means by which the Advertisers to utilize SocialSpark's unique technology to create a 'welcome mat' and persistent sponsorship banner on blogs. Sponsorships can consist of text, images or video. The advertiser pays per day that a select blog runs the Blog Sponsorship.

Spark: Sparks are free Opportunities that serve as ideas for blog posts. Sparks are utilized primarily by Bloggers, but may also be used by Advertisers. They offer no tracking or segmentation options.” (Explanation given by Social Spark)”

To qualify your blog must be at least 90 days old, with at least 20 pre-existing posts written in the last 90 days. Should be in English or Spanish. I’m helping spreading the word. If you are a bloggers who are looking for a way to earn some money from their blog, this for you!The ways you can make money on here range quite a bit. Some advertisers offers you peanuts , others are pretty generous. So it really depends on us bloggers.

As my blog is about interior design, I tried to find some jobs who want me to write about interior design but I could find only 2 job opportunities. I didn’t take them because they didn’t fit my blog.

There are many reviews about Social Spark website. Some love it, some hate it. I wonder what I’m going to say!?!

How to Choose Flooring for Your House?

How to choose flooring for you house? My article from Articles Base.

First you have to decide what you want to use: carpet, wood, laminate, natural stone porcelain, vinyl or a mix of these products.Nowadays there are so many choices available, so when it's time to make the final decision people are confused. I suggest you not to hurry.Take your time. If you go to carpet or tile showroom ask them for sample. Some companies do small samples like 10x 10 cm.Some can give you real size sample. So when you have a sample, bring it home and live with it for one or two weeks.This will give you a chance to understand what you want in the long term.

1. Decide which product(s) it is going to be.

2. Choose the size.

3. Pick the colour or at least a colour scheme.

4. What type of finish you want?

5. Is it going high traffic area or low traffic. By traffic I mean how often people are going to be in this area. Bare feet or with shoes? Any pets?

6. Know the measurements required. It could meters, feet,yards - really it can be any metricsystem. Sales person would be able to convert it for you.

7. Have you decided on your budget?

My suggestion is when buying flooring or any other product is to talk to sales people. They are there to help you and give advice. Even if you are not buying from them, talk to them. As well when doing research, use any opportunity you can. This could be your friends, colleagues, sales advisors, books or Internet.

Dana is an interior designer, blogger and entrepreneur. For more information go to: My Design Directory and Design & Style Blog

Juicy Salif lemon squeezer for Alessi

The pick of the day is this sexy Juicy Salif lemon squeezer for Alessi.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Juicy Salif, designed by Philippe Starck in 1990. It is considered an icon of industrial design that has been displayed in museums such as New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Originally, it was inspired by squeezing a lemon over a squid in a sea food restaurant, but many observers think it looks like a spider. It is manufactured by Italian kitchenware company Alessi. Its diameter is 14 cm, height 29 cm, and it is made from cast and polished aluminum.

Available from http://www.hivemodern.com/

Marshmellow sofa by George Nelson

George Nelson, 1956

Here is one more design of the 2oth century.
Nelson's design transformed the traditional sofa into a three-dimensional pattern consisting of 18 brightly-coloured sections of upholstery, supported by a simple steel structure. This unusual shape and construction make Marshmallow Sofa one of design history's more unusual sofas. An extension element consisting of six individual cushions can be mounted between two sofas, allowing sofa to be extended as required. Available from Vitra.

Loft Cube by Werner Aisslinger

This Loft Cube mobile home can be placed on the rooftop of any building or anywhere you want. The Loft cube designed by German industrial designer Werner Aisslinger.

The Loft Cube can be customized to your taste. It's small mobile living space which can be brought by helicopter or by crane... This Loft Cube can have 39 or 55 sq.meters of living space can be installed in 2 to 4 days. Price 89 000 to 144 000 euro. You should see this website www.loftcube.net for more information.

Happy Pills candy shop in Barcelona

This candy shop's design so simple but it works very well. The design concept is brilliant. Candies...make us happy... so true! Applause to designer of this shop. I can imagine tourists in Barcelona guessing what is inside?!?and imagine kids.

Veuve Clicquot Love seat by Karim Rashid

Veuve Clicquot Love seat Sakura, 2006

This extravagant bright pink Clicquot love seat was designed by Karin Rashid.The love seat consists of two opposite facing chairs joined in the center by a pedestal with an ice bucket in the classic Clicquot yellow creating an intimate place to share your bubbly. The love seat price is around $10,000.

Who is Karim Rashid? For me he is Leonardo Da Vinci of design, he is very talented and very inspiring designer with personality. To learn more about him go to his website: www.karimrashid.com

Did you know that he has internship program for

someone who is interested in industrial and interior design?

Look at Float bed by Okooko

Float by Okooko, designed by David Trubridge Float was voted by the public as 'Best piece of bedroom furniture'. It is indeed beautiful piece of furniture. Very romantic....deamy....sleepy.

SWAN SOFA by Arne Jacobsen

Design of the 20th Century.

This amazing piece of furniture is called SWAN SOFA. It was designed for the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen- for the suites, lounges and the Panoramic room at the 21st floor. An outstretched 2-seater version of the Swan chair covered in different types of leather or fabric and resting on an aluminium shaker base.

I can't believe it was 1958. Arne Jacobsen was very productive both as an architect and as a designer. His cooperation with Fritz Hansen dates back to 1934. It's still available from Fritz Hansen.

Principles of Interior Design

Principles of Interior Design
by: Kathy Iven

Whether you are working with existing furnishings and fabrics or “starting from scratch” with an empty room, you should always use the elements and principles of design as a guide in choosing everything. The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The elements of design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements. The principles of design are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.

Principle #1: Balance
Visual equilibrium in a room is called balance. It gives a sense of repose and a feeling of completion. A well-balanced room gives careful consideration to the placement of objects according to their visual weight. The elements of line, form, color and texture all help determine an object’s visual weight, which is the amount of space it appears to occupy. Balance also refers to how and where you place the elements (line, form, color and texture) within a room. To maintain balance, try to distribute the elements throughout the room.
• Formal balance, often referred to as symmetrical balance, creates a mirror image effect.
• Informal balance uses different objects of the same visual weight to create equilibrium in a room. It is more subtle and spontaneous and gives a warmer, more casual feeling.

Principle #2: Emphasis
Emphasis is the focal point of the room. The focal point should be obvious as you enter the room; it is the area to which your eye is attracted. Whatever is featured, as the center of interest –a fireplace, artwork or a window treatment framing a beautiful view – must be sufficiently emphasized so that everything else leads the eye toward the featured area. You can add emphasis to a natural focal point or create one in a room through effective use of line, form, color and texture.

Principle #3: Rhythm
Rhythm supplies the discipline that controls the eye as is moves around a room. Rhythm helps the eye to move easily from one object to another and creates a harmony that tells the eye everything in the room belongs to a unified whole. Rhythm is created through repetition of line, form, color or texture. It can also be created through progression. Progressive rhythm is a gradual increasing or decreasing in size, direction or color.

Principle #4: Proportion and Scale
Size relationships in a room are defined by proportion and scale. Proportion refers to how the elements within an object relate to the object as a whole. Scale relates to the size of an object when compared with the size of the space in which it is located.

Principle #5: Harmony and Unity
A well-designed room is a unified whole that encompasses all the other elements and principles of design. Unity assures a sense of order. There is a consistency of sizes and shapes, a harmony of color and pattern. The ultimate goal of decorating is to create a room with unity and harmony and a sense of rhythm. Repeating the elements, balancing them throughout the room, and then adding a little variety so that the room has its own sense of personality accomplishes this. Too much unity can be boring; too much variety can cause a restless feeling. Juggling the elements and principles to get just the right mix is a key to good design.

About The Author - Kathy Iven, Columbus, OH kathy@fabricfarms.com

The truth about interior design

The Truth About Interior Design
by: Robert Thatcher

Have you ever wondered how you can make your home look like the place of the affluent people? Or would you just like to create an impression of classic beauty with an air of sophistication?
All of these things can be made through the use of interior designs.
Basically, interior design refers to the art of manipulating and forming the inner space of a house, an office, or a room, through the management of surface healing and “spatial volume.”
Interior designs are generally used to bring in the features of architecture, furniture designs, environmental psychology, and product design. All of these are combined to create an artistic projection of the area in project.

The Style
The interior designer should know and take into consideration the different parts of “design styles.” These are the proportion, function of design, concept, and balance. All of these parts are important in creating the total “look and feel” of the room.

For instance, in creating the “look and feel” of the room, the interior design could enhance the “graphical user interface” of the design buy using the right combination of colors, layout, shapes, etc. Included in the aspect of styles are the seven elements of design that an interior designer must always take into account. These are the shape, form, line, texture, color, pattern, and mass. All of these things, when incorporated in a project will bring out the best results.

However, good interior designers must also take into account the aspects of beauty in terms of its function and aesthetics. A good balance between the two will instigate proper coordination of all the elements of design.

The reason behind this argument is based on the fact that the concept of beauty is always comparative and qualified. As the old adage goes, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
Hence, there are instances that one design might be beautiful for one person but may look unsightly with others. That is why when the function of interior design serves its purpose as far as enhancing the total outlook of the space is considered as universal, the comparativeness of its beauty will vary from one person to another.

For this reason, the design used by the interior designer may be relative to his or her own aspect of beauty but may be taken differently by his or her viewers. Nevertheless, it is still the interior designer who will know the appropriate use of the different elements of design associated with the utilization of the various kinds of materials that he or she will use.
Consequently, the interior designer must still consider the insights and taste of the user or the customer. After all, the interior designer is being paid to enhance the space according to the taste of the one who will use that space.

At this point, it is now based on the “sales talks” or the persuasive power of the designer to convince his or her client the best style, patterned to his or her style. In this way, the designer will not be in trouble of deviating from the interests of the client. Otherwise, the designer may no longer find future works from this particular client.
Indeed, interior designing is not just a matter of good taste and spatial enhancement. It is also a conglomeration of the application of the different elements of design along with the personal interest of the client.
It is a work of art with the value of ethical standards constituted in one art form.

About The Author
Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides interior design resources on http://www.just-interior-design.info.

Welcome to Design & Style blog

Welcome to Design & Style

Welcome to my latest blog. Hopefully this blog will guide you in finding new designs, new products available on the market and it will inspire you to style your house in a way you always wanted. My objective is to create a blog where you will discover helpful tips and links.

Kind regads,
Dana and Co.