Simplistic old modern and vintage are the central trends for 2011, streamlined and tailored is a necessity with soft natural colours making your home neutral with the odd hint of colour on a wall, cushion or sofa.
Geometrics
Rebalancing your home with natural, homely colours is what’s coming into play this year and will follow through to 2012. Using clean slick lines with the occasional zigzag will make your room look fresh and clean. Watching out for vintage, repeat pattern and the odd 1970s print is what could really put that spark back into your home. This year is all about making things look fresh….
Colourful
In 2010, strong colours made a breakthrough but the difference in 2011 is the clashing of colours, following the trend on the catwalks and clothing. Being confident with your choices of colors, will bring a strong sense of style an individualism in your house. Painting a feature wall with a strong hue, will add impact and a hint of colour to your room.
Pattern and Print
When choosing a printed piece for your room, you need to make sure that not only the colour suits the mood of the room but the piece fits. Sounds easier than it looks, don’t be afraid to choose the unexpected, as it’s not just about suiting your needs in a room but about creating a room to your own taste and style. Don’t be afraid to consider using lots of texture with your furniture fabrics. And also, by painting the wall behind your selected piece, a colour that sets it off, it will make it stand out with desired effect.
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
Feng Shui for your home
What is Feng Shui and how can it help the way we live?
Sarah Rossbach is an author and feng shui consultant who whilst living in Hong Kong learned the art of feng shui from the worldwide authority Professor Lin Yun, defines it as follows.
Translated feng shui is "wind" and "water", it is an "eco-art" linking man and his destiny with his surroundings, be they natural or man-made, cosmic or local".
For thousands of years the Chinese have tried to influence environmental forces such as wind and water to improve the landscape and ultimately their lives. They have believed that if they were ideally positioned within the universe, they could enhance the balance of nature and thus improve their fortunes.
We have all been in buildings where immediately we have felt unsettled or have felt happy in another.
Feng shui attempts to define what elements in our environment depress and elevate us. It also identifies design problems and offers simple "cures" to balance and enhance our surroundings and – with luck - our lives.
For many years before I studied Feng Shui I realised I was instinctively using some of the elements of Feng Shui - I was able to know if a room was in balance and harmony almost immediately on entering it. I have always been very fussy about having a de-cluttered entrance hall and rear porch and not realising that until I learnt more that this was causing a "block " to the energy flow in and out of the house.
It is a necessity to clear out your clutter, removing anything that’s not loved in your house. This process will not only act as a therapy, but increase the positivity running through your home.
The hall - the occupant's first impression of a home or an office and the opening for ch'i (energy) is a crucial fen shui consideration. An entrance area should be light and expansive, warm and welcoming. This encourages residents' ch'i to rise and flow smoothly.
Placement of mirrors in another interesting area of feng shui which I again have always used instinctively - mirrors enhance a room in a number of ways, they visually double the space, they bring in more light, they reflect openings such as windows.
Always making your house happy and homely, don’t forget to take into account the lighting and air. These are two necessities when considering the layout and energy to your room. Windows open, air purifiers and spot lights are just a few essential ideas to balance the calm in your home.
With an understanding of balance and some knowledge of feng shui rules, businesspeople can feng shui their own offices. For example a computer worker in an office should face the door or he or she will suffer from stress after a while. When I visited Hong Kong last year I noticed huge office buildings with large gaps in them and was told it was to allow the wind to pass through the building and to give the business in the building more chances of success and prosperity.
It is a fascinating subject, even if we don't fully understand it, it is worth trying a few simple feng shui rules and it may surprise us. So if you were putting off that water feature at the front of your house - it may be worth going ahead with it - apparently it brings prosperity into the home.
Good luck with applying any feng shui rules to your home!
Sarah Rossbach is an author and feng shui consultant who whilst living in Hong Kong learned the art of feng shui from the worldwide authority Professor Lin Yun, defines it as follows.
Translated feng shui is "wind" and "water", it is an "eco-art" linking man and his destiny with his surroundings, be they natural or man-made, cosmic or local".
For thousands of years the Chinese have tried to influence environmental forces such as wind and water to improve the landscape and ultimately their lives. They have believed that if they were ideally positioned within the universe, they could enhance the balance of nature and thus improve their fortunes.
We have all been in buildings where immediately we have felt unsettled or have felt happy in another.
Feng shui attempts to define what elements in our environment depress and elevate us. It also identifies design problems and offers simple "cures" to balance and enhance our surroundings and – with luck - our lives.
For many years before I studied Feng Shui I realised I was instinctively using some of the elements of Feng Shui - I was able to know if a room was in balance and harmony almost immediately on entering it. I have always been very fussy about having a de-cluttered entrance hall and rear porch and not realising that until I learnt more that this was causing a "block " to the energy flow in and out of the house.
It is a necessity to clear out your clutter, removing anything that’s not loved in your house. This process will not only act as a therapy, but increase the positivity running through your home.
The hall - the occupant's first impression of a home or an office and the opening for ch'i (energy) is a crucial fen shui consideration. An entrance area should be light and expansive, warm and welcoming. This encourages residents' ch'i to rise and flow smoothly.
Placement of mirrors in another interesting area of feng shui which I again have always used instinctively - mirrors enhance a room in a number of ways, they visually double the space, they bring in more light, they reflect openings such as windows.
Always making your house happy and homely, don’t forget to take into account the lighting and air. These are two necessities when considering the layout and energy to your room. Windows open, air purifiers and spot lights are just a few essential ideas to balance the calm in your home.
With an understanding of balance and some knowledge of feng shui rules, businesspeople can feng shui their own offices. For example a computer worker in an office should face the door or he or she will suffer from stress after a while. When I visited Hong Kong last year I noticed huge office buildings with large gaps in them and was told it was to allow the wind to pass through the building and to give the business in the building more chances of success and prosperity.
It is a fascinating subject, even if we don't fully understand it, it is worth trying a few simple feng shui rules and it may surprise us. So if you were putting off that water feature at the front of your house - it may be worth going ahead with it - apparently it brings prosperity into the home.
Good luck with applying any feng shui rules to your home!
Monday, 31 January 2011
Decluttering before embarking on a decorative project
Any decorative project, from one small bedroom to a whole house, will benefit from good planning. It is easy to get carried away with colour schemes and accessorising before we are really ready for that stage.
So what are the benefits of decluttering and organising a room before we get the paint charts out or buy that new cushion?
Anyone who understand the basics of feng shui (read my next blog on more details) will know that harmony and balance are both crucial factors.
When we declutter a room we immediately allow new energy to circulate into that space and we feel calmer and more in control.
Simply tidying up a room is not enough. Start systematically with each drawer, cupboard and container and only keep useful items, dispose of broken ones and donate unused or out of date items to your local charity shop.
Be ruthless and only keep items you have used over the last year. Items that are kept should be organised so easily accessible and grouped into similar items. For example,in a kitchen - keep all dried foods such as rice, pasta,in transparent airtight containers that are practical and easy to use; or in a bedroom - organise shoes into colours and styles in transparent boxes so they are immediately identifiable, accessible and also free from being damaged.
Decluttering also helps you to know what you have and when putting items back in a systematic manner, label or sort into containers that makes life easier for times when you are frantically busy. There is something satisfying about going into a stationery drawer knowing you will find exactly what you want. Get into good habits of putting things away after use and you will make life a lot less stressful.
Once you have decluttered every cupboard, drawer, shelf, move as much of the furniture out of the room as possible. If you are emptying a room such as a kitchen and all its contents use large plastic transparent boxes that are clearly marked and I know from experience this can be a so beneficial when your kitchen refurbishment is moving into its second week!
So your space is clear now ready for your dust sheets, and pasting table - you can now decorate in a more systematic way rather than struggling to move items every time you move the ladder. Large items like beds or heavy wardrobes can be moved to one end of a room and allowing you the maximum space to tackle ceilings and large wall expanses.
You can now tackle your decorating knowing that all your hard work will make it easier and you can look forward to transforming it into a harmonious space!
So what are the benefits of decluttering and organising a room before we get the paint charts out or buy that new cushion?
Anyone who understand the basics of feng shui (read my next blog on more details) will know that harmony and balance are both crucial factors.
When we declutter a room we immediately allow new energy to circulate into that space and we feel calmer and more in control.
Simply tidying up a room is not enough. Start systematically with each drawer, cupboard and container and only keep useful items, dispose of broken ones and donate unused or out of date items to your local charity shop.
Be ruthless and only keep items you have used over the last year. Items that are kept should be organised so easily accessible and grouped into similar items. For example,in a kitchen - keep all dried foods such as rice, pasta,in transparent airtight containers that are practical and easy to use; or in a bedroom - organise shoes into colours and styles in transparent boxes so they are immediately identifiable, accessible and also free from being damaged.
Decluttering also helps you to know what you have and when putting items back in a systematic manner, label or sort into containers that makes life easier for times when you are frantically busy. There is something satisfying about going into a stationery drawer knowing you will find exactly what you want. Get into good habits of putting things away after use and you will make life a lot less stressful.
Once you have decluttered every cupboard, drawer, shelf, move as much of the furniture out of the room as possible. If you are emptying a room such as a kitchen and all its contents use large plastic transparent boxes that are clearly marked and I know from experience this can be a so beneficial when your kitchen refurbishment is moving into its second week!
So your space is clear now ready for your dust sheets, and pasting table - you can now decorate in a more systematic way rather than struggling to move items every time you move the ladder. Large items like beds or heavy wardrobes can be moved to one end of a room and allowing you the maximum space to tackle ceilings and large wall expanses.
You can now tackle your decorating knowing that all your hard work will make it easier and you can look forward to transforming it into a harmonious space!
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