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What’s Hot In Interior Design – June 2017

As well as being a creative industry, design is also an ever evolving one with new and repeating styles and trends.

As a designer it is imperative to keep up-to-date with innovative products, suppliers and trends in order to be able to create exciting spaces for clients. How do designers do this?  While it is important to watch what is coming out in magazines and online, it is essential to attend trade and industry events on a regular basis and keep building relationships with wholesalers.

This weekend I attended the annual DenFair trade event at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.  Having attended for the last three years, the event itself was pretty much the same… but interestingly the exhibitors weren’t.

Last year the dominating element was lighting.  It was everywhere and it was stunning.

This year, what struck me the most was the amount of fabric and upholstery.  When fabric is this prominent, it is telling designers that texture is what’s important at the moment…

Texture has been a big part of interiors for the last couple of years but mainly in big chunky knits and poufs.  The texture this year is very soft and velvety in a range of rich and vivid colours.

My favourite stand was one by a Melbourne based company called Austex fabrics (see below).  They have created incredible, light-weight and textured panels that can be used on walls, as bedheads and on doors.  With a large range of patterns and colours to choose from, these were a product I hadn’t seen before.

In addition to their panels is a new range of incredible fabrics for commercial, healthcare and boating coming to market shortly.

Austex display

So if you’re looking for new, fresh and exciting ideas for your home or commercial space, speak to a designer that is proactive in the industry and who attends trade fairs on a regular basis.  This is especially important for regional based designers who may have less contact on a daily or face-to-face basis with wholesalers and industry.

My ticket is booked for the next event in July, Decor and Design.

I’m always looking for more blog topic ideas. If you could pick my design brain, what would you like to know about interior/commercial design,  choosing paint colours or renovating your property? Let me know below, I’d love to hear from you.

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How To Make Good Lighting Choices

This image always makes me laugh.  It was placed on the internet last year by someone who’s friend switched on the lights in his hotel room and looked up.  As you can imagine, the image went viral on the web and there are many comments that I will not link to here but if you google “funny lighting shadows”, you will find them.

The importance of good lighting design
The importance of good lighting design

Lighting is a quite complex area of interior design and should not be overlooked, under-considered or rushed.

Here are my top tips for choosing lighting:

  1. Don’t place down lights everywhere.  You have different lighting needs in different areas of your home.  There is no one lighting answer for your whole home.
  2. Think about what you will be using the room for, this will determine the amount of light you need. Designers work to create a balance between ambient (the lighting you need to walk around a room), task (more intense lighting to help you read, cook or apply make-up) and accent lighting (highlights artwork and architectural features of your home).
  3. Consider how your lights look when they are turned off as well as turned on.
  4. Size and scale. Take measurements and make sure the lights you choose are the right size for where you are placing them.  A lamp or pendant that is the wrong size (too big or too small) will instantly look out of place.
  5. Bench tops in kitchens and bathrooms require their own lighting so that you can see what you’re doing (task lighting as mentioned above).  Placing LED task lights or fluorescent under upper cabinets or adding pendant lights are a great solution.
  6.  Don’t be afraid to add lighting where it is needed.  I recently added a light to a bar in the function room of a hotel.  It added interest to the area, additional lighting for staff as well as creating a lovely atmosphere with the shadows it created once turned on.

When you’re next shopping for lights, keep the image at the top of this page in mind, chuckle to yourself and hopefully you will make a more informed decision.

I’m always looking for more blog topic ideas. If you could pick my design brain, what would you like to know about preparing your home for sale, choosing paint colours or renovating your property? Let me know below, I’d love to hear from you.

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Is Pantone Greenery Gippsland’s colour of the year?

Earlier this week, Pantone released their Colour Of The Year for 2017 – a striking yellow green colour called Greenery.

I agree, I like it because it is much fresher than the olive greens we have seen a lot of in 2016.

For the first time ever, Pantone chose two colours for 2016 and both were muted tones in response to the hectic and turbulent world we find ourselves in today.

This colour feels much more optimistic.

Pantone said “Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate. Greenery is nature’s neutral.”

To use this kind of colour in paint, I would recommend a Dulux colour called Savoy (S21G7).  A solid green, similar to Greenery that would look striking as an accent colour with a white or grey room.

Dulux Savoy
Dulux Savoy

It is an ideal accent colour especially as we head into Summer and Autumn.

Is it a colour that we could use in Gippsland?  Absolutely.  We live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country surrounded by natural beauty, an inland lake system, gorgeous national parks and the gateway to the high country and alps.

Bring the outdoors in with Dulux Savoy in accent walls, painted furniture, accessories or rugs and embrace 2017 and its optimistic outlook.  I know I will.  Thanks Pantone.

To read more about Pantone’s Colour of the Year, click here.

I’m always looking for more blog topic ideas. If you could pick my design brain, what would you like to know about preparing your home for sale, choosing paint colours or renovating your property? Let me know below, I’d love to hear from you.

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Central Hotel, Lakes Entrance design

I had the joy of working recently with Alison and Tyson, owners of the Central Hotel in Lakes Entrance.

Alison and Tyson were planning a fresh coat of paint for the coming Summer season and asked for my help.

We have begun with their function area.

The original room was painted in a light white with an orange/terracotta feature colour in the bar.

Working with the colours in the carpet and inspired by some of Alison’s beautiful cushion covers, I chose Dulux Franz Josef Double, Dulux White Duck and Porters Paints Quill wallpaper in Taupe as well as feature lighting.

I wanted a scheme that was neither masculine or feminine.  The room is used for weddings, 21st birthdays as well as corporate functions.

The room needs to have a welcoming, classic atmosphere that is also a backdrop to decorations, signage and banners.

We are still working on other areas on the Hotel so stay tuned, but I am thrilled with the results so far.

 

I’m always looking for more blog topic ideas. If you could pick my design brain, what would you like to know about preparing your home for sale, choosing paint colours or renovating your property? Let me know below, I’d love to hear from you.