Thursday, September 27, 2012

How To Design Outdoor Hideout

An outdoor hideout is a great personal retreat that is quite easily created. Whether you want a hideout for resting or reading an outdoor space surrounded with greenery is the best for it. There are quite a few ways of creating a nice hideout from hammocks to daybeds and matresses and other outdoor structures and furnishings.

Got a terrace? What a best way to enhace it than to add a soft hammock to it with a side table or an armchair. This would make a perfect hideout for afternoon naps, reading sessions, and simple contemplation especially if there are trees and greenery around. Use screens to create a more private space and add a decorative touch to your outdoor hideout.


 A daybed in a garden. The canopy outdoor bed is the best way to make you feel safe and comfy. The canopy increases privacy and can come with light airy curtains that create romantic atmosphere.

A classic arbor is a great outdoor reading nook. Adding a plush seat and throwing pillows to it will help create a cozy seating for enjoying a book after a long work day. Also a side table might be a nice addition to keep books, magazines, and coffee cups at hand.
If there is no outdoor space at your house a balcony can make for a great hideout space that’s partly outdoors.

ways to choose color scheme

Wondered how to choose color scheme? Well, it can be fun but tiring as there are so many colors and combinations around. Try looking around you or think about the things you’ve always liked like vases, pillows or other interior accessories that have pleasing patterns and color schemes. Thus, it will be easier for you to orient in the huge amount of color combos and will help you choose the color scheme you really like.


First thing comes to mind when thinking about color scheme is your favorite color. It pleases the eye, warms the heart and combined with neutrals or complimenting hues it can make a great color scheme.
It is easier to choose color scheme if you plan a thematic design, for example forest or beach. Adding bold accents that match your color scheme will make a design deeper and brighter.
Choose classic color schemes that simply can’t be wrong. Black and white, which can be easily completed with red accents if you would like to brighten up the monochrome combination. Blue and yellow can be completed with white and neutral hues. Such safe schemes, however can be livened  up with some bold accents.
Another way to choose your color scheme is looking at you rug or curtains. If your rug or curtains have colorful patterns, you can choose several colors that work well together. Using different textures in your decor will make the color scheme more dimensional.
Derive your color scheme from the painting. Thus you will not only have a ready-to-apply color scheme but also a matching art work for wall decoration. However, use lighter shades for walls to avoid the painting being lost on the background.
Are there any collectibles or interior accessories in your home you won’t ever get rid of? Taking their color as a base for your color scheme will solve two problems of choosing a color scheme and incorporating the old stuff into the new design.
Draw the color scheme from the fabrics your clothes is made of. The color scheme of your favorite outfit that harmonizes in color together can make a great color scheme for your room.
Set a certain mood. The mood or the atmosphere of your room will depend on the color scheme that you choose. If the colors are mostly muted and toned down the mood will be calm and cozy. If the colors will be vibrant and bold the mood will be filled with energy.
Look around you. Wallpaper or furniture patterns can become a great base for your future color scheme. While decorating the room using the colors from the wallpaper and furniture make the rest of the design muted and plain to keep focus on the bold furniture or wallpaper pattern.
Finally, you can open up an interior design magazine or website and choose from ready color schemes that you liked and build your design around those colors and hues.
No matter what way you choose your color scheme must harmonize with the textures of your furniture, accessories and other decor elements.

Retro Decorating Style

Retro decorating style encompasses several decades from 50′s to 70′s. It brings bright atmosphere and lively colors to the interior design. Retro style is funky, bright, and fun.

How To Decorate In Retro Style:

Retro decorating colors include certain greens and yellows, pink, purple, red, black, white. Retro is characterized by bright color schemes not only in the decor but also artworks and posters. The latter will also help create the needed atmosphere in the room.

Checkered and floral patterns are pertinent to the retro style. But abstract, geometric, and retro futuristic patterns will also help create a retro style decor. Patterned wallpaper is great at giving the room that retro feel even if it’s only covering the feature wall.

Art Deco Decorating Style

Art Deco is a glamorous and elegant decorating style. It started to develop after the World War I and stayed through 1920s and 30s. Art Deco combines luxury, functionality, elegance and modernity. Such blend makes it so unique and beautiful. The style has combined fashion, jewelry, design and man-made materials as stainless steel and incorporated the industrial theme into luxurious design that was predominant back at that time. Clear lines and sleek designs resulted from the incorporation of architecture and modern design into this decorating style.

Art Deco furniture is sleek in design and combines modern style and comfort. Wood is heavily lacquered usually in black and upholstery is done in leather and velour. Due to its modern base Art Deco decorating style is minimalist so there is not much color in it. Usually bright colors are combined with black, chrome and gold prevail in the accents and light blue or gray are used to soften the interior design.


 The materials used for Art Deco can be quiet expensive making it a luxurious style. Shark skin and zebra, ebony, rare woods and marble can be used in Art Deco decorating style. When choosing a color scheme for your interior design in Art Deco style opt for geometrical prints in furniture to jazz it up and express this style to the fullest. Flooring is sleek, white or black, usually in marble or black and white checkered tile.

Lighting in Art Deco style is streamlined in design as well as the rest of the interior accessories. Geometric shapes are incorporated into lighting design as well as use of bronze, iron, chrome and glass. Textures in Art Deco are sleek and clean, surfaces are lacquered to achieve glass-looking effect. The accents should be bold as this decorating style implies.


Art Nouveau Decorating Style

Art Nouveau decorating style started to emerge in 1890s with the Arts & Crafts movement. Very artistic and sinuous it derived its motifs from nature and arts. The lines are curved resembling the plants and themes are influenced by nature as well – butterflies, dragonflies, birds, peacock feathers, and vines. Curvy and floral patterns are very common for Art Nouveau styl

The colors in Art Nouveau are subtle and muted and include pastels, olive, mustard, brown, lilac, sage, white and off white, peacock blue and gold. Walls are decorated with floral wallpaper or plant patterns. The materials used in Art Nouveau are stained glass, hardwood, and iron.
Stained glass can be used in lighting and windows which gives a more ornate look to the Art Nouveau interior design. Curved and sinuous ironwork is all over Art Nouveau style. It usually imitates flowers and plants, the arches and door posts are also curvy and unusual.





 Don’t mistake Art Nouveau for Art Deco or otherwise. They are two different styles. While Art Nouveau has died out toward the World War II, Art Deco has emerged around 1920s and 30s. Art Deco is about luxurious materials, sharp design and sleek look. Art Nouveau is nature-inspired eco-friendly as it allows use of hardwood and organically painted wallpaper.


5 Apartments With Amazing Architecture

Creative architectural solution can help one create a dream home regardless of the type. Architecture solves various design problems in houses and apartments alike. The following designs tackle such problems as lack of space and incorporating an art gallery into the living space.


 by G&R Studio is one example of an amazing architecture. A folded structure within a room creates different zones and areas separating the bedroom that sits atop the structure from the living area that is located within the structure. This folded structure partly hides an open kitchen revealing a kitchen bar and a bathroom that is tucked away and slightly submerged.



 A Collector’s Loft designed by UNstudio includes an art gallery beside the living space. A spacious loft was divided into various zones with introduction of a curved wall with an interior space that is used as library. Designed in all-white color scheme the Collector’s Loft puts a focus on the art with white LED lighting.



 The Woven Nest is a project by Alex Haw of Atmos Studio which introduces a woven staircase into the apartment creating a detailed visual and surfaces for pets or potential storage. Beside the staircase the apartment architecture makes for interesting room designs with assymetrical lines and skylight shapes.

 Jaffa Apartment in Tel Aviv was reconstructed and redesigned by Pitsou Kedem Architect into a minimalist home with original architecture kept intact. The apartment architecture features arched ceilings supported by square columns and exposed stone walls.
 Serrano Penthouse features wave-like walls that create intimate spaces in a spacious apartment. The living space with a fireplace has an elevated wooden floor and ceiling covered with wave-like layers.

Basement Décor Ideas by Candice Olson

Candice Olsen is a renowned Canadian designer, who is gaining her popularity by her awesome remodeling tips. She also has a Designer TV show, Divine Design where she helps people to master their decorating skills. In this post, we will focus on the basement décor ideas from Candice Olson.

 Candice Olson blends different design ideas, to create her unique style of décor. Her décor ideas go from using smooth colors and different textures to create underground family rooms. She uses different hues of brown with a bit touch of green to light up the atmosphere.



 If your basement is big enough, you can create a family lounge room. It can be divided into two subrooms, one being a small kitchen, or a room for craft, the other being a TV theater. In that picture she used the tints of blue for some air into all light brown room.



 Candice Olson creates not only traditional and calming basement family rooms. Using bright red colors, with bold striped pillows and wide plank hardwood for floor, she has created a basement with a touch of Mexican decor. It is interesting how she used white blinds through the whole back wall to create an illusion of a large window behind the brownish sofa. Or it can be Indian inspired basement, with white and black bright patches



 Or, again, if you have a big basement space, you can create a multi-functional basement. It can include lounge zone, gym zone and even multimedia zone. She is using neutral colors that are underlined by dark blue tints and dark brown furniture and other details. So, whether you are prone to traditional design ideas, or some exotic basement décor, Candice Olson has a great deal to offer for all of your whims.