Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Living room design

 One of my current projects involves styling/designing an open plan living/dining area. I am working with existing furniture (a modular lounge, a couple of chest of drawers, a dining table and chairs) My client has asked for new lamps and new blinds/curtains. I'm giving her a few extra bits too. The area has been painted white and has white floor tiles, and an all white kitchen - which may sound dreamy but infact it's quite stark and scary! The whole area appears rather cold at the moment, it definitely needs some warmth and a bit of colour. That warmth and colour will be introduced with rugs, soft furnishing and a warmer wall colour. I've put together a moodboard, as always I start from the floor and work my way up. This floor needs some beautiful rugs and I've found some lovely ones on a budget. The house is quite contemporary and I'd like to keep that contemporary feel, hence the greys and neutrals, I just think they'll make the transition a lot softer - and will be easier to add a splash of brighter colour with accessories later. Here's my starting point (below). My selections are from freedom and west elm.








I think the patterned rugs are ideal to define the areas and add personality to this space. Combined with the right art, the cushions and beautiful lighting I'm sure the fresh new look the owner is after will be achieved. Every space is different and special, it's important that it reflects the owners' style and personality, that it's comfortable, and that it suits their family needs and their lifestyle.


CLx

Monday, April 28, 2014

Looking back / Our Easter in pics

I spent a few days with the family in Boomerang Beach, it's one of the most beautiful places you'll ever visit. The kids had the best time in the water. The adults did too, we all had great fun. We were blessed with perfect weather too, blue sky and summertime temperature. We walked, swam, sunbaked and relaxed; it was a wonderful, much needed break.

The view from the house was amazing

Easter tablescape

Easter lunch - salmon salad with shaved fennel, caperberries and celery (yum!)

The sun rises on Boomerang beach


More than happy to be back at the office today and start on some new projects.
A relaxed mind can be a pretty marvellous attribute to have. A great way to start.

Have a wonderful day.

Catch up soon

CLx


Thursday, April 10, 2014

The professionals / photographer Daniel Hertzell

'Effortless' is the word that comes to mind when I look at Daniel Hertzell's portfolio. This amazing swedish photographer tells great stories by capturing unexpected angles with his camera. His images are beautiful and mostly capture glimpses of everyday life. Daniel's familiar scenes and objects are simply exquisite and comforting at the same time,
a brilliant combo when it comes to photography in my opinion.
Here's an example of his work










See more great images on his website

Wish you all a great day.

Catch up soon,

CLx









Monday, April 7, 2014

Monday inspiration / Le coeur volant

This magnificent home is "Le coeur volant" (The flying heart) home of fashion designer Agnes B.
I fell in love with it straight away (of course, who wouldn't?) it makes my heart sing...and makes my week look a bit brighter and sunnier even though it's pretty grey and dull out there...
All images Tripod agency via (one of my daily reads) SANCTUARY.
Read more about it here too.





Gorgeous isn't it?

Have a fantastic day

Catch up soon

CLx

Friday, April 4, 2014

Feel good design

Wonderful Friday inspiration via Abigail Ahern's blog...
Re-blogging from 2012...couldn't resist revisiting this old post of mine, there are too many lovely details in these images...








Mix, match, and enjoy....the #1 rule in interior design is there are no rules...

Have a wonderful day.

Catch up soon,

CLx




Thursday, April 3, 2014

Colour and mood


Are you a colour person? Do you love to be surrounded by bright colours or muted colours? Do you prefer whites, pastels, greys, reds or blues...? Do you feel more comfortable wearing black or white? Ever wondered why? There is a psychology behind each colour which might reveal a little bit about your personality...interested? Here we go...


There are four psychological primary colours - red, blue, yellow and green. They relate respectively to the body, the mind, the emotions and the essential balance between these three. The psychological properties of some of the colours are as follows
RED. Physical
Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement. 
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.
Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful colour. Although not technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over. Its effect is physical; it stimulates us and raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that time is passing faster than it is. It relates to the masculine principle and can activate the "fight or flight" instinct. Red is strong, and very basic. Pure red is the simplest colour, with no subtlety. It is stimulating and lively, very friendly. At the same time, it can be perceived as demanding and aggressive.
BLUE. Intellectual.
Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.
Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. It is the colour of clear communication. Blue objects do not appear to be as close to us as red ones. Time and again in research, blue is the world's favourite colour. However, it can be perceived as cold, unemotional and unfriendly.
YELLOW. Emotional
Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. 
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.
The yellow wavelength is relatively long and essentially stimulating. In this case the stimulus is emotional, therefore yellow is the strongest colour, psychologically. The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the colour of confidence and optimism. Too much of it, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety. Our "yellow streak" can surface.
GREEN. Balance
Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. 
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.
Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the colour of balance - a more important concept than many people realise. When the world about us contains plenty of green, this indicates the presence of water, and little danger of famine, so we are reassured by green, on a primitive level. Negatively, it can indicate stagnation and, incorrectly used, will be perceived as being too bland.
VIOLET. Spiritual
Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality. 
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.
The shortest wavelength is violet, often described as purple. It takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values. It is highly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation. It has associations with royalty and usually communicates the finest possible quality.
ORANGE.
Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun. 
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.
Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds on issues of physical comfort - food, warmth, shelter etc. - and sensuality. It is a 'fun' colour.
PINK.
Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species. 
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.
Being a tint of red, pink also affects us physically, but it soothes, rather than stimulates. (Interestingly, red is the only colour that has an entirely separate name for its tints. Tints of blue, green, yellow, etc. are simply called light blue, light greenetc.) Pink is a powerful colour, psychologically. It represents the feminine principle, and survival of the species; it is nurturing and physically soothing. 
GREY.
Positive: Psychological neutrality. 
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.
Pure grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It is, however, quite suppressive. A virtual absence of colour is depressing and when the world turns grey we are instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation. Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. 
BLACK.
Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance. 
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.
Black is all colours, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of that are considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all the energy coming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality. Black is essentially an absence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, therefore be menacing; many people are afraid of the dark. Positively, it communicates absolute clarity, with no fine nuances. It communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white. 
WHITE.
Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency. 
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
Just as black is total absorption, so white is total reflection. In effect, it reflects the full force of the spectrum into our eyes. Thus it also creates barriers, but differently from black, and it is often a strain to look at. It communicates, "Touch me not!" White is purity and, like black, uncompromising; it is clean, hygienic, and sterile. The concept of sterility can also be negative. Visually, white gives a heightened perception of space. 
BROWN.
Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support. 
Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.
Brown usually consists of red and yellow, with a large percentage of black. Consequently, it has much of the same seriousness as black, but is warmer and softer. It has elements of the red and yellow properties. Brown has associations with the earth and the natural world. 


Full article via here

Have a great day

CLx