Living Room Interior Design Ideas: Creating Zones

I thought I'd do a little more on creating zones in an open plan living room - or a large living room by giving you a few hints on how to start new interior design ideas.

It could be that you have all your main furniture and are just thinking of ways to arrange it all and make the most of each item. It isn't a bad idea to start with some graph paper and a pencil, downsizing your floor space to fit on your notepad and playing around with the possibilities of floor plans - just focusing on larger pieces to begin with.

Split the main part of your living room into a relaxing area and an entertaining one. The relaxing side may have some extra comfy lounging seats/sofas, a bookshelf, fireplace and small coffee table. Your entertainment half will have more seating, a unit for placing the television,gaming consoles and a clever storage unit with ample lighting provided by an assortment of table lamps UK.

There are some fabulous ideas to take inspiration from; along with colour schemes and how to make the most of what you have by using re-vamping existing soft furnishings by purchasing curtain material online to make cheap cushion covers or Roman blinds. The possibilities are endless if you let your imagination run wild!

Image: belle maison

Sources Of Inspirational Interior Design Ideas

Whatever your reasons for being on trend or adding a touch of glam to your interiors – interior design ideas and lots of advice will help you get the best results. Being clean, tidy and well organised is just a scratch on the surface of having a home that looks its best at all times. You will need to have a good eye for detail and be open-minded about what you think will look beautiful and what the trend forecasts are saying. Your personal taste is always the most important and no matter how much you want to show off a stunning design - make sure you are comfortable with it.

Irrespective of which room or rooms you are thinking about decorating or re-vamping interior design blogs are a great source of inspiration; offering you the best tips and tasty treats for all styles of homes – you can even take a look at homes of the rich and famous to replicate their styles on a smaller scale or find advice on Roman blinds how to make or hang with Roman blind tracks.

Unsure of which colour scheme to use? - turn to the blogs and browse to your hearts content – after all they're free and it never hurts anyone just to look!

Image: AtticMag

Can't Find The Curtains You're Looking? - Simple, Make Your Own!

If you're looking for a particular style of window dressing and are fed up with not being able to find exactly what you're after, then why not join this years interior design revival of making your own curtains or blinds? Further still you could even opt for second hand curtains and add your own personal touches with trimmings.

Making curtains is really not that difficult as long as you have the basic skills of being able to use a sewing machine; having said that you could even cheat and use the latest haberdashery and take up hems using iron-on tape! If you want Roman blinds these are available in kit form and all you need is a kit and the fabric!

With those parts out of the way you can begin with contemplating colours and/or patterns for your curtain project. Neutral colours are easy on the eye and can look good in nearly every space - they will also enhance on light or give the impression of light.

Colours create moods too so think about cool tones for bedrooms and bathrooms, warm tones for kitchens and dining spaces. It might be easiest to go with an existing colour palette that you have in your room. With large windows or rooms you have more options when it comes to bold patterns but with a smaller scale you should look for delicate details or stripes.

Image: Absolutely Beautiful Things

Innovative Ideas For Work Stations

Finding a suitable place for a work station can be difficult, you don't want to end up in the cellar or squeezed in under the stairs which often happens! If you are fortunate enough to have a bay window in your lounge or dining room this makes a great place to work giving you lots of natural light to work by.

I love this idea, with fabric Roman blinds or roll-up blinds and the use of sheer voile curtain panels which provide a soft shimmering light effect, furthermore by using a bay window you can even have curtains on the outside of the bay enabling you to completely hide your work station at the end of your working day, if you don't have a bay window a good alternative is to make your work station blend in with your interior simply by adding a vase of flowers and a table lamp. I love the idea of the glass egg timer!

Hiding or disguising your work station is important if you don't have a separate room, otherwise you may find yourself constantly being reminded of work that needs to be completed or the urge just to do a little more!

Believe me, it's true working from home has it advantages, but it also its disadvantages! You have to be very firm with yourself as it is very easy to become distracted or on the other hand you can find that you end up working 24/7!

Image: Two Ellie

Ignore The Cold And Spend Time Looking At Inspirational Ideas To Transform Your Home!

Forget the fact that it's freezing cold outside and spend time in the warmth of your own home looking at inspirations to transform your home in 2010 into the chic and stylish interior you dream of!

One of this years trends is to use as much natural light as possible, this is not only a great way of reducing your electricity bill, it is also a very worthwhile way to look at new ways to dress your windows.

Although we have seen the use of blinds and curtains being used in conjunction with each other for many years, the 2009 trend of using lightweight voile curtains teamed with natural bamboo or wood weave Roman blinds is going to continue this year as well.

Not only do these make very stylish window dressings they are also an extremely cost-effective way to dress your windows. Wood-weave Roman blinds are the perfect partner for white voile curtains, with one complementing the other perfectly.

If you need a little more substance to your window dressing lined voile curtains are also available in a wide range of colours and patterns. Fitting blinds inside the recess of your windows will also help to retain heat as well as providing you privacy at night when internal artificial lighting is being used.

Image: Haven and Home

Beautiful Bedroom Roman Blinds

Make use of the winter daylight by using beautiful Roman blinds which coordinate with your bedding. The diffuse light effects create a feeling of subtle warmth during the daytime. At night fully lined Roman blinds with a thermal backing are the ideal window dressing in bedrooms creating chic styling with a modern twist on traditionalism.

Ready made blinds are available on the whole host of wonderful colours and patterned fabrics to suit your décor and your budget effortlessly! Opt for this year's hottest colour trends of a combination of subtle dove greys and shades of yellow, try using yellows which have a leaning towards gold for a chic refinement!

For those who love DIY it's even possible to coordinate a chest of drawers by simply gluing the same fabric to the front of the drawers! For those keen on making their own bespoke furnishings Roman blind kits are the ideal solution which enable you to use the same fabric either on furniture, foot stalls and lampshades.

Give yourself some interior design projects to focus on this year rather than wishing you had and never quite getting round to it! Browse online blogs thumb your way through some interior design magazines which are full of inspirational ideas for you to emulate or which will inspire you to try your hand at a wide range of different crafts to make your home totally unique!

Image: {This is glamorous}

Blinds On Blinds!

If you don't want curtains in your bedroom why not take inspiration from the idea of using two different types of blinds?

Venetian blinds fitted inside the recess of the window provides the privacy you need without the use of net curtains, whilst a linen blend Roman blind style breaks the starkness, adding a soft and gentle touch which is ideal for bedrooms.

The great advantage of using two types of blinds is the endless possibilities of colour combinations you can use! White Venetian blinds provide you with a crisp clean look, as well as the versatility of being able to control the amount of light entering the room, whilst you can have a fabric blind which matches or coordinates with your bedding sets to bring the room together and provide a sense of balance.

This style of window dressing becoming increasingly popular as it a great money saver! Not only can ready made Roman blinds be bought inexpensively, you can also make your own Roman blinds which opens up a whole world of wonderful fabrics to choose from. Double layering window dressings is also a good way to help reduce heat loss via your windows, especially if you select a medium weight fabric for the Roman blinds.

Image: two ellie blogspot

Wake Up To The Smell Of Natural Pine Or Spruce This Christmas!

I love the idea of adding festive decorations to bedrooms! What could be more pleasing that crisp, clean, snow white bedding sets and the smell of evergreen pine or spruce sap to make you feel really Christmassy!

This chic bedroom uses natural elements throughout the year with the beautifully carved wooden bed posts and the simple wood-weave Roman style wooden blinds. It's the simplicity of the overall appearance of the room combined with different textures, as seen in the embroidered bedding and scatter cushions and bed posts which has so much appeal. The windows have not been over dressed, so as much natural light as possible can enter the room during the daytime.

It's really easy to emulate designs such as these and what's even more appealing is that you can choose inexpensive bedding sets and blinds, along with odd natural 'finds' (such as the scallop shells) to use as unobtrusive finishing touches. Keep the walls plain and the design simple, no fussiness just beautiful furnishings and personal treasures and the smallest of bedrooms can be transformed effortlessly.

Adding the natural festive touches would be ideal for guest rooms this Christmas and shows that you have great design style throughout your home not just in the lounge!

Image: A Life's Design

Creating A Unique Look To Your Home

If you like the fascinating grains found in natural wood and yet prefer not have the usual wood tones, opt for roller blinds with a wood grain finish! This is a great way to bring a touch of nature into your home which is a little more unique and interesting.

Roman and roller blinds remain to used as a primary window dressing for many reasons. They are a great way to enable as much light as you want, when you want it into the room.

Roman blinds are available in a wide range of plain and patterned fabrics ready made or are easy to make yourself with a Roman blind kit, all you have to do is select the fabric to suit the colour and design scheme of your rooms. This is ideal for people who love to have bespoke items in their homes, and this must be one of the most affordable bespoke items you can have!

Okay, you can make cushions and throws from unique patterned materials and they would also be bespoke! In fact anything you make yourself falls into this category as there will never be an absolutely identical one anywhere to buy!

That is one of my favourite aspects of interior design, if you create a room yourself it is bespoke and you can't get much more unique than that! If you are feeling the pinch at the moment it may be the right time to spend some time and little money on making your own fabulous blinds, curtains and cushions for you home, with the number of great discount fabric suppliers online you really can have exactly what you want, they will even send fabric samples so that you be sure of the colour and quality of the fabric.

Image: The Peak of Chic

Modern Nursery Style Alternatives

Decorating a nursery has become much easier now that people have the opportunity to know which sex there baby has before its born! No more yellow or middle ground colours, if people so choose they can paint a nursery the traditional blue for a boy and pink for girl. However, many modern parents don't like these stereotypical approaches and still prefer to opt for middle ground colours which suit either gender.

Of course there are many parents who make the decision not to be told the sex of their child as they still like the surprise element after the birth! Which ever you chose is of course up to each individual. Those who prefer to use the middle ground have a whole host of wonderful colours which they can decorate a nursery to choose from.

Teal blue and biscuit beige are great colour combinations for a nursery. Blinds are a great alternative to curtains, however be sure to use the child friendly operating version to reduce the risk of accidents.

Adding touches of white provides a clean and 'new' look as well as a clean feel without making a room feel or look to clinical! You should be looking for options which are easy to achieve and simple to keep clean. Polished wooden floors are perfect for nurseries as there is no risk of spoiling carpets when little accidents occur!

If you feel the need for something warm under your feet a fluffy shag pile rug is the ideal solution as these can be cleaned or changed for a different colour or style as the baby starts crawling and walking.

Image: AtticMag

Rek Bookcase

I love this expanding shelving unit by Reinier de Jong. As your book collection or collection of anything come to that! begins to grow you can simply slide the unit apart to reveal the ideal shelving unit.

The Rek bookcase looks simply stunning closed up with the added intrigue of it opening up to cover virtually a whole wall. Great idea for rented studio flats where space is usually confined or you don’t like the décor in a room!

The other aspect of Rek which appeals to me is the variety of different shapes and sizes of the shelves/cubby holes when the bookcase is open. The long thin ones would be ideal for storing magazines; there is even storage for oversize books which I can never seem to find the right place on a shelf for.

The overall simple clean lines provides the opportunity to use the Rek bookcase in any style of interior. It would look equally at home in either traditional or modern room designs. No over the top fussiness; just a very functional piece of furniture. Being white it will coordinate with any colour scheme, style of furnishings and window dressings such as roman blinds or curtains.

Although Rek has been designed as a bookcase I think any sort of personal collection would look equally as stunning. This bookcase is perfectly in keeping with this year’s interior design themes of no clutter or mess, just be careful that it doesn’t become an untidy dumping ground as that would completely ruin the look!

For further information and image source visit MoCo Loco.