Create A Wind-down Zone!

Sometimes the whole festive season hustle and bustle can leave you exhausted and yet with a house full of relatives finding some 'me' time can be very difficult! If you only have one bathroom - let's be honest many homes do – you can't lock yourself away and soak in the bath as someone will want the loo! So you need to find another place to gather your thoughts and take time-out. There is an easy solution...creating your own little wind-down zone. It doesn't have to be anything lavish or encroach on much space, just a little ingenuity or your part!

In a larger living space have the area around it as an inviting reading nook or a retreat for a spot of 'winding-down'. It is an exclusive place with its solo chair – you don't have to share your favourite cushions and throws, but can still tease and excite guests with your acute style! Make it worthwhile by choosing luxury silk covered cushions in jewel tones, an end table with stylish table lamp for atmospheric lighting and an easy-to-reach shelf with your favourite reading material – choose a book that was a present or a recipe book and no one can accuse you of being selfish!

Image: Decorology

Beautiful Black Bedroom Ideas - Graphic

This bedroom idea adds a new twist to monochromatic black and white to bring your bedroom bang up to date with a very trendy design with clean lines and bold graphic prints; as much as it is trendy though, this bedroom look has a whimsical approach to elegant styling - oversized table lamps UK with a fluid white form and bedside tables that are half the height, showing off 'S' shaped legs in an acid yellow accent colour.

Monochrome black, white and grey is ahead of this bright pop of colour with a beautiful charcoal grey focal wall, white bedding and a large area bedroom rug with black abstract print on white background. Three lots of ready made curtains are used - two pairs in white and a black pair to go central; this gives the appearance of stripes.

Metallics are used, but they come through as a sheen on silk and satin cushions and bed runners - look for a jewel tone such as amethyst which also compliments the yellow side tables. A white gloss headboard projects the bed with its crisp white bed linen.

Image: Modesred

Beautiful Black Bedroom Ideas - Gothic Inspirations

From pitch black to a midnight blue, this time we see a little colour coming through! Once again, it has to be said that the dark walls can make compromises for unisex bedrooms. You can also afford to use a colour that is neither too 'masculine' or too 'feminine' like a red-orange (another colour showing up an awful lot lately). A classic mid-century modern design is tasteful for exploring darker palettes; if you choose more period décor you can expect a more dramatic look and one that can be quite Gothic - depends on your personal taste I guess. I rather like the clean simple lines of the wooden bookcase-come-headboard in this idea.

The idea of having a shelving unit framing the bed makes bedtime all the more cosy, just having to reach behind your head to pick up a good read before dozing off. Choose duvet cover sets in white, but this time with a coloured print like the red-orange example - a graphic floral print is very eye catching. You can add a warm medium grey to the picture with floor rugs and some table lamps UK to add a sultry atmosphere if you want!

Quick Tips To Creating A Home Work Station

Get the lighting and the mood right. If there is too much light, get some Venetian blinds. If there is not enough light, get a table lamp UK. It's tiring and counterproductive to work in too much light or too little light. Depending on what your work is, you might not need anything but a little bit of sunshine. The blinds will help you regulate the light coming in and out of the room and then you can electronically regulate any more or less light that you might need. In addition, leave out the TV and the radio. Some people claim that they can't work without some background noise, so a relaxing waterfall or a noise machine might be in order, but do not put anything at your work space that will visually or aurally distract you.

Get a comfortable chair to sit in while you work, and take care of your desk! It is impossible to get anything done if you are constantly worried that your desk is going to fall apart. Make sure that your workspace is sturdy and ready to be used for what you need it for. In addition, place any appliances or work related items you need on your desk and take away any distractions or non-work related items.

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to organise your things and remove anything that isn't needed. This will make your work space a real work space and make everything else fall into place. If you are a stickler for décor, don't hesitate to look for appliances or a Venetian blind in a style that matches or compliments your desk.

Image: A Life's Design

Perfect Pastels in the Lounge

Pastels maybe gong out of fashion but you have to admit in your want a lounge which emits peace and calm these colour combinations take a lot of beating.

The great thing about pastels is that you can bring as many colours as you like, just so long as they are complimenting each other. With a quiet room like this you'll also need to find a focal point, which is typically associated around the TV in most homes; you'll also need to 'ground' the style by using floor rugs in cream or beige otherwise you could end up with a room which looks too 'floaty'.

Keeping to pastels shades does provide a beautiful canvass on which to work, just like a painting, but in my opinion these colours aren't child or pet friendly and can only really be used in homes with singles or couples – before you shoot me down in flames – either that or ban the kids and pets from the room otherwise you may find the whole illusion ruined by pet hairs or kid's accidents!

This style of room is ideal for those who have the benefit of a large home with a separate family room; in some ways like an old fashioned parlour which was only used when guests arrived! Add table lamps UK to compliment the gentle tones during the evenings.

Image: House of Turquoise

Maximising Space

In an apartment that just accommodates all of your belongings but with little space to spare, some clever design tips are in order. When choosing furniture for the lounge, do look for slimmer forms that don't bulk out your room near to explosion; plus, a sofa without arms is going to give the impression of more openness. Armless furniture helps a great deal when you want to have a more airy feel in the lounge or dining room should you have one. Furthermore, with the sofa in place you should figure out the best layout for other pieces that make the most of your limited space whilst still allowing for good human traffic. Bring your furniture to the centre of the room as opposed to pushing up against the walls and anchor this zone with a statement floor rug (just don't have too much busy pattern or colour going on).


This moving around actually creates another dilemma for some - those who can't stand to see the back of the sofa and the seemingly wasted floor space. Don't stress; I suggest pushing a console table to the back of the sofa that is both slim and at the ideal height (about a foot lower than the sofa back) - a glass top is particularly good to increase that open feeling. The console table can double up as a decorative piece and a home study/work area with a funky table lamp uk and vase of fresh flowers.

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

Are You Following The Mad Men Trend?

This is 1960's retro and vintage home décor inspiration at its best! There is even a pinch of California cool thrown in to the mix for stylish homes and offices. Modern, timeless pieces of furniture and lots of retro prints will help you on your way for this seasons dominating home trend.


Green was a favourite colour in the 60's and rooms became almost mundane and boring! Large table lamps uk where seen in all lounges, along with ready made blinds or ready made curtains as women began to have careers of their own and moved into a faster pace lifestyle rather than stay at home.


Where a lack of brights is the overall picture for home décor in Mad Men, a positive is the choice of clothing for the woman's costume. They bring the punch of brights that the décor is missing - so do use this as inspiration if you want to put in accent brights. Think of peacock blue sofa cushions, a touch of scarlet in the bedroom or a lovely vintage yellow in the kitchen.

Image: Eclectic Interior Design Group Blogspot

Jazz Up Your Living Space With A By-Gone Era

Trying a new design style in your home is a great way of adding a new lease of life to a tired looking interior without having the expense and upheaval of moving home.

Try styles inspired by past eras which fit in with the style of your home and your lifestyle. With so many great ideas around at the moment there is no one style which is deemed better than another. Interior design is all part experimenting and trying new things, mixing and matching if you so wish, just as long as you remember to keep to the basic principles of design.

For Art Deco inspiration we have a very useful guide on how to get the look - but to inspire you further don't hesitate to spend a night in watching old Hollywood films from the late twenties and early thirties.

No interior designer can forget the influence of early Hollywood and jazz - shiny fabrics, low lighting, highly polished wood, cocktail cabinets and mirrors. Ultimately in a time of depression - Art Deco offered a little luxury and opulence to the regular family home; which seems pretty apt for the current economic situation!

Both wall lights, floor lamps and table lamps UK were popular - look for geometric shapes and sandblasted glass. Scour antique shops for female figurine table lamps that were a Hollywood influence.

Image: Decorology

Getting The Shabby Chic Look

The furniture that you will bring into your home will be very important but let's not forget that existing furniture can be played around with to get the desired look. More often than not, wood is the primary material used in furniture but it gets a makeover with several layers of paint - not forgetting the aged look of chips and a little wear and tear. You can create this look yourself by sanding or distressing the top layer of paint to show the wood or other paint layers underneath.

Furniture should be comfortable as it is no good just choosing pieces for the purpose of looking great if they are going to make you feel stiff and rigid when sitting. Shabby chic is very cosy and should invite you to curl up on the sofa with a good book or cup of tea with friends. You can make things even more cosy with lots of plumped up pillows.

Wicker also works well in the shabby chic décor - give wicker items a white coating or if you have more than one piece you can leave one or two in its original condition for contrast. A couple of patchwork throws wouldn't go a miss and a good focal point could be a table with a display of random white ornaments and odd table lamps uk style to create an ambient, diffused lighting effect in the evenings.

Image: Small Place Style