7. Lighting

Lighting is a very important part of design. I think it is something that is also over looked and people tend to go with just the “basic” lighting elements for their space. I mean, you spend all this time and money on renovating a space and then you put one little light fixture in the middle of the room and it hardly does the job of showcasing what you’ve just accomplished. To quote Rihanna “All of the lights in here, baby. Extra bright, I want ya’ll to see this”. Well I’m not saying put some extra bright lights, but maybe understanding the types of different lighting you will put the right lights in your space.

The number one type of lighting would be overall lighting. This is the light in the space you would use the most and would illuminate the entire room. This type of lighting is usually recessed down lighting, also known as “pot lights”. This type of lighting is placed throughout the entire ceiling and depending on the size of room will determine the amount of appropriate down lighting. It is recommended to put this lighting on dimmer switches. Depending on the time of day, and the task happening in the space will determine the brightness needed at that time. This is why dimmer switches are a great idea for overall lighting and can save energy which in the end will save you money.

The second type of lighting would be task lighting. Directional lighting could also be in this category. Task lighting would be lighting used in a space, other than overall lighting, to illuminate tasking. The main example of task lighting would be under cabinet lighting in a kitchen.

Task lighting would also be table lamps used for reading or desk lamps for working. Although side table lamps in a bedroom could also be considered accent lighting, they are also used for tasking at times. Table lamps are good for accent and task lighting in front hallways, dining rooms, bedrooms, or anywhere else you may need to task.

A new design aspect of task lighting is illuminating your stairways. This is something that can be done indoors or outdoors. Lighting up pathways is not only a safe thing to do it can be a great design aspect to any space.

The main type of directional lighting that comes to mind for me would be track lighting. Although some use track lighting as overall lighting, I tend to find it not such a great overall lighting technique. Track lighting works well in a space where you want to accent something on the wall or in the space. Think art galleries and museums. If you want to showcase some great art in your space, or show the three dimensional aspects of an accent wall (brick wall, plaster, and modular wall) then this is a great form of lighting.

The third main type of lighting would be accent lighting. Accent lighting could also be considered task lighting; they definitely cross over on to each other. Accent lighting can also be a really fun way to bring additional lighting into your space. With funky table lamps, hanging paper lights, delicate chandeliers, or wall sconces, the possibilities are endless. The great thing about accent lighting is that it can be a part of the design aspect that you have a little fun with because it will not affect the overall lighting that you already have in the space. And with the overall lighting on dimmers, you have the opportunity to let your accent lighting shine, no pun intended.

Whatever lighting you chose to have in your space, just remember to have fun and get the job done!

Come back soon, and Ill share some more design tips with you!

-AR

8. Flowers

I'm sure you have watched a HGTV show once in your life. Have you ever noticed at the end, right before the big reveal, the designer is running around buying fresh flowers for the space? Or maybe during the big reveal you notice the place is full of fresh blooms? This is a big thing in the design world.

Who doesn't love getting flowers? Especially with their new designed space. Flowers are a great way to add scent and colour to any room. They can fill the space with life, after all no one wants to live in a dead space.

Flowers can become rather expensive, if your trying to fill a house every week with fresh scents. Something I thought that could be an inexpensive way of getting blooms weekly (and something I will do for my 'future home') is to grow some yourself. Gardening can be a simple hobby and if you don't have a green thumb you can plant some perennials and they will just keep blooming year after year. Growing your own garden is going to save you money, help the planet, and help creatures pollinate. Win, win, win!

Another way to provide colour to your space is artificial flowers. Now, these are sold at the dollar stores and although they aren't terrible, there are nicer options. Silk flowers will last forever, even though they will cost a little more in the start. You can buy them as loose stem or already in arrangements usually accompanied by a vase. Fake flowers will not need to be watered, but they will need to be dusted, and sometimes, little insects make their way down into the vase because they mistake these for the real deal. So just beware come cleaning time.

Whatever way you decide to go, remember, this is a great one time special occasion design tip or and all year around way to bring life, colour and scent to your space!

Come back soon, and I'll share some more ways to bring life to your space.

-AR

Olioboard

The other day at work, I was day dreaming about my future "Home Office" I often day dream about spaces for myself. I try and keep it realistic and not get too crazy. I was thinking black and white colour scheme, kind of feminine, built-ins for storage, with a furniture piece desk...

Later at work I was checking Twitter and came across a tweet from Brian Gluckstein. He had asked if anyone had used Olioboard, what they thought, Polyvore vs. Olioboard? I had never heard of either (shame on me) so I instantly googled them.

Olioboard just looked a little more interesting to me and before I knew it I was at work making a design board for my future home office, it was just that easy!

This is what I came up with,

Built-ins, check. Black and white, check. Furniture pieces, check.

This is such a cool way to show friends, family, clients, what they can do with their space. It can be interactive, or they could do it on their own time and show you what they come up with and you can go from there. If I had clients, and an Ipad2, I would totally use this on a daily basis.

Something else that is so great about this program is that everything is already sourced for you. What that means is, often times in school we would make these presentation boards, and then have to jot down all the info, price, size, where to buy, etc. This program has a small box on the bottom left side, and when you chose an object, you can see who makes it, cost, and where to shop. These design boards can also be saved to your account, published or saved as jpegs. It is FOOL PROOF!

I was thoroughly impressed. I hope you are too! Go ahead, log on, try for free, and let  you imagination take you to a different room, have fun :)

-AR