Homedit.com Interior Design & Architecture Inspiration Newsletter

Choosing the right color for a small room
A Swedish summer cottage with a colorful interior
A net zero energy house concept in San Francisco
Sheep Handcrafted Footstool
The flexible Octopussy floor lamp by Vladimir Tomilov
A 47 square meter apartment with black and white interior
Contemporary Family Residence in Power Street Hawthorn,Victoria
Beautiful Leaf Doorstops by Qualy
The graceful Nastro basin mixer by Peter Jamieson
Bell Suspension Light

Choosing the right color for a small room

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:21 AM PDT

Choosing the color for a room is not a difficult decision. It's something that needs to be done after taking into consideration several factors such as the size of the room, its orientation, the style you have chosen for the interior, what the room will be used for, etc. In the case of a small room, there are several colors that would work nicely.

1. Bold shades.

In the case of a small room, a bold color would make it feel very concentrated and it will allow it to shine in other ways than through its dimensions. By choosing a bold color such as orange or green, you make the room stand out. Of course, such a rich color requires special attention to details as well so it would be best to not mix it with anything else in order to avoid making the room feel cluttered and smaller than it actually is.

2. Shades of grey.

Grey is a very versatile color. It's the result of mixing the neutrals, black and white, and it's a shade that it easy to combine and mix with other colors. For example, a small grey room would benefit from some colorful accent pieces such as a colorful rug, colorful bedding, a bold lamp or some rich textures.

3. Strong contrasts.

In a small room it would also be interesting to play with contrasts. By mixing light and dark shades you create a somewhat dramatic look and you can freely emphasize the elements that you want to stand out. You can create subtle focal point without using too much color. You can also play with textures and maintain and simple and warm atmosphere.

4. Sunny yellow.

Yellow is a very bright and cheerful color. It's the color of the sun and it's mostly used because of its brightness. It creates a summer-like feel and it's a color that would work beautifully in a small room. It would really make it pop and it's a shade that could compensate for poor lighting. It looks great in winter and it's also perfect for summer.

5. Glowing orange.

Orange is also a very strong color and it's a little more difficult to approach than most shades. First of all, you need to be careful when choosing the shade of orange. Too pale might look dull while too concentrated would be tiresome for the eyes. Orange is a color that looks especially nice when combined with blue and turquoise accents.

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A Swedish summer cottage with a colorful interior

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 09:20 AM PDT

A Nordic interior is not always defined by the lack of color. Its defining characteristics are simplicity and elegance. However, an interior as colorful and dynamic as this one is not very common either. This is a small Swedish summer cottage that, despite its dimensions, looks surprisingly airy, spacious and refreshing.Given the purpose it was created for, in this case to serve as a summer retreat for tis owners, the cottage had to be colorful.

A rich color palette was really not optional. The cottage was decorated with vibrant colors and this allowed it to offer a very cheerful atmosphere.It was a strategically-chosen approach.The owners wanted to have a bright and colorful place to go to, a small retreat where they could enjoy their summer and where they could feel like they're in vacation. The monotonous Nordic décor was transformed and this is a much more cheerful and playful version.

The cottage is quite small, only covering a surface of 30 meters. However, this only makes it cozier. The atmosphere inside is inviting and dynamic at the same time. To compensate for the small dimensions, the cottage also includes a small separate cabin for guests. The cabin is a sort of extended guest room and has views over a large and beautiful garden. It's very relaxing and cozy as well.{found on Hus&Hem}.

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A net zero energy house concept in San Francisco

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Evan Williams (Twitter co-founder) has an ambitious plan. He wants to build a state-of-the-art net zero energy house in San Francisco. Even if the project itself is inspiring and admirable, some parts made the neighbors really angry. That's because, in order to build the house, another building has to be torn down. It's a $3 million residence built in 1911 and designed by architect Louis Christian Mullgart. It's also a historically-significant building which makes the whole project even more difficult.

The decision of tearing down this beautiful building in order to fulfill Evan Williams's green dream was not received well by the neighbors who wrote no less than 240 letters explaining their position. The existing residence is a landmark in the neighborhood. It's a 5,000 square feet structure featuring details from the Arts and Crafts design movement. It also has a series of unique architectural details such as the angular windows.

The plan is to replace this building with a 7,700 square feet residence designed by architects Lundburg Design. The design is not yet finalized but it will be 'zero net energy' home with solar panels that will also have a green roof and a sun-friendly windows. Even though the pan is admirable, the fact that making it become reality involves destroying a historical building makes things difficult. The battle at this point is between nostalgia and substance, past and future.{found on dailymail}.

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Sheep Handcrafted Footstool

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 06:23 AM PDT

Footstools are supposed to help you relax your feet when you do not want to put them in bed, for example when you are in the living room and you are wearing shoes. Footstools are often used by kids to sit on as they are smaller than the chairs and they do not have a back rest, so it is easier for the person sitting on it to move around and gives them more freedom of movement, which is great for kids. Any way, some people designed special footstools that have a funny look and Dimitri Omersa is one of them. He designed the piglet footstool first and now he moved on to making this funny Sheep Handcrafted Footstool.

The footstool looks just like a sheep and it is even made of sheep leather and skin. The inside of the stool is made of wood, but the rest is natural. The size (22″L x 10″W x 11″H) is perfect for a stool and you can even use it to spice up the interior of your living room, a funny accessory for the kids room and so on.The item was originally sold by Abercrombie and Fitch and now it is available at North River Outfitter where you can order it online for $749.

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The flexible Octopussy floor lamp by Vladimir Tomilov

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:46 AM PDT

The inspiration for a new design can basically come from anywhere. However, most often designers are inspired by elements they see in nature. The octopus is a creature that will always be fascinated and that inspired more than one creation. The Octopus chair is already a famous piece of furniture. The Octopussy lamp had the same point of inspiration but used it in a different way.

Octopussy is an ingenious floor lamp that was created by Moscow-based industrial designer Vladimir Tomilov. When you think about it, the decision of using the octopus as an inspiring image for a floor lamp was quite intelligent. Given the animal's characteristics, the potential was great. The lamp features three support legs and three additional tentacles that allow it to have a dynamic look. Besides reinforcing the resemblance with the octopus, these tentacles also have additional led lights at the ends.

The lamp was an ingenious creation that was received with strong reactions. In autumn 2011 it was awarded in Paris and also appeared on the cover of Designbook. The design itself is not that impressive but it's the concept that attracts attention. The Octopussy lamp has colored lens and a lampshade that resembles a huge yellow eye. It has an alien-like look. The lamp is also flexible and a design that makes it great accent piece.

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A 47 square meter apartment with black and white interior

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:04 AM PDT

This stylish apartment is situated in a building that was originally constructed in 1935. It's why it's surprising to see such a modern apartment inside it. However, to achieve this result, several renovations were necessary. It's something that was created over the years. The apartment changed in an effort to keep up with the times and it eventually got the modern and chic look it had today.

The apparently modern look that the apartment has now is partially due to the color palette. The interior of the apartment has been decorated in black and white. This is a timeless color mix that will always look beautiful. So even if it was renovated several years ago, because of the colors the apartment still looks modern and new. Also, even though it measures only 47 square meters, it seems surprisingly spacious. It's yet another result created by the black and white interior.

In terms of furniture and decorations, the apartment features a mix of old and new elements. The overall image is elegant and stylish. Also, despite the neutral colors used for the interior, the apartment has been beautifully personalized through the use of unique details and small elements that allow it to stand out. One detail that stand out is the black stained oak floor. In combination with the shite walls and ceilings and the black and white furniture it provides the perfect balance and contrast.{found on Bjurfors}.

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Contemporary Family Residence in Power Street Hawthorn,Victoria

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 03:49 AM PDT

Located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, this beautiful residence has recently been renovated and, at the same time, was expanded. The project included the addition of a new pavilion and it was developed by Steve Domoney. Completed in 2011, the project resulted in a very beautiful look. The residence had previously been renovated and got rear additions as well. At that time, it got a series of new spaces for the living, dining and kitchen areas.

However, the overall internal structure was not the best choice so the owners decided to make some changes. They wanted to completely rethink and reorganize the interior so that the residence would have a continuous flow and a coherent structure. The architects were also asked to create a pavilion-like structure. The goal was to create a connection to the garden but to not blend in with the rest of the house. The idea was to allow these two structures, the house and the pavilion, to show their age and their own period in history.

The architects also had to find a way to modernize the existing structure while integrating the pavilion and a new raised swimming pool and garden into the design. The pavilion features an open design and was built using glass and bluestone. It has timber flooring and bluestone tile terracing and it's somewhere at the limit between indoor and outdoor. It's both open and private and establishes a connection with the garden. The master suite has direct access to the pool via an automated glazed door and this creates a resort-like feel.

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Beautiful Leaf Doorstops by Qualy

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 03:12 AM PDT

Summer is starting to look more and more like a beautiful dream. But even so, autumn is knocking on our doors and it has much to offer as well. The trees are starting to lose their leaves and to get a new color palette. Bring some of this unique in your home. It's all about details. For example, a leaf-shaped door stop such as this one by Qualy would allow your home to set an autumnal mood without actually changing the décor.

The doorstops are quite charming. They actually look like a leaf that's been blown into the house. They look quite realistic and they are a more colorful and fun alternative for regular doorstops that don't really transmit anything. These lovely leaf0shaped doorstops have a rubbery texture and this makes them particularly effective as well as friendly.

Given their shape and design, the doorstops feature a palette of autumnal colors. You can choose from a range of beautiful shades such as yellow, orange, ochre and variations of these colors. The doorstops also have a design that allows you to slip them under most doors without problems. They will keep the doors open or will prevent them from clashing with the wall. Given their rubbery texture they are very effective on all surfaces. Not only that, but they would make very beautiful decorations for the house as well.Found on amazon.

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The graceful Nastro basin mixer by Peter Jamieson

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 02:12 AM PDT

Sometimes the little details can completely change the atmosphere in a room. They can make a big difference when decorating a room and they are the elements that allow it to stand out. For example, in the bathroom or kitchen it's the fixtures such as the faucet or the shower head that add the finishing touches. A beautiful faucet can be a real treasure. It just so happens that we found a very beautiful one.

The Nastro single level basin mixer was designed by Peter Jamieson for Rubinettiere Ritmonio and it's part of the Nastro Collection along with a series of other fixtures, equally stylish and beautiful. Nastro is a 1 hole sink mixer and it has a very stylish design. Its graceful shape, delicate lines and overall simplicity allow it to stand out in a unique way. It impresses with the simplicity and lack of unnecessary details and accessories.

This stylish basin mixer has a very artistic design. It features a very simple shape with a twist. The sinuous curves of the fixture allow it to look very graceful, almost like a delicate ribbon. Nastro is available in two versions and two finishes. The designs are very similar and the differences are easy to spot but don't interfere with the overall charm of the fixture. They are purely functional. As for the finishes, Nastro is offered in chrome as well as in a golden finishing with 24 carat gold plating.

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Bell Suspension Light

Posted: 15 Aug 2012 01:09 AM PDT

Nowadays there are a lot of different types of lighting fixtures, all kinds of lamps and chandeliers, but the pendant lights are among the most favourite. I guess it has something to do with the fact that we usually get light from the sun and it comes from above our heads and pendant lights are the closest to this idea. Well, I admit pendant lights are my favourite and this nice Bell Suspension Light seems to be really interesting both as design and functionality. First of all it looks like a bell, so the source of inspiration makes you think of churches and religion first and not light and home as one might imagine.

Then its design is really unusual, yet attractive, as this pendant has a rather curious lamp shade that is built on the same principle as the old crinoline dresses, with a sleek ribbed structure that gives it a sort of Renaissance air. But it is rather cool and modern at the same time. The dome structure is covered with strips of flame resistant material that is available in four different colours.

The pendant light was designed in 2012 by Fly Design and now it is made in Italy by Axo Light. You can also choose the size (small or big) and the kind of light bulb you want with it (incandescent, or fluorescent ). It can be purchased now for $799.20 from Y Lighting.

House Design News

Wednesday, August 15, 2012