It’s that time of year again when ghosts, goblins, and ghouls make their annual appearance, but some design mistakes haunt homes all year long. These 7 Deadly Design Sins might not rattle chains in the night, but they can certainly send shivers down a designer’s spine. Don’t worry, though, this isn’t a horror story without hope. With a few tricks (and some design treats), you can banish these bad habits for good! #1 Dead Space: The Design Graveyard Every home has it, that awkward corner or empty wall that just seems to exist without purpose. Maybe it’s the space under the stairs or that lonely spot beside the sofa where nothing seems to fit. This “dead space” can make your home feel incomplete and lifeless. To revive it, think of every inch of your home as an opportunity. Add a cozy reading chair, a tall plant, or a console table with styled décor to bring energy and intention to forgotten areas. Even a well-placed piece of art can resurrect a neglected corner. A well-designed home doesn’t leave any space to rest in peace. #2 Poorly Placed Lighting: The Phantom of the Flat Room There’s nothing scarier than bad lighting, it […]
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“The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light.” Le Corbusier – Architect Think about the difference between getting your photo taken in at your local DMV under harsh fluorescent lighting, versus your picture at a sexy, low-lit restaurant. Good lighting is truly everything, but it is oftentimes an afterthought when designing a room. Whether it’s a bright task lamp on your desk to help you stay productive or a sconce by your bedside for cozy late-night reading, lighting is one of the most powerful tools for creating a specific mood. Bringing lighting decisions to the forefront of the design can make all the difference, and we’ll show you how. Layer the Light Lighting, like any great interior design element, should be layered to create contrast. A mix of accent, ambient, natural, and task lighting in the home provides a nice balance of light and dark that grants each room richness and depth: Accent lighting – supplementary light that illuminates dark corners or small spaces. A can light placed above a shower enclosure is one example. Ambient lighting – the general overall light that illuminates the entire space, such as a chandelier in the center of a […]
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Let There Be Light! Lighting is arguably the most important element in interior design. It is an essential ingredient and not an afterthought as many consider it to be. If you’re tempted to spend more time picking out furnishings or puzzling over layouts, remember that lighting can completely transform a space – not just by brightening dark corners, but by affecting your emotions. (1) Lighting creates mood and sets tone. It can affect the perceived size of a room, add dimension, draw attention and create depth and balance. In order to achieve the true power of lighting, designers consider lighting placement, amongst a myriad of other things. Standard lighting layouts with symmetrical cans, chandeliers and pendants (peppered with table, floor and task lamps) are a great starting point. After all, you need more than one source of light in a room (think layered illumination). (1) But, when you get creative on where and how to place lighting, “wow-factors” can be born. Here are a few creative lighting placement ideas that take lighting to the next level. Forgotten Corners: Light ‘em up The goal is to create contrast between the light at the center of a room, the light around the […]
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