London Design Week 2012

 

Albemarle Cole and Son

Wallpapers from Cole and Son

Early March, when the weather changes, the showrooms of the fabrics, wallpapers and furnishing  show us the new collections, it is a treat to view the latest patterns, colors and the lovely room sets, it fills our imaginations with new ideas.

Some are old patterns revisited with new colors, a new scale as with Cole and Son or Clive Christian still look refreshing and elegant. Other are new patterns such as the fresh watercolor florals from Sanderson and the damasks and embroideries from Colefax and Fowler. Osborne and Little and Nina Campbell have some geometric patterns and bold floral and Designers Guild has been inspired by Japanese ceramics and watercolors. 

All are beautiful, all will create lovely and pleasant homes for years.

 Clive Christian

Roll up blinds with contrast pattern by  Colefax and Fowler

 Wallpapers by Sandersons

 Fabric and furnishings by Osborne and Little and Nina Campbell

 Fabrics and wallpapers by Designers Guild

Armani Casa

The cotton, linen and silks are from the recent collection of fabrics from Armani Casa, these beautiful fabrics are on their sofas and chairs from their new location.

Armani Casa has moved its showroom from Bond Street to the design centre at Chelsea Harbour. My first impression on entering the new location was like entering a Tardis, it felt small then opened up to 305 square meters of space. However it is not a spaceship but a showroom of seamless elegance, divided into rooms; living, dining and bedrooms.

Each room has illuminated walls of polycarbonate which sets off the furniture. And the furniture has the clean, straight lines of the tasteful Armani style. Although lines are straight there is some undulation on the arms of the sofas or the back of a headboard adding an extra touch of elegance. The scale and proportions are classic which give the furniture a pleasing and timeless quality.

I had also learned the brand has branched into kitchens and bathrooms making it possible to design the whole house, apartment, flat or a building, if you want to have a continuous distinctive look for projects.

The materials used for all their accessories from lighting to dishes to furniture is Murano glass, porcelaine, solid woods, marble and fabrics of silks or blends of cotton and silk. Although known very much for quiet neutrals of taupe, gray, greige, that is not beige, not gray and accents of rich mahogany or charcoal, I was pleased to see the introduction of color in orange and a very pretty dusky blue.

A selection of fabrics that would be so beautiful in a bedroom, quiet, restrained, unfussy elegance.

Custom Design Homes

Custom designed homes are becoming more popular today than ever before due to the changing needs of our society. Eco home designs, passive solar orientation, cross ventilation and environmentally friendly houses can only be built if each vacant building block of land is assessed on its very own merits. With the pending change to six star ratings for all new homes built in Australia coming into force on the first of May 2011 a custom home is the most practical way to achieve the additional star rating required.

When designing a new home for a potential home buyer the first step for any good home designer is to visit the building site. This is where the site is assessed for views, obstructions, northern aspect, access, building services (such as power supply, water, gas and sewerage), prevailing winds which will be used for cross ventilation cooling and landscaping options, just to name a few. It's in this stage of house design that ideas are formed in the designers mind that will later be translated by pen onto sketch pad and subsequently finalised in an CAD design.

Ranch Home Designs

The classic pattern of traditional ranch house plans can be found all over the United States, although there are subtle regional variations such as brick cladding or exposed rafters. The original ranch style originated in the Spanish colonial period of the 1820's, and was characterized by horizontal adobe structures which were low to the ground. The westward expansion of populations, and the introduction of sawmills, led to board-and-batten construction techniques, and eventually to the Craftsman and Prairie architectural styles.
These modern styles, with their emphasis on simplicity and functionality, led to the California ranch style of the 1930's which was pioneered by architect Cliff May. May's designs were influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style homes; and by the post World War II era ranch-style homes became the most popular architectural style in the rapidly growing

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Simple ranch home plans are characterized by single story construction with low-pitched roofs, often with front and side gables arranged in asymmetrical L-shaped formats. Most ranch-style homes feature built-in garages, patios and porches, and few ornamental exterior details, although there may be brick or wood cladding or false shutters. Ranch-style home floor plans usually rectangular or L- or U- shaped, which creates an open and informal feel. Floor plans frequently feature specific living zones, with kitchen and dining room acting as a buffer zone between the sleeping areas and the dining and living areas. Floor-to-ceiling picture windows and sliding glass doors stretch across the rear of the house and provide access to backyard patios or decks. The front of the home, facing the street, usually features smaller horizontal windows, sometimes with false shutters.

Design Home Plans

In today's world, it is important to make many considerations when designing a home. Going green is vital to our future and today's sustainable design home plans reflect this need.
Sustainable home design is defined as the philosophy of designing a home with its environment and services focused with emphasis on economic, social and ecological responsibility providing a minimal environmental impact.

When designing a sustainable home, it is an integrated design process between the architect, engineers, and design team and of course, their client at all stages on construction. From the site selection, design formation, material selected and how they are procured on up to their implementation.
The following are some options for sustainable design home plans. These include some building designs that have been in existence for quite a while and are now being reconsidered due to their beneficial nature.

Cottage Home Designs

Small cottage house plans are ideal in the present economic and climatic situation since they are inexpensive to build, heat, and maintain. In an era in which frugality and wise use of resources is replacing boastful strutting and ostentatious display, the cottage lifestyle is coming more and more into its own. Here are some ideas which you can incorporate into your own cottage house plan, or improve your existing cottage home.

The essence of cottage interiors is the blending of the familiar with the fresh - with matching your grandmother's heritage silverware with your contemporary style plate or an antique chiffonier with up-to-date casements. Mixing the old with the new adds patina and personality to a cottage home and makes a unique statement about the owner. It says "home" instead of "look how rich I am!" In the same way, bold wallpaper and paint styles can be used to create a feeling of open space in smallish rooms, especially when the walls reflect decorative patterns repeated on rugs and furnishings. Again, the idea is not to create a mishmash but rather a blending of disparate elements. Bookshelves, knick-knacks, small decorative elements - even children's artwork - can be brought together to make cottage living feel as comfortable and familiar as wearing an old favorite jacket or hat. Old style pictures in old style frames, collectible plates, even quilts can be hung on walls. Dried flower arrangements in vases or folk art sculptures can be used to decorate table tops.

Home Improvement: 10 Tips To Design A Beautiful Garden Landscape

Garden Landscape Design

1. When coming up with a garden landscape design, you should consider the size, shape, and style of your home during the landscape design phase. The landscape design of your garden should blend with the house, not distract from it. You should be trying to enhance the property as well as the existing structures with your landscape design A good garden landscape design should flow smoothly with your home by creating repeat design details, textures, colors and smooth transitions.

2. When designing your garden landscape, make sure you have a plan in mind. A garden design should incorporate height and width restrictions of the area you plan on planting your garden, especially when dealing with trees. The garden may become unmanageable blocking views or pathways.

3. A successful garden landscape design will include proper soil requirements for the types of plants that you choose within your garden. Drainage requirements have to be taken into consideration when designing you garden. Poor drainage will doom your garden from the start

4. When designing your garden landscape, make sure that you plan for future growth. Your landscape design at maturity may change how the garden receives sun and shade throughout the day. Garden plants bought with the sun in mind may end up in the shade.

5. A vital key to a great garden landscape design is to create a focal point. Whether your focal point is a tree or an oddly shaped plant or garden color, create a garden landscape around it.

6. Consider the curb appeal that your garden landscape design will bring. The backyard garden may be
where you hang out, but the rest of the world will see the garden design in the front yard. A good landscape design technique is to plan curves into the garden design; nature does not work in just straight lines. This type of landscape design will increase the look and curbside appeal of your garden, adding value to your house.

7. The future needs of the family should be taken into consideration when designing your garden landscape. If you have children, design your garden with them in mind. Each member of the family will use the garden design differently.

8. One of the most overlooked elements of the landscape design is lighting, both natural and artificial. Lighting plays a very important role in any good garden landscape design. Garden lighting sets the tone for how the garden will be used during the day as well as at night.

9. Your garden landscape design does not have to be expensive, but make sure that you are being realistic about costs. It's very easy to misjudge landscaping design costs, especially if you hire contractors.

10. When planning your garden landscape design, make sure and create it around your personality, desires and maintenance requirements. If you really like an oriental garden design, why plant a rose garden. The future maintenance of your landscape design should be a major decision during the landscape design. If you do not have the time or the ability to keep up on the maintenance, your landscape design is doomed for failure.