VIDEO: Design rules from BBC - Space and Planning

Living Room by Laura Gummerman.

If you want to learn more about interior design, this BBC show is the perfect start. It explains the basic rules of interior design in a easy way for all the home decor lovers. While the show it's actually quite old, the rules are today the same.

The first episode teaches us about space and planning - the first phases when you want to design an interior.

Enjoy!




Read more:

How to use colors in interior design - Part 1: The basic color theory

Continue Reading

Celebrating love: Valentine's Day decor ideas

Valentine's Day is the celebration of love - of all kinds of love, I consider. Not just for your partner, but also for your mom or dad, for your cat or dog or for life itself. I see it as a perfect occasion to remind ourselves to love more and also... to refresh the home decor.

homebyheidi.com

After Christmas, in January we had the time to take a break from all the decorations and lights. Now, it's the moment to add a little romantic spark to our homes. As I always say: never overuse decorations. In interior design, less is always more. For Valentine's Day we have a couple of elements: hearts, flowers and pink/red colors.

If you choose a romantic dinner at home, be ready to decorate the table with candle lights and flowers. If you just want to spend a cozy evening inside, than some nice heart decorations and candles are more than enough. If you're hosting a Valentine's Day party, then to all flowers and candles you can add colourful balloons, pom-poms and garlands.

You can start by hanging a romantic wreath on the front door.

www.etsy.com

Then, you could decorate the mantle of the fireplace - or any corner of the house, if you don't a mantle - with lots and lots of flowers and heart-shaped balloons.

www.lenzo.com.au

And then it's time to decorate the table for the most romantic dinner of the year.

www.ruemag.com

www.suacasasuafesta.com.br

www.notey.com

If you have a nice terrace or a garden (and outside it's not extremely cold), you can organize an outdoor romantic dinner.

hative.com

homebliss.tumblr.com

For more Valentine's Day decor ideas, please visit my Pinterest album:

Continue Reading

Pantone Color of the Year 2017 - Greenery: Decor ideas

This year it seems will gonna be fresh, natural and full of energy. Or at least, this is what the Pantone Color of the Year 2017 inspires us. Pantone Color Institute revealed the color that will influence at most the world of design in 2017: it is called Greenery. The 2017 color palettes that include Greenery are also very optimistic and lively and it is such a pleasure to watch them.

hookedonhouses.net

According to Pantone Color Institute, Greenery is a "fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature's greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate". Pantone also considers Greenery as the "nature's neutral".

Pantone Color of the Year 2017: Greenery

"Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide us with the reassurance we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and revitalize, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose", says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.

The institute created 10 color palettes that work perfectly with Greenery. 2017's color of the year is paired with neutral, brights, deeper shades, pastels and metallics and even with last year's colors, Rose Quartz and Serenity. My personal favorites are Rev it up and Fathomless, because they bring so much joy in the house: they are all bright and beautiful colors.

Pantone Color Institute

My personal advice is to take into consideration these palettes, but do not overuse them. Use a neutral color as the main one - I would choose white in this case, because it works perfectly with the Greenery one, then add Greenery as a second color and then some other colorful touches, according to the chosen palette. 

For example, in the Rev it up palette: I would choose the Brilliant White as the main color (walls and some furniture), then Greenery for bigger decorations items like a sofa and then the other colors for different accessories. For example, a carpet or pillows that contain Greenery, Fandango and Dazzling Blue or any other combinations. Just play with the palette as you dream to. 

Here are some beautiful decorating ideas for every room of the house, using the Greenery colour.

frenchbydesignblog.com

shelterness.com

onekingslane.com

mylittleitch.tumblr.com

carlaaston.com

mydomaine.com

faceliftfurniture.com

mydesignchic.com

conceptsandcolorways.stfi.re

apartmenttherapy.com

theenglishroom.biz

nonagon.style

achadosdedecoracao.com.br

topinspirations.com

Continue Reading

A party to remember: New Year's Eve 2017 decoration ideas

The New Year comes with lots of hopes for better times. A new year means for many of us a new chance to solve older problems, to fulfill dreams and to start new wonderful things. And the chance of saying good-bye to the past. Therefore we welcome the New Year not just with hope, but with a great party! Many of you choose to go to New Year's concerts in the city, to restaurants or to clubs, but there are some of us who prefer a party at home - alone, in two or with many more.

thetomkatstudio.com

If you want a party to remember, don't forget about the decorations. They offer a wonderful festive feeling and a nice conversation subject. It's important, though, not to overuse decorations - less means more.

For a very special party, you can choose a theme to it. This year in trends there's the "70's Disco Party" theme, the "Neon" theme and the "Black and White" one.

70's Disco

This theme uses lots of colours and patterns and lots of glitter. You should have in the house at least one disco ball, but also lava lamps, velvet table cloths and confetti.

Neon 

Neon colours are a big trend this year. Who had the courage of having a Neon Christmas tree could complete the theme with lots of party decor items in neon colours.

Black and White

This theme is the favourite this year. I already saw in the deco stores a lot of party accessories in black, white and metallic colours (gold or silver). So if you choose this theme, you will have no problems in finding the right deco.

If you don't care for the trends, here are some other nice party ideas. Don't forget the confetti, the champagne, the good food and the hope for a better new year.

I wish you a New Year full of love, health, peace and hope.

bridalmusings.com

stylecaster.com

shine.yahoo.com

blog.zuckermonarchie.de

fenzyme.com

schoen-bei-dir.com

schoen-bei-dir.com

wunderweib.de

vivafullhouse.blogspot.de

dabblemag.com

Happy New Year!

Continue Reading

The history of the Christmas tree baubles

The Christmas baubles are nowadays the most popular ornaments for the traditional Christmas tree. You can't even imagine a tree without the baubles, right? At the beginning of Christmas celebrations as we know them today, the trees were adorned with natural elements like apples, candies or pine cones, but since the invention of the glass baubles, the history of the Christmas decorations changed completely.

krebslauscha.de

The glass baubles were invented in the small town of Lauscha, in Germany, by Hans Greiner (1550-1609) and Christoph Müller. The little town, located in a river valley in the German state of Thuringen, had the necessary elements for glass-making: timber and sand. So, in 1597, Müller and Greiner opened the Glashütten ("glassworks") in Lauscha. First, they started producing garlands of glass beads and tin figures that could be hung on trees.The original Lauscha ornaments in shape of fruits and nuts soon grew into the production of artistic glass figures made by highly skilled artisans.

The baubles were so popular, that other glassblowers in Lauscha began producing them in a wide variety of designs and soon the whole of Germany started buying the Lauscha Christmas ornaments. Lauscha started exporting its products throughout Europe after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom decorated the Christmas tree with the glass baubles received from her German husband Prince Albert. In the 1880's, American F.W. Woolworth discovered the Lauscha baubles during a visit to Germany and started importing them to the United States.

krebsglaslauscha.de

glasmarkt-lauscha.de

Today, there are still 20 small glass-blowing firms in Lauscha that produce glass baubles. You can find at the end of this article a list with some of these. They might be a bit more expensive than the plastic or the big-scale production glass baubles, but they are worth it. The Lauscha baubles are a part of the history and of the Christmas traditions in Europe.

Glass-baubles companies in Lauscha:

• Glaslädle-Lauscha

• Krebs Glas Lauscha

• Jingle Bells Lauscha

• Glaszentrum Lauscha

Continue Reading

A very merry eco Christmas: How to decorate a Christmas tree in a pot

Christmas is my favourite holiday and I just can't imagine it without the wonderful decorated Christmas tree. But, in the same time, I know that this tradition isn't quite environmental friendly (which is a very important subject for me) and there's a little battle going on in my mind: should I give up the nicest Christmas tradition and do a good deed for the planet? Well, fortunately there is a great solution to this problem: use a Christmas tree in a pot!

blogarredamento.com 

You can find tree in pots almost everywhere now, but remember to ask your supplier where the trees come from and choose a locally grown tree. The big advantage of the potted tree is that it allows you to grow it outside and use it again next year, reducing the environmental impact. If you can't take care of the potted tree until the next Christmas, then you can rent one from a specialized company. They will bring the tree in a pot at your home, then they will take it after the holidays and replant it at their tree farm until next Christmas. You can even buy it and use the same potted tree year by year.

olebich.de

Before getting to the decorating ideas, I have gathered here a few tips on caring for the potted Christmas tree.

• To make sure the tree will last in the house for the holiday season, it would be best to display it in a cool room (when possible). If not, keep it away from the heaters and bring them indoors as late as possible - a few days before Christmas would be ideal. 

• Do not keep living tree in the house any longer than 10 days, but if it looks unhappy, put it back outside even sooner. Be sure it gets all the water it needs. 

• After Christmas, you can plant the tree in your garden or send it back to the tree nursery.

• If you're using lights for decorating the living Christmas tree, make sure the light bulbs don't heat too much - LED lights would be better.

• Use ornaments that are not too big, so you won't destroy the branches.

blog.fjeldborg.no

A perfect eco-friendly Christmas would mean a living Christmas tree decorated with eco-friendly ornaments - made of wood and other natural or recycled materials, and lighted with solar power. You can go completely eco or just stick to the living tree, it's your choice and it depends on the budget and time available. If you want to try it, here are some ideas:

• You can buy or create ornaments made of natural materials, like organic cotton, silk, hemp, wood.

• You can recycle various items and transform them in new ornaments.

• Remember that less is more in decorating - do not overuse ornaments. Clutter does not look good. 

• Use energy-efficient LED lighting. The LED bulbs can save 90% on power costs and will last longer.

• For the gifts, use sustainable wrapping paper or any other natural material.

planete-deco.fr

elightbulbs.com

www.bloglovin.com

indeeddecor.com

Continue Reading

Christmas dining ideas: How to decorate your Christmas table

The Christmas feast is one of the best moments of this wonderful holiday. Therefore, we also have to pay a little bit of attention to the way we decorate the table. It will certainly impress your guests!

It's important to match the table decorations with the ones in the Christmas tree and stick to the same decorating style. Do not clutter the table with too many ornaments or too many colors and try to keep it simple and elegant.

Here are some beautiful ideas for decorating your Christmas table. Enjoy!

rouvajonesinkotona.blogspot.com

You can use any colour you want, as long as it sticks to the entire home theme

You can go for an entire red theme

You can choose a more elegant, metallic option

You can add bold colours, like mustard and purple

Or you can keep it white and blue, for a winter feeling

The table could be a center point for your Christmas home decor

You should always match the table decor with the one in the room

Christmas in red and yellow

You can add some funny chair pillows, for more comfort

The decor can also be extremely simple, but very nice

You can keep it all white

Continue Reading