Professional interior designers are expertly trained in the use of lighting features to create breathtaking results. In this four-part series which I call “Colour Me Brightly: Understanding Light in Interior Design,” I draw on my experience in London’s interior design community to explain this fascinating subject. This first article is about patterns.
Ask a London schoolgirl to imagine natural patterns, and she may talk at length of curvaceous seashells, the undulating edge of waves on the shore, the grooves in a gnarled tree trunk. Interior designers know that patterns are all around us. Patterns profoundly influence all interior design schemes, transforming our appreciation of color and texture, adding fluctuations and drifts or promoting harmony and stillness. London Interior Designers will focus on soft, fluid outlines in order to create relaxing patterns. By contrast, bold graphic statements in a wallpaper stencil can be invigorating for a London discotheque or salon. Pattern is a foundational ingredient of interior design, fragmenting overwhelming shapes and plain surfaces while simultaneously lending personality and profundity to a room.
London’s professional interior designers know one big secret: pattern is created not only by fabric and wallpaper. Light also forms any number of patterns through a virtual tussle or rough-and-tumble interaction between light and shadow. Light patterns are foundational to interior design schemes – from snippeted, kinetic and frosted patterns to curvy arcs, spearhead-style lines and theatrical projections of abstract forms.
Patterns of light fall into two main interior design categories. The first is all about objects in the path of light, casting shadows. We draw our inspiration from the natural world where, when sunlight strikes rippling water on London’s famous River Thames, flickering patterns are reflected up into the trees along the water’s edge. Similarly, if an artificial light source is directed onto water – perhaps a pool, fountain or babbling artificial brook – active reflections will dapple the surrounding walls and become an interior design feature. Sunlight may shine through the branches of a tree to create moving patterns of light and shade below, and similarly a low-voltage uplight, positioned behind indoor plants, can create beautiful interior design features on the walls and ceilings. This technique can be stunning both inside and outside the building.
In my next article, I turn to patterns that use perforations and glass.
Archive for the ‘Interior Design’ Category
Colour Me Brightly! Understanding Light in Interior Design. Part I: Introducing Patterns of Light
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Student Interior Designers Often Learn About The History of Their Profession
Monday, April 18th, 2011In their training, student interior designers often learn about the history of their profession. This can be a really important way to give context to their subsequent careers. In this article, I will draw on my experience as an interior designer and educator to discuss the history of this exciting field.
The earliest professional interior designers were based in London – the British had become intrigued by Egyptian techniques of decorating household objects and wanted the same for themselves. London families became desperate to employ an interior designer to create magical spaces and accessorise their interiors. As interior designers came to be recognised as professionals, they increasingly found a need to draw on history to create fabulous results. This was particularly true when creating designs for historic London mansions or listed buildings – they saw historical reflections as a way of preserving the past while also looking to the future.
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
In Ancient Rome, citizens demanded comfort, luxury and wealth. These elements are still important in the work of interior designers across the world today. The lavish decorations, tapestries and iconic stonework today remain as timeless and popular in London as in Tokyo or Sydney. The Ancient Romans adored bespoke furniture and loved quality textiles and expensive fabrics.
MONASTIC TIMES
After the collapse of Roman rule, the church assumed power and largely discouraged the most creative interior designers. Opulent interiors were taken out and interior designers were instructed to install quiet and simple oak panels with dark lines and sharp edges. This influence was felt throughout Europe – from London all the way to Florence.
RENAISSANCE AND REVIVAL
The Renaissance saw the emergence of professional French or French-inspired interior designers. It was a new age of elegance and sophistication, which saw the rebuilding of the London Interior Designer community and a fresh take on creative and beautiful living spaces. A “palatial” feel was rediscovered, and interior designers began to take advantage of new transport axes going through London to the continent and to the Americas in order to rediscover their profession and herald the next generation of design.
This brings to an end my article on how the work of interior designers has changed over the ages. In my next article, I’ll reflect on how interior designers use interior fashions for great effect.
Home Furniture Style
Sunday, April 10th, 2011Your home is the ideal place to create your own little world where you can express yourself in your home furniture, you do not need to talk about themselves is no longer just sit back and let the furniture speak for you. Whether you are a classic person or you are more up to date, your choices for decorating the house to reveal your style.
You can always take the time to provide the house, but because the bedroom is the only place to find peace of mind that we all want to spend the extra time to find the perfect bedroom furniture. This is why we are here to offer some tips on finding a place to relax at home running at the end of the day. First, it should find a quiet corner of the hustle and bustle of Main Street in turmoil and to find his bedroom, a large order of importance and comfortable, offering the opportunity to transfer to room furniture in the future.
In search of a bedroom, try to get the right size to fit in your room; a stuffy room does not give a sense of welcome. Most bedroom sets come with the accessories you can purchase according to your bedroom furniture, a TV cabinet here, a table or an extra night at no chest for storage in your room, but keep in mind you need a space to move freely. Once you have your room well-orchestrated set, you can skip the final touch in decorating magic still in his room, bed linen and duvets, curtains and lighting. Choose a theme for your bedding with duvets and curtains can really give your room a well-balanced, which is not accurate color, mixing and matching, more magical and relaxing.