8 Simple ways to make your space interesting

Details in decor can make or break a design especially when you have a more minimal look (not a lot of stuff around).  You need something interesting  to draw the eye and provide a  momentary resting place.  It might be a texture, a beautifully shaped stool, or an embellishment.  A space without details is immensely boring and who wants a boring home?   Here are simple ways to add some pizazz to your space. Each  space will have a different starting point.

 

1. Use art  to create a vignette

Eye catching art anchors design

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Choose eye catching art and use it to create a vignette.  In this space the yellow chair creates a visual flow from the artwork and it is anchored by the stripes in the rug. Books provide a casual look but other items could be added to the bench to continue the tone set by the art.

   2. Add pattern and texture

Greek key detailing adds interest

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The addition of pattern to any space instantly makes it more interesting .  Also consider using texture for a quiet way to add additional interest.

 3. Bring the outside in

 Add outside materials inside

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 Who wouldn't notice the natural wood element in this stool in a hard edged bathroom.  The repetition of natural shapes from outside to inside woks so well to move the eye to the welcoming outside view.

4. Layer furniture and accessories

Patttern and colour with accessories create a complex focal point

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 Some focal points are large and a room is created around them.  Other times a secondary focal point can be introduced in a quiet corner of a space. This solution works when there are several seating areas in one space. Layering furniture and accessories is one way to create interest.

5. Choose spectacular lighting

 Spectacular Tom Dixon lighting

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 Who could ignore the variety of shapes in these black pendants  that anchor the dining space in an open concept home? There are all kinds of lighting choices to adorn your space.  Find the one that is right for you.

6.  Use geometry

 Black and white is always eye catching

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When you combine several geometric shapes in one vignette, it can create a powerful focus.  When you add high contrast it is difficult to ignore.  Pop some gold into the combination and you have to look - more than once!

 7. Use common items in unique ways

 A simple starfish repeated many times

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Take one starfish and it has an interesting shape.  Repeat that shape many times by overlapping and you have a sculpture that begs to be looked at and touched.

8. Use pops of  warm colours

Red is an eye catcher

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If you want instant attention choose red, yellow or orange as an accent.  Warm colours beg to be noticed by advancing visually in your space.

Now that was easy.  If you have a space you aren't pleased with perhaps one of these suggestions might help to create more visual interest. Do you have favourite ways to create interest in your home?

Leaning art: 4 Guidelines to make it work

Art warms a home, makes it interesting, provides topics for conversation and contemplation , adds colour,  the list goes on indefinitely.  There are various ways to display art; some are more successful than others.  One option is leaning  art against a wall rather than hanging it, but this display option isn't always successful for a variety of reasons.  If you want to try leaning art, consider the following factors.

1. Scale - Choose artwork large enough to read from standing or sitting  position

Mark Dodge Design

 

 The size of a piece of art in comparison to the space and objects around it usually determines successful placement. This painting fits the bill perfectly.   

 Large scale images work best

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When you want to lean work on the floor it needs to be large enough to observe from standing position and bold in imagery so it can be read at a distance. Even the dog get this!
 The photo on the right works better than the  the art to the left of it because the image is tiny. 

 Mark English Architects, AIA

Perfect scale and beautiful work that can still be seen and read while sitting or from other areas of the room. 

Bold form and simple composition

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The boldness and simplicity of this painting  make viewing it easier when leaned on the floor.  The objects in front of it enhance the placement and help to anchor it safely. They do not interfere with the reading of the image. Which leads to the next guideline...

2. Layering: Don't cover major parts of an artwork

Successful layering

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Layering other objects in front of an artwork is a tricky business.  This vignette is successful because the image is large, dark and has quite a bit of space where there are no details.  The chair and table lie in areas without too much detail.  You don't feel as if you are missing  important elements of the work. 

Do you want to remove anything here?

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There are so many things about this vignette I love, but I want to see all of the artwork and part is hidden by the table and books.  Even removing the books would help things considerably.   Love the candlesticks and the table, both really work with the artwork.

Successful layering where each image is clearly seen.

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 Layering art on shelves, consoles, and mantles can be very interesting. It is a way to display smaller pieces  to good advantage.  While this is a very simple vignette with the branch acting as a consolidating element, it is possible to have more complex collections of objects.

3. Colour scheme:  Restrict colour combinations in  leaning gallery display

 

Limited colour scheme provides cohesion

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 There are lots of small pieces in this display but they read as one unit because of the colour cohesiveness.

4. Image: Choose the right image for the space

Art with simple bold form

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I think the work that layers best in a vignette has bold form and colour.  It can compete with the other objects for your viewing attention.

Now it's your turn.  What do you think of this arrangement?

 

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Antlers: Trend or timeless?

Looking at a variety of  recent design sources supports the view that antlers are a huge style statement.    While always part of rustic country design, antlers and antler motifs seem to have crossed all design boundaries to the point where you see them everywhere. 

Spectacular lighting from Yellow Goat Custom Lighting

Right now I have reached the saturation point, and whenever I see antlers my reaction is usually utter boredom. Hopefully I will recover  because I love their sculptural  form and representation of  the passage of time and natural cycles.  I draw the line at their trophy history- no mounted heads for me.

 Moose antlers aging in the sun

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Several years ago my friend found a lovely pair of moose antlers in the woods near my summer house and dragged them home for me. They are still weathering to a lovely grayish white. While I was excited initially with this gift, I am reticent to jump on the antler bandwagon.  If I wait long enough the trend will pass, like all trends, and antlers will be new again. 

I guess you could say I am very fussy about how they are used in decor.  I think the trick is to mix them with other objects  in simple vignettes  with a natural focus where their sculptural qualities can shine and direct the collected composition. In this  understated way they will always be timeless. So here are my four ways to use antlers for a fresh look.

 As a sculptural element

White on white accentuates antlers sculptural quality

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These antlers are the perfect shape to use with the other elements in this vignette. They mimic  the branches and provide an interesting backdrop for the cylindrical shapes. 

Simple arrangements  allow the form to show

What could be more interesting than branching shapes against a dark base?  Less is always more. 

 

As a design anchor

Antlers and candles in a vignette

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There's no doubt that the branching quality of antlers makes them a perfect form to arrange objects along an interesting line.There are all sort of images online with candles interspersed among antlers. You could also use small groupings of wildflowers instead of candles.

As a pivot point

Adding interesting lines in a vignette

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Who knew that antlers can actually add a note of elegance when combined with equally elegant objects?  They are great for moving your eye around in different directions encouraging you to take in all elements of a vignette.

As functional objects 

Antler candleholders

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These are truly exquisite and would look good anywhere.

Add to planters

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Antlers would make a great natural additions to a planter when you have vines or other plants that will grow along a shape.

What's  your take on antlers?  Do you have any in your decor?

Feeling red

I'm a firm believer that colour provides us with certain benefits at certain times and  I take note when I find myself attracted to a certain colour.  My past loves have been black, green and purple.   All of a sudden I am hugely attracted tored  and I want it around me in my home.  This is a first for me.

Red accessories

I catch myself looking at red things on Pinterest and Olioboard. 

I want to hang up one of my red paintings.

 

Evoked, 2013, Margaret Ryall, encaustic

 “Painters use red like spice.” — Derek Jarman.....  If so this is one hot painting.

 Why red now?

 From yoga I know that red  is the color for the base or root chakra located at the base of the spine; this chakra allows us to be grounded and connected to universal energies.

Red also affects us physically.  It is stimulating and boosts our physical energy levels, increases enthusiasm, action and confidence, and provides a sense of protection from anxiety and fear. Don't forget that red relates to physical desire in all its forms- sexual, appetite and cravings. Pretty powerful stuff. Who wouldn't want a dose of red around with all those benefits?

I've written about red before so this must not be a new thing.  Check this  post .

I must need a boost of red.  I'm listening.  How will it play out in my space? 

 Is red a part of your home decor?

Blogger App

Yes, there is an App for Blogger and here I am trying it out.  In the past I've wanted to compose posts on my I Pad when I was travelling and couldn't.  Last week I saw an ad and decided to give it a try.  This is an in process review.

So far so good. The interface is simple , but so are the text options. 

 Can't do much that is fancy with just Bold and Italics and underline.  Also clumsy when you have to select and apply these options.  Not to mention how I hate one finger pecking to compose!

Let's try adding a photo from my camera roll.  You  have some options for photos with screen shots, actual photos taken with I Pad or downloaded  from camera.

When you read the reviews they are less than stellar with a long list of complaints.  My take: Can't include video or links, can't add photo captions or photo properties.  Nowhere to add label tags. So much for basic SEO.  

So..... Good for a short, simple post with photos while you are on the fly.  I am wondering if I can go back in on my computer and add captions, tags etc. after the fact.  Now to post this....   The only thing I see is Done.  Here goes.  New comment....  You can add labels and go back to the text. Let's try again.

Addendum.
Published easily and you can go back and edit online after the fact to change things a bit e.g. Size of photo, add captions and properties. 

Design Love: Kubus

One of my favourite Scandinavian designers is Danish architect Mogens Lassen (1901-1987).  I am now the proud owner of one of his designs - Kubus 4.  Thank you family; I've had a love affair with this candleholder for years. 

Kubus 4 candleholder in my living room

 I've begun to think up all the things I can do with this beauty, as well as  sizing up the various spots that are crying out for its presence. Its colour and bold form is not easily ignored.  I love the large space in the cube beneath the candles because it allows you to add additional objects to create lovely vignettes. Right now I have my bird bowl by local potter, Erin McArthur.

 Idea for next year- advent wreath

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by Lassen is a family business whose simple mission is to carry the Lassen legacy forward - because good design lives on through new generations. Here are some of the products available today.

Kubus 8, Kubus 4 and Kubus bowl

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Kubus 1 has its own design potential

Kubus bowl in beige 

Kubus in white with mounded roses

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The Kubus Bowl was inspired by the Kubus 4 candleholder. This design is available in several colours, and the design potential is limitless.  You can add a range of things to it:  snacks, plants, flowers, ornaments etc.and/or add new elements under it to create a vignette. Of course it is a beautiful sculpture all on its own. 

Kubus 4 vignette

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If you want to have a little Kubus treasure hunt check out  my  recent post on  Scandinavian Design  Elements.  There's one hiding.

A difficult good-bye

I've wrapped up the Christmas season in different ways, but 2013 will stand out as a doozie in my memories. In Newfoundland the season is "officially" over on January 6- Old Christmas Day - when most people begin to think about taking down decorations. 

 Family room looking festive at night  with magnolia and wreaths

  The season was chugging along quite nicely until  January 2nd. when everything fell apart because of extremely low temps, a snowstorm, and then massive power outages prefaced and preceded by rotating outages to conserve.  Needless to say that is a recipe for all kinds of problems including broken water pipes.  I've been learning the not so pleasant ways of insurance companies ever since. Enough said!  Living in a bit of a disaster zone with ceilings ripped out, dehumidifiers and air blowers going, plumbers and carpenters banging and dragging materials through the house, etc. is not my idea of perfect harmony.

It was like Christmas dribbled away without our noticing it.  Couldn't turn on the Christmas tree or the outside lights, couldn't entertain unless you wore your long johns, brought a flashlight and served melted snow. Much was reported on Twitter about the events, and I particularly enjoyed two blogposts by Heidi Wicks that are definitely worth a read.  I love her humorous take on the everyday. True and funny.

In the midst of construction I removed my Christmas decorations and looked for inspiration for next year.  

A nature inspired theme perhaps

My love of birds takes many forms and I have a friend who gives me one each Christmas.  I think next year I will pool them together and see what I can come up with.

Birds and dragonfly

 A winter display

 I can't bear to put it all away, so I find little ways to add sparkle and colour to the winter months.

Poppy with birds

And finally my little spot of red. Good- bye Christmas 2013.

Canadian Designer Spotlight: Brent Comber

Brent Comber   is an  innovative  Canadian furniture maker  who uses local woods to produce a variety of designs.  I first became aware of his work through his Alder series.  He dries and fastens alder branches and then carves the piles into cubic shapes. By combining organic materials with geometric lines he produces furniture with a very dynamic aesthetic. I particularly like the idea of using alder - a sustainable wood- that growns like a weed in most places in Canada.  My husband is always battling alder bush growth near our summer house in Newfoundland. Alders grow quickly  into dense stands and left alone they will overtake an area. 

Brent Comber  alder stools and bench

Round alder stools

54 inch Alder disk at White Horses Spa

This  54” Alder Disk  hung in  White Horses Spa at Doonbeg Golf Lodge,  Ireland.  While the same materials used in Comber's furniture pieces are used in the disk, the viewer is  engaged in a different way, looking  directly at the patterns and rhythms  that emerge at eye level. The piece is convex in shape and the light changes depending on time of day and the viewing angle similar to the way the light is filtered in a forest.  

Baumkuchn Cafe, Tokyo, "log cake"

In German, Baumkuchn translates literally as “tree cake” or “log cake”. This European dessert is also popular in Japan, and is the namesake for this cafe in Tokyo.  The 120 foot feature wall, texturally stunning and  simplistically beautiful, serves as a cohesive element in the design of this small space.  

T  Cup stool

 This simple design speaks of the strength and stability of wood while referencing its passage and growth.

And there's so much more... 

Aperture table

Horizon Dining Table

The man behind the design....

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 Check out Brent Comber at Jennifer Kostuik Gallery.

This fall  Brent Comber was awarded Western Living's Furniture Designer of the Year.

Designing Home Blog 2014

 I just wrote my 200th post on Designing Home and I've had a very laid back Christmas with lots of time to consider what is working on my  blog and what I might like to add, change, or improve.  Here are the results of my mini conference with self:

Practical posts for  homeowners

 I usually write about  topics that I think  average homeowners are interested in as they go about refreshing  or designing new spaces.  I will still continue  to address these topics  because I can see from my stats that these are my most read posts especially any that address designing smaller spaces. Aren't blog stats a wonderful thing? I also know that my  largest blog readership is in United States.  Hey, where are the Canadians?

Lori Harrison Collection

  Canadian focus 

I've decided it's time to seriously ramp up my Canadian content. Stay tuned to meet some great Canadian designers over the next year.   I will include product designers (furniture, textiles, housewares etc. ) and also Canadian interior designers and  visual artists. 

 

 I am also on the search to add more Canadian bloggers to my reading list and encourage you to do the same.  I found a good source on Pinterest (where you find everything) that I am wading through and choosing my favourites.  

Paterson Woodworking Fisher Table

Local Design

 Newfoundland Labrador has some very creative people and their products can enhance any living space.  You will meet some of them this year as I encourage  my NL readers to buy local, and other readers to spread their wings our way when purchasing.

 

  Fine art focus

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am also a visual artist  with an art blog called Painting On.  It is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep both blogs current.  I am seeking solutions to this problem and I'm sure there will be cross posting or artist highlights on Designing Home. They will support my belief that no home is complete without art.  I also want to write more posts about the arrangement and display of art in your home. 
 
Google+ 

I just took the plunge and joined Google+ .  It's a little overwhelming right now, but I hope it will be a community where I can meet other  interior design bloggers.  

Welcome 2014