GREEN DESIGN AND YOUR HOME

Posted on January 15, 2019 by rblog

Green design, which has been prevalent in commercial contemporary interior design for many years, is rapidly expanding in the residential market.  More homeowners want to provide a healthy environment for their families and conserve energy.  After all no one wants to pay too much for their electric bill or live in a home that may cause health problems.  It is becoming easier and easier to live in a green environment.  Some of the basic principles of green design are conserving energy and water, reducing waste, improving indoor air quality, and using materials that minimize the impact on our environment.

When remodeling an existing home or building new, work with an interior designer who has experience in green design.  They will help you learn about interior design, identify green building techniques, and specify environmentally friendly finishes and materials such as low VOC paints and countertops made from recycled materials.  Most interior designers are familiar with green flooring options including, cork, linoleum and bamboo.  Low flow faucets and dual flush toilets can be specified to conserve water, while energy efficient lighting will reduce electric bills.  An interior designer, who utilizes green design principles, will make your home attractive, affordable and safe, while incorporating contemporary interior design ideas.

Even if you are not remodeling, there are a few interior design tips that everyone can consider for incorporating green principles in their home.  Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs, only purchase energy star appliances, contact your energy supplier to request clean power and of course recycle more.

Green homes create healthier environments for families, reduce utility bills, and help to preserve our limited natural resources for future generations.

For more ways to learn about interior design, visit our Interior Design Community: https://thecontemporarycurtain.com/interior-design-community

Design Team

The Contemporary Curtain

A brand of PKB DESIGN LLC

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NEW YEAR, NEW INTERIOR SPACE

Posted on January 6, 2019 by rblog

It is a new year and a good time to de-clutter and re-fresh the spaces in your home.  Think the proverbial “out with the old and in with the new”.  Time to clear out the old things that no longer serve you or bring you joy in order to create room for new things you really want.  It really is a good time of year to re-assess the things you own and whether they still bring you joy.  You know that feeling, you used to love your living space but now it seems a little worn out and tired and you are longing to come home to a space that feels fresh and pleasing.  Maybe it is only one room that needs a facelift or your whole house.  There are several small, easy tweaks you can make to bring back some interest to your home again. How do you begin to de-clutter?  A good general rule of thumb is if you haven’t used it in over a year and it doesn’t bring you joy in some way, then it is time to go.  Holding onto things that no longer serve you not only creates clutter in your space but clutter in your life.  By releasing the old, you make room for the new.

Start sorting by creating three groups, a ‘keep’ group, a ‘get rid of’ group, and a ‘not sure’ group.  Once you have sorted the items in a room and have your three groups, you can use the same process to go through the ‘not sure’ group until you only have two piles, wanted and unwanted.  Remember, sometimes less really is more.  If you have sentimental pieces you do not want to get rid of, but don’t want to keep on display, try storing them for a while and bring them back out later.  Once you have your ‘keep’ items, consider the space you have; if there isn’t enough room for everything you want to keep then consider purging more items, storing them or placing items in another roomIf extra storage space is needed for the items you want to keep, try adding new bookshelves to a space, a storage cabinet, an armoire, or a closet organizer.  In smaller living spaces, try adding furniture pieces that give additional storage space.  Include an ottoman in the living room that can store blankets or board games, a storage bench at the end of a bed for bedding or storage closets in an entryway; get creative with your storage solutions.After you have organized everything, you are ready to bring new design elements into your spaces, which will help freshen up the overall look and feel of your home.  Small, subtle changes really can make a big difference.  Bring a new look to your living room by bringing in a new coffee table that adds an interesting design element.  Try adding a fresh coat of paint and coordinating custom pillows and custom drapes; switch out artwork and sculptures to add a fresh look to your room.  Try adding a new chair or reupholstering an old one and add a new accent rug.  The same simple philosophy can be used for any room in your home to add a fresh new look and feel.By decluttering your space, you will declutter your life, the whole of your space will feel better and in turn, will make you feel better.  Everything has a place or function that serves you and brings you joy.  If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t belong.  By adding a few new design elements, you really can make the old feel new again and give your home the fresh new feel you have been longing for.

For more interior design tips and to Design Custom Curtains online please visit our website: www.thecontemporarycurtain.com.

 Design Team

The Contemporary Curtain

A brand of PKB DESIGN LLC

 

 

 

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NEW YEAR, NEW INTERIOR SPACE

Posted on January 1, 2019 by rblog

It is a new year and a good time to de-clutter and re-fresh the spaces in your home.  Think the proverbial “out with the old and in with the new”.  Time to clear out the old things that no longer serve you or bring you joy in order to create room for new things you really want.  It really is a good time of year to re-assess the things you own and whether they still bring you joy.  You know that feeling, you used to love your living space but now it seems a little worn out and tired and you are longing to come home to a space that feels fresh and pleasing.  Maybe it is only one room that needs a facelift or your whole house.  There are several small, easy tweaks you can make to bring back some interest to your home again. How do you begin to de-clutter?  A good general rule of thumb is if you haven’t used it in over a year and it doesn’t bring you joy in some way, then it is time to go.  Holding onto things that no longer serve you not only creates clutter in your space but clutter in your life.  By releasing the old, you make room for the new.

Start sorting by creating three groups, a ‘keep’ group, a ‘get rid of’ group, and a ‘not sure’ group.  Once you have sorted the items in a room and have your three groups, you can use the same process to go through the ‘not sure’ group until you only have two piles, wanted and unwanted.  Remember, sometimes less really is more.  If you have sentimental pieces you do not want to get rid of, but don’t want to keep on display, try storing them for a while and bring them back out later.  Once you have your ‘keep’ items, consider the space you have; if there isn’t enough room for everything you want to keep then consider purging more items, storing them or placing items in another room.If extra storage space is needed for the items you want to keep, try adding new bookshelves to space, a storage cabinet, an armoire, or a closet organizer.  In smaller living spaces, try adding furniture pieces that give additional storage space.  Include an ottoman in the living room that can store blankets or board games, a storage bench at the end of a bed for bedding or storage closets in an entryway; get creative with your storage solutions

After you have organized everything, you are ready to bring new design elements into your spaces, which will help freshen up the overall look and feel of your home.  Small, subtle changes really can make a big difference.  Bring a new look to your living room by bringing in a new coffee table that adds an interesting design element.  Try adding a fresh coat of paint and coordinating custom pillows and custom drapes; switch out artwork and sculptures to add a fresh look to your room.  Try adding a new chair or reupholstering an old one and add a new accent rug.  The same simple philosophy can be used for any room in your home to add a fresh new look and feel.By decluttering your space, you will declutter your life, the whole of your space will feel better and in turn, will make you feel better.  Everything has a place or function that serves you and brings you joy.  If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t belong.  By adding a few new design elements, you really can make the old feel new again and give your home the fresh new feel you have been longing for.

For more interior design tips and to Design Custom Curtains online please visit our website: www.thecontemporarycurtain.com.

Design Team

The Contemporary Curtain

A brand of PKB DESIGN LLC

 

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The Energy of Your Home

Posted on December 28, 2018 by rblog

In previous blogs we’ve discussed the ancient technique of Feng Shui and its modern-day use in contemporary Interior Design.  We discussed the use of the Bagua Map and how to implement its use in the design of your rooms. Now we are delving further into Feng Shui, specifically about the balance of energy in your home and how creating harmony in your space, by extension, creates harmony in your life.

As you will recall, Feng Shui’s main goal is to shape your homes energy (chi) to add value to the quality of your life.  One of the first things to consider when thinking about the energy in your home is the amount of clutter you might have.  Many times, we simply have too much “stuff” in our spaces.  This stuff may be made up of items that you love, keepsakes you don’t want to get rid of.  Maybe, for example, you have been a world traveler and collected many unique items that you would like to display throughout your home.  Collecting items you love is a wonderful way to decorate your home, however, it may create the appearance of clutter.

Too many items in a space can create visual clutter and by extension, mental clutter.  Clutter really can zap your energy; it can take away the flow of energy (Chi), which is your vital life force.  According to Cheryl Grace, “Early Feng Shui masters believed that each of us was born with a certain amount of energy and that this available energy could be either depleted or replenished by our surroundings”.  If you have many beautiful items in your collection, you may want to think about rotating them, much like a museum exhibit.  You can pick items that will go well together in a specific room by using the Bagua map, picking colors and elements carefully, and implementing the Feng Shui we have already learned.  Think about how much fun it would be to change out the items by season or theme, it will also bring a new freshness to your space, keeping you from getting bored.  You could even change out other design elements like your custom curtains and custom pillows to coordinate with the changing display of your items. energy-of-yur-home-1Put Feng Shui into practical practice by cleaning out your home, de-cluttering, getting rid of what no longer is of use, organizing what you love and choosing to carefully display specific pieces in a way that best showcases them and allows you maximum pleasure in having them.  Why hang onto things that no longer serve a purpose in your life?  Pack up items you don’t need or want and give them to someone who will truly appreciate them.  This will help you to create a more balanced, harmonious space and ultimately a more balanced and harmonious life.  energy-of-yur-home-2-png

Simply by de-cluttering the spaces in your home, you can begin to see how easily you could change the energy of your spaces and ultimately the energy of your life. As always, remember it’s your home and by following a few simple interior design tips, you can have fun creating a home that makes you feel great!

Design Team

The Contemporary Curtain

A brand of PKB DESIGN LLC

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LIGHTING: A CRITICAL DESIGN ELEMENT

Posted on December 12, 2018 by rblog

How many houses can you think of with quality lighting design?  If you are like most people, probably not many.  But if you’re asked to think of the number of houses you have visited with poor lighting, you are likely to think of several.  When lighting is good you tend not to notice, but when lighting is bad everyone notices.  Contemporary interior design includes good lighting design, which will not only improve the aesthetic quality of a space, but it will also improve function and comfort.  Lighting is one of the most critical elements in an interior environment; it can completely transform a space and affect people’s emotions, thoughts, and actions. contemporary-lighting There are three types of lighting: ambient, task, and accent.  Ambient lighting is the general illumination of a space.  Task lighting provides ample light for a task such as reading or cooking, while accent lighting highlights a particular item.  The best lit interior incorporates all three categories of lighting and gives the homeowner flexibility in control.

A kitchen, for example, is one of the most important rooms to create a well thought out and executed lighting design.  With a little time in planning and a few dollars added to the budget you can make your kitchen look like an amazing, high-end, custom space by incorporating ambient light in the ceiling, task lighting in the form of under cabinet lighting, and accent lighting inside, above or below cabinets. These contemporary design ideas will completely alter the look and feel of your space.

contemporary-lighting-2-jpgLight sources come in many forms.  Effective lighting may be a wall sconce that makes a decorative contribution to the room, a recessed fixture in the ceiling that you barely notice, or even bare bulbs concealed in a soffit.

LED lighting has been gaining popularity in the residential market.  These bulbs are now readily available in many sizes and shapes to fit in most incandescent fixtures.  An LED bulb also has the added benefit of being more energy efficient and lasting much longer than an incandescent bulb.
contemporary-lighting-3-jpg-jpgImportant interior design tips to remember about lighting include creating a plan, incorporating all 3 categories of lighting, and creating flexibility in light levels by using independent and dimmable controls.  You won’t always want all lights in a space at full capacity.  There will be many times you will want control over which fixtures are on and how bright they are.  Whatever your requirements, a qualified interior designer can help you develop a lighting plan that will improve the comfort and efficiency of your home.

For more ways to learn about interior design, visit our Interior Design Community:

https://thecontemporarycurtain.com/interior-design-community

Design Team

The Contemporary Curtain

A brand of PKB DESIGN LLC

 

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