'Investment' Furniture will Eventually Bore You to Death

There are some timeless investment furniture pieces which can be placed in any design layout, from any era, and not only do they blend in with the décor, but they also add some character to the interiors. Those pieces are very rare however and they also have to follow a certain theme to work properly, like that popular, retro leather office chair (the one littered with sunken grooves) which looks like it belongs in a classic, luxury-design study room.

If you're already heavily stocked-up on investment furniture pieces, there are still ways through which you can freshen those pieces up though, but here's why investment furniture will eventually bore you to death:

 Investment pieces are usually very expensive and are kept for long periods of time

While you can get some fabulous home designer products at affordable prices, investment pieces are usually very costly, since one naturally ‘invests’ in these larger pieces with the aim of keeping them for life. Investment pieces may fit in with the interiorwall décor and art, as well as other design accessories, at their time of purchase and introduction into the home, but time will eventually catch up with those ageing designs and the entire balance of your interiors can get thrown off. You will eventually get bored with your investment furniture, but you are forced to stick with it because you paid so much for it, even in the wake of it gradually becoming style-outdated.

Sometimes investment furniture can be so expensive that you become rather reluctant to really enjoy it, existing as more of a decoration than actual, functional furniture.

Investment furniture can often be very prominent and dominating

Even in the event that you do eventually get bored with your investment pieces, due to those large and more prominent pieces lagging behind the emerging evolutionary design trends, there's not much you can physically do to the furniture itself because of the sheer size and prominence. Remember that often, home designer product ranges include mirrors and other matching design accessories like chandeliers, so redecorating every now and then may not be very practical, as unfair as that may be since design trends to tend to evolve quite rapidly.

Beating the Inevitable Bore

While investment furniture will eventually bore you to death, there is no escaping some of the more traditional investment furniture pieces, like the old dining room table, the living room sofa and perhaps some armchairs and a patio set. Fortunately though, with the availability of fabulous designer home products at affordable prices, accent furniture pieces and design accessories can be deployed to accentuate the investment furniture and act as a constant source of refreshment for what can become a very redundant look.

Accent furniture pieces offer a very wide variety of styling trends, with the likes of table lamps and other design accessories very easily updating the look and feel induced by the larger, more permanent investment furniture pieces. In this way, that inevitable investment furniture bore can be hedged against and you never have to surrender to it.

In Australia you can get fabulous, yet affordable design pieces from the exclusive Australian distributer    www.Uttermost.com.au

Uttermost Australia Testimonial from Santo Sulfaro

 

"At Sulfaro Furniture, we are a passionate husband and wife team and invest a lot of time in our showroom to ensure every experience for our customer is perfect.

We have recently traveled overseas to trade shows and have seen fabulous furniture and accessory pieces that we liked, but were just too expensive to bring back to Australia for our customers.

Then, at the recent DesignX we actually stumbled across the Uttermost stand and we just loved it!!   We ordered then and there and it was a great success. The Uttermost team have been exceptional to deal with from the very beginning.

We have since ordered more and our showroom looks totally amazing also complementing our own bespoke furniture!  We are getting a great reaction from our clients, we love the furniture, chandeliers and accessories and I know our clients will as well because we know what they are looking for".   -Santo Sulfaro

We are so delighted to share with you this testimonial from one of the most loved furniture range here in Australia. Thank you so much for expressing you appreciation, we are humbled by this and inspired to continue serving our clients.  You can also visit their website at http://www.sulfaro.com.au!

You can view Uttermost Australia tradeshow at DesignX here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.496205577131592.1073741833.482068221878661&type=3

 

5 Simple Tricks to Update the Design of Your Lounge Room

 
The trendy design of your lounge room may have followed all of the modern design standards at the time you decorated it, but the effects of time will inevitably catch up to all current trends, prompting the need for you to refresh and update your lounge design at some point.

Design trend evolution will eventually mean the interior décor in your lounge room is outdated, to the point where you cannot even pass it off as a classic look anymore, but there are a few easy steps you can take to update the design of your lounge room, when the need arises.

1. Buy with Vision

This is probably much easier said than done, but prevention is always better than cure. If you are right in the middle of decorating your interior living room space, you will be familiar with the fact that home designer product ranges include mirrors, table lamps, accent furniture pieces, design accessories, wall art and décor, which means that there is a lot to consider in an attempt to buy with a vision of the future.

Buying with a vision means that you should acquire décor units that can very easily fit in with different themes and design styles, like table lamps that will allow you to change lamp shades for example, leaving ample leeway for a quick color-scheme upgrade to resemble more modern and trendy looks, as they emerge.

2. Modernize the Existing Décor with a Progressive, Complementary Theme

It's rather amazing what complementary styling can do to your ageing lounge room design. Those dominant design styles, which are getting on in the years, are actually quite easy to overpower and neutralize, with the simple use of fabulous home designer products available at affordable prices. Since home designer product ranges include mirrors, table lamps, accent furniture pieces, design accessories, wall décor and art, one modern and progressive color scheme represented throughout all those décor units can work wonders to modernize and lift the entire lounge room space.

3. Re-arranging Furniture and Décor Units

The rate at which design trends change may be relatively high, but in design terms it is not to the extent that you have to re-do your lounge room every two years or so. Some accent furniture pieces, here and there, could go well with the re-arrangement of the layout plan, giving your existing furniture and décor an instant fresh and progressive look.

4. Add Some Wall Décor and Art

Nothing updates a lounge room quite like modern wall décor and art, with abstract and simple art pieces going well with clean, print-art type of wall décor.

5. Create the Illusion of Expansion

Actual renovation and expansion of your lounge room would very likely prove to be costly, so the next best thing, which can be just as effective, is to create the illusion of added space by including design accessories such as large mirrors and other reflective home designer products. Complement that with a lounge room arrangement that pours more natural light into the room and you instantly create the kind of functionality characteristic of modern interior spaces.

In Australia you can get fabulous, yet affordable design pieces from the exclusive Australian distributer Uttermost Australia and Timepieces Australia.

How to get the 'Revenge' Look... just as in the TV show

Grayson Manor has endeared itself to the hearts of many people, for a number of reasons, one being the luxurious, classy and homely interior décor of the house. It is no surprise then as to why so many people may want the 'Revenge' look for their own homes, whether to replicate the resemblance of the leading character's strength or simply because they have fallen hopelessly in love with the interior décor and what it accentuates.

The actual process of working towards achieving this look for your own space may appear to be somewhat of a daunting prospect, since you might not exactly have the TV-production company budget those 'Revenge' interior designers clearly had.

With the right knowledge and access to fabulous designer pieces  at affordable prices, you can very easily achieve the Revenge look without breaking the bank. First we need to define this look in real world design terms, so that you know how to go about hunting the appropriate décor units to achieve the look.

 

If you take a look at Grayson Manor, the interior essentially mirrors the grandiose appearance of the exterior, giving  a feeling of a perfect balance between abundance of space and coziness at the same time. While your particular interior space may not be characterized by high ceilings, long hallways and lots of space, you can still create that illusion of space very effectively, using the right selection of fabulous home designer pieces  at affordable prices.

Because complete home designer product ranges include mirrors, table lamps, accent furniture pieces, design accessories, wall décor and art, achieving the 'Revenge' look is simply a matter of knowing which pieces go well with which spaces and how those pieces complement each other.

Color Schemes

Starting off with the colors, the design accessories, which include pieces such as accent furniture, table lamps, wall décor and art, should follow a "warm" color scheme, giving off the illusion of illumination when it gets darker and the lights have to come on. That peach/very light-orange color, complementing some very natural browns, always gives off that feeling of luxury, while maintaining that family coziness everybody is always after.

Arrangement

This is probably the trickiest part of trying to achieve that luxurious yet cozy and powerful 'Revenge' look, but the trick is to create the illusion of luxury through abundance, while avoiding congestion. You want your spaces to look like they are very "well-fed", but not overfed…

This is achieved through the positive reinforcement of home designer products, like matching table lamps, everywhere where there is space for them. Mirrors must be placed in strategic places to create the illusion of more space (along entrances to hallways and some rooms) while accent furniture pieces, design accessories, wall décor and art should be strategically positioned such that some reflective surfaces "multiply" them.

Lastly, the most important part of the arrangement setting is to allow for adequate living space, taking extra care to keep all the furniture and design accessories clear of natural light-inlet points, like windows and doorways.

In Australia you can get the “Revenge look” by using fabulous design pieces from the exclusive Australian distributor Uttermost Australia.

Designer's Tips: Lighting

Can you add too much light to a room?

Yes you can. When designing with light you must consider all light sources, including natural light. You must also take into account day and evening options.

If you over light a room, the effect will be harsh and uncomfortable especially at nighttime. If you have layered your lighting correctly you need not rely on your decorative pieces for light – lamps with dark or black shades, or chandeliers with dimmer switches are among the lighting options that can be added for fashion without over lighting your room.

In location of lighting, are there other do’s and don’ts?

One of the most important considerations in the placement of light fixtures is the glare they produce. Direct glare – as from a bare light bulb – is the worst kind. Always use the correct bulbs to avoid glare and also beware of reflected glare, light that bounces off of other objects into the eyes.

My room seems too big/small…. how can lighting help?

The direction in which you point the light can be very helpful. Ceilings can pose problems, or they can become special features. If the ceilings seem too low, bounce light from up-light fixtures (like torchieres) as this can visually “raise” the ceilings. Cathedral or beamed ceilings can also he highlighted and take on new importance in the overall design of a room with up lighting. Two common problems in older homes are rough or patchy surfaces., and high, cavernous ceilings. To alleviate lighting issues, keep the lighting off the ceiling by using only down lighting (like chandeliers or semi-flush mounts). Imperfections in a surface will be less noticeable without direct light shining on them.

Room dimensions can “appear” to be altered with the proper lighting. Smaller rooms can look more expansive and large rooms can be warmed with the correct lighting fixtures. Washing the four walls of a room with soft light, combined with a light toned paint can create the effect of a larger room. Conversely, a large room illuminated with a few soft pools of light concentrated on certain objects or areas can make a room feel smaller and more intimate.

What about a narrow room or hallway?

Narrow rooms can benefit by placing lighting on the short walls of the room rather than drawing attention to the long narrow walls. This results in a wider looking space. In narrow hallways choose sconces that project light both up and down the walls and that light both sides of a hallway.



I have a lot of beautiful features in my home, like stonework and silk window dressings. How can I show them off with lighting?

Skimming them with light will highlight textured surfaces, whether it be a soft surface like fabric or a hard masonry surface. Acute angle placement near these surfaces will help achieve this effect.

How can I use lighting to show off the beautiful decorative objects in my home?

Backlighting decorative objects can help accent them. Bouncing light indirectly onto an object can also achieve a pleasant effect. Lighting something from below works particularly well on transparent or translucent items such as glass.

Any tips for my Entryway?

Entries should not be overly lit. The transition from outdoors to indoor can be disorienting. Remember to avoid glare in this area. This is best done with multiple light sources. Make the entry warm and inviting. Lighting is very important here, as it is the point where the first impression is made.

Designer Tips for Lighting and Lighting Fixtures

 Light is one of the most important, yet understated elements in our daily lives. Light helps form events, and memories…the sunny day at the beach, the marriage proposal by candlelight, the ghost stories told by the campfire. The Bible says that after God created the heavens and earth, he created light, and saw that it was good (Genesis 1:3-4). Scientific studies have shown that the appropriate and proper lighting affect our daily moods. Can you imagine living in a world with no light? Or even in a world with inappropriate lighting? How would this affect your life?

Thankfully, we have access to great lighting….which means we have options. You can use lighting in so many ways to enhance your life, and your home…to make easy life’s daily tasks, to strengthen and highlight the structural features of your home, to provide romance and warmth to the environment where you spend your quiet time. Below are some of the ideas we would like to share with you on light positioning and lighting products. It comes from years of experience and working with other professionals who are experts in the field. I hope this helps…please enjoy:


What are the different types of lighting I should know about and use when designing a room?

There are four basic types of lighting that can, and should be used to achieve the best lighting design. They are: ambient lighting, task lighting, accent lighting, and decorative lighting.

Ambient lighting fills the undefined areas of a room with a soft level of general light, enough for someone to navigate through the room.

Task lighting is a bright light that illuminates a particular area where a visual activity, such as food preparation, or reading takes place.

Accent lighting is similar to task lighting in that it consists largely of directed light. Accent lighting is used to focus attention on artwork, or architectural features, to help set a mood or provide drama in decorating your space.

Any of the three previous categories of light can come in the form of Decorative Lighting. Decorative lighting draws attention to itself, and can sometime be the centerpiece or focal point of a room. A Dining Room Chandelier is a perfect example of this. It is very important that you select the proper type of decorative lighting to create the environment you desire.


Are there any basic rules to use when planning a lighting design?

One basic, but often overlooked rule of efficient lighting is to put light where you need it. However, to insure an attractive, comfortable lighting atmosphere, you must also think about balancing light. It is essential to create an effective spread of light through each room and have it flow seamlessly between rooms. The best way to achieve this balance in a well-decorated room is to layer light sources. The first step to lighting design is to identify the main activity areas or the room’s focal points. Any room with multiple focal points will be the most visually interesting and balanced. This is where the brightest layer of light should be directed. The next step is a middle layer of light that provides interest in specific areas without detracting from focal points. The last layer fills in the background.

The first two layers are supplied by task and/or accent lighting, depending on what is being lit. The third and lower-level ambient lighting is usually indirect like that provided by wall sconces. Once the essential layers are in place the decorative pieces can be added.



Source: http://www.uttermost.com/t-tips-Lighting.aspx#top

Designer Tips : Great Lamps

Decorating Is Not Complete Without a Selection of Stylish Lamps

No matter what the style or the purpose of a room, the critical key touch in its décor is the lighting.

Lamps bring not only light, but great style as well.

They have two roles. One is bring the “right” light for each space, and the other is to become a key factor in the beauty and character of a home.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Lamp:

1. Type of Lamp and its Purpose or Function – In choosing the right lamp, the number one thing is the necessary light, how much light, and its location.

Accent Lamps, Swing Arm Lamps, or Desk Lamps are great for desks, bedside, and reading in general. They usually have a downward light, often metal or in a dark shade, to focus the light and reduce interference with TV or other visual focal points.
 

Table, Floor, and Buffet lamps cast a warm, inviting glow, so whether enjoying a warm and close conversation or whatever the activity, the light is comfortable. Buffet lamps are a form of table lamp, usually tall and slender, but particularly attractive in pairs and often used together on a console or dresser.

Torchiers are a more dramatic source of light, with a shade that directs light upward, throwing light up to bounce off the ceiling and wall, creating a glow of fairly even illumination.

 2. Styling – After considering the purpose or function of a lamp, next consider styling.

Each of the above mentioned categories of lamps can be interpreted in different personal choices of style. Lamps are designed in a wide range of styles to fit in any environment or room in a home, whether Contemporary or Transitional, Traditional/Classic, Rustic, or any exciting mix that expands and enhances the personal feel of the home… for its guests, and most of all for the individuals that live there.

In summary, the particular character and usefulness of lamps are an important part of how any environment feels. Lamps can become the determining factor in how much a room is enjoyed, how useful it is, and in many cases, how beautiful it can be.