Warmth of Creativity

Warmth does not only come from heat fixtures and fireplaces; it comes from upholstery and color choices too!

Here at Divine Interiors, we love our seasonal colors. If you’re not looking to reupholster or change your entire space, consider holiday-friendly accessories. This makes the transition after your holiday celebrations that much easier!

Take these candle holders for example, a true compliment on light or dark woods. With a shimmery gold or red candle on top, these will really add heat to your holiday and pizazz to the room! Come spring, these solid-wood candle holders can be topped with playful colors such as peach or yellow to match the season!

 

Imagine simply having to replace your spring colored candles with light blue or other beach friendly colors to give your home that Summer-time look! These candle holders would do great as a centerpiece, on a side-table, or even separated around your living room furniture.

This fun asymmetrical candle holder would be a beautiful compliment to winter decor. These make a wonderful addition to any room that is already booming with color or pattern!

Come check out the variety of decor and furniture options at Divine interiors, we carry your favorite high-end lighting and furniture brands!

The 3 Principles of Interior Design

A beautifully decorated interior not only functions well but it creates a mood or a feeling and shows off the personality of the family that lives there. It’s attention to these three important ingredients — function, mood and personality — that ensures decorating success.

Before painting and rearranging, spend some time thinking about your family and how you live. Look through magazines for inspiration and pull out ideas or rooms that appeal to you. Gather things from around the house that make you feel good and study them carefully for color cues and perhaps a clue to the mood you’re looking for in your home. This is the beginning of a well-planned and decorated living area.

As for the rest, let’s start with function.

Function

Decorating is more than just eye appeal — it’s making a room really work for you. Here’s how to do it, element by element:

• The focal point:

Sometimes rooms have natural focal points (places the eyes travel to immediately upon entering a room) — a fireplace, a bay window with a view, maybe even a built-in bookcase. If the room doesn’t have a natural focal point, create one with a dynamic piece of art or a colorful area rug.

• The furniture:

Determine whether the furniture satisfies the functions you’ve planned for the room. If a piece isn’t working or if it’s too large or too small for the size of the room, get rid of it or trade it for something else around the house that may be more appropriate.

• The lighting:

Lighting should be selected for the functions of the room as well as for visual appeal. Every task will require either direct lighting from a lamp or indirect lights that simply brighten the room for conversation or TV-watching. Accent lighting — floor spots, track lighting or recessed spotlights — enhance texture, color and room details.

• The furniture arrangement:

Draw your room on graph paper. Measure and mark electrical outlets and switches, vents, windows and doors. Measure your furniture and place it in your floor plan. Generally, the main furniture pieces are directed toward the focal point, keeping the major traffic patterns open. Fill in with pieces you’d like to have that may or may not be available now. Be sure to balance high and low pieces as well as heavy and light ones around the room.

Mood

The mood or feeling of a room is created by your choice of colors, the style of furnishings, the amount of texture and pattern you choose and your accessories. Since there’s so much to think about when creating a mood, establishing a theme through the selection of an inspiration piece can make this portion of a decorating project much more fun and interesting. Here are the factors you need to address when setting a mood:

• The inspiration piece:

The easiest way by far to decorate is to start with some source of inspiration. A decorative pillow, a favorite scarf and even a magazine photo are good places to begin. Select your inspiration piece wisely, and be sure it makes you feel good when you look at it. It’s the basis for selecting your theme, colors, patterns and textures.

• Theme:

Analyze your inspiration piece and develop a theme name for it. For instance, a needlepoint pillow with a botanical design on a black background may inspire a title like “formal botanical garden.” Be descriptive with your theme name and all sorts of supporting ideas will come to mind. Botanical prints, striped walls, greens and floral colors, formal fabrics and furniture, dark woods and black accents all fit this particular theme.

• Color cues:

Color should always support the theme. Many times, the colors that are most appropriate are found in the patterns and design of your inspiration piece. Generally, it’s best to choose three colors in a room: a dominant color, used for walls, carpeting and fabric backgrounds; a secondary color, found throughout the room in fabrics and accessories; and an accent color, used sparingly to give energy and excitement to the room.

• Patterns:

Stripes, checks, florals and plaids are just a few of the patterns to consider as you continue supporting your theme. It’s all right to mix patterns as long as you do three things:

1. Keep the background color the same.
2. Make sure all patterns share the same colors.
3. Vary the scale or sizes of the patterns.

• Texture:

Too many smooth, shiny objects or too much nubby, rustic texture becomes tiresome. Use variety to keep the room interesting. Even a pattern can be used as texture. Many prints look dimensional and therefore add depth to a decorating scheme.

• Furniture:

Aside from being functional, your furniture plays an important role in supporting your theme. Some pieces may function well but their style or color may stick out like a sore thumb. Try to salvage it with slipcovers, tablecloths or paint. If it’s a lost cause, remove it from the room.

Personality

Here’s your chance to put your personal stamp on a well-planned room. Here are some strategies:

• Accessorizing:

Pictures, vases, pillows and area rugs are all integral parts of a great decorating plan. Generally, they should support your theme, but allow more flexibility here; an antique picture frame could add wonderful variety to a contemporary room. Accessories are located on walls, mantels, furniture, tabletops and floors; they can be paintings and photos or pillows.

• Whimsy:

This is optional in your decorating scheme, but it can counteract any sterile quality that may have been created by strictly following all the guidelines. A beautiful country sitting room may get some relief from a playful quilt placed over the fireplace.

• The unexpected:

Interest doesn’t have to be whimsical; it can simply be something unexpected in a room, like a brightly-painted ceiling.

From: HGTV.com

Know your Sofa

Here’s a quick guide to some of the most common types of social seating, from couches and sofas to daybeds and settees, and a few of the most popular styles of sofas.

 

 Settee

Upholstered, in a Neoclassical French style. Settees, as a rule, more closely resemble a chair than they do a sofa. With an upholstered back and seat, and padded arms like a French fauteuil, the settee is comfort and refined style for a social setting. Their popularity grew as chairmakers in the 1600s grew more confident with their skills.

 

Cabriole sofa

Is named for the sinuous curve of its back and legs, and is a petite, refined seat that was a fixture in French salons. The key is in the back: it’s got an exposed wood frame, often with carved detail, that makes one continuous line from the back into the arms. It’s an extended version of the French bergere, and has no back cushions—only a loose seat cushion.

 

Camelback sofa

Was a Thomas Chippendale original, named for its elegant sloping back that’s high in the middle, then drops to the same height as its subtly rolled arms. These seats are completely upholstered with exposed wood legs, and feature stuffed seat cushions but a taut, smooth back. Once you know this silhouette, you’ll see it everywhere. Classic, refined, and beautiful from all angles.

2-chair-back settee

Was the first type of social seating to develop completely separate from the old-fashioned medieval settles. It was essentially two chairs fused together, and ranged in styles from Queen Anne walnut chairs with upholstered seats to Colonial American wagon chairs with rush seats.

Empire-style sofa

The iconic, cornucopia-armed Empire-style sofa . These behemoths often include bolster-style cushions on each end below their dramatic arms, and have lots of carving on their exposed frames and (sometimes precarious) curved legs. Look for Asian or eagle motifs, and animal’s paw feet.

 

Daybed

Has come a long way from its origins: it was essentially a wooden chair with an elongated seat stretched out over 6 legs, a form that died out in the 18th century. Nowadays, it has a more versatile appeal, going from social seating to luxurious lounging in a pinch. Chaise longues took their place, and a stylish variation, the recamier (pictured below) features a high, assymetrical side.

 

 

English rolled-arm sofa

Is a 19th-century classic with versatile, casual style. The arms, in comparison to other sofa silhouettes, are compact and recessed. All-over upholstery, from the tight back to the plush seat cushions, make it a perfect, go-to piece for kicking back.

Recamier

Is a specific style of chaise longue that has a regal edge: its asymmetrical high side makes it ideal for reclining in style, and was named for Madame Recamier whose portrait was famously painting doing just that.

Chesterfield sofa

Has an all-over tufted, quilted look, often covered in leather. The dramatically rolled arms are the same height as the back, originally kept low so that men could sit in them without wrinkling their coats.

Tuxedo sofa

Has all the pomp of the Chesterfield, but with a sleek and modern silhouette: its high, straight arms and squared-off back are all the same height, it lacks back cushions, and it features decorative tufts (although, often just one row).

 

Lawson-style sofa

Is comfortable and casual—a classic that puts the sitter’s needs first without sacrificing good proportion. Unlike the English rolled-arm version, its back cushions are separate from the frame, and it has low, taut arms and feet often covered with a skirt.

Canapé

Is like a mini-Cabriole sofa, a French-style loveseat with a carved, exposed frame and a continuous back-to-arm shape. It rose to fame in Rococo France under Louis XV, and grew streamlined with the Neoclassical lines of Louis XVI.

Turn your bedroom into a retreat

Design

If you are building a new home or doing a complete remodel, you have the opportunity to create a bedroom that is an amazing living space or a relaxing retreat. We consulted Jeffrey Collé, the Hamptons’ leading design-builder, to get the scoop on the latest trends in bedroom design.

“More than ever, homeowners are seeking open, spacious bedrooms with cathedral ceilings, large his-and-hers walk-in closets and bigger master bathrooms, complete with double sinks, vanity televisions (for him) and televisions near the bathtub (for her),” says Collé.

“I’ve also noticed that people want easy access to things like mini refrigerators and pop-up television cabinets at the end of the bed, which have become an increasingly popular request. Homeowners are also looking to make their bedrooms more of a living space, complete with a separate sitting area, which can also double as a gym or office, and decks or screened-in porches that are connected to the bedroom. And of course, fireplaces and built-in blackout shades are as popular as ever.”

Elizabeth Noack, an interior designer from Faulkner Design Group, agrees: “Sitting rooms and meditation rooms are becoming more popular as a dedicated space in your master bedroom. Multiple textures on the wall, furniture and bedding add interest to these spaces.”

“Lighting is key in bedrooms,” explains Noack. “Life is so busy for everyone now and even at home the chaos ensues. The bedroom has become a retreat for people to come home to. It’s a place to feel quiet, serene and peaceful. Of all the rooms in your home, the bedroom is usually the biggest reflection of yourself. It’s where you want to feel the most safe and peaceful.”

Color

“All in all, we are in Seattle and still use a ton of gray in all shades, but I see the rest of the world has embraced it as well,” says Dixie Stark of Dixie Stark Interiors. “In paint, wall covering, furniture and textiles — gray is the perfect neutral! However, 2013 is supposed to be the year of ‘green.’ We have always used green in the Pacific Northwest as a complement to our beautiful landscape, and I am sure we will see it pop up more!”

Erika Woelfel, director of color at Behr Paints, agrees about the green, but she says there’s another new color to look out for this year as well.

“There are two new colors entering the scene for decor in 2013: jewel tone green and vampy rose red. These rich colors are riding in on a wave of renewed interest in luxury and opulence. They will feel especially appropriate for updates in the bedroom,” says Woelfel.

“Clear, cool greens will replace yellow-based lime, pear and granny apple greens that we have seen for so long. Emerald and forest will dominate the darker side of the new green spectrum, while mint and jade will fall to the lighter side of the range. Sophisticated reds are the future of the warm color story in the bedroom. Rose red combined with burgundy and smoky amethyst creates a dramatic look for your space.

“Bedrooms remain a place of refuge for most with a soothing and calm color palette, however the use of wallpaper, whether it is patterned or simply textural, is in high demand. This added layer on the wall makes the spaces more intimate and personalized. Luxurious textiles and a hint of glamour in the bedroom are often requested, which we can accomplish with lovely velvet, mohair or even cashmere… and maybe a mirror or two.”

Hotel inspiration

All the experts agree, bedrooms aren’t just for sleeping anymore. One of the hottest trends in bedrooms for 2013 is turning your bedroom into a relaxing, spa-like oasis.

Emmy-winning lifestyle host and best-selling author Christopher Lowell gives us the rundown on how to turn your bedroom into a spa-inspired suite, duplicating what you may see in a chic boutique hotel.

• A non-gender-specific attitude in the master suite now dominates as these “chill” spaces become far more self-contained than ever before. Gone are the frills, doodads and patterns in favor of layered texture (white linen, raw silk… ) that both he and she can live with.
• High, upholstered headboards (often fixed directly to the wall) now replace traditional wood bed frames while footboards are now being eliminated altogether for better viewing of the TV or media center.
• Old wall-to-wall carpeting is becoming a thing of the past as dark hardwood floors offer more durability, drama, flexibility and perceived home value. Over the hardwood floors investment texture-driven area rugs now provide comfort underfoot. They can be sent out and cleaned without disrupting the entire room.
• Also typical of hotel suites, coffee stations, mini-bars and music components become vital additions to these spaces so that parents can stay self-contained as long as possible before having to get up or deal with the rest of the family. So the idea that these space should only be used for “sleep” is a thing of the past.
• Modern, matching bedside tables, tall lamps with table dimmers that put everything at arm’s length while sitting up in bed become the pampering new focus.
• Traditional bedspreads (with hidden pillows) are out in favor of the turned down bed look, putting more focus on the sheets and sleeping pillows which are now stacked. Throw pillows are out in favor on a long accent body pillow that spans the width of the bed.

From: sheknows.com

ASID San Diego Chapter

We were honored to host one of ASID San Diego Chapter meetings. Over one hundred ASID members gathered at our showroom and enjoyed the refreshments while browsing through beautiful and unique furniture, rugs and chandeliers.

Thank you  ASID San Diego Chapter.