Interior trends/ innovations in sector
1.
Made to Measure furniture - A trend to look out
for?
Having worked in the
home improvement industry for several years, we think that made to measure
furniture will be a trend to look out for in 2014. With emphasis being but on
'unique' and 'distressed' styles, we have no doubts over the demand for custom
made furniture.
Our own company gives people the opportunity to purchase furniture carcasses
that they can paint themselves - allowing people to add their own personal
touch to their furniture.
What do you all the think 2014 will hold for the furniture industry? Will more
people be choosing custom made or ready made?
2.
Paint mixing/ matching-
Homebase example (colours on demand)
Mix: Choose the perfect colours for
your home with the help of Dulux colour cards. With over 1,200 colours arranged
into four mood groups simply decide which colour is right for you and we'll mix
the paint while you wait.
Finishes available include
Vinyl Matt and Vinyl Silk, Soft Sheen, Once and Kitchen & Bathroom
emulsion, High Gloss, Satinwood, Quick Drying Satin and Quick Drying Gloss, and
Weathershield Smooth and Textured Masonry paint.
For convenience, paint can
sizes range from a 250ml tester pot up to a 5 litre can.
Matching: Would you like to colour match
a paint colour to a household item, for example a cushion cover, a fabric
swatch or even a hard surface item such as a plate? Take the item to the Dulux
paint matching desk where we'll scan it and mix the paint, whilst you wait, in
the finish of your choice.
Finishes available include
Vinyl Matt and Vinyl Silk, Soft Sheen, Once and Kitchen & Bathroom
emulsion, High Gloss, Satinwood, Quick Drying Satin and Quick Drying Gloss, and
Weathershield Smooth and Textured Masonry paint.
For convenience, paint can
sizes range from a 250ml tester pot up to a 5 litre can.
3.
Houzz interior design app
(FREE)
Called the
"Wikipedia of interior and exterior design" by CNN, Houzz has the
largest database of home design ideas on the net, with over 2,000,000 high
resolution photos. Browse photos by style, room and location and save them to
your virtual ideabook — it's the equivalent of clipping design magazines to a
scrapbook — making ideas easier to search, save, and share. Experience
Houzz.com as an iPad app and save your photos locally for offline access. Join
the discussion and get the community to help with your design dilemmas. Find
everything from products curated by our editorial team to top-rated local
designers, architects, contractors and other home pros who can help you realize
your ideas. The best part is, browsing your ideabook, they'll get exactly what you're
trying to do.
What the Press has
to say about Houzz:
• "A digital
look book for interior-decorating ideas" - The Wall Street Journal.
• "It's the
Flickr of design idea sites" - The Washington Post. • "One of the
most comprehensive collections of home design images on the iPad" - The
Independent.
• "Could be
the ultimate home decorating resource!" - Fox43 / WPMT-TV.
• "Quite an
addictive site" - San Francisco Chronicle
4.
Various other apps- mainly
practical uses
5.
Laura Ashley Hotel
Laura Ashley
Manor Hotel
The Hotel
Laura Ashley The Manor Hotel (formerly known as the Edgwarebury Hotel) was
bought in 2012 by Laura Ashley Ltd. Laura Ashley is one of the world’s best-loved
fashion and home furnishings companies founded on a rich design heritage and
traditional values of quality and originality, using prints and designs that
evoke the English countryside. The Manor has undergone a beautiful Laura Ashley
refurbishment, and stands on the site of an old Tudor house, which dates back
to 1540. The hotel is ideally situated- only 20 minutes by rail from London and
9 miles by road, an ideal starting point to discover the surrounding area or a
peaceful retreat to get away from it all.
The Hotel is set in 10 acres of gardens and natural woodland,
with views overlooking Central London with the gardens initially planned by Mr
W Innes Stuckey. In fact, some of the shrubs and rhododendrons are of the same
age of the house itself, and the magnolia tree outside the Terrace Bar is
especially impressive when in flower. Commander, Sir Tim Dawson BT, Royal
Navy, was the first occupant of Edgwarebury house. It was turned into a private
country club in the early 1930’s and remained so until the late 1960’s. When it
was then operated as a hotel with a fine restaurant. In 1989 a new wing with
conference facilities and bedrooms were added, moving the Hotel into its
present status.
The building's original features have been largely retained with
several pieces throughout the hotel being of considerable age. The front door
was originally part of the dungeons in Lewes Castle.
As one stands in the entrance hall attention is immediately
drawn to the outstanding features of the fireplace with Italian carved columns
supporting the ornate mantelpiece.
It is understood that some of the wood was actually from ships
involved in the battle of the Spanish Armada. The beams and cornerstones have
been used to decorate the ceilings in reception.
The wooden panels in our Beaufort Room are believed to date back
to the 1600’s. In the bar, there is a particularly fine set of old Gothic
panels made from ships lockers. The fire place over mantel features some fine
carving which frames a medieval Spanish painting produced on a leather
“canvas”.
Many television programmes and films have featured the Hotel. In
addition to this ‘claim to fame’ the Hotel can boast of having entertained
famous celebrities, including Peter Sellers, Tom Cruise and John Cleese to
mention a few.
6.
B&Q style houses
The Colours
range, exclusively available at B&Q, brings you everything you need to give
your home a new lease of life from paint and wallpaper to soft furnishings,
flooring, tiling, lighting and even switches and sockets. All our collections
are fully co-ordinated, so whether your after a few finishing touches or
planning some serious redecoration, its easy to create a complete look.
Our style houses…
Our
in-house stylists take inspiration from around the world to bring you stunning
decorative looks that will suit any mood or taste and help your make a room
your own. To celebrate the new season and to help make your home look warm and
inviting as the colder weather creeps in one of our product stylists Jenni
Beagent has pulled together six beautiful very different looks for you. We hope
you'll be inspired...
7.
Leaflets/ web articles
on “how to do”/ follow the look- B&Q examples
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templates/content_lookup.jsp?content=/content/knowledge/index/index.jsp&noleftnav=true#livingrooms
1.
In the main all interior
shops, B&Q, Homebase, IKEA are “categorised” and filtered to make it easier
to do
Instore and online. A basic
system in place which takes the stress/ guessing out of designing
2.
IKEA showrooms/ sets
Article taken from Houzz which has an app
Buy the whole look/ some- see how items can be used-
inspiration
3.
As mentioned previously-
IKEA 3D app (try before you buy
I'm using a new, free app, developed by Ikea (available from from the
Apple Appstore/Google Play from Monday), on my phone, to virtually 'place'
items from its catalogue around the room, and to figure out if they're the
right size, fit, colour and style, before committing to purchase
(Credit: Polyvore)
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