Thursday, March 15, 2012
Julianne’s home featured in the April Ideal Homes Magazine!
credit: ³© Ideal Home Magazine
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
William Morris
This week we take a look at the life and work of creative genius of William Morris.
Decorative artist William Morris (1834-1896) lived a fantastically energetic life, he was a distinguished scholar, poet, linguist and a committed socialist. However his most long-standing influence was on the decoration of homes worldwide with his wallpaper designs and invention of the interior design shop.
William Morris’s early years influence interior design worldwide greatly. He is described as leading a spoiled childhood living near the woods in Walthamstow, northern London. He spent hours walking through the forests on his own enchanted by nature. As was fashionable at the time he also became obsessed with medieval times, reading books and playing with toys from that period. His father was a wealthy stockbroker, so on completion of his degree and reaching 21 years old he inherited an annual income of £900, making him a wealthy man.
William marries his college sweetheart and commissions an architect friend to design a house south of London in the medieval style, Red House. Once built he then sets about decorating it with his friends. Like a true decorative artist, he wants a hand in all designs, so William and his friends decorate the house themselves, staying as true as possible to medieval style. They build all the furnishings, design the stained glass windows, paint murals, weave tapestries and design textiles. Once finished, they realise that they enjoyed themselves greatly, and begin to hatch a plan that was to influence interior design well into the future.
In 1861 William founds a design firm in partnership with the artists Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, they focus on the decoration of churches and later houses into the early 20th century. William’s name and reputation are indelibly linked to wallpaper design based on his work at the helm of design for Morris & Co.
William’s first wallpaper design was Trellis in 1862, a pattern suggested by the rose-trellis in the garden of his house. It wasn’t printed though until 1864 due to difficulty with printing the colours on the paper with the tools of the time. The first pattern to be printed was Daisy, a simple design of ‘naively drawn’ meadow flowers. These two designs, and the next pattern Fruit (also known as Pomegranate), share a medieval character inspired by William’s interest in that age, and they are also clearly influenced by his love of nature as ornament.
William’s designs, like all true visionaries, were ahead of their time. Sales figures for the wallpapers upon release were weak, and in fact Oscar Wilde was apparently not fond of them. In 1868 a book called ‘Hints on Household Taste’ by Eastlake is published, this serves to stimulate interest in interior design overall and William’s work is then noticed. An extensive redecoration of No.1 Holland Park, for the Greek merchant A.A. Ionides, including several wallpapers as well as tapestries, serves as a showcase for Morris & Co. designs, and leads to further commissions. William’s business takes off, and his influence on interior design through wallpaper allows him to branch out into carpets, furniture and tapestries. Morris & Co. becomes fabulously successful and extremely sought after. This allows the company to open the very first interior design shop in London (eventually on Oxford Street from 1877) allowing homeowners to furnish in a co-ordinated fashion. Ironically, as a wealthy man in those times there was a certain snobbery attached to wall decoration, and William himself preferred woven textile hangings over wallpaper for his own home.
However, times change and in 1940 Morris & Co. goes into voluntary liquidation. Sanderson comes to the rescue of the firm, buying the the wallpaper business together with the rights to use the company name for the sum of £400. William’s influence lives on in the collections that Sanderson produce, and the brand still exists today. Some of his wallpaper designs have been in continuous production for over 150 years.
William Morris’s chief contribution to the arts was as a designer of repeating patterns for wallpapers and textiles, many based on a close observation of nature from his childhood. As we are all inspired by his decorative designs, we should also remember his advice that still rings true today: “have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Something a little bit different!
New fabric from Artic made from Salmon Skins! Interesting!
“Arctic is a pioneer in creating luxurious leather for the home from salmon skin. Usually discarded after a fishing haul, the skins are tanned using hydroelectric power and thermal water and then carefully hand-strung in a small cottage factor near the Arctic Circle. The result is a a fine leather, durable enough for upholstery and yet, soft enough for cushions. Timeless and elegant, with an emphasis on impeccable finishing, it is available in seven colour ways from shimmering Silver and Pearl to Storm and Purple. This novel product offers the option for creating one eye catching feature piece or for more subtle uses on trims, buttoning, piping and tie-backs, or for uniquely adorned cushions. There is no end to the imaginative ways that Arctic Leather can be used to bring interest and individuality to any project”
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Designs on truly elegant living
Hiring an Interior Designer will make your choices a lot easier when designer your home. Here are some guidelines to make the most of your time with them….
Designing your home with your Interior Designer
Many people assume hiring an Interior Designer is a luxury reserved for the affluent. They think of mansions similar to those featured on television or in magazines. They don’t realise the benefits of employing an Interior Designer and how one can actually save you time, money and maximise the budget you set. Also they can be intimidated by letting someone come into their house and are worried that they won’t like the final result. There are many advantages to hiring a designer, and you as the client have a key role to play with them in designing your dream home.
Good design doesn’t just happen
Beautiful interiors are well thought out and pulled together carefully, they do not happen by accident. Some people have a gift for creating these spaces that are both functional and pleasing to the eye, for others it is a real struggle. Have you ever fallen in love with a piece of furniture, bought it and then struggled to match it with anything in your house? A good designer will have studied design and will plan the room based on the principles of design, scale and proportion, balance and harmony. Designers are professionals who have dedicated their entire careers to creating a unique and special look for each customer. Whether it is a whole house or some window treatments or floor coverings, a designer will be able to help you choose the right fit for your house.
Research
The more information you give your designer the better the result will be. A good designer will enhance your style, not force their own style upon you. Pick out images from magazines and blogs to show at your initial meeting. Let them know if there are any hotels, restaurants or public places that you love. Communicate your likes and dislikes, for example if you hate the colour purple make sure to let them know before they design a purple scheme for you. They will be able to get a good idea of your style and so be able to work towards your dream space. Consider joining a social network like Pinterest to get an idea of the styles out there, but be careful as it’s highly addictive!
Save you time and money
Your time is valuable, an experienced designer is aware of this and can help you to maximise the time you dedicate to designing your home. Designers can also save you money by helping avoid costly mistakes, providing valuable money saving tips and being creative with the space and budget you give them. If you feel you never have enough time and that there appears to be an endless amount of choice out there, a designer can help you avoid getting bogged down with it all. They can work with what you already have or they can start with a blank canvas. An experienced designer will do all the hard work for you. Once you have carefully explained what you are looking for the designer will be able to put together schemes for you, source the materials, and come back to you with a high quality vision of what you are looking for narrowed down to a few choices.
Little black book
Interior designers build up over years an invaluable source of professional and experienced contractors. Designers won’t work with anyone that is problematic or difficult so you can be assured that their recommendations are trusted and skillful.
Invest in your home
More than ever before people are seeing their houses as a more permanent place of living. Gone are the days of ‘flipping’ houses and apartments. People are now investing more into their houses as they are planning to live their for longer. An interior designer will be able to point out little tricks from the trade to update and improve your home. Also, if you do decide to sell then you can highlight the upgrades you’ve made when describing your house.
Your homework
When choosing a designer make sure to do a bit of research. Visit their showrooms or ask to see examples of previous jobs they have completed. Check out their blogs or websites. If you love a friend’s room be sure to ask if she or he had a designer or could they recommend one. It’s good to go with someone local as well as they will hire local tradespeople and thus have a knock on positive affect in your area. Lastly, it’s also a good idea to hire someone affiliated with an accredited association or society such as the Interiors Association.
Be honest with your budget
Before you meet your designer decide on a budget and let your designer know. A good designer will be able to work with this (within reason of course, don’t expect IKEA prices for high quality designer goods). Experienced designers that have worked with varied budgets will be able to maximise your budget, showing you where to splash the cash and where to save it in order to create a room that looks fantastic.
Your time is valuable and you want an inviting home where you can relax in comfort and style without all the effort. A good designer will work with you to create a place that reflects your personal taste and lifestyle. Hiring a designer can help you save time, money and to achieve the result you want, your personal dream design.
