Tuesday 13 August 2013

Tips For Lighting Placement For Home Decoration Projects

We all know the significance of the correct lighting in a home. Getting the right lighting in a home is one of the biggest challenges faced by households. Fixing and installing decorative and designer light fixtures is not enough. You should be able to segregate the places at home on the basis of lighting density. Apparently, some places would require more light, while some wouldn't! All this planning can take a while and maybe some professional help. You can always consult your interior designer or architect if you're not sure of the light placement and fixtures.
Perhaps if you're clear about your ideas and requirements, here are some tips that will help you create a proper lighting plan for your next home improvement project. These tips will make sure that you use the right amount of lights at the right places.
What Are Your Lighting Goals
Different people have different requirements. Some clients prefer to have more decorative lights, while some like to settle down for simple white flashing lights. It is important to have a firm determination of how you would like to project your house. Moreover, keeping a balanced approach is also important to ensure balanced placement of lights. Each room should appear bright, while exhibiting warm and comforting ambiance.
For instance: If you want your bedroom to appear cozy and comforting, you can use more of dim yellow lights or cove lights for better effect. On the other hand, study room should be bright and using white LED lights that can exhibit an active and energized environment.
Focus On Having Multiple Light Sources
This is more effective in studio and compact apartments, where you don't have much space for different activities. In such situation, you can always get installed multiple light sources to achieve better functionality and to increase the variety of activities in that space. For instance: putting up floor lamps in the dim corners next to your couch or reading chair is a good option. You can also install LED lights in the base counters of your kitchen to increase the visibility. The prime focus is to make every corner of the house functional..
Recessed Lights Are Good For High Ceilings
Normal ceiling height for a home is anywhere between 9-11 ft. If you stay in a home with excessively high ceilings, it is always advised to use recessed lights. Moreover, recessed lights are also becoming popular for the contemporary and modern appearance they demonstrate. They can easily make any space appear modern and well lit.
Prefer Going For Chandeliers In Large Rooms
Large rooms are specifically directed to living room and spacious halls. Putting up chandeliers in the central portion if the ceiling is not a new trend, but there has been a lot of transformation in the designs and overall look of chandeliers. There is a wide variety of modern and contemporary chandeliers that you can explore. The key is to buy modern, elegant and slim chandeliers to make a room appear sophisticatedly aesthetic. You may consider buying small and long bulbs, wooden covered lights, crystal finishes, faux candles and so on. Do not forget to measure out the space before buying a chandelier for your home.
Experimenting with lights can help you bring out the best of the ambiance in your home. Consulting an interior design can be a good step if you have any doubts choosing the lighting system for your home or office. You can also go through blogs, magazines and lifestyle shows for better guidance.

Saturday 10 August 2013

Choose the Right Floor Material For Your Home

Flooring is considered to be a base of every interior. All the other aspects of an interior such as furnishing, curtain, bed-linen, lights etc. depend upon the type of floor you choose for your room. Hence, it is very important to choose the right flooring for every single room of the house. Nowadays, you can see a wide variety of flooring ideas and styles to choose from, it might be quite difficult to decide on what exactly you want, what you need and from where to buy.


Consider all the important factors before deciding on flooring such as :  lifestyle, budget, climate, style, comfort and degree of use. For instance: If you have pets, or small children at home, then you should consider going in for durable flooring material such as hardwood, polished concrete, or hard-wearing non-porous tiles.






Let’s learn about other type and styles of flooring available in the market. You might get the most suitable one for your own home.


Concrete floors


Concrete is mixture of aggregate, water and cement. A polished concrete gives a very shiny, glass type look - like surface without coatings. Concrete floors can be seen in various styles such as stained, colored, painted, and personalized.


Nowadays, most of the retail stores, trendy restaurants, offices, and homes are using concrete floors due to its durability and ability of offering  numerous options for designs, colors, and even health benefits. Concrete can be  naturally colored and blends well with other elements of the room.


Most Suitable for: High traffic areas in homes, offices and commercial space.


Rubber flooring


Rubber flooring is yet another coolest innovation in the field of architecture. Rubber flooring can be used in an endless way. You will be able to see at least one place in a home or ,commercial business where rubber would definitely be installed. It is popular because of its thermal quality, durability and easy maintenance.


Most Suitable For: Kid’s room, especially for toddlers and crawling babies and factories.

Tiles


Tiles are made with ceramic or porcelain. However, many people prefer going for ceramic due to the cost factor, but porcelain tiles help keeping your home  warm in winter and cool in summers. Both options offer a wide range of versatility in terms of look and style. From modern to rustic, tile flooring is one of the most popular varieties of flooring due to its ease of maintenance and longevity. The costing and range of tiles depend upon the quality and durability of the style you choose.


Most Suitable For: Huge spaced halls, bathrooms, kitchen and even in lobbies.


Cork


This comes in the category of “Environment flooring”. Consider using Cork flooring if you have children under six years of age because it is soft on knees and heads and provide a warm and soft look to the ambience The best part of this type of flooring is that if you drop anything on it, let say: a wine glass will bounce back due to the quality of this floor. It is not at all expensive and considered to be great for large noisy areas that need a soundproof finish to absorb noise. It gives a look of dark-chocolate finished floor.


Most Suitable for: Kid’s room, Dining area or Bar room. It is also used in the interiors of many retail outlets, especially those selling expensive delicate items.


Bamboo floors


Bamboo is extremely durable and much harder than traditional timber flooring. Bamboo has the same colour range as timber and most floors come fully dressed, so there are no sealing costs.Such  kind of flooring goes well with wooden furniture pieces.


Most suitable for: It can be used anywhere in the house and office, except for damp areas.


Carpet


Carpet is a perfect floor covering for bedrooms and TV rooms where acoustics and warmth are important. As far as commercial interiors are concerned, you can also use such kind of flooring in conference rooms,  employee workstation area where silence is mandatory. When making the choice of which carpet to buy, keep in mind type several factors such as  traffic, risk of staining, acoustic properties and cleaning and maintenance.


Most suitable for: Drawing rooms, televisions rooms, employee workstations and  conference rooms.


Timber flooring


Timber floor is very expensive and have lost its importance due to the availability of various other cheap options providing the same look. However, Floating timber veneer and parquetry products are also becoming very popular in farmhouse and hotel architecture to give elegant look.


On the other hand, wood laminate is a much more economical option than solid timber floors. Such floors are  highly durable, long wearing and easy to maintain. These can be used in homes and offices to bring warm and elegant look to the interior.


Most suitable for: Any part of the home or office. Avoid using it in damp areas such as washrooms and kitchen.


Natural stone


Natural stones such as marbles, granites, limestone etc give a very elegant and classy look to every kind of interior. They not only look fabulous, but also ensures  longevity and timeless beauty. Marble can be used in any part of the house /office/ or any other commercial area. But, Granite should not be used in heavy traffic area as it can cause easy breakage.  Such kind of floors are usually expensive and worth each penny you spend on it. Natural stones go well with all type of interiors and are available in number of colors and styles. Due to its extreme durability, stone flooring is a good choice for entryways and bathrooms


Most suitable for: Natural stones are suitable for all spaces keeping in mind the flow of traffic. For instance: Granite is not preferred in high traffic area.  


Linoleum Flooring


Linoleum itself is an environmentally friendly type of flooring. It is durable, easy to clean, impervious to water, and comes in many sizes, shapes, textures, and a rich variety of colors. It is best suitable for walkways, dining area and lobby.

Most suitable for: Dining areas, walkways in offices, lobby and reception.