ForLook Interior Design

In one of our previous articles we wrote about the latest interior design trend, which is called “the new old” or “trad modern” or “new-stalgia” or FAB.

This new look is about glamorising vintage pieces  and designs.  Contemporary materials - such as lacquer, mirror, Perspex, Corian  etc - are used on traditional shapes. There is renaissance of Baroque and Art Deco styles, but with a modern twist..

This is a preview, read Bathroom design trend in full.

Designing small spaces is quite challenging and it requires more time and energy than larger spaces.  Here is a case study about the design process and results for a small home.

Building:

• 3 storey townhouse
• Area: 95 sqm

Problems:

• There was not enough storage
• Main bedroom was too small
• Kitchen was too small
• Needed a home office - with lots of storage..

  This is a preview, read Small spaces in full.

This is the area that is mostly associated with interior design. However, without taking into consideration the previous two factors - space & self - an interior design cannot be successful. As I said before, a successful interior is not about installing expensive gadgets, designer furniture and trendy finishes. It’s about balance - a conscious and subconscious harmony between elements - shapes, lines, colours, materials & textures. You know, when you’re in it, because it just looks and feels right.

This is a preview, read STYLE in full.

As I already mentioned in the article about designing a successful interior, your home should reflect who you are, what you like and how you live. This doesn’t mean that you should go wild and create something totally weird or fantasy-driven. This would not achieve balance, which is the most important component of a well-designed interior.

TV programmes & magazines have made us de-clutter and de-personalise where we live to such extent that it no longer feels like home. More often than not when I enter recently remodelled interiors, I see the right gadgets, trendy deco and furnishing - yet the space feels soul-less, cold and de-humanised. There are no clues about the inhabitants, their lifestyle, their memories, their individuality, their taste… I could be in a hotel, a showroom or anybody else’s home anywhere in the world. They are just not successful designs..

This is a preview, read Self in full.

When we talk about space, we don’t mean abstract arty concepts nor just rooms in the tradition sense. We mean an area framed by walls & openings - thereby creating a canvas to be layered with materials, textures, colours & your personality.

Did you get a notebook as I suggested in the previous article? If no, get one. If yes, get it out and start taking notes.

Before you start thinking about design, you have to analyse the space - its setting, its aspects, its age, its climate, its culture and so on..

This is a preview, read space in full.

In the previous article I wrote about the most common design & decorating mistakes people make when they remodel or redecorate their homes. This series of articles will give you inside knowledge about the most important aspects of interior design.

Creating a successful interior is not as easy as it looks on the TV; not everyone is a born interior designer. Just filling your home with designer and/or expensive objects will not make it feel “interior designed”.

A successful interior is about balance - a visual harmony between the physical, sensual and intellectual elements. This can be achieved through a conceptual design that uses layering, zoning and detailing. Let me explain these concepts:..

This is a preview, read Designing an interior in full.

Being an interior designer has its disadvantages. We never finish our work. Not only do our minds keep going after the end of the day, but friends and family members constantly ask us for advice regarding their homes. Mainly about decoration issues, but sometimes about spatial design too. However, they hardly ever follow our advice. Neither do many clients for that matter. It seems that people think that they are good at interior design and decoration and follow their own ideas. So they make big mistakes. Although some of them later admit that they should have listened to us, but I still wonder why they had commissioned a designer in the first place or why did they ask for expert advice? We are actually trained to see the bigger picture - and we can visualise ideas, something most people cannot do - but they think they can. We, at Forlook, had a few clients who openly admitted that they were not good at visualising or imagining spaces, and that this was why they turned to us for help. It would certainly be better if more people could come clean about this… their homes would be better looking and more comfortable places to live. But, I must admit, this is not easy, when the media put it over that everybody is a natural home-builder and a born interior designer..

This is a preview, read Design mistakes in full.

The pencil is an essential tool for a designer - but have you ever wondered who thought of it first, who invented it, and who used it first???..

This is a preview, read The pencil in full.

After years of minimalism and modernist design, elegance and opulence are back on the design scene. Art Deco & Hollywood glamour are the main inspirations of current décor trends.

This look can be classic or contemporary, glamorous or understated, timeless or trendy. Oversized & striking ornaments; glossy & fluffy textures; luxurious & lush textiles; metallic & shiny finishes define the look.  The colour scheme is simple and monochrome. The classic version is based on combinations of gold, ivory, red, deep purple, chocolate and black - offset by shimmering pearls or sparkling crystals. The contemporary palette uses black, silver and white paired with pinkish-pearl, porcelain blue or emerald turquoise. Furniture and ornaments are made of glass, crystal, mirror or transparent plastic. Textiles are luxurious and opulent - think lace, leather, silk, feather, velvet and satin. Patterns and accessories take inspiration from Japanese art or Egyptian and classic ornamentation - shapes & images of palms, bamboos, lilies, cherry-twigs and classicist details add some elegant touches.  Lighting is subdued and subtle.

This is a preview, read Hollywood Glamour in full.

Shopping at IKEA is getting more and more frustrating. Over the years I have shopped many times at many IKEA stores - both for design projects and for my own home. We even have a business account with them that should have made our life easier. But it hasn’t..

This is a preview, read Ikea nightmare in full.