How to get the 1960s look now back in fashion

The swinging 60s fashion styles are swinging into the 2012 fashion scene.  The designers Calvin Klein, Jeremy Scott, Geoffrey Mac and Tommy Hilfiger all gave a nod to 60s style in New York fashion week. Klein created 60s style swing coats, Scott gave a nod to 60s pop art and Mac created giant backcombed 60s hair styles.

Twiggy’s 60s fashion style influenced Aussie label Romance Was Born’s new bold owl swift dress. In the Saturday’s Herald Sun Andy Burns quoted Anna Plukett as saying “….. The fabric silhouette and popping bright solid color palette reflects the mod era which we love”

When I went shopping yesterday I had a walk down memory lane when I spotted some Twiggy style shift dress’ in solid bold geometric designs. Giving my age away here, but I can’t help but be proud of the fact I was in England (a school girl) during the swinging 60s. What an exciting time it was. The new season of 2012 embraces a solid color palette in sleek paneled highlights accessorized with bold accessories.

Fashion concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Celebrity stylist Franco Scifilliti shared some words of wisdom in the same article. He suggested 5 ways on ‘How to get the Twiggy look’. So here they are in my own words.

1. Find a shift dress in an A-line or slightly fitted style. Solid colors or black and white (I have created the fashion concept board above to give you an idea)
2. Short capes instead of coats will add to your swinging 60s style (Oh I remember my last winter in England my best friend’s Mum made me a grey wool cape with a bright red lining I worn this over a matching short slim fitting skirt. I thought I was lovely) Large buttons or toggles are the recommended trim.
3. It is so important to choose the right accessories; opaque pantyhose (tights) in 70 or 100 denier. The best colors are bold for example red with a black outfit, midnight blue with red or white. Find some big pendants, enamel hoops; chunky jewellery is very much in fashion. For your head select a cap in the mod style. Large handbags in bold colors and geometric patterns similar to the dress styles would be right on song.
4. For your feet knee-high boots in black or in a colored suede, patent or suede platform pumps. (Don’t you just love shoes?)
5. Keep the whole look crisp and clean. Straight lines geometric shapes work best

Well that’s it I look forward to seeing how long the 60s styles stay in fashion. The great thing is they are often reinvented so even if they don’t last long they should be back soon.

Wedding Color and Theme Boards

Wedding inspiration boards can be created to show an option of different color choices. A wedding planner can create a number of color boards showing how different styles will look in different colors. These wedding inspiration boards can easily be created online at www.sampleboard.com.

Color Concept Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

The wedding planner can then email the wedding inspiration boards directly to her client. Another option would be to use one board to show the various ideas. Wedding inspiration boards are a great way to express visual ideas.

A few wedding mood boards have been included here so you can get an idea of how professional looking wedding inspiration boards can be easily and quickly be created online at Sampleboard.com. The old saying of ‘blue and green should never be seen without a color in between’ can be put to rest this season. Vibrate blue and green work brilliantly together and are a hot color and trendy choice this season.

Color Concept Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Wedding Inspiration Theme Boards    

If the client of a wedding planner is unsure as to what sort of theme to use for a wedding the wedding planner can create a number of wedding inspiration boards featuring different themes. The themes you can create online on the sampleboard.com website are endless.

Wedding Theme Inspiration Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

You have only to look at the wedding inspiration boards to get an idea of how to achieve this on the wonderful site www.sampleboard.com. You can play around with different themes and a mix of different themes until you come up with something special and unique.

Winter Wedding Inspiration Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

 

Home decorating ideas: How to update or improve a room with 3 items

A common question asked in my interior decorating workshops; what is an easy way to update a room? In this blog you will find my response to the question.

A dull, tired, dated room can easily be transformed with the interior decoration of three items. When you are fed up of the interior decor of a room you can create a new trendy look with three easy to find items. The three items can be added to any room. This is particularly easy to achieve if you have created a neutral color scheme.

Living room ideas

So how can you transform and update the interior décor of a living room with three items? What are the items? To answer the second question first the three magic items cushions, throws and floor rugs. If you have a living room or bedroom; in need of an update find three cushions for each sofa (or bed).

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Tip: If the cushion inserts are still in good condition you only need to buy or make new cushion covers

There are a number of inexpensive options. Some curtain manufacturers sell remnants of high quality off cuts at bargain basement prices. Even if you are not a great sewer it is fairly easy to make cushions. Some variety/bargain stores sell the whole package cushion inserts and covers at discounted prices. In this instance you could buy four cheaper cushions and then spend a bit more on two quality feature cushions. You do not have to restrict yourself to three cushions, five, seven or nine could also be used. Three would probably be the minimum number on a sofa or one for a chair.

Tip: Odd numbers are easier to work with when creating arrangements

The throw rug is a great way to add color, pattern and texture to a room. It is also functional it can keep you warm in cool weather. The throw selected can be in one color to match one of the cushions or a mixture of colors. It is best to match some of the cushion colors and then maybe some of the other colors in the room. The throw can be position at the bottom of a bed, or over a sofa arm on the opposite side to where the three cushions have been positioned.

Concept Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Tip: Many interior decorators often use the magic number of three items

A colorful textured floor rug can be positioned at the side or bottom of a bed or in front of a sofa. The rug should be selected first. If you like to change the decor of your room often then there is a great range of inexpensive rugs available.  You can also invest in a quality rug. When selecting a quality rug try to find one with a few colors and a classic or abstracted design. If you selected a trendy pattern this could date.

Using cushions, throw rugs and floor rugs is a great way of achieving a rhythm of color, pattern and texture throughout a room.  They are a very easy, cost effective way of transforming a dull, dated and uninteresting room. And when you grow tired of them you can easily and inexpensively replace them.

Concept Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

I have quickly created the concept boards in this blog to give you an idea of what I mean. You too can have some fun and create a visual representation of your interior decoration ideas with an interior decorating concept board right here on www.sampleboard.com. Just follow the link on the right.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com – concept creation online

Some tips on how to set the scene for a Valentine’s Day dream

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

My husband and I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day we prefer to surprise each other with wee romantic treats unexpectedly. This works very well for us. For those of you who do celebrate the day I thought I would share some thoughts from an amusing article I read in the Herald Sun Weekend magazine called ‘A Crash Course In Valentine’s Day’ by Ross Brundrett.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

I must admit I agree with Ross; Valentine’s Day is not about celebrating romance but it’s about celebrating a women’s idea of romance. Brundrett thinks it is good practice for when guys eventually tie the knot. The day after all is all about keeping your partner happy. Ross gives a few tips on how males can really make her day. Here they are in my own words. I have also added some concept boards to give you a few ideas.

• Make sure to select quality Swiss chocolates and long stemmed roses

•  It is important to plan ahead and make sure you book a restaurant for a romantic dinner well in advance

• A piece of jewellery can have more impact than just saying I love you

• If you have the skills and know your way around a kitchen then cooking her favorite meal to show your love could well be a winning move

• Setting the scene with background music is a great idea

• Serving champagne (French is always best) if you can afford it

• Women in love with romance prefer men who are well groomed

• Another way to set the scene is to decorate the space for romance. Just study the boards to give you some inspiration on how this can be done

• Inviting your mates is the biggest no no. This is a special night for two

• This romantic night cannot be spoiled by cutting it short to watch your favorite sport on the telly

• Keep the cost of the evening a secret she will love you for it

There is nothing to say the same rules do not apply to the female species when they want to celebrate by making an effort to keep her romantic male happy. After all some men are romantics at heart and some women don’t have a romantic bone in their body.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

1910 Queenslander Restoration | Bungalow on stilts turns into house with contemporary flair

Image via View On Design Blog

A 1910 Queenslander | A bungalow on stilts brought up to date with interior design to create a house with contemporary flair

Many people around the world saw the devastation of floods in Queensland last year. I lived in Queensland for a few years and was horrified to see the destruction. Many of the older style houses were not destroyed. This was due to where the houses were situated and how they were built. The wonderful thing is the community has banded together to rebuild and great progress has been made. In this blog I celebrate the wonderful iconic Queenslander.

Image via View On Design blog

The Queenslander was a style of home developed in tropical Queensland Australia from the 1840’s. It had tongue and grove boards for single skin walls, sheets of corrugated iron for the roof and was built on wooden stumps.

Image via View On Design blog

Aussie timber home with corrugated iron roof on wooden stumps 

This home design was a response to the Australian climate and conditions. The style became an Aussie icon. But it was thought to be influenced by the bungalow designs of the British in India with its wide verandahs of timber poles and fret work.

Image via View On Design blog

Wide verandahs, fretwork

Queenslanders were single or double story. The vertical timber stumps were used in both. They allowed for ventilation and cooling in the under floor space. This space also provided protection from pests, made an easier build on sloping sites and allowed a natural water flow in monsoon like rains and floods.

Get the look Concept Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Extra space under for drying clothes, cross ventilation, passive climate control

Double story Queenslanders also offered space for storage, the drying of washing and provided extra cooler and darker living spaces. The floor plan of the house allowed for cross ventilation creating passive climate control. Wide verandahs were covered with the large steep pitched roof.

Image via View On Design blog

Queenslander style adapted to different eras

During the different eras the Queenslander adapted. In the Victorian period interior decorating included wallpaper, paneling and highly decorative detailing typical of elaborate Victorian styling. The Federation Queenslander was the Australian version of the English Edwardian home.

Get the look Concept Board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Federation style, fret work gables, high ceilings and lead light windows with Aussie motifs

The features included detailed fret work in roof gables, high ceilings often 14 feet high and the window frames, doors, architraves and skirting boards were made of Queensland pine. The lead light windows were often designed in native plant, bird and animal designs; although geometric and curvilinear shapes of Art Nouveau were also used.

Image via View On Design blog

Single skin timber cladding, decorative screens, pressed metal ceilings, French doors, picture rails

So the typical Queenslander was of timber construction, with a corrugated iron roof. Single skin timber cladding for external and internal partition walls were also a feature. The verandahs often extended around three sides of the house. Decorative screens were used to act as protection from the sun and wind. Picket fences, palm trees and tropical fruit trees complete the picture.

Image via View On Design blog

There was a blurring between outside and outside spaces; French doors opening on to the wide verandahs accommodating this. The interior design featured ceilings usually of pressed metal, tongue and grove walls with picture rails. Open fireplaces and timber floors were also common interior design features.

Lighter Edwardian colours, off white, magnolia, biscuit, sky, eau de nil

The colours schemes of early 20^th Century Queenslanders tended to be lighter that those used in the southern states of Australian. Federation colours of magnolia, sky green, eau de nil, biscuit, off white and other shades of green and cream were likely to have been used. For example the soffit of the verandah painted eau de nil, the weatherboard painted biscuit and the verandah brackets painted off white.    

Image via View On Design blog

Restored Queenslander features with contemporary additions are blended seamlessly  

Images of the beautiful 1910 Queenslander in this blog are used with permission from the View On Design blog. The home is called Onkaparinga and is situated in Laurel Avenue, Chelmer in Brisbane. It has been beautifully restored. The original features have been maintained. For example the pressed metal ceilings, timber walls, picture rails, fretwork, timber floors, fireplaces and lead light windows. Yet the home has a contemporary feel. The old and the new have been blended seamlessly.

Image via View On Design blog

SampleBoard.com has a whole new look, has been improved and rebranded

The sampleboard.com team is buzzing with excitement SampleBoard has a cool new website. All of the best original features have been retained. But it just got a whole lot easier, faster and it is still the greenest way of creating great professional looking design concept boards.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

The original SampleBoard.com site was launched in 2010. The aim of the creation; designed by designers for designers was to digitize the process of making sample boards. The traditional way of creating sample boards took a lot of running around, time and energy. I remember days of driving around for hours in and out of the car in the Queensland heat.  I love SampleBoard because it is eco-friendly and time efficient.

              Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Interior designers, decorators, landscape designers, fashion designers and wedding planners can create design concept boards using the extensive library of images and/or easily upload their own images. SampleBoard is also a great place to interact with other designers and share ideas.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

In this blog I have included examples of my first adventures on the new sampleboard.com site. The best way to really view the changes is to have ago. Please let us know what you think we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Interior Designing | Traditional Design

Moodboard created by Rosena MacFadzean on SampleBoard.com

Interior Designing: Traditional Design

Author: Jamie John

Often times conveying a feeling of elegance and sophistication, the traditional design is an design style that is never out of the question when it comes to considering a particular style for your home. The concept includes classic accessories, calm colors, and antique furniture which are sometimes contemporary or even eclectic.

The Traditional Design

The traditional design has different traits and elements. One common element is the Chippendale style. This mahogany made furniture can be a great addition to your living room design or den design. With its intricate carvings and varnishing, you can never go wrong.

Another possible option is the Queen Anne style furnishings with simple lined accents that are graceful and at times curvilinear. The marked difference between the two is that the Queen Anne furnishing are characterized by shell-like carvings and Chippendales are more elaborate than the latter in that the emphasis is more on the carving. Either way, both designs are equally pleasing to the eye.

Concepts

Other basic concepts of this interior design style include:

a. Fabric – It is perhaps one of the most vital elements because it shows the intricate traditional designs like floral patterns, stripes, patterned tones, plaids, and so on. Make sure you use a flat textured fabric, like velvet, and avoid shiny ones.

b. Accessories – To achieve that traditional feel, make sure that the accessories are subtle. Elegant accessories like china vases, porcelain decorations, mirrors, classic leather-bound books, intricate frames, and the like often characterize the traditional look. When accessorizing, avoid clutter and make sure you have a proper balance between your accessories.

c. Colors – Do not use vibrant and overly saturated colors if you do not want people to perceive your interior design differently from what you intend. Traditional design settles somewhere in the mid-tone range. As much as possible, use calming colors that complement each other. The color transition must be comfortable to the eyes. For instance, in bedroom design or den design, the transition of colors from room to room should be neutral, e.g. blue-green-cream.

d. Symmetry – This is not a modern interior design concept. Your interiors must be free from clutter yet smooth and elegant. A good example of symmetry, when applied to a game room design, are two frames opposite each other in the middle of a TV set, lights adjacent to each other on the billiard table, and so on. It is also noteworthy to mention that urns need not be identical with each other.

A very unique characteristic that the traditional design possesses, unlike other interior design ideas, is the freedom. Lots of the accessories and furnishings can be selected based on personal preference, provided it goes with the spirit of the design and does not deviate from it in any way. There are even times when an owner can paint his furniture to complement the general color of the room.

The liberality of traditional design provides that personal touch of flavor to one’s home.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/interior-designing-traditional-design-4920186.html

For tens of thousands of decorating ideas, check out Design Shuffle today!

You can also create your own moodboard with the easy-to-use SampleBoard moodboard creator.

Sign up here for your free trial!

Google Umbono | SampleBoard selected for Umbono programme

Proudly created on SampleBoard.com

SampleBoard is bouncing off the walls following the official launch party last week of the Google Umbono programme at a celebratory event in Cape Town.

‘Umbono’, meaning idea or vision in Zulu, is a Google Africa initiative to support and invest in technology development in South Africa.

We are one of four teams selected to take part in this accelerator mentorship programme for online entrepreneurs! This huge honour was announced by Nelson Mattos, VP of Googele Africa, Europe and the Middle East, in front of other top entrepreneurs, tech media and more! Sponsored by Cell C, the launch was held at the trendy Umbono offices at the Old Cape Brewery in Woodstock. It was quite an occasion!

We are more excited and invigorated than ever to spread the word about our eco-friendly, time-efficient web-based solution for creative professionals to output beautiful designs and moodboards! SampleBoard provides a creative tool plus an extensive image library to inspire and support designers in creating digital moodboards quickly and easily.

We underwent an extensive six month pitching process to be selected into the Google Umbono programme, and we are more assured than ever that there is a great need for SampleBoard’s professional cloud-based creative tool, much like Google Docs, it can be used anywhere online when the creativity strikes allowing you to access the most-commonly used image editing functionality at a fraction of the cost!

SampleBoard, as a Cape Town-based business, is also immensely proud to have been chosen for Umbono at this exciting and important time of Cape Town being selected as World Design Capital 2014. Design is a key element in our everyday lives, and SampleBoard wishes to empower and encourage its global community of designers and creatives to power the world’s creativity!

Click here to experience SampleBoard, sign up for a free trial of the pro version, Ultimate Creator…

 

 

How to: Go glam – Style At Home

Moodboard created by Mane Carrion on sampleboard.com

How to: Go glam – Style At Home.

Luxurious fabrics, sparkly accessories and reflective surfaces can create a space that is nothing short of glamorous!

The look: Luxe fabrics, shimmer and sparkle and an overall feeling of sumptuous glamour. This decor trend, reminiscent of old Hollywood and silver screen starlets, harkens back to a time gone by. But the look can be updated and easily incorporated into your decor. With these tips and ideas, you can get the look without going overboard.

Where to start? We’ve lots of ideas to offer up, plus we’ve asked Vancouver interior designer, Rosie Daykin, for her opinion on going glam, too. Rosie isn’t a fan of over the top, all-out glitter and glitz. Instead, she knows just the right touches to incorporate a little luxe into your life.

• Mirror mirror: An accent piece, rather than a large piece of furniture is a do-able way to add glam without a huge investment or commitment. “I think things with a reflective quality up the level of glamour in your home, like a mirrored side table, or coffee table” Rosie says. In the dining room, Daykin admires an idea from one her friends who “has a mirrored mat that goes in the middle of the dinner table, and it looks beautiful.”

• Luxurious fabrics on furniture pieces take it glam-ward too. How about covering that ottoman or chaise lounge in sumptuous charcoal velvet? Glam fabrics don’t have to mean bright boudoir-red crushed velvet. Unless you are on a B-movie set.

• Chandeliers are appearing in unexpected locations in many homes like the kitchen and bathroom. Depending on your personal style, you can choose a classic in crystal or whimsical with coloured beads birds and flowers. The choices are endless, and the sizes range from powder-room petite to jaw dropping gigantic.

• A glamorous room is rarely brightly lit, so choose accent lamps strategically placed, rather than expecting one overhead light to create the subtly sexy mood you’re going for.

• How about candles? “ I only use white – never coloured candles, ” says Rosie. White looks elegant in crystal or clear glass candlesticks or candelabras. Or pop tea lights into a grouping clear glass tumblers or even stemmed wine glasses for an easy centerpiece. Just make sure the glasses are thick enough to withstand heat.

• Fashion often dictates trends in home decor. This season, feathers embellish everything from shoes to handbags, and you’ll see touches of the celestial fluff at home as trim on throw pillows, photo frames, and on ornamental balls, which look lovely in a large glass footed vase or apothecary jar. No-No to the Zsa Zsa feather boa type – instead, feathers can be elegant and refined if handled properly. Think more Ralph Lauren than Vegas showgirl, and you’ll get it just right.

• Heavy metals. “ Forget earthy elements, like bamboo, when it comes to creating a little glam” says Rosie. “I like silver for its reflective quality.” If you’re more drawn to the warmth of gold as your metal of choice, make it extra-chic and pair it with winter white, rather than black. Why not cover a feature wall in wallpaper with brushed metallic tones, to add a softly luxurious feel to the room?

• Jewelry box inspiration. Pearl finishes look creamy in candlelight. Watch for pearlized photo frames, serving trays and mother of pearl handled silverware, vintage or new.

• Flowers. Says Rosie, “no over the top arrangements, all you need on a dining table is a couple of low bouquets. Colour dictates whether it’s glamorous, too. Red roses are not glam. You need a level of elegance. Many of the same bloom work well in one shade – I like burnt orange these days.”

Article Source: How to: Go glam – Style At Home.

Create your own Glamour Interior using our easy-to-use moodboard creator!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beach Wedding Ideas: Decorations that Set the Mood for a Seaside Affair

Beach Wedding Ideas: Decorations that Set the Mood for a Seaside Affair

created on sampleboard.com

The beach is a common for weddings throughout the year. It is versatile, fun and allows the couple to celebrate in a setting that almost everyone has fond memories of both as children and adults. Worldwide, the beach is a setting that people enjoy year round.

Almost everyone has spent at least one day of their lives visiting a beach. Whether the day was spent playing, enjoying the sun or just relaxing… beaches are magical places that allow us to forget the worries of the day and enjoy some of the finest environments that nature has to offer. The beach is also a magical and mystical place, offering up unique treasures such as polished rocks, shells and even occasionally relics of days gone by, such as bottles, pottery and parts of ships. There is nothing more calming than sitting on the beach and staring at the water and horizon of the ocean or at the unique patterns in the water, lake or river side.

Beaches are also place where romance blossoms or matures. Walks in the moonlight alongside a lake or ocean set a mood for even the most unromantic. Lying side by side or sitting on a beach allow a unique closeness that is hard to replicate in virtually any setting, even if the beach is mobbed by people. Who would not be impacted by the image of a wind swept, sandy beach as lake or ocean waves gently and methodically lap the shoreline?

For all these reasons and many more, beaches provide the perfect theme for most weddings. Whether ocean side or landlocked, everyone can relate and almost every one can enjoy the theme, using their own memories as fuel to get in the mood of the wedding theme. Even the most unromantic can find something to like about the beach, ocean or environment even if it is only misty nights, distant clanging of boat mooring lines or the unique sound of foghorns.
With that in mind, beach wedding decor can set a mood that can be “all things to everyone.” If you enjoy the ocean or bodies of water, a beach theme evokes images of children playing and warm sunny days. If you enjoy the mystery of the ocean or a lake, the beach theme replicates that imagery as a metaphor for the mysteries a happy couple will unfold in their new lives together. If you enjoy those misty seaside nights, a beach theme can use that imagery of warm, humid nights with interesting sounds to build a mood of mystery, adventure and security.

To set the mood from the beginning, try using beach towel stickers affixed to your beach wedding invitations or as an add-in with them. Have guests sign a seaside allure traditional guest book as they arrive at the wedding. Colors such as sea-green or aqua blue can be used to decorate your reception hall and if you have a separate cocktail hour before the reception but after the wedding.

Decorate your tables with metal boats filled with mints. You also can give guests a Starfish Wine Stopper that is a great way to preserve wine and will remind guests of you for years to come. Using boat wheel favor / place cards on your tables give guests a memento that is easily stored and can be placed in scrapbooks when guests get home.

Other decorations can include vases filled with miniature shells. Food also can be a decoration, particularly if you use foods that are synonymous with the beach such as lobster, clams and salads that focus on crisp greens. Napkins in seaside colors can also play a role in setting your theme. If you want more traditional colored napkins, use beach colors and pastels for cocktail napkins.

The beach is versatile and offers something positive and friendly for almost anyone. By using it as a theme in your wedding, you give guests the ability to enjoy your interests and create their own images according to the big day as well as their own memories. Beach themes set the mood for fun and can enhance your decorations whether you are celebrating your commitment by the sea, a lake or river.

Article Source: http://beachweddingidea.blogspot.com/2008/08/decorations-that-set-mood-for-seaside.html

For more inspirational beach wedding ideas check out:

The Knot

My Beach Wedding Ideas

Or create your own wedding moodboard on SampleBoard.com

Living Room Design: Creating a purple color scheme

Creating a purple color scheme

created by Rochelle Hodgson on sampleboard.com

Purple is an extremely versatile color that can be flamboyant or understated depending on the tone used and the colors it is paired with. It has historic associations with wealth and royalty, so bringing purple into your color scheme will give your interior a sense of opulence. It is the perfect choice whether you are decorating a formal dining room, a cosy living room or a plush bedroom.
Harmonising schemes with purple
To create a harmonious room, team purple with colors adjacent to it on the color wheel, for example plum, burgundy, magenta and chocolate brown. Moving in the other direction around the wheel, you can use deep purple with navy, royal blue and cyan.

For a more subdued color scheme, use toned-down shades of the same harmonious colors. Using the color wheel, choose a fainter shade of purple and then select the adjacent harmonious colors from the same ring to ensure they are of the same intensity and create balance. These schemes work best when you don’t use all the colors in equal measure, so save the brightest color for an uplifting accent.

If you want to incorporate wallpaper or patterned fabrics, opt for gentle floral designs or simple geometric patterns. Use soft furnishings such as bed linen, throws and rugs to bring the component colors into the scheme.

Purple in a contrasting scheme
For a modern and flamboyant use of purple, team it with accents from the opposite side of the color wheel. Use purple alongside either a splash of yellow, a bright orange or a hot pink, but don’t try to use all the colors together.

Paler shades can also work well in a contrasting scheme, and nature is a fantastic source of inspiration. Think of lavender fields and how the purple flowers complement the light green plants. Clashing colors like purple and red can also create a striking look in the right shades with many contemporary wallpapers harnessing these powerful combinations. Dramatic colors work best in larger scale floral prints or bold geometric patterns.

When using a complementary or contrasting scheme, try painting three walls plain purple and papering a feature wall with a print that combines purple and a contrasting color. Pick the accent color up again in smaller objects like colored glass candle holders and chandeliers, but keep it to no more than 10 per cent of your overall scheme. Alternatively paint all the walls purple and use the contrasting color for one statement item of furniture that you really want to stand out such as a designer sofa.

Purple in a tonal scheme
For a calming, tonal color scheme opt for three shades of the same color. These will sit on the same segment of the color wheel and get progressively lighter as the color is mixed with greater quantities of white. Add interest to a tonal scheme with different textures, like a sheepskin rug, satin cushions or quilted throw.

This subtle combination of colors is ideal for creating a peaceful atmosphere in a room like a study or guest bedroom where you do not want an overpowering scheme. Use a neutral color like grey for the carpet and white for the ceiling to make the room feel as spacious as possible.

Silver can also lift a more subdued scheme and works particularly well with purple. Look for some elegant candlesticks or silver-sequined scatter cushions. Use plenty of mirrors and other reflective surfaces to give the room depth.

Purple living room color schemes
Purple & lime living room ideas
More ideas for decorating with purple

Article Source: http://uktv.co.uk/home/item/aid/611321

Create your own living room color scheme on SampleBoard!

Biker fashion: 2011 motorcycle chic trend

created on sampleboard.com

Trends begin, they evolve, and then they fade or simply become a standard. Skinny jeans became a standard, the military fashion trend cannot. So as 2011′s fashion trends come to fruition, as we move fully into a new decade, and as military chic becomes as drawn out as the war that inspired it, what becomes of the military influences that have helped keep the likes of Balmain and Burberry in fashionisers’ conscience? What replaces it?

The answer may lie in a trend that has been around for some time, but a trend that hasn’t been able to be much more than a blip on the radar while in the shadow of military fashion. The trend? Biker chic.

And we’re not the only ones to think so. Take Burberry who, with little ceremony, dwindled the military motifs that they’ve been known for of late down to a few select elements in their S/S 2011 collection. Much of the rest of the collection was biker inspired and infused, so much so that the collection is named Heritage Biker. So with biker fashion elements not exactly being something new for 2011, it leaves to be discovered what elements will help take the style to a new level.

Motorcycle jacket

Can you imagine the military trend without a military jacket? Not possible. And so it goes without saying that the motorcycle jacket is the key statement piece for the motorcycle / biker fashion trend. Naturally, not any motorcycle jacket will do. While we undoubtedly will see fast fashion stores give us motorcycle jackets in the now-subdued vein of the ‘Brando jacket’, the motorcycle jacket in 2011 needs to be much more of a statement piece.

And so it goes that it’s not merely about an overused cut and simple black colour. In fact, many a colour will suit. You can take the lead from Burberry’s colour offerings (above in a traditional Burberry colour, immediately below in silver, and further below in two-tone leather), or you can look to spring 2010′s colour trends, specifically those for leather, for inspiration.

Silver motorcycle jacket from Burberry

Two-toned leather motorcycle jacket from Burberry

Of course, just because the biker chic trend is about more than Brando jackets and black motorcycle jackets doesn’t mean to say that the trend is completely devoid of both styles. Take Balmain’s, pre-spring 2011 offering for instance: it’s a motorcycle jacket that is somewhat military-cum-Brando.

Balmain motorcycle jacket

So with everything from boring blacks to statement silvers having been designed, what key elements should a fashioniser be looking for in a statement military jacket for 2011?The answer is two in particular.

Zipped sleeves

Zipped motorcycle jacket sleeves from Burberry

Quilting

Quilted motorcycle jacket from Burberry

Trench coat with subtle quilting and motorcycle jacket zips from Burberry

Leather pants

You may think of biker pants as anything skin tight and black. But again, that’s not necessarily so in 2011. Christopher Bailey’s leather motorcycle pants for Burberry can grab attention just as well in neutral tones, with mesh side-panels and an exposed, feature zip. As with other elements of the bike chic trend it’s all about the detail, and last season’s plain leather leggings won’t quite cut it. Panels, quilting and padding, and zips all add to the tough yet ultra-slick and modern feel of the neo biker pant, while other thick, skin-hugging materials like neoprene can also work as an alternative to leather.

Leather motorcycle pants from Burberry

The skirted alternative

As it is with other elements of the biker chic trend, there’s also an alternative to biker pants. Drawing on the quilted motifs of their motorcycle jackets, Burberry have produced a neo-mod leather skirt with quilting detailing that not only sits perfectly with the bike fashion trend, but also acts as the perfect alternative statement piece to the motorcycle jacket.

Leather skirt with bike chic detailing from Burberry

Motorcycle boots

And last but not least, motorcycle boots round out the key elements of the biker fashion trend – hardly a surprise given no trend is complete without a tie-in shoe trend. Biker boots, having been in fashion for some time now, won’t be hard to come by. You could consider that a plus, but don’t rest on your laurels: mass marketing of biker boots means that a lot of very average styles are going to be seen on the streets already, so in order to get motorcycle boots right in 2011 look for a statement pair; something that exudes quality and style – a pair such as the Chanel biker boots.

Chanel biker boots

Written by Daniel P Dykes

Article Source: http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b–bike-fashion-motorcycle-fashion-4897.html

Create your own Fashion Trend on SampleBoard.com!

Our Wedding | Relaxed West Coast Beach Wedding

created on sampleboard.com

Okay, so I’ve decided it’s about time to document Our Wedding.

It’s been 9 months since the wedding and I haven’t even printed out a single photograph! shocking I know – I’ve clearly been too preoccupied with re-developing SampleBoard to realise that in and amongst this brainchild I GOT MARRIED!

So here we go – I’m going to take you through the initial phase of the planning – the look and feel of what we wanted to create.

It was clear from the start that we both wanted a Beach Wedding. It took me 30 minutes searching online to find the perfect spot : Strandkombuis. Situated right on the famous Sixteen Mile Beach in Yzerfontein, an up-market boma-style restaurant with beautiful sea views, along a stretch of pristine beach, good seafood and a relaxed atmosphere.

The drive to Yzerfontein is just over an hour from Cape Town, so we arranged accommodation at the rustic B&B situated right behind the Strandkombuis venue. A dune separating the B&B and the sea with wooden steps leading over the dune to the beach, with breakfast served on the deck, overlooking the sea the next morning after the wedding. It was perfect.

We created the color scheme around a seafoam/teal and rose palette. Our design inspiration motto became:  Raw Beauty. Everything we chose had to fit in with the natural beauty of the west coast. This meant local west coast fynbos, king proteas, shells and pebbles collected from the beach in our December holiday in Elandsbay, twine, rope, wrought iron hearts which we bought from a local in Kalk Bay off the street and small glass “message in a bottle” type containers with a cork top which had love and friendship poems inside as our wedding favors.

All of our wedding décor was a DIY exercise. This did not only limit the cost, but in return it enabled us to use our wedding day décor in our current new home by the sea!

created on sampleboard.com

Eco Friendly Office Design | Design an Eco Friendly Office with Green Office Furniture

created on sampleboard.com

If you have an at-home office, small business office or your own office for the company in which you work then you probably have a good say in what and how your office gets decorated. Are you looking for a way to design an eco friendly office? If so, then green office furniture may be right up your alley.

Choosing eco friendly office furniture does not have to be difficult. Today, there are many great options in this area that we just didn’t have in the past. Because of this, you can have more variety in your choices. Office furniture can be functional and eco friendly while also being attractive and fitting to your theme.

More and more people are looking for eco friendly ways to live their lives. Offices are a large part of the consumption of resources. Furniture makes up a big part of this. But when you learn to design an eco friendly office with green office furniture, you can feel good about reducing your carbon footprint.

When it comes to eco friendly furniture for your office, one of the first things to look for is the choice of wood that is used and the chemicals that are involved in manufacturing the furniture. These are the things that destroy forests, lead to indoor air pollution and cause other problems for your health and for the future of the earth itself.

Designing an eco friendly office begins with some research and some smart planning on your hand. Don’t be in a rush to buy your office furniture and instead learn how to make the best choice possible.

Here are some guidelines and basic info on eco friendly office furniture:

• Avoid hard wood
• Seek woods obtained in an eco-friendly way
• Purchase wood from companies that practice sustainable forestry
• Buy chairs and accessories made from recycled materials
• Look for certified furniture such as that from the FSC
• Avoid furniture made with VOCs which contribute to air pollution indoors

Now that you know more about how to design an eco friendly office with green office furniture, you can begin designing your own office today. You should also seek to design an office that is as eco friendly as possible. While the typical office will eat a lot of valuable resources, there are steps you can take to reduce this as much as possible. This can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint as well as your bank account.

Article Source: http://writingtipsblog.com/2010/12/01/design-an-eco-friendly-office-with-green-office-furniture/

Sophisticated 70s Fashion: women’s trend 2011

created on sampleboard.com

We all want that vintage vibe in our wardrobe. That essence of an era gone by. And we want to cherry pick the sleekest, sexiest, and most stylish looks from it. In recent years we’ve worn the best of the 20s and 30s, seen the rebirth and fading of an 80s come back, and we’re just about to do it all again. But this time, its the 1970s that are due for a reinterpretation.

While ’70s fashion is making waves and sure to continue on as a fashion trend in 2011, let’s not forget that there are several variants. And you know what that means; all the more ways to get lots of wear out of your key seventies pieces, by taking them from ’70s boho to a more sophisticated ’70s look.

’70s styling at Elie Tahari A/W 2010

’70s sophisticate: the look

There’s an underlying confidence to this trend that’s key. Even the more demure looks need to be carried off with an air of sexuality and a sort of defiant independence. There’s a boldness. It’s in the addition of that floppy felt hat, those exotic jewels, that super-high pair of platforms. At night time the hint can snowball into a statement: think Bianca Jagger at Studio 54 in a slinky gown, ivory cigarette holder in hand, and you’ve got the picture. Read on for tips for both day and night time looks.

70s style icon Bianca Jagger

’70s sophistication by day

By day it’s all about clean yet voluminous silhouettes, and earthy ’70s colour palettes. Look for:

• High waisted wide-leg pants or flares, smartly belted in.
• Neat bow-blouses, especially ones with billowing or bishop sleeves. Particularly great are fabrics like silk and satin.
• Roll neck sweaters tucked into pants or skirts. Add to the ’70s effect by layering over beaded necklaces or a vest.
• For those more daring, a pair of hot pants are the ultimate ’70s item.
• A smart printed jumpsuit is another great alternative.

Daytime ’70s styling at Chloe A/W 2010

’70s sophistication by night

By night the ’70s sophisticate turns into the ultimate socialite, with look-at-me shimmering fabrics and cuts that either tightly hug or sensually drape over the body.

• Choose high sheen fabrics with a ’70s disco-inspired edge, like lurex or silk; anything with a metallic thread.
• Add a ruffled neckline under a brocade blazer or tuxedo jacket, paired with a sharp pair of pants.
• Long, slinky gowns with draping, low necklines or dress slits are the ultimate in ’70s night time glamour.

’70s evening glamour at Ferragamo A/W 2010

Accessorising a sophisticated ’70s look

Accessories are key when it comes to creating a ’70s look. Some things to keep in mind:

• The right handbag completes a look. Try for smart, high quality bags like a leather satchel for day, and a small bag with a long strap for night.
• Big, statement leather belts slung over mini skirts or maxi dresses add impact and fair to a seventies-inspired outfit.
• A pair of on-trend thigh high boots are probably already be in your wardrobe by now – pair them with hot pants or a skirt for a decidedly sexed-up yet sophisticated ’70s look.
• Wear lots of jewellery – but keep it a little cleaner than for a boho look. Try lots of rings with bold stones, neat piles of bangles, and long pendant necklaces and strings of beads.
• Look to complimentary hairstyles like a sleek longer bob, masses of bouncy curls, or long, flowing hair.

Freja Beha Erichsen in Vogue Nippon, August 2010

Source: http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b–Sophisticated-70s-womens-trend-4506.html

Start your own fashion trend by creating looks with the SampleBoard editor

SampleBoard.com launches supplier directory | Supplier directory for the creative industries

SampleBoard.com launches supplier directory

Using SampleBoard’s web editor, designers mix and match items, including images of supplier products, to create digital moodboards, thus showcasing real life products in conceptual context.

What is the supplier directory?

The supplier directory is a list of suppliers to the creative industries (interior design, graphic and web, fashion, wedding planning and landscaping). Suppliers can supply up to a 100 product images of their items for our SampleBoard members to use in the web editor.

You can search suppliers by keyword, design discipline, city or country and browse supplier product images through their public library. You are able to add your favourite products to your own personal image library by clicking ‘add to my library’. This enables you to build your own library with all your favourite products!

The supplier’s public profile consists of the following:

• Supplier company name and logo
• Contact information (phone, city, country, email address and company website)
• Library of product images

With a supplier account you can:

• Maintain and edit your company profile and contact information
• Be listed and found in the supplier directory
• Upload your product images to be used by designers in the moodboard web editor
• Maintain and edit your product specification details such as product name, description, available colors and cost of items
• View and track reports on products used by designers
• Generate word-of-mouth buzz
• Sponsor a competition and get involved with the creative design community

Since competitions are the most compelling form of viral advertising for a business, sponsoring a contest allows you to harness the power of our creative community and in turn increase product awareness and generate viral buzz!

Competitions are a great way to instantly boost your products’ popularity and promote your company to our entire user base, which includes five different design disciplines.

For the duration of the contest, users are interacting with, talking about, and generating content and moodboards with your products. As the entries roll in, each entry is essentially a full colour display ad that remains indefinitely on SampleBoard.com, gaining exposure via our creative community as well as through search engines.

Please feel free to contact me through our website, SampleBoard.com should you need more information on sponsoring a competition or have any other supplier related queries.

 

SampleBoard.com has just launched the supplier directory

Using SampleBoard’s web editor, designers mix and match items, including images of supplier products, to create digital moodboards, thus showcasing real life products in conceptual context.

What is the supplier directory?

The supplier directory is a list of suppliers to the creative industries (interior design, graphic and web, fashion, wedding planning and landscaping). Suppliers supply up to a 100 product images of their items for our SampleBoard members to use in the web editor

You can search suppliers by keyword, design discipline, city or country and browse supplier product images through their public library. You are able to add your favourite products to your own personal image library by clicking ‘add to my library’. This enables you to build your own library with all your favourite products!

The supplier’s public profile consists of the following:

- Supplier company name and logo

- Contact information (phone, city, country, email address and company website)

- Library of product images

With a supplier account you can:

- Maintain and edit your company profile and contact information

- Be listed and found in the supplier directory

- Upload your product images to be used by designers in the moodboard web editor

- Maintain and edit your product specification details such as product name, description, available colors and cost of items

- View and track reports on products used by designers

- Generate word-of-mouth buzz

- Sponsor a competition and get involved with the creative design community

Since competitions are the most compelling form of viral advertising for a business, sponsoring a contest allows you to harness the power of our creative community and in turn increase product awareness and generate viral buzz!

Competitions are a great way to instantly boost your products’ popularity and promote your company to our entire user base, which includes five different design disciplines.

For the duration of the contest, users are interacting with, talking about, and generating content and moodboards with your products. As the entries roll in, each entry is essentially a full colour display ad that remains indefinitely on SampleBoard.com, gaining exposure via our creative community as well as through search engines.

Please feel free to contact me through our website should you need more information on sponsoring a competition or have any other supplier related queries.

Retro vintage design | Stylish 1950s fashion or Swinging 60s fashion

Retro vintage moodboard created on SampleBoard.com

How to interior design in a retro style: Stylish 1950s fashion or Swinging 60s fashion

To design in a retro vintage styleis to remix aspects of a previous style.  Many styles of the past have successfully been reinvented time and time again. A popular retro style is the style created in the 1950′s rock ‘n’ rock era. The 1960′s became known as the swinging 60′s. Interior décor and clothing fashions can be intermingle to create bold trendy statements.

If you would like to create a 1950′s retro style, hot pink was the color of the decade. Italian couture began to rival French couture. Pucci and Simonetta were influenced by the colors of the Renaissance. Fath used Honan silks in hot pink. Turquoise became a sensation after 1951. The Germany Company Bayer developed the first colorfast turquoise dye Alcian. Full skirts in bold colors were a hallmark of the rock ‘n’ roll era.

Retro furniture and Retro fabric

The technological advances of the retro design age let to advances in fabrics and finishes. Orange, pistachio and kingfisher blue furnishing fabrics was very much in vogue. The colors were used juxtaposition (side by side) and can appear gaudy to some people. Scandinavian designers combined natural and synthetic materials. The colors used reflected the Nordic landscape. Linoleum tops in primary colors were used on Birchwood tables and chairs for children. Eero Saarinen’s pedestal chair was created for Knoll in 1955. Alvar Aalto a Finish architect designed his famous cantilevered chair. The designer Eames created the Sofa Compact in 1954 and the Eames lounge chair and ottoman in 1956. The Ant chair was designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1953. George Nelson also created his famous Marshmallow chair and a storage system.

The fabrics of the decade included a fabric called Circles by Alexander Girard, ‘Double Triangles’ a retro fabric designed by Alexander and Girard William Pahlmann designed ‘Still Trees’. Frank Lloyd Wright also designed ‘Imperial Triangle’ which was reproduced by F. Schumacher in 1956.

The 1950′s saw the development of new plastics, stream proof paints, wallpapers, and flooring. Velcro was also developed. The 1950′s was a glorious time for design. A new optimism was emerging after the depression of the 1930′s and the devastation of the World War in the 1940′s. If you visit the creative buzz blog you can find some examples of 1950′s retro vintage style

What was hot in the retro vintage age of Interior Design?

• Bright pinks
• Orange
• Gold
• Reds
• Turquoise
• Beige
• Colored enamel kitchenware
• Linoleum top tables in primary colors
• Designer furniture
• Subdued fabric patterns

The Fashion Colors of the 1950s fashion era

• Primary colors
• Hot pink
• Very hot pink
• Turquoise
• Kingfisher blue
• Green
• Lilac
• Pale maize
• Amethyst
• Geranium

Retro Vintage Clothing styles

• Matching colors
• Billowing wraps
• Semi fitted coats
• Strapless boned bodice evening dresses

Retro Fabrics

• Taffeta
• Satin

The swinging 60s fashion

A new range of cheap brightly colored cotton fabrics and an increase in synthetic fabrics produced an explosion of mass produced fashion items in the 1960′s. Drip dried non iron clothing became the rage. As did coats and boots in brightly colored plastic. Mary Quant was one of the leaders of the swinging London style, the mini skirt which conquered the world. Trouser suits became popular from New York, to Paris and Rome.

The Italian collections of the time were highly colored, stripes and knits. It was at this time blue jeans became popular and were worn by both sexes and people of all ages and went on to become a fashion classic. The panty hose replaced nylon stockings. They worked well with the mini skirt and came in many different colors and patterns. Visit the creative buzz blog and find examples of the 60s fashion.

Khaki military style jackets were worn with jeans or white (bell bottomed) sailor style trousers. The hippy look dominated the fashions of the late sixties. The styles were a mingling of native peasant costumes with beadwork and chamois leather. Mondrian paintings, films and ethic dress influenced fashion. Zandra Rhodes colorful psychedelic patterns in fabrics and wallpapers were contrasted by the two tone Laura Ashley designs in brown, pale blue, green and cream for clothing, curtains and covers.

Spanish architect Paco Rabanne invaded the fashion scene with a futuristic style influenced by the space race. He designed mini dresses made of geometric shapes riveted and clasped together with metal, leather or plastics. Verner Panton a Swiss architect designed the first plastic chair with no joints in 1960. This led to the development of synthetic moulded furniture in geometric shapes. Solid moulded foam cubes in bright colors were also produced. The main feature of the 1960′s interior style; playful and casual.

The Swinging 60s fashion style

• Colorful ethic fabrics
• Oriental beads
• Colorful jewellery
• Muticolored Afghan dresses
• Indonesian batik prints
• North African caftans
• Nehru shirts
• Arabic djellabas (a traditional long, loose-fitting outer robe)
• Silver jewellery inset with amber and other semi precious stones
• Kohl eye makeup
• Red Henna hair coloring
• New color consciousness
• Peasant skirts
• Embroidered blouses
• Boleros decorated with ribbons
• High red boots
• Patterned headscarves
• Body painting
• Mini skirt
• Indian prints
• Black and white geometric designs

1960′s Interior Design

• Floors, ceilings and walls painted in brilliant colors
• Murals
• Wall hangings
• Multicolored Indian prints
• Sofa’s, divans and floors covered with oriental carpets and rugs
• Abundance of colors available
• Plastic chairs
• Moulded foam furniture
• Cubed style furniture

You can create your retro vintage style in a number of ways. Create a colorful 60s fashion hippy pad using oriental carpets and rugs. Or a space age room with bold colored moulded foam furniture. Psychedelic wallpaper designs can be used to jazz up any room and add a touch of 1960′s style. You can recreate a 1950′s or 1960′s room using a number of items and colors from the 50′s or 60′s. Or select one or two items from one of the eras and use the item as a starting point of the design for your retro style room. The sky is the limit it is also an eco friendly way to decorate as many items from the 1950′s and 1960′s are available at second hand dealers, op shops and on ebay.

Use our digital interior design moodboard editor or read the creative buzz blog for added tools and tips to help you to create a retro vintage moodboard.

For more inspirational design related articles visit our Creative Buzz section on SampleBoard.com

Author: Rosena MacFadzean

Wedding Planning | How to take the first steps to create a perfect wedding

romantic vintage wedding created on sampleboard.com

The wedding is all about you and your partner. Take care not to have too many voices influencing your choices. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said ‘God is in the details’. To create a truly spectacular wedding day attention to detail is of paramount importance.

Dream

Spend time brainstorming wedding planning ideas. Set aside a day or weekend to dream, create mind maps and develop a time table. You may want to do this alone, with your partner, a best friend or parent. In your first session let your imagination run wild. As ideas pop into your head write them down. At this stage don’t think about the cost or obstacles.

Set the date

The first thing to decide when planning your wedding is the date. Every other decision on your wedding planning list will relate to this. When setting a date, think about time schedules. This may seem obvious, but it is better to think the whole thing through with regard to things like holidays and the time frames that suit the people you want to invite.

Create a to do list

Again, make notes. You may have some things you have to check. To help you with this create a ‘wedding planning checklist’. Try to write everything down. We tend to think we will remember; unfortunately we sometimes don’t.

Set a date or set a goal to set a date

You may be unable to set a date at this stage. However you can set a goal to set a date. It can be helpful in the early stages of planning your wedding to check out some time frames. For example, call reception venues and ask how far ahead you need to book. Check out the church or any other place you may want to use for the service. Maybe talk with some caterers and dress makers. Take notes as you go.

Ideally, most weddings are planned at least a year ahead. If the wedding is to be a big, formal affair, you will need at least that amount of time. If you plan to have a more casual wedding then a few months – even a few weeks – will be enough lead time. Set aside a calendar just for planning your wedding. The best calendars for this exercise are the ones that have a square for each day. You can write deadlines clearly on the appropriate days.

Use a yearly calendar

The more detailed you can be in the planning stages the better. Even if you decide to use a professional wedding planner, it pays to spend some time gathering your ideas and to have a clear idea of what you want. It may be helpful to have small hardcover wedding planning books to carry in your handbag. This means you can make a note of ideas wherever you are.

Count the cost

It is important to work out what you can or want to pay. This could also influence the date of the wedding. You may have to spend some time saving the money for the big day. Weddings do not need to be expensive to have the wow factor. The wow factor is achieved with detailed planning, coordination and organization.

Work out a theme

Once you have worked out a date, you can develop the ideas you came up with during your brainstorming session. Your theme may be a very simple traditional wedding or a quiet beach side event. The wow factor comes from coordinating everything, making everything for the whole day work together to make it memorable.

lime green wedding decor details created on sampleboard.com

Create some mood boards to see how your ideas work together

The SampleBoard website is a great place to find wedding planning help. The website is full of ideas – it even has a platform where you can create wedding mood boards – and competes with some of the top wedding planning websites. If you visit our wedding planning mood board editor, you will find it easy to do and it’s fun. The mood boards you create can be saved and can become the blueprint for your wedding plans.
There are many themes that you can use. It’s best to select a theme that reflects your lifestyle and personalities. Committed bush walkers could have a forest wedding. Everything selected for the wedding from the invitations to the flowers and dress coordinated to emphasise the theme. If you want things not to be taken too seriously, make it a fun event. Maybe do a Robin Hood and Maid Marion theme.

Select the color

The theme you select for the wedding can actually indicate the colors to use. For the forest wedding, soft white, greens and autumn colors would work very well. The style of clothing can also be influenced by the theme. Flowing softly draped high-waisted dresses with ribbons and twigs or flowers as a head dress would follow the theme through.

happy colorful wedding moodboard created on sampleboard.com

How to find out what you want and don’t want

Besides creating mood boards on the SampleBoard website you could visit your local library and find a wedding planning guide, books and magazines. As you look at the images, ask yourself ‘do I like this or not’. Try to make your decision quickly (yes or no). Gather the images you like into a folder. You can photocopy the pages from the library books and magazines.
Once you have gathered a folder full of images, sit down and go through them slowly. Ask yourself, “What do I like in these images?” As you do this, you will find a clear picture developing of what you like.

What you need for this first stage

• Note pad
• Calendar
• Small hard-cover note book
• Membership on the SampleBoard website
• Your SampleBoard mood boards
• Wedding books  and magazines
• Images
• Folder

This is the first yet vital stage of planning your wedding. It is at this stage you start to organise the big day. You can use the calendar to record goals and schedule more detailed planning days. The more detailed and organised you are, the more likely you are to have a stress-free coordinating process and a wonderful wedding.

Check the creative buzz blog regularly for more helpful wedding planning tips.

Or try out the digital wedding planning mood board editor to create your own wedding scheme.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean

Art Deco Design | How to Create a Jazzy Art Deco Bedroom in 6 Easy Steps

art deco bedroom moodboard created on sampleboard.com

This post contains information and tips to help you create your little piece of Art Deco style. The colors, patterns, designs, furniture styles and decorative detailing of the Art Deco style will be revealed. Added to this are lists of where to find more information and suppliers of Art Deco items. If you follow the 6 easy steps you can easily put together your Art Deco master piece.

During the Art Deco era interior design was a main focus. Smooth surfaces, exotic materials and repeated geometric forms characterise this style. The style became part of the ‘Swinging Twenties’ part of the ‘Jazz Age’.

Tip: Read through the whole article before you start following the steps

Step 1:  Know what makes Art Deco different from Art Nouveau

Art Deco is a jazzy style with straight lines, geometric and abstracted shapes used in buildings, furniture and decorative details. This is the main difference from the earlier Art Nouveau style with its flowing lines, organic curved rounded forms, fantasy themes and gentle pastel colors. In comparison Art Deco is bold, colorful, showy and dramatic.

Tip: Look for

• Straight lines

• Geometric shapes

• Abstract patterns

• Egyptian scarab

• Sun Motifs

• Stepped ziggurat shapes

• Fan shapes

• Aztec symbols

• Stylised flowers

Step 2: Become familiar with examples of Art Deco design

You can do this from the comfort of your computer desk. Just use the information below to inform your research. This is the easiest way, but you can also visit your local library or you can research in your local area.

Tip: An easy way to find visual information is to do a Google image search. Please note some images labeled as Art Deco are in fact Art Nouveau

In France

• Emile –Jacques Ruhlmann a leader of French interior design and furniture design between 1918 – 1925

• Paul Iribe

• Andre Groult

• Neuilly Villa designed 1929 by Pierre Legrain

• Eileen Gray in 1920 designed Suzanne Talbot’s apartment

Art Deco USA

Design in the USA was Influenced by French Art Deco after the 1925 Paris exhibition. The Americans loved the bright surfaces and abstract patterns of the style. The 1933 World’s Fair ‘Century of Progress’ in Chicago saw many Art Deco motifs, designs and shapes used for example the rising sun motif and stepped ziggurat. Ely Jacques Kahn designed Art Deco skyscraper entrance lobbies

• Bricken Building

• Chrysler Building

• Empire State Building

• Banking Hall of the Irving Trust Company

Step 3: Select floor covering

For a bedroom plain wall to wall fitted carpet would be an excellent choice. This was a popular floor treatment of the time. Although geometric patterns and Sarouk Persian or Turkish carpets in geometric or floral salmon pink were popular in the States. In Britain large repeat patterns in soft muted colors (similar to William Morris designs) were used in hotels and on ocean liners. French carpets were formal in style with highly stylized floral designs. Brilliantly colored carpets with abstract patterns were used in theaters and department stores in the US and France. Animal skin floor rugs could also be used in your bedroom. Zebra skin rugs were popular and placed over the plain carpets. Linoleum continued to be popular as did parquet floors.

Tip: What you choose for the floor will influence all your other choices. Remember this when you make your selection.

Art Deco Floors:

• Plain

• Geometric

• Zebra skin

• Persian

• Turkish (Sarouk)

Carpets Available in Art Deco Style

Stark’s Navarre design

Stark’s Laseine design

Bosanquet’s Ives trellis design

Axminster Carpets’ Honeycomb design

Step 4: Select the wallpaper and paint colors

You may want to create a modern styled room with an Art Deco twist or create a room to reflect a real impression from the Art Deco times. Strong colors were used as a reaction to the pastels of the Art Nouveau style. However colors did vary between countries and the decades of the Art Deco era. In a bedroom green, ultramarine, sea green or deep blue could create a peaceful retreat. But black, red, crimson, burnt orange or hot pink could create a dramatic bold statement. Or a sophisticated elegant atmosphere could be created by using white on white, cream, coffee, beige, bluff or chocolate brown.

Tip: Some colors work better in a bedroom. Greens and blues are said to decrease the heart rate. Reds and oranges are said to stimulate and increase the heart rate.

Art Deco colors

• Chocolate brown

• Red

• Black

• Hot Pink

• Beige

• Coffee

• White on White

• Ultramarine

Walls, ceilings and woodwork were often smooth and sometimes glossy. Wallpapers were also popular. If you want drama and excitement in your scheme then wallpapers with bold geometric, Egyptian or Aztec motifs in vibrant colors would achieve this. The wallpaper designs of the 1930′s could create a sophisticated elegant look. The tea stained colors heighted with silver or gold would create a rich, smart interior space. A truly feminine room could be created using one of the many Art Deco floral design wallpapers. Or a classic modern Art Deco look could be achieved by using geometric patterns in cubist like designs.

Wallpaper

• Stylised Flowers

• Stripes

• Geometric

• Egyptian motifs

• 1930′s (tea stained colors highlighted with silver or gold)

Wallpaper Sources

Bradbury and Bradbury’s Glasgow Panel

G.P. & J. Baker’s Rose & Hummingbird

Step 5: Select the Furniture

The interiors of the Art Deco era housed furniture with straight (sometimes curved) clean lines. To create a classic modern room glass and chrome could be used. Lacquered furniture was also popular at this time so could be used to create an elegant sophisticated style. Exotic timbers could be used to create bold statements and rooms with a sense of drama. Upholstery was often designed in geometric patterns, but plain fabrics were often used. Large tasseled cushions of varying shapes covered with sumptuous fabrics were popular. Using cushions in this manner would create a more informal look.

Tip: It is best to make the final choice on paint color selections after the furniture has been selected

Furniture

• Chrome

• Glass

• Veneered exotic timbers

• Lacquered: Black, Scarlet, Pale yellow

Step 6: Select Art Deco Accessories

Ornaments were sparsely used during the Art Deco period. The classical minimal modern look was starting to have an impact at this time and influenced Art Deco design. The stepped profile is considered the shape of the Art Deco era. Abstracted fans, sunrise and Egyptian motifs were also popular. Lamps with female figurers holding a ball are a well known icon of the Art Deco era. Also cushion were used in strongly colored rooms, often black and red with red lacquer-work furniture and China pagoda lamps. So what could you use to finish off your Art Deco room? Fan design table lamps or a girl with a ball lamp could be used with sleek lacquered furniture or with exotic timber or glass and chrome pieces.

A mirror in a fan or step design would work well with most furniture designs. Art Deco interiors rarely displayed paintings however murals were sometimes used. Ornaments in bronze and other metals of the female or animal form were in vogue at this time so could make a nice addition to your Art Deco bedroom

Tip: One piece of Art Deco; a lamp, piece of furniture or wallpaper could be the starting point of your interior decorating scheme. Everything else selected should then relate to that object.

This article has illustrated there are three main themes you can use to create your bedroom in an Art Deco style.

You could create:

• A bold dramatic room with strong colors, bold geometric patterns and exotic timber furniture.

• Or secondly you could create a classic modern style using chrome and glass furniture, abstract patterns and muted or neutral colors with strong contrast.

• Or a luxurious sophisticated room could be created using lacquered furniture, subtle patterns and tea stained colored wallpaper with silver or gold stripes.

That is not to say you can’t mix some of the items from each style to create a really individual take on Art Deco. The important thing to remember when creating an Art Deco room; the motifs, patterns and designs are basically the same. I will be writing a series on Art Deco on my creative buzz blog.

I invite you to visit. It will be loaded with information and images.

We also offer an interior design mood board editor that you can use to create digital mood boards in various design disciplines. Visit SampleBoard.com to combine images easily and beautifully into digital moodboards.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com

Decorating color schemes | Color palettes

created by Lincoln Law on sampleboard.com

Talking about Tints: Interior Decoration Color Schemes

Color is considered by many to be the most important of the interior design elements. Color can create moods, make a room appear bigger or make a room appear colder or warmer. It is a powerful interior decorating tool. This article will give you some hints on how you can easily select the best colors for your interior decorating project and how to decorate with color.

Color is a fascinating subject. Did you know – the most popular car colors are the least safe? Ancient Greek temples were originally brightly painted? The apparent length of a committee meeting can depend on the colors used to decorate the room it is held in? These facts indicate the power of color and why it is important to select the right color.

Colors are basically light or dark, warm or cool. Light and cool colors tend to recede (when used on the walls of a room they can make the walls appear to move out) and can make a room appear bigger. Dark and warm colors appear to advance into a room and can make a room appear smaller.

created by Charlotte Sneddon on sampleboard.com

Decorating with Color

When you are selecting a color for a room there are three main things you need to consider. The first one is the aspect of the room. This is the position of the room in relate to the sun. Does the room face the sun or not. Rooms that get a lot of sunlight can appear hot. Rooms that get little or no sunlight can appear cool. If you want a room that gets a lot of sunlight to appear cooler then use cool colors from the green or blue family of colors. If you have a room that gets no sunlight and you want it to appear warmer then use warm colors from the red, yellow orange family.

The second consideration is your personal preference. The color selected should suit your personality. If your favorite color is blue but the room you are decorating appears cool using your favorite color could create a problem. Blue could make a room a room that gets no sun appear cool. To overcome this challenge you could use a warm color (for example orange) tinted to appear nearly neutral on the walls. Then use your favorite blue color in other items in the room.

All colors can be tinted. To create a tint of a color all you need to do is add white. Tinted colors have white added to make them appear lighter. The third thing to consider when selecting colors for a room is the size and shape of the room. If the room is small light colors can make it appear bigger. If a room is large warm colors can make it appear smaller. If the room is very long and narrow the short walls can be painted in a darker or warmer color than the color used on the longer walls. This will make to shorter walls appear to advance into the room in comparison to the longer walls, making the room appear shorter and wider.

Test your color schemes on our interior design moodboard editor now to see which colors are best to use for different parts of the room or view the creative community for more inspiring color schemes.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com

Interior Decorating | Foolproof decoration and design success

created on sampleboard.com

A foolproof way to ensure interior decorating success

There is an abundance of interior decorating items available to us today. We’re spoiled for choice, for some people it can just be too hard to choose the perfect item. It can become a headache and expensive mistakes can be made. The simple 6-step method disclosed in this article can help you out of the muddle toward interior decorating success.

Interior design and interior decoration have reached new levels in contemporary homes. New homeowners are more sophisticated than those from past generations and are always seeking new home interior design ideas. The pressure on many young people today to have it all straight away is enormous. The result of this can be, besides personal debt, a tendency for contemporary homes to all look the same – sometimes at the price of individuality and uniqueness.

In many ways, interior decorating has become easier. However, the sheer volume of products available can still make it difficult for casual interior decoration aficionados. A few years ago, I worked out an easy, foolproof way to stay on track when decorating. The participants of the workshop to whom I disclosed my simple method found the idea most helpful.

What you need for interior design

• magazines

• books (optional)

• time

• paint charts

• a note book

• folders (optional)

• an envelope for color and fabric samples (optional)

It is vital to work out what you like

When interior decorating,the first thing to do is work out what you like. Look through magazines, books and display homes for ideas for interior design rooms. Cut out images from magazines that you like and dislike. Quickly make your decision. At this stage, it works best when you go with your first reaction. Do I like this? If yes, put it aside with other images you like. If you really dislike something put it in another pile. It can be helpful to know what you dislike.

When you have a number of images, go through them slowly. Again, ask yourself questions. What in this image do I like? Is it the colors, style, textures or patterns? Or what do I dislike so much in this image?

It can be a great surprise to discover what themes keep coming up again and again. Many years ago, when my husband and I did this exercise when buying our first home, we discovered all the images we liked had pot plants and pale or white backgrounds. It pays to take your time and really think things through. Sometimes we do not allow ourselves the luxury of taking time. Also, look around your current home. What items do you love? What items do you dislike? You may have a treasured piece, a fabric, a painting or any item. This could be your starting point. Or you may need to find a new starting point by finding a fabric or painting to use as a beginning of your interior decoration scheme.

Select a fabric or art work as a starting point

This is the easiest way that I have found to help others with their interior decorating projects. Select a fabric or artwork that you really like. The style, colors and textures will be influenced by what you discovered in this first step. The fabric could be a liberty print, abstract in design or with oriental patterns. This method works best if the fabric or art work has at least three colors. You can use an item with fewer colors and use different tones and tints of the same color to create your interior design scheme.

Choose a style

The item selected will usually indicate a style: traditional, ethnic or modern. If you’re starting from scratch, you can select your furniture in the style you like. If you have to work with what you have, you could use the information that you’ve gathered about your likes to select accessories in the style in which you would like to redecorate.

Create a color scheme

When you have worked out the interior decorating style, you can work out a color scheme. You can do this by using the lightest or background (if not too dark) color in the fabric or artwork for the broadest areas of color: the walls.

Then select another color (mid range) from the fabric as the color for upholstery or bench tops and cabinet doors. You could also do a feature wall in this color.

The lightest, brightest color in the fabric or artwork can be used for some accessories to add impact to the room. When you follow this method of creating an interior design scheme for your home, you know it will work. The textiles designers who created the fabric and the artist who created the art work understand the principles of color and design. If the design is successful on a small scale, you know that it can work in large scale home interior decoration.

Double check your selections

The challenge for you is to match the colors carefully with the original item. Use as many paint color samples as you can to help you discover a matching color. Check the colors out in all lights. Also you could have your friends or family check the colors out. A word of caution; make sure that you’ve spent time making the selections and take care not to be too influenced by other people’s opinions. It works best when you offer only two or three interior decorating samples and ask the person which one they think works best.

Start shopping only when you have a clear idea of the interior decorating styles you want

You could also check with the interior art and decoration retailers who sell paint and other items to check your color selections. But the same caution applies. When you go shopping for items, take samples of the colors in a note book or envelope. Check every selection against the colors you have chosen.

Use our interior design digital moodboard web editor, read the creative buzz blog for added tools and tips to help you to create an interior design moodboard a cut above the rest, or view our creative community of independent designers and creative individuals for inspiration for your next interior decorating project.

There you have it, six simple steps to foolproof interior decorating color schemes. Happy interior decorating!

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com

Planning a wedding | Create your own moodboard or inspiration board

wedding inspiration board created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

Top inspirational wedding planning moodboards from the SampleBoard creative community

Featured in this post are some of our top inspirational wedding planning moodboards, for your inspiration and enjoyment…

All the moodboards have been created using the SampleBoard web editor.

The web editor allows you to quickly and easily pull together design trends, colour schemes, textures and products via a convenient drag-and-drop function, using the rich editing toolset with over 30,000 product images from the library or your own images uploaded onto the system from your personal profile.

created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

Be inspired for your wedding day with many wedding theme images available on SampleBoard.com

created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

Combine images easily and beautifully into digital moodboards with SampleBoard.com…

Interior Design and Decor | Inspirational moodboards

created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

Interior design moodboard tips from one of our top designers

One of our favourite members, Moira Mannen, has created three beautiful interior design moodboards with the SampleBoard web editor this week.

We caught up with her over email and asked her to describe her favourite editor tools.

What are your favourite editor tools?

I love exploring different avenues when I create a scheme for my client, but if I have to sum it up it would definitely be the following:

• Drop shadow tool (it creates beautiful depth and definition to a product or image)
• Opacity tool (it allows me to create a dream-like affect and sometimes gets rid of those ugly edges)
• Clone tool (it makes my life easier in filling the page!)
• Flip tool (it helps with the overall positioning of the look I want to create)
• Reflect tool (I feel it creates more depth or a real-life image)

created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

What’s your favourite space to design and decorate?

The Living Room. I love creating a comfortable and tranquil space to gather and relax with family or friends.  I enjoy curling up with a book or magazine in my favourite armchair on a sunny Sunday afternoon, sipping on a spritzer or cuddling on the couch with my dogs, crackling fire, hot chocolate in hand…no wonder it’s my favourite room!

created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

Join our creative community of independent designers and students of design and create your own beautiful moodboard with the web editor.

Visit SampleBoard.com, register for free, get listed in the design directory and create amazing inspirational moodboards of your own…

Your Royal Highness | Interior Design inspired by the Victorian Era

Created by Bogna Sarosiek on sampleboard.com

Create your own dreamy wedding inspiration board or interior design moodboard, inspired by the royal wedding on SampleBoard.com

With +30 000 library images to choose from, you can easily and beautifully combine images into digital moodboards, from interior design and fashion design to landscaping and wedding planning…all out of the comfort of your own creative space.

Interior Design and Decor | Inspirational moodboard

Moodboard created by Bogna Sarosiek on sampleboard.com

Inspirational moodboard

An idea for an exclusive gentlemen’s club: cafe and reading room created by Bogna, interior designer from Fulham, London.

Interior Design and decor for a loft conversion | Inspirational moodboard

Moodboard created by Bogna Sarosiek on sampleboard.com

Inspirational Moodboard

An idea for a modern loft conversion. A combination of materials: brick, wood, glass, leather and stainless steel to create a sophisticated, contemporary feel for a loft apartment.

Interior Design and decor | Shabby chic style moodboard

Moodboard created by Bogna Sarosiek on sampleboard.com

Interior Design and Decor | Inspirational Moodboard

An idea for a dining space in warm shabby chic style with distressed funiture and a vintage decor.

The benefits of creating a moodboard

Moodboards are very useful at the early stages of a design project as a guide tool to show clients and get approval before proceeding further and spending substantial hours on the project only for it to be turned down by the client. A moodboard allows the designer to start broadly and get more specific over time by including the client from the start to the completion of the project. The use of a moodboard ultimately results in a happy and satisfied client at the time of handover.

Get inspired by our creative community or create your own moodboard on www.sampleboard.com.

Fashion Design | How to create a digital moodboard

Moodboard created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

How to create a digital moodboard

Using the SampleBoard web editor, you are able to combine images easily and beautifully into digital moodboards. The web editor allows you to quickly and easily pull together design trends, colour schemes, textures and products via a convenient drag-and-drop function, using the rich editing toolset with over 30,000 product images from the library or your own images uploaded onto the system from your personal profile.

Simply drag-and-drop images from the navigator (the organize, create and share menus on the right-hand side of your web page) over to the moodboard canvas. Once there, you can move the items around, resize them by dragging on the small squares at each corner, rotate, crop, blur, clone, reflect etc. Once you are happy with your moodboard, you can publish it with a title to the creative community or use the other share options from the share menu in the navigator.

Tips and tricks to help improve your moodboards | Create your own unique colour palette

Moodboard created on sampleboard.com

Tips and tricks to help improve your moodboards

Using colour schemes is an easy way to create great moodboards. Decide on a theme, and source anything in that color range. It can create a beautiful feel and mood to a creation. Keep your older moodboards to remind you of how far you’ve come with designing. Play around with sizes, it creates dimension. And try overlapping images to create a collage affect. Study moodboards you find inspirational, and ask your fellow members and connections for advice.

With the SampleBoard moodboard editor, you can create your own unique colour palette by following these easy steps:

Creating your own unique colour palette

You can create your own customised and unique colour palette by using the eye dropper, shape, colour well, clone tool and following these steps:

* Select the eye dropper tool and sample your desired colour from an image on your moodboard. (you will notice the colour well’s foreground colour has switched to your selection)
* Select the shape tool, choose the rectangle and click ‘create shape’ ( a white shape with your sampled colour border will appear on your moodboard canvas)
* Go to the colour well and switch the foreground colour so that your sample colour becomes the filling and the default white colour becomes the border.
* You have created your first unique colour swatch for your palette!

Note: the foreground colour (default black) of the colour well is the border colour of any shape. The background colour (default white) is the filling of any shape. So when you create your colour swatch make sure the foreground colour is white so that you don’t get stuck with a terrible border around your shape. You can do this by toggling between the two.

For more tips and help on creating moodboards, visit www.sampleboard.com

Tips and tricks to a better moodboard | Using the drop-shadow tool to create depth

Moodboard created on sampleboard.com

The SampleBoard web editor has various different image-editing tools to create fabulous moodboards with. (Watch our guided tutorial video for a quick tour on the basic functionalities and features).

Simply drag-and-drop images from the navigator over to the moodboard canvas. Once there, you can move the items around, resize them by dragging on the small squares at each corner, rotate, crop, blur, clone, reflect etc.

One of the most popular tools, the drop shadow can be used to create a shadow behind your image and make it pop up from the background, and if used right, it will add natural emphasis to your moodboard image, as seen in the “monochromatic fashion” moodboard above. You can change the angle of the drop shadow as well as the distance, opacity and colour.

Tooltip: choosing a low opacity setting for your drop shadow will create a drop shadow that is softer and more transparent.

For more tips and tricks in creating beautiful moodboards of your own, visit www.sampleboard.com and check out the other cool image-editing tools here.

Visual inspiration | Create moodboards for conceptual portrayal or for bold visual statements

Moodboard created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

A moodboard is a mixed media collage of visually appealing images that are meant to invoke your creative juices.

We all use design in our every-day life,  jump start your creativity by combining images quickly and easily into digital moodboards using the SampleBoard web editor, organizing all the things that inspire you.

Recommended soundtrack: Bjork – All is Full of Love

The digital moodboard vs The traditional method

Moodboard created by Fiona Boutcher (nee Kwan) on sampleboard.com

Creating moodboards and sample boards offline, using the traditional method, and computer-based using photo editing software like Photoshop and Coral Draw, is useful. SampleBoard.com developed a faster, simpler, easier platform to help you create a digital moodboard – combined with the benefits of the digital age of speed, efficiency, quick turn-around and global availability.

SampleBoard.com allows you to quickly and efficiently tweak and edit your moodboard presentation digitally without having to use the old tools needed to make a traditional board including the board, tape, adhesive, Stanley knife and labels.  Being online, SampleBoard knows no boundaries as your moodboard can be viewed, saved and emailed anywhere for you and your client’s convenience.

No more time wasting driving the town dead for a scrap of cloth – a digital ‘picture’ can do it all for you now, from the comfort of your own creative space! (preferably while wearing your slippers and/or pajamas ♥ )

Create digital moodboards in minutes, saving the planet, your time and energy!

Give it go! sign up for free and express your visual ideas in one place online.

Inspirational moodboards | Manila, Philippines interior designers collaborate

Moodboard created by Rae de Leon on sampleboard.com

Inspirational Moodboards | Manila, Philippines Interior Designers

We have noticed a growing number of aspirational designers from Manila, Philippines creating wonderful moodboards, interacting with each other, connecting and collaborating.

Here’s a couple of beautifully designed moodboards, created with the SampleBoard web editor.

Moodboard created by Maria Karla Zapatero on sampleboard.com

SampleBoard enables you to share visual ideas with clients earlier to ensure you’re on the right track, making designing moodboards faster, more effective and more professional looking, from the comfort of your own creative space.

Moodboard created by jb perez on sampleboard.com

Check out www.sampleboard.com for moodboards from others in the Creative Community, plus sign up for free to give it a go!

Wedding Planning | Setting the scene for a Vintage 1930s Wedding

Inspiration board created by Emma Jones on sampleboard.com

Setting the scene for a Vintage 1930s Wedding Theme

During the mid 1930s tight fitting flowing bridal gowns in slippery high sheen fabrics were popular. Dresses were often made of satins in silk or rayon. The most used colors were ivory, cream, pinkish white or pale blue white. The gowns were imitations of the glamorous evening dresses worn by Hollywood movie star.

High sheen fabrics in ivory, cream pinkish white

Cowl necklines, curved trains with long medieval sleeves were the main features of the dresses. The Bridesmaids often wore similar styles with Juliet caps and large bouquets of roses completing the picture. The bride sometimes carried a small handbag instead of a bouquet. Although roses were popular at the time the most popular flowers were the Madonna lily. Silver fox was the favorite fur.

Medieval style sleeves, Madonna Lilies, silver fox fur

Royal and society weddings influenced wedding trends in the 30s just as they do today. Princess Marina of Greece married in 1934. Her dress was a sheath cut on the cross. She had wide hanging sleeves again creating the medieval look. The fabric was silver and white brocade.

SampleBoard created by Rosena MacFadzean on sampleboard.com

Royal weddings influenced wedding trends

Syrie Maugham’s famous white room style which ranged from, bright white, cream and beige would make an ideal setting a for 1930s themed wedding. Furniture lacquered or tubular steel, chrome or metal plating with textured wallpapers in off white decorated early 1930s rooms. Mirrors and mirrored screens add shimmer and shine.

White interiors with mirrors, lacquered, steel, chrome furniture

White vintage cars like the 1934 Auburn 851 would eco the glamorous era. The color schemes of the 1930s could also be repeated in the clothing or the decor. For example the usual colors cocoa brown with hyacinth blue, prune with turquoise or mustard yellow with grey.

Classic white car, cocoa brown, hyacinth blue, turquoise, mustard yellow and grey  

Eyebrows were plucked and penciled. Elizabeth Arden launched arrange of seven lipstick shades. Mascara and eye shadow came in four shades and eight shades of rouge became available. Suntans became fashionable to enhance the fashions particularly white swim suits and the satin dresses.

More make up choices available, suntans came into vogue 

Towards the end of the 1930s the movie Gone with the Wind helped speed up a Victorian revival in fashion. Dresses with high necklines, standup collars and padded shoulders with full skirts imitating fashions from the 1860s were becoming popular. But the movie released in 1939 saw lavish ball gowns the full skirts with crinolines panniers worn by Scarlet skyrocket in popularity. In wedding dresses bustles emphasized the hips and backs and long trains were attached from the center back. This style did not remain in fashion very long due to the world war of the 1940s.

Inspiration board created by Emma Jones on sampleboard.com

Creating mood boards can clarify your wedding plans

You can play around with your wedding theme ideas by creating mood boards. The wonderful thing is you can do it easily and quickly online at www.sampleboard.com . There are hundreds of images of dress, cakes, flowers and a host of other things to help you create your dream vintage wedding. This great website also has loads of inspiration in blogs, articles and wedding mood boards posted by the creative community.

Late 1930s saw revival of 1860s Victorian fashion lavish ball gowns with full skirts  

The glamorous 1930s gave way to the drab 1940s. Even through the lavish ball gown wedding dress was for a limited time popular in the 30s the era is more known for the glamorous white satin and glitter of movie star style. Therefore a 1930s wedding theme with white figure hugging gowns, white cars, white Madonna lilies with lots of glitter and shine would be more authentic.

SampleBoard created by Linda Smith on sampleboard.com

Jump start your creativity by combining images quickly and easily into digital moodboards on www.sampleboard.com!

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com

Sophisticated, contemporary Interior Design | Inspirational Moodboard

SampleBoard created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

Inspirational Moodboard | Using the drop-shadow, opacity and blur tools for better looking moodboards

In this SampleBoard, Moira has used a combination of easy-to-use tools to create an excellent look and feel to her board.

The main component used was the background image (which can be found under the drop-down menu: Interior Design_Dining Room_Lifestyle). If you look carefully you will note the image was cloned, cropped and flipped so that the entire page is filled.

This image allowed her to easily place her samples and product images around it, giving it a ‘room-like’ affect.

Lets look at the pendants – 3 tools were used to create this effect:

Clone, Opacity and Blur (You can use your toggle to play around with the size of the image). You have to use your eye and visual sense of proportion to create realistic depth, but with practice it should come more naturally each time you create a 3D effect.

She dropped in her samples (wooden veneers, wallpaper, paint colors) and furniture images but made sure to use the magic eraser to eliminate any backgrounds and then softened the edges with the drop shadow tool. This also allows it to make it pop out from the background.

Lastly a model was dropped in which gives the board a quirky and fun feel and even makes it more realistic so clients can relate to it more (This reminds me of my student days where we did hand-drawn perspectives and traced over models out of magazines to give it a lived-in look and feel…)

So there you have it in a nutshell. Hope this quick tutorial tips gave you some amazing ideas for your next fabulous SampleBoard creation!

Happy creating!

 

Interior Design client presentation | Use titleblocks and firm logo’s for more professional looking sampleboards

SampleBoard created by Simone van der Plas on sampleboard.com

Client presentation | Use Titleblocks and firm Logo’s for more professional looking sampleboards

When using a drafting program such as AutoCAD or ArchiCAD you typically have a page template that includes the following:

• Job title/project title ( in this case “Gelissimo Gelato”)
• Client name
• Address (site position)
• ‘Drawn by’ name (designers initials, so other people on the project has a reference if they need to query something)
• Note ( as the designer you need to notify if the page is not to scale, or any additional information that’s important when reading/viewing the drawing)
• Title of the page ( Sampleboard/Scheme design/Concept)
• Drawing number (this helps with filing the physical plans/sketches in a physical library or electronically in your project folder)
• Firm/company logo with name, address and contact details (usually sits either on the left or right-hand side of the template)

Titleblock detail

This type of template is standard practice in any architectural or interior design firm. It allows for order, referencing and can range from a complete project drawing package that includes architectural layouts, detail drawings, shop fitting details, elevations, sections, lighting layouts, plumbing layouts etc.to concept scheme ideas and sampleboards.

The reason for this brief introduction to titleblocks is that I wanted to demonstrate how it lifts the overall feel of your sampleboard to one that can easily be used in a client presentation along with your professional drawing sets. It can form a complete entity which in turn creates a more professional client pitch or presentation.

We are constantly improving and adding to the functionality and features at SampleBoard.com, as well as ensuring it’s an inspiring space from which you can create and interact. We are working on bringing you easy-to-use titleblock templates soon.

Happy creating!

The South African Interior Designer of the Year Award 2011 | Calling on South African talent to enter

What is it?

The aim of this awards programme is to recognise and reward outstanding contributions to interior decoration and design, acknowledge design excellence and new ideas and techniques across South Africa. This awards programme is a celebration of innovation, inspiration, and lasting achievement within interior decoration and design.

Who can enter?

This awards programme is open to everyone who is involved with or has an interest in interior decoration and design. Any African-based design student, novice or professional (over the age of 18) may enter, including interior designers, interior decorators, interior architects and architects.

What’s in it for me?

Entrants stand a chance of winning amazing prizes with the total value in excess of R1 million. The short-listed finalists and overall winners will also benefit from significant public and peer recognition, media coverage, networking opportunities and exposure as outstanding designers in the industry.

What to enter?

Student Category

“Design an inspired space”

Design a space that embodies innovation, inspiration and design excellence. Transform an existing space or conceptualise a new one and incorporate fabrics and/or wallcoverings from The Fabric Library’s collections. This is your opportunity to exhibit your talent and interpret your understanding of design inspiration and innovation.

Create a sample/mood board that reflects your ideas and best communicates your design interpretation of an inspired space. Your sample/mood board should consist of a compilation of samples of fabric and wallcoverings swatches, lighting, materials, fittings, images, text, colour scheme, furniture, furnishings, and accessories – whatever inspires you.

Interior Decorator and Interior Designer Categories

Interior Decoration and Design projects that were completed between 1 January 2009 and 4 June 2011.

Brief as specified on www.interiordesigneroftheyear.co.za

When to enter?

Open for submissions!

• Entries close: 17 July 2011
• The Shortlist announced: 19 October 2011
• Awards Gala Dinner: November 2011

How to enter?

Create and submit your sample/moodboard via www.sampleboard.com. Register free of charge, opt for the 30-day free trial membership so you have the option to upload your own images and export in a variety of formats, and submit your sampleboard in the SA Designer of the Year  Competition.

You can enter online at www.interiordesigneroftheyear.co.za or download an entry pack and submit at any Fabric Library showroom nationwide. You can enter today, login and update your entry at any time up until the closing date of 17 July 2011.

 Who are the jury ?

• Neill Strydom, MD of The Fabric Library
• Naomi Larkin, editor of House and Leisure
• Marcia Margolius, author of SA Décor & Design – The Buyers’ Guide
• Nataniël, celebrity entertainer

For more info regarding full submissions please contact: info@interiordesigneroftheyear.co.za

 

 

Inspirational SampleBoard | Use nature as inspiration for design projects

Sampleboard created by Eileen Reiner on sampleboard.com

‘Designers Block’ | Using nature to portray visual ideas

We all use design in our everyday life, we just don’t always realise its impact on us! We also know how important it is to get clients and colleagues on the same creative page quickly when working on a project.

Nothing does this better than an inspirational concept/mood or sampleboard. Whether designing interiors, capturing trends or creating colour schemes or themes – sampleboards capture visual ideas.

All of us sometimes suffer from ‘designers block’, on these days try using nature to stimulate your creative process, you’ll be amazed how fast a beautiful old tree trunk turns into the inspiration for your look and feel concept like the Inspirational SampleBoard created by Eileen.

SampleBoard.com allows you to save time, energy, money and the environment by creating digital sampleboards, from the comfort of your own creative space…

Contemporary Kitchen Design | Inspirational SampleBoard using CeasarStone

SampleBoard created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

Kitchen Design | Use fabulous finishes like CeasarStone

The most important thing to remember when designing your clients (or your own) kitchen are the finishes. Kitchen’s are always valued by which finishes you select so bare this in mind when designing a kitchen from scratch.

Usually an Interior Designer would start with the kitchen countertops and build the scheme around it. A popular choice at the moment is CeasarStone.

CaesarStone kitchen tops have four times the flexural strength and double the impact resistance of granite while impressively outperforming marble. With a beautiful color range to choose from, if you can afford it, this is definitely the way to go!

You can view and play with the CeasarStone colorways, creating your own kitchen design, on www.sampleboard.com, searching under:

• ‘Interior Design’ design discipline
• Category: Decorative Surfaces
• Type: CeasarStone

Happy Creating!

Client Presentations | Create Color Schemes in various Design Disciplines

SampleBoard created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

Create a Color Scheme with your initial design presentation

The easiest way to start designing a look and feel for a client is by getting the color scheme right from the beginning. By presenting various color schemes when pitching to a client it will give you a good indication of the feeling your client wants to create, be it an interior space, fashion collection, graphic brochure or website layout…

Most creative design disciplines require some sort of color scheme when creating an initial design – may it be by using paint swatches, fabric samples, HEX or RGB color codes. Color schemes are useful in any design presentation.

SampleBoard created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

Designers in various design disciplines can easily create their own color palette on www.sampleboard.com by following these steps.

Check out SampleBoard.com’s Creative Community for more inspirational ideas on how to create beautiful sampleboard presentations.

Interior Design | Decorating with Color

SampleBoard created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

Talking about Tints: Interior Decoration Color Schemes

Color is considered by many to be the most important of the interior design elements. Color can create moods, make a room appear bigger or make a room appear colder or warmer. It is a powerful interior decorating tool. This article will give you some hints on how you can easily select the best colors for your interior decorating project and how to decorate with color.

Color is a fascinating subject. Did you know – the most popular car colors are the least safe?  Ancient Greek temples were originally brightly painted? The apparent length of a committee meeting can depend on the colors used to decorate the room it is held in? These facts indicate the power of color and why it is important to select the right color.

Colors are basically light or dark, warm or cool. Light and cool colors tend to recede (when used on the walls of a room they can make the walls appear to move out) and can make a room appear bigger. Dark and warm colors appear to advance into a room and can make a room appear smaller.

SampleBoard created by Moira Mannen on sampleboard.com

Decorating with Color

When you are selecting a color for a room there are three main things you need to consider. The first one is the aspect of the room. This is the position of the room in relate to the sun. Does the room face the sun or not. Rooms that get a lot of sunlight can appear hot. Rooms that get little or no sunlight can appear cool. If you want a room that gets a lot of sunlight to appear cooler then use cool colors from the green or blue family of colors. If you have a room that gets no sunlight and you want it to appear warmer then use warm colors from the red, yellow orange family.

The second consideration is your personal preference. The color selected should suit your personality. If your favorite color is blue but the room you are decorating appears cool using your favorite color could create a problem. Blue could make a room a room that gets no sun appear cool. To overcome this challenge you could use a warm color (for example orange) tinted to appear nearly neutral on the walls. Then use your favorite blue color in other items in the room.

All colors can be tinted. To create a tint of a color all you need to do is add white. Tinted colors have white added to make them appear lighter. The third thing to consider when selecting colors for a room is the size and shape of the room. If the room is small light colors can make it appear bigger. If a room is large warm colors can make it appear smaller. If the room is very long and narrow the short walls can be painted in a darker or warmer color than the color used on the longer walls. This will make to shorter walls appear to advance into the room in comparison to the longer walls, making the room appear shorter and wider.

Test your color schemes on our interior design moodboard editor now to see which colors are best to use for different parts of the room.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com

Shopping for your interior decorating project | Create a decorating plan

SampleBoard created by Rosena MacFadzean on sampleboard.com

Shopping for your interior decorating project

When decorating your home it can be difficult to work out what should stay, what should go and what items you need to buy. This article has some suggestions and tips to help you with this task.

Create a decorating plan

The first thing to do is work out a decorating plan. As you create your plan look at what you already have. Look for items of value, items you like, items you could build a new scheme around. Be honest about what is good, what is bad and what is ugly.

Find the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sometimes we keep things we really don’t like because they were a gift from someone we love. If you don’t want to give it away place the item in storage. Work out what decorating styles and color schemes you like. What sort of mood or theme do you want to create? Write it all down. Collect images of things you like. Gather samples of the colors you like. Place them in a folder or create a scrapbook.

What decorating style/mood/theme do you want to achieve?

If you go to the SampleBoard.com website you can play around with ideas and create a sampleboard or a moodboard with all your ideas. You can even select items, find the suppliers details and contact the supplier to buy the items. Take your time once you have made your final decisions in most instances it pays to stick to them.

Questions to ask yourself

It helps to ask yourself questions. How much do you want to spend? What do you want to or have to keep and work with? What do you need to buy? In what timeframe do you want to achieve your new look? It pays to set goals and gradually work toward them.

The No! No’s

Don’t buy on impulse. Make a commitment to take your time to work your plan. Don’t let other people change your mind. When you go shopping keep referring back to your original goal/plan and decorating style. Take your folder with you. Don’t select too many colors. Keep it simple by selecting two or three colors this will make it easy to create a color scheme. It will also make it easier when you go shopping.

Avoid Impulse Buying

Don’t be tempted to change colors midstream. Don’t be reckless and impatient build on your theme gradually. When you select any item, pattern, texture or color don’t select the item in isolation, without reference to your other choices.

Don’t be a slave to the latest colors or fads. Make sure you really like the color, that you feel comfortable with it. The latest fad may not work with the decorating style of your home/room. So only go for the fashion look that really expresses you and your lifestyle.

Guidelines to avoid impulse buying

There are some guidelines you can follow to help you avoid impulse buying. When shopping ask your self is this decorating style or color scheme part of my decorating plan? Is the price reasonable and what I can afford to pay? If an item is on sale is the price a true sale price? Is there a cheaper item that can serve as a substitute?

Are there any major disadvantages to this item?  Have I done my research on this item? Does the manufacturer of the product have a good reputation? If the price is excessive is it worth it, will it satisfy my inner need? Is the product on offer for a bargain price the current model? Do I need the current model? Does the retailer offer special services?

If you answer yes to most of the above questions it is safe to buy the item. If you answer yes to about half the questions above have a think about it before you buy. Go and have a walk or coffee before you buy. If you answer yes to less than a quarter of the questions above then maybe this item is not for you.

Use our interior decorating editor or read the Creative Buzz blog  for added tools and tips to help you to create an interior decor moodboard.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com – the digital moodboard editor for the Creative Industries

Correspondence education | How to succeed in study by Correspondence or Online

Correspondence education is also referred to as distance education and there are also many online courses available. Over the years I have successfully studied many courses via correspondence. I now also work as a tutor for a college offering correspondence and online courses.

One of the main challenges when studying on your own at home is to stay organized and motivated. In this article I will reveal tips and hints to help you succeed just like I did and the hundreds of students I tutor.

Over the years I have completed studies in psychology, theology, interior decorating and interior design via correspondence. My venture into this mode of study was due to the fact we moved every year/eighteen months. When we did stay in a city for a number of years I was able to attend college and university where I complete studies in interior design, public and community health and workplace training. I love to learn new things and continue to study.

You can work at your own pace

There are pros and cons to studying by this method. You can arrange times of study to suit your schedule and lifestyle. You can work quickly through the material and assignments or take a slower pace. In the winter you can do your study in the warm comfort of your home. In hot summer weather you can stay home and stay cool. There are no transport costs. You do not need to worry about special clothing. There are many advantages.

Select your course of study carefully

The first thing to do is to choose your course careful. Make sure you really have a passion for the subject you plan to study. Things to consider are the college’s reputation, the length of the course and the cost. It pays to shop around and pick a course tailored to your needs and budget.

Work out a study schedule and write your goals. Written goals with a time frame are motivating

If you haven’t studied by correspondence before it may be wise to try a short course or a few subjects first. It took me a while to enjoy studying this way. All steps towards learning are positive so even if you are unable to complete the course you will have made some positive approaches towards achieving something.  I am a tutor for Australian College QED …. Students have three years to complete their course.

People often have the wrong attitude about learning. All attempts at learning are positive steps. Money is simply a means to get you there. When you do complete a course you have achieved your outcome. But you don’t have to stop there you can keep going. The confidence gained will help you toward more positive outcomes.

Read the first lesson in one sitting

It is so exciting when the first study pack arrives. This is the time to work out a study schedule. Be realistic. My advice; don’t bite of more than you can chew. A few hours a week often works better than a whole day of study once a month. Although this may be your only option if you only have one day free try to do some reading of the material before your planned day of study.

Read the assignment and make notes on what you need to know

Read quickly through your study material at one sitting. This will give you an idea of the material to be covered. You may decide to divide the material into topics or chapters and tackle one topic or one chapter at a time.  Then read through the assignment project. As you read through this write some brief notes. The notes will answer the question ‘what I need to know to complete this assignment’. Take a break or finish for the day.

Break the lesson down into manageable segments

At your next study session read through the notes you have complied about what you need to know. Then read through the study material at a slower pace. Take notes as you go. I actually write notes in point form in pencil in the margins of the study material. Underline important points or quotes. Keep thinking about what you need to know for the assignment. Take a break or finish for the day.

Work through each segment slowly

During your next study session go to the assignment and check if you can answer the questions. Don’t panic if you can’t remember. Sometimes the assignment is worded in such a way we think we have not understood the lesson. If you don’t understand look the words up in a dictionary. Another word can give us a light bulb moment. “Aahh” now I know what this means. During this session see if you can answer a few of the questions. If you are given a project the same system applies. The assignment will inform you of what you need to know to do the project.

Reward yourself with a coffee break, chocolate or time out in the sunshine

You may find you sail through in one session at other times it can take a number of sessions. Do be kind to yourself if you are having a bad day stop studying. It really is better to have short periods of study. Half an hour each day is usually better than eight hour days. Having said that if you find you are really flowing along and have time keep going. Sometimes a short break for a coffee in the sunshine or rewards like this can work wonders.

Read the assignment instructions carefully. Write a check list of what you need to do

When you are ready to do the assignment read through the questions or requests if it is a project carefully. I often write notes to use as a check list. I need to do this and this and this. Always take care to follow any instructions on how the assignment should be presented. Make it easy for the person marking your work. If your hand writing is messy always type your work. Sometimes it pays to write your answers to questionnaires in pencil first. This will help you to know if your writing will fit in the space provided. My handwriting tends to be big. So I type my answers on another page.

Take care to present your work to advantage

How you present your work is very important. Make sure the pages are neat with no marks or stains. Label each page with your name and student reference number (the footer in a Word document works well for this information).  A title page and a contents page for large pieces of work can make it easier to mark. Place the assignment in a folder. A4 size pages are a better option when posting your work so steer away from larger pages unless instructed otherwise. If the assignment brief has instructions on how to present your work follow them to the letter. You will be rewarded for the care you take by going the extra mile.

Check your work a few hours or the next day before you send it in

When you have finished leave it overnight if you can. If you can’t leave it overnight leave it as long as you can. Go and have a break. It is amazing how you can see things you were not aware of when you last viewed your work.

Final Caution

Some of us can tend to be perfectionists. It is better to get the work in and marked than to keep working to make it perfect. If you have this tendency do the best you can then send the assignment in. I believe if you follow the suggestions in this article you will find your study via correspondence a rewarding and successful way to study.

For students looking to study interior decorating or interior design online, visit our website, SampleBoard.com where you will be able to create digital sample and moodboards for your assignment submissions.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com – The digital moodboard editor for the creative industries

 

Wedding Planning | Wedding Serenade

Wedding Inspiration Board created by Emma Jones on sampleboard.com

A wedding is all about you and your partner, but sometimes brides get so swept away by the endless organization and details that needs to be planned for ‘the perfect day’ that they easily lose sight of what’s most important.

A very small detail that can add so much emotion and feeling into a ceremony is a wedding serenade.

“A wedding serenade is a special song performed in honour of the bride and groom on their wedding day. It could be a song that has special meaning to the couple, a song of blessing, or a performing song that creates the perfect romantic ambiance. This is what Wedding Serenade is all about. “

At Wedding Serenade they are passionate about praise and worship and the role it plays in any wedding ceremony, and Tania, the voice behind Wedding Serenade, comes highly recommended by various brides and grooms that has had the opportunity to hear her sing.

Tania can help you plan a surprise wedding serenade as this romantic gesture can be arranged by the groom or bride in secret to surprise their loved one with a special song!

Should you wish for them to serenade your partner, entertain your guests or lead the worship at your wedding, you can contact Tania directly by email info@weddingserenade.co.za.

Tania also assists with song choices, music ideas and general support to make your wedding day unforgettable!

For more tips on how to create a perfect wedding and to view beautiful wedding inspiration boards read this blog post.

Be inspired for your wedding day with many wedding theme images available on sampleboard.com.

You can also create your own look and feel by creating your very own Inspiration Board with the easy-to-use tool, free of charge!

Interior Design Student Competition | Design an inspired space!

Calling all Students of Interior Design | Design an inspired space!

Create a sampleboard that reflects your ideas and best communicates your design interpretation of an inspired space. Your sampleboard should consist of a compilation of samples of fabric and wallcoverings swatches, lighting, materials, fittings, images, text, colour scheme, furniture, furnishings, and accessories – whatever inspires you.

The winner will receive a 3 month free Ultimate Creator Membership on SampleBoard.com as well as be featured on our blog and newsletter to the creative world of professional designers. Get your name out there as the new hot aspiring creative Interior Designer!

Here’s some our current entries to get your creative juices flowing…

Competition entry created by Joanne Du Bois on sampleboard.com

and another inspirational sampleboard….

Competition entry created by Chanel Willard on sampleboard.com

For more info visit SampleBoard’s Competition Detail.

This Competition is open to any student of design with a flair for interiors : )

Happy Creating!

Office Design | 15 Predictions for the Future of Office Space

SampleBoard created by Pixy Louise Smith on sampleboard.com

With the emergence of new technologies, how we do business has changed rapidly over the past decade. While the traditional office space filled with cubicles and PCs is still the norm, there are indications that this style of design lurches towards a major overhaul. Employees might soon find themselves in technologically immersive, open spaces – or not working at an office at all.

We can’t promise any of these predictions will come to pass, but if present trends are any indicator, future offices will have more than a few! Bosses, businesspeople and students alike should give this list a careful look and maybe gain a better understanding of what the corporate world may look like someday.

1. More employees will work remotely

Current data suggests that just over two percent of the workforce (about 2.8 million people) consider home their primary place of work. An additional 20 to 30 million people work from home at least one day a week, and millions more may do so more infrequently. With new technology making it easier than ever to access tasks from home and businesses looking for cost-cutting measures, remote work will become even more popular. It’s likely the office of the future could, for many workers, simply be one at home.

2. There will be a growth in instant offices

Many businesses operate on a global scale today, and even smaller ones may require foreign suppliers for key equipment and services. Even more need products from out of state. As a result, more and more workers are spending their days traveling. They need an office space that provides them the traditional amenities without the burden of branches in every city. Instant offices may be the solution, and they’re already popping up in major cities all over the world. They provide a quiet, fully equipped office space, complete with secretaries and support staff to help out travelers. They are often a cheaper and more efficient way to provide mobile employees, who will make up an ever larger portion of the workforce in coming years, all their necessities while on the road.

3. Digital workspaces will become possible

It might sound like science fiction, but a fully digital workspace might not be that far off. Workers could be located on different sides of the globe and still interact in virtual office spaces, using a shared mainframe or database. Many already do this today, but the practice is bound to evolve over the next few decades, leading to purely digital workspaces, highly imaginative and adaptable to the needs of vastly different businesses.

4. Offices will seek to be greener

Many office buildings are already working hard to become greener, and many more new buildings are being constructed with LEED certification in mind. Green architecture isn’t just a passing trend, however. Businesses are realizing more and more that they not only save resources, but money as well. Those savings add up over the lifetime of the building. Expect to see more and more companies jumping on the sustainable bandwagon, whether through new buildings or retrofitting old ones with some upgraded technology. This can mean anything from wireless ambient lighting, to smart HVAC systems to simply using natural elements powering, lighting and cooling a building.

5. Design will help workers be more creative

Businesses are paring down their staff and looking for ways to help remaining workers be more productive and creative. Today, as in the future, that will often mean changing the shape of the office itself. They will be built to include more inspiring places where workers can slip away for a break and think, work or just relax. For some buildings, this may mean incorporating a green space. For others, quiet nooks where workers can peruse books or listen to music, and others might choose to take a different route, with adult playgrounds replete with games and slides. Whatever a business chooses, creativity will be one of the driving forces of the future economy, and finding ways to help workers push their own limits will be one of the biggest goals.

6. Cubicles may not be the arrangement of choice

Many workers will rejoice knowing that the cubicle likely won’t be the most preferred office layout heading into the next decade. Instead, they will be designed with a more open feel meant to promote community and collaboration. With more clerical and administrative jobs being done by at-home workers, those who have to come into the office will need to make the most of the interaction it offers. Businesses will help foster that interaction by breaking down walls and helping coworkers get to know one another and function better as a team.

7. Ergonomics and other comfort factors will become increasingly important

While a lot may get done by a worker who sits in front of a computer screen all day, it’s pretty hard on the body to stay in one position for eight hours (or more). Future offices will pay greater attention to ergonomics and other comfort factors, as more comfortable workers (and those who don’t get injured on the job) will ultimately be more productive. Some may embrace walking workstations,  which allow users to stand and move while completing assignments. Others will go a more futuristic route with workstation pods that cater to a worker’s every need. Whatever the result, ergonomics will be a dominant force in the future office space, even more than it is today.

8. Good industrial design will become even more key as office space evolves.

As companies look to spend less, get more and blend the needs of vastly different generations into one workplace, good industrial design and architecture will become even more important. Workspaces must reflect both the present needs of the company and look at future ways it may change. They must solve real problems and offer real solutions. While good design has always been important, in the future workspace it will be even more so.

9. Cloud computing will allow workers more freedom to roam

Workers won’t be tethered to a desktop computer in future offices. While desktops will likely have a big role for the next few decades, cloud computing makes it possible for workers to pull up their files from, well, anywhere. Accessible through tablets, mobile phones and laptops alike, cloud computing will allow employees to create their own office spaces — whether within the building itself or anywhere else in the world.

10. Employees and bosses will increasingly share office space

In the office of the future, openness will rule. Not only will cubicles come down, but bosses will move out of those corner offices and into the main space. Workers may not even have assigned spaces, and will likely work more closely with both their coworkers and their supervisors. The goal of all this openness? It isn’t just good design, it can also foster a workplace where employees feel like valued members of a team. And, therefore, are more likely to stick around and work harder.

11. Workspaces will be designed around access to natural light

Natural light doesn’t just make a workspace more inviting, it can actually help workers be more productive. Some studies suggest that workers who have access to natural light are five to 25% more productive — not too shabby for such a simple change. With more businesses already opting for greener buildings (which often use natural light as a cost-saving measure), more employee access to natural light will undoubtedly be a growing trend in coming years

12. More amenities for employees

With companies like Google leading the way in providing employees with all the amenities they could ever want, businesses will increasingly modify their office spaces to meet similar desires. Services like childcare, gyms, rooms for nursing mothers and health-conscious cafes will help employees attain a better work-life balance, be happier and ultimately more productive. And more productivity is just good business, which can make investing in these kinds of amenities a good choice for any company.

13. Office spaces will be more adaptable

We think the office space of the future will reflect designs more easily adaptable to companies’ immediate needs, as many thriving businesses often make big hires and rapid changes over the course of just a few months. Tables, desks, technologies and even the walls of the rooms themselves will need to be highly adaptable and flexible.

14. Technology will be integrated just about everywhere

If technology isn’t already ubiquitous enough, the office of the future will likely make it even more so. The business network will become incredibly important, as workers will access it from home, the office and even on the go. Some see technology pushing in other ways, with employees bringing tablets and other mobile devices to meetings, LCD screens integrated into the walls themselves and workstations evolving to make desk denizens more comfortable and focused on their devices. Whatever the future holds for office space, it’s clear that technology will be one of the driving forces behind it — and also what shapes a lot of the design and implementation choices businesses make.

15. Less paper, fewer wires, more streamlined design

One word may define the office space of the future: less. Employees can expect to see less paper usage, less reliance on wired technology, fewer people in the office, less waste and a generally more streamlined and productive space. Not only will it help reduce costs, but it may also make employees more productive and keyed into trends driving the consumer market (like technology and sustainability), which can do wonders for PR.

Source: http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/15-predictions-for-the-future-of-office-space/

Looking for an online college? Check out Accredited Online Colleges

Celebrating yellow | Cape Town selected as World Design Capital 2014

SampleBoard is great for designing images for social media campaigns and presentations too!

Yellow is the colour of hope and positivity, and today it is also the colour of celebration for the City of Cape Town as it was announced as the World Design Capital 2014.

As yellow is one of the three primary colours, so too was Cape Town one of three cities shortlisted for the prestigious title of World Design Capital 2014. The colour yellow has been splashed all over the mother city in the past few months as Cape Town ran a Facebook campaign titled ‘Find Your Yellow’, including the yellow support badge and other yellow inspired paraphenalia.

Yellow inspired moodboard created on SampleBoard.com

SampleBoard.com feels inspired by the City of Cape Town’s bold use of yellow and we thought we’d honour it with an expression of all tones and types of yellow and yellow-inspired images!

You can create you own inspirational image board by signing up here!

Announcing the winners | SampleBoard competitions

It is with great pleasure we announce the winners of two 3 months FREE memberships to SampleBoard‘s Ultimate Creator. Over the past few months SampleBoard has been receiving brilliant entries to the two competitions featuring interior design and wedding planning mood boards. The first one open to all contenders ‘Vintage Inspired Wedding’ and the second one for student designers ‘Design an Inspired Space’.

Winners of 3 months FREE membership to SampleBoard’s Ultimate Creator

The SampleBoard team would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry. The standard of the interior design and wedding planning mood boards was very high and the results very very close. So ‘Drum Roll’ please as I announce the first winner. The ‘Vintage Inspired Wedding’ winner is (long pause……) Chanel Willard for her board ‘Wedding’.

Winning Wedding moodboard created by Chanel on sampleboard.com

The ‘Vintage Inspired Wedding’ winner

The board designs were judged on color, design, theme and the use of the sampleboard digital editor tools. Chanel created her own color palette with the eyedropper and shape tools. The board was very well designed and the vintage theme was subtly expressed.  She also made use of the opacity and drop shadow tool. Well done Chanel we look forward to seeing more of your inspired creations. Enjoy your membership.

Wedding Planning moodboard created by Mane Carrion on sampleboard.com

The boards were judge on color, design and theme.

A very close second was the excellent board ‘Vintage Gold’ created by Mane Carrion. The warm colored beautifully designed board is brilliant. Mane’s use of the editor tools for example the eraser tool is inspired. Many of her boards posted in the creative community are works of art we can all learn from.

The Design Student winner of ‘Design an Inspired Space’

The design student winner is (long pause……) Kathleen Cracknell an interior design student from Canada for her board ‘Seeking Serenity’. Kathleen created an excellent contrasting color scheme the blue reflecting the serenity of the title. Her board design was exceptional. Kathleen was one of the few who used the eyedropper and shape tools. These tools allowed her to create frames for some of her images. Well done Kathleen we hope you take advantage of your free membership and continue to enjoy creating excellent sample boards.

Winning Design sample board created by Kathleen on sampleboard.com

A close second in the ‘Design an Inspired Space’ competition is Joanne Du Bois for her board ‘Bathroom’. This board has been excellently designed and the color selections are wonderful. Joanne has made great use of the text tool and the drop shadow tools on the digital editor. Joanne has been designing sample boards of a very high standard.

Interior Design sample board created by Joanne on sampleboard.com

Congratulations Chanel and Kathleen your interior design and wedding planning moodboards are excellent examples of how sample boards can be used to enhance design presentations. Well done!

Keep on creating!

The SampleBoard team

 

Interior Decorating | How to Do Eclectic Design Well

Eclectic moodboard created by Rosena MacFadzean on SampleBoard.com

Interior Decorating – How to Do Eclectic Design Well

By K. Nichols

God save me from the “eclectic” client.

Ok, I’m kidding… sort of.

Being “eclectic” means to have an enjoyment of a variety of styles, colors, and types of objects… which is great! It does NOT mean that you can cram any and everything that crosses your path into a room and declare it “eclectic.” That, my friend, is what we call a hodge-podge… or possibly just a mess.

An eclectic room, done well, will be a reflection of your varied tastes and travels, but still have a harmonious overall feel. The eye should be able to travel around the space comfortably, enjoying the uniqueness of the displays without having them overwhelm the focal point(s).

So how do you achieve “good eclectic?” Start by determining how you want a room to feel: aged, collected over time, elegant, clean, fresh, exciting, bold, warm, relaxing, etc. Next you want to group together all the elements that will contribute to your desired overall feel, and omit the ones that will not. For example, if you are trying for an earthy, well-traveled look, you would NOT incorporate your Andy Warhol reproduction (or your Andy Warhol original, for that matter). Things you COULD include might be your antique clock collection, that bench you found up north, the oriental rug you fell in love with in India, and those pieces of folk art from your dad.

Can it be tricky? Yes, it can, especially because we all have a hard time looking at our beloved possessions objectively. A professional decorator can help you blend (and edit!) your tastes and belongings into a space that feels rich, storied, and authentically you by ensuring items are displayed in their best light, rather than competing with each other. At OnlineHomeDecorating.com, our team of professional interior decorators has created each room design with all of the elements you need for a beautiful, fully finished room, while still leaving enough breathing room to allow you to incorporate the items that tell your personal story… without losing track of the plot!

About the author:

K. Nichols is the creator of Online Home Decorating, the ONLY site on the web where you can purchase fully complete room designs, crafted by professional interior decorators.

Now, having beautiful design in YOUR home is as easy as selecting your perfect look, and instantly downloading all the information you need to recreate it exactly – item by item – at your own pace, and at whatever budget is right for you… without spending thousands to hire a designer! Browse our catalog of rooms, and get your re-do done today.

Find your new room now at http://www.onlinehomedecorating.com OR create your own look and feel with our online moodboard creator at SampleBoard.com!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=K._Nichols

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