The entrance hall sets the tone for the rest of your home, so be sure it represents the style and feel you want to communicate to your guests. Design elements such as balance and scale will play a major role in the decorating of your foyer. Whether it is a small or large area, the foyer is the first impression or introduction to your home, so this is where your creativity should shine.

Whatever the size of your foyer, follow your heart and be as adventurous with the color and pattern you would like in the room. You can get away with thinking outside of the box with a foyer because it is a small space and you only spend short periods in there.

You’ll want the room to have impact and make a statement. Of course, keeping in mind the spaces your entry foyer may be linked to. This after all, is the space where your guest will get a preview of the rooms to come. The goal is to create a continuous flow, room to room, each space complimenting the other. This doesn’t mean matchy- matchy….the foyer should have its own identity while visually connecting to the rest of your home

Combine function with aesthetics as you place a table to hold your mail, briefcase and phone. Put in a small bench to sit on to remove boots or shoes and store the kids’ backpacks underneath. Include an umbrella stand for umbrellas or walking sticks and install a key holder on the wall for your keys. A mirror is always a great idea as well. It gives you a chance to check your makeup or outfit before heading out for the day.

Create a dramatic effect with the flooring, ceiling, lighting and wall treatments. This is a great way to bring in strong colors, fabrics, and interesting materials. Try a horizontal stripe paint treatment or grass cloth wallpaper. Maybe the flooring can have a special design or an interesting area rug or runner. Find every opportunity to bring in fabrics to soften up the area – try upholstering a bench to complement the window treatments in the adjacent rooms and add throw pillows.

Place a signature piece in the foyer. Hang a large mirror to reflect a scenic view or put a large painting on the wall opposite the entry door so it draws you into the room. Place a sculpture on the table or a corner stand. Pick a piece that coordinates with the other artwork in the home. This is also a great way to show off a collection or collage of special mementos.

Bring fragrance into the foyer through fresh flowers or scented candles. Sometimes living in a space for a long time you cannot detect odors, but someone visiting will be sure to detect them. Let freshness, beauty, creativity and even whimsy be the first impression to your home, while allowing your guests to feel welcomed.

Check out some grand and not so grand foyers. Hope you are inspired to create the home of your dreams!

Please feel free to check out other blog posts by Veronica http://nonakedwindows.com/Blog/

Be Inspired!

Veronica Solomon

There are fewer color combinations that are more elegant than black and white. This elegant color combination for your home interior design can dramatically alter the ambiance and appearance of a room. In particular, the black and white color scheme is especially popular for bedroom interior design. If you are interested in decorating your bedroom in a black and white color combination, then here are a few of our favorite black and white decorating ideas and tips!

mood board created on http://www.sampleboard.com

1) Beginning with your walls, it will not be necessary for you to paint your walls in either black or white alone. For example, consider painting three of your walls white and one black as an accent wall. There are also numerous wallpapers and stencils available that feature interesting black and white damask patterns. Likewise, black wall decals may be used to liven up white walls. Of course, any combination of paint, wall decals, and wallpaper may be used to create the effect you are looking for.

2) If you are going to create a cohesive black and white room, then it is going to be necessary to take the furniture into account as well. Furniture may be painted in any combination of black and white or a single, solid color. The trick to successfully painting your furniture in black and white is to avoid choosing a pattern or paint color scheme that is too busy. Do not forget to include the bed frame, headboard, and window frames of your bedroom.

3) Accessories and bedding are the areas of a black and white room in which you can have the most fun! From lighting to rugs to bedding, there will be a number of fun options and patterns for you to choose from. For example, a black and crystal chandelier are extremely elegant, and they can provide an interesting focal point for your bedroom. Black and white curtains and area rugs will be available in a number of eye catching designs. As with the furniture, you should avoid choosing bedding and accessories that feature busy patterns.

Finally, when you are decorating a black and white bedroom, you will need to take into account the accent colors that you will be using throughout the space. It is important for you to restrict yourself to one or two bright accent colors that will be used sparsely throughout the room. These accent colors should be used sparsely, because any color within a black and white bedroom is going to stick out dramatically!

At WhiteInteriorDesignIdeas.com we give you help and direction to start your home interior design projects right away. You can turn your home into a beautiful oasis, without spending hundreds of dollars on interior designers. For more tips on taking your home from plain to chic! Visit us today: White Interior design

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/4-tips-to-add-black-to-your-white-interior-design-5633272.html

About the Author

Rachel Allen at http://www.whiteinteriordesignideas.com.

Launched to the public on 14 January 2013, Designbook  provides tens of thousands of professionally photographed interiors and exteriors of beautiful South African homes all in one place, painstakingly categorised and keyword tagged to make it easy for interior design and decor enthusiasts to search for inspiration for that new kitchen, bathroom or entertainment area. For those people who are too busy or lack confidence to do DIY décor, the site showcases the work of top interior designers and provides links to contact them directly. The site allows users to create “designbooks”, workspaces for collecting photos and product ideas all in one place.

It doesn’t stop there – want to know where to get that funky couch or Oriental rug, or looking for top shutter suppliers and installers? Designbook.co.za has implemented Facebook-like photo tagging technology that links the items in the photos to a product catalogue, allowing the browser to source the products and services to make their design dream a reality. “It is a really fun and intuitive way to discover new products, and early indications are that people are loving the content,” says Paul. In the first month after the launch the site has been visited over 6 000 times  by South African users, viewing  over 80 000 pages over that period.

What does the future hold for Designbook? Dave Nemeth,  leading South African  trend forecaster and furniture retail specialist is excited about these latest movements in the online space: “If we look at trends and the rate at which technology is moving, it is no wonder we would want to find products and inspiration all in one place. Designbook has addressed this, with this really exciting online application. I am really looking forward to Designbook’s growth and continued innovation.”

Paul says ultimately he would like to see Designbook as a catalyst for the South African interiors industry, supporting a culture of local design, local manufacturing and sustainable practices. “We have so much great design and manufacturing talent in South Africa, we just need to connect them to their customers better,” he says.

If you are an interior designer, decorator, architect or product supplier and have beautiful professional photographs of your projects, you can get a free profile on Designbook showcasing your work. Designbook will do the loading for you, just email paul@designbook.co.za to get started.

For those companies who supply products as well as design services to the public, you may be interested in Designbook’s product tagging functionality. View the brochure

Check out designbook at Designbook.co.za

We are happy to share that SampleBoard, the digital mood board creator for the creative industries, are available to all Small Business, Enterprise & Education institutions.

An overview on a how to create a professional, digital interior design presentation board in minutes.

Wedding Inspiration Board created by Rosena on sampleboard.com

Brides can be encouraged to use fur coats, wraps or capes. Venues like stately homes, classic hotels and even castles would add to the fairytale atmosphere. Or a hall decorated to resemble a Tudor great hall is another option. Winter time is a wonderful season for creating a fancy dress sort of wedding theme; maybe a Jane Austin style wedding. An empire style dress with a fur or velvet cloak would work wonderfully together. Or maybe a Versailles theme with the bride truly feeling and looking like a princess as illustrated in Mane’s wedding inspiration board below.

Ice Wedding Inspiration Board created by Mane Carrion on sampleboard.com

Vintage cars, carriages or sleighs if there is snow can be used to take the bride to the church and then the bride and groom to the reception venue. Can you imagine the snow glittering and the sleigh bells ringing truly magical. Winter can be used to advantage to create a unique fairytale atmosphere not easy to create in the summer.

Versailles Inspiration Wedding Theme Board created by Mane Carrion on sampleboard.com

A number of sample boards have been created with a winter theme as you can see above. It is very easy to play around with your ideas on the www.sampleboard.com website. You can select from a vast number of images and/or upload your own. You can easily create any number of wedding inspiration boards using the brilliant digital editor sampleboard.

Forgot to add this great wedding inspiration board  Winter Wedding Venues Inspiration Board created by Emma Christie on SampleBoard

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

Bauhaus Interior sample board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

We have sold our house and moved interstate to be closer to family. We have had a great time catching up with family and having a wee holiday my excuse for not writing a blog post for awhile. At the present time we are house sitting. The house belongs to an artist who is in Italy conducting an art tour.

Each afternoon I sit in a Marcel Breuer ‘Wassilly’ armchair and treat myself to a book from the wonderful library of art books. Besides devouring books on Turner, Matisse, Cezanne and Toulouse Lautrec I found the gem ‘Bauhaus Archive Berlin Museum of Design’. What a delight to once again discover the inspiring designs created at the Bauhaus. So I thought I would share some of story of Bauhaus and create a few concept boards inspired by and featuring some of the designs.

A manifesto for Bauhaus in Weimar Germany was written in 1919. Walter Gropius the director of the school wanted to reform the artistic process by using workshop courses and linking arts to hand crafts. One of the preliminary courses was created and taught my Johannes Itten; over a decade painting, drawing, print making, pottery, bookbinding, sculpture, cabinet making, metal and commercial art, photography, wall painting, architecture, urban planning and design were offered.

Trendy Bauhaus mood board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Some of the famous names who were associated with Bauhaus besides Gropius; Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee (who taught elements of design theory) and Mies van der Rohne who conducted courses in architecture. Bauhaus moved from Dessau to Berlin and was closed in 1932. The New Bauhaus was created in Chicago in 1937 and the enduring influence of the school became international.

Benjamin Moore has elected lemon sorbet as the color of the year for 2013 and I have used this future trend prediction with some Bauhaus designs to indicated the fact the designs can still create a buzz today. The Bauhaus interior design mood board I have created on SampleBoard.com features the on trend yellow and grey scheme and a wall hanging by Anni Albers in cotton and rayon, the table lamp created in the 1920s by Carl Jakob and Wilhelm Wagenfeld in nickel plated brass and glass. Also a yellow take on the famous Marcel Breuer Wassily chair.

Bauhaus Design concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard,com

On the Trendy Bauhaus mood board Ruth Hollos-Consemuller’s 1930 cotton and wool wall hanging, Marianne Brandt’s 1924 tea and coffee set in silver and ebony, a staircase and vase in a Mondrian inspired design and a Miles van der Rohne chair are featured.

The Bauhaus design concept board features Marcel Breuer’s 1926 table set, Max Peiffer Watenphul’s 1921 wall hanging and Piet Mondrian’s designs. I have had a great time away from house hunting being inspired by Bauhaus designs and creating the concepts boards.

I can drive myself crazy redesigning every house we look at and I must admit sending us off on some lovely wild goose chases looking at homes beyond our budget and needs. We are downsizing after all. We want to ensure we have plenty of money left for travel and also a home with a lot less upkeep inside and out. Well back to the house hunting.

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

A gentle pastel colored serene retreat would best describe this home. It is an unexpected color palette for the vibrate Lopez. Combing soft blues, grey, peach with pure white and touches of dark timber works a treat. I just love this home.

To create this look in the living room select dark timber flooring, pale blue walls and pure white trims. Add a white floor rug and upholstery and dark timber furniture. Create a sense of luxury with a shiny silver lamp base and metal framed tables.

Mood board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Repeat the same colors and shapes of furniture in the dining room. In the bedroom use a soft peach color on the walls and for the curtain fabric, add crisp white linen, a fluffy white carpet and a crystal light fitting.

All the rooms have a cozy welcoming feel due to homey functional built in furniture and personal touches of ornaments and flowers and soft furnishings. The home is classy, elegant and yet has a wonderful warmth.

Mood board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

As usual I have created some mood boards on SampleBoard.com to give you an idea of how you can create the look.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

South Yarra where we stayed was originally the home of the Wurundjeri tribe before it was settled by Europeans in the 1830s. It is home to some of Melbourne’s most prestigious residential addresses. There are many Heritage listed houses including Como House built in 1847 and Barwon house built in 1881.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

A wonderful range of homes can be found in South Yarra from the richly ornamented Victoria Boom Style terrace houses in Park Street to grand Federation style homes and some fantastic Art Deco homes in Alexander Ave, Lawson Grove and Darling Street. There are also some cutting edge contemporary style buildings; it sure is a city with style.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Barwon house was recently listed for sale and was described as a beautiful renovated stately Victorian home. The front of the home has been restored to its former glory and the family added a wonderful contemporary extension to the back of the property.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

One of my favorite blogs is Annie’s A View On Design I found the images for two homes situated in South Yarra one of them was Barwon house. There is such a variety of interior styles I could not resist spending time creating the concept boards in this blogs. I thought it would give you a glimpse of some of the wonderful homes to be found in one of the most livable suburbs in the most livable city in the world. I have featured some interiors from homes and added images from Pinterest and the SampleBoard.com library. If you click on the boards you will find information on each image used in the concept boards.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Besides the wonderful architecture shopping on the famous trendy up market Chapel Street and Toorkak Road is a delight as is a visit to the cafes and restaurants. We spent a day easily getting to and wandering around Melbourne city which is only a train or tram ride away.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

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

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Select a plain fitted carpet or a parquet timber floor. Or you could be daring and select highly stylized floral or brilliantly colored abstract Persian or Turkish carpets. Zebra skin rugs were very popular at this time and are so in vogue now.

The popular Art Deco colors of chocolate, black, white, red, hot pink, beige, coffee, ultramarine, sea green or burnt orange are readily available. To give the room a real Art Deco feel go for glossy finishes on the ceilings, walls and trims.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

You can have a ball with wallpaper selecting Egyptian motifs, bold geometric designs, stylized floral, stripes or Aztec motifs. Some Florence Broadhurst prints would work very well in an Art Deco room. To create a ritzy glamorous room a 1930s tea stained wallpaper highlighted with silver and gold will do the trick.

Add chrome and glass, veneered exotic timbered or shiny lacquered black, scarlet or pale yellow furniture.  Sofas and chairs can be upholstered in geometric patterns or plain fabrics. Select furniture with mostly straight lines and gentle curves.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

Art Deco styled accessories can really bring a room to life. Select mirrors in the shape of a fan or step shape. Metal or timber ornaments in the shape of an animal or women, clocks in the shape of the sun, Chinese pagoda, or a girl with a ball table lamp or colorful china or glassware would all work very well.

Concept board created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

You may want to add a poster from the era or a fun modern Art Deco inspired cushion. You can try to be as authentic as you like when creating you Art Deco living space or you can mix old and new to create a unique individual space. The options are endless. I have had fun as usual creating some concept boards for this blog to give you an idea of how to create your own Art Deco masterpiece.

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