Everyone dreams about owning the perfect home and more and more people are realizing that dream by building their own home or at least helping to design their home even if a contractor is building it for them.

 Even if you know nothing about home design you can still be an active participant in the creation of your dream home by giving the people that do the real home design something to work with.  A home design team is only as good as the idea they are given and you will be the people they look to for their home design direction because it is your home.  So it is one thing to say you are excited about your dream home but a whole other ball game to actually know what you want and to know exactly how you want it laid out.  So take some time to get ready to contribute to your own home design.

Open Houses

The first thing you can do in your dream home development is get out and see what other homes look like.  People all over the country spend beautiful weekend afternoons just driving around town and looking at the sights.  On top of seeing things you may have never seen before you also get to get some very good real life ideas for your home design project. 

If you get out on a Sunday afternoon you may be able to walk through some open houses being held by various real estate agents and this can be a great way to get some real life ideas for your home design project. 

Magazines and Stores

For some reason many people think it is silly to start looking through these perfect living magazines to get ideas for their home design project when that is exactly what those magazines were created for in the first place.  Spend some time with Martha Stewart or spend some time checking out the better homes and gardens of our country to give you ideas on what your dream home will look like.

Remember this is your dream, your money, and the place you will be living so you will want to make sure everything is just as you want it.  You can also spend time at the local home improvement super stores to see what the different components of a home look like and incorporate them into your dream home. 

There are giveaways every year by big companies that promise people the chance to win their dream home.  That has never made sense because how does someone else know what your dream home looks like?  Plan your own dream home out and make sure it looks exactly like you want it to and has everything you have ever dreamed of having in a home.

Tags: home design, home, design, house, dream home

Anyone that is involved in commercial interior design has had years of schooling and probably grew up with commercial interior design ideas that they never even realized they had until they got to school.  But there are so many different sides to commercial interior design that it can be difficult to choose which direction to go in when you do decide that commercial interior design is for you.  Remember that there are some basics that every commercial interior design professional has to know and no matter what you do you will be faced with some of the same challenges in every project.

One of the most crucial tools in commercial interior design is computer software.  It is commonly referred to as Computer Aided Design, or CAD, and it is the tool that all commercial interior design people use to create their ideas and put them into a format that eventually gets into the general contractor’s hands.  The CAD program can create all manner of blueprints and design drawings that help get a project off the ground and without an expert working knowledge of CAD you are simply not going to be able to be effective in the commercial interior design field.

So much has changed in architecture and design in the last 50 years and now computers have taken away the need to be able to even draw to get your point across.  If you learn how to manipulate the CAD software then you will be able to get your design ideas across.

Engineering

A career in design is a career in engineering too and your engineering skills may be put to different tests on every project.  You need to be able to work out the relationship between the space available on an office floor and the need for cubicles along with how to add more space to a building that doesn’t have it.  So much of commercial interior design is about moving and economizing space and that does not always mean working with existing space.  There will be times when you are called on to create space and that can require skills in engineering.

The field of commercial interior design can be a challenging one as it requires knowledge from a variety of disciplines in order to be successful.  Be prepared for a lot of studying – but once you are done you can look forward to a rewarding career.

Tags: commercial interior design, interior design, design, home

Any kind of interior design art is someone’s personal expression whether it is a home owner or the architect of a high rise building.  Somewhere along the line someone is showing their personality with an expression of interior design art and that is why it is so important to make sure that you choose the right interior design art for your project or home.

When we talk about interior design art we are talking about anything ranging from the painting over your sofa to the priceless statue that sits in the lobby of an impressive office building.  The expression of interior design art should match the function of the building that it is in.  If it is your home then it should be a personal expression of your own personality, your art preference, or your own personal piece of pop culture. 

Even your Star Wars movie poster can be considered interior design art depending on where you display it and how you use it in relation to the rest of your house.  Placement is critical; for instance in a professional office building it may be inappropriate to hang nude paintings on the wall or have a graphically nude statue in the lobby. 

Using Art for Many Purposes

The concept of interior design art can be used for many purposes aside from decoration.  You will notice that the interior design art found in many doctor’s waiting rooms and examination rooms is usually of a light hearted nature.  Going to the doctor is stressful enough and they try and offset that with some images that may help you handle being at the doctor’s office a little better.  Corporate waiting rooms will sometimes employ the same concept.  They may put a series of positive and uplifting pieces of interior design art in their corporate waiting room to help the person waiting to stay positive.

There are so many messages and ideas you can convey with the art you choose to use in either your home or office.  Be sure you tailor your choices to their intended use because sometimes inappropriate art can send the wrong message too.

Tags: interior design arts, interior design, design, designing art

Some Of The Major Benefits Of Bamboo Kitchen Cabinets Are -

Versatility

Bamboo is quite versatile in nature. It offers you a wide range of designs and things that you can make out of bamboo to decorate your kitchen. Apart from the cabinets, you can also make use of bamboo to create things like dish stands, racks, enclosures, sink, chair, table and doors for your kitchen. This would offer your kitchen an exotic and fresh look.

Strength And Durability

Bamboo has strength and durability to offer you a solution for years. It is superior in comparison to most of the hardwoods due to its strength and durability. They are stable and do not get damaged easily. Its durability can be clearly seen from the fact that it is free from knots and its grain is extremely straight.

No Maintenance Cost

Maintaining the bamboo furniture or cabinets is easy enough. You do not have to spend huge amounts to keep them in a good and durable condition. Cleaning them is no more an issue. They eliminate the requirements of any noxious substances or solutions for removing any substances. Thus, it protects you from the tiring, laborious, exhausting and time consuming cleanliness processes.

Other Benefits

Through bamboo kitchen cabinets you can give your kitchen a sleek, clean and traditional look. Due to their light weight it becomes very easy to install them in any part of your kitchen. Since they are sleek enough they offer you a large and wide space to place your utensils and other things allowing you to enjoy a larger functional area. They also have exceptional dimensional stability and give a remarkable finishing to the products created.

It’s time for you to replace your obsolete and outdated materials or furniture with eco-friendly solutions. Bamboo has infinite benefits to offer. It can meet almost all your need without any issues. All you need to do is decide out what are your requirements and preferences.

Tags: kitchen cabinet, kitchen, bamboo kitchen cabinet, home, design, ecofriendly design

That special lady in your life will think she is with a totally new man and these bedroom interior design tips are sure to put that sparkle back into her eye.  Always be careful when you implement these bedroom interior design ideas because you don’t want to hurt yourself and miss out on taking advantage of your new lair of love. 

The first step in your new bedroom interior design is the obligatory mirror on the ceiling.  It is best to do the mirror on the ceiling in sections because anything too big can crack while you are putting it up and that would be dangerous. If you have any hesitations on installing a mirror ceiling then get some one that knows how to install a mirrored ceiling.  It may cost a little to do it but the mirrored ceiling is a staple of any bedroom interior design project that is destined to be a lair of love. 

Don’t Forget the Curtains

No lair of love is complete without some very thick and sexy curtains for keeping the light out and the love in.  Be sure to install reinforced curtain rods to support your thicker curtains as the weight of the thicker curtains can cause your standard curtain rod mount to collapse.  But once you get that reinforced curtain rod up, and you hang your thick red velour curtains, then it is time to let your special lady know that your lair of love is almost done.

Dark gold tassels are always a nice addition to red velour curtains as the dark gold color against the red is a nice contrast in the light and also creates a stunning effect in the low light. 

There is no lair of love without a mood and the mood is set with a quality stereo system and the right mood lighting.  Installing dimmers in place of your light switch will allow you to lower the light in the room to any level you like.  A stereo that accommodates four speakers is always best to get sound to circulate throughout the entire room and if you can afford a receiver with 5.1 Dolby surround then you can take advantage of the new techniques in CD mixing. 

You can add your own velvet black light posters and fully stocked bar as you see fit.  Just don’t skimp on the details; it will pay off handsomely.

Tags: bedroom interior design, interior design, interior, design, home, bedroom design

There are two stages of exterior home design that you need to think of when you are considering projects as you stare at the outside of your home.  The first is necessary projects that have to be done mostly due to needed repair or regular home maintenance.  The other is the projects that you would love to do if you have time and can fit them into your budget.  Obviously the more important exterior home design projects are the ones that have to be done due to repair or regular maintenance but they do not need to be boring.

Window Sills

If your window sills need work, then take that as an opportunity to spice up the trim on your house.  Decide on a color that matches with the current color of your house and get to painting.  This is also a great time to repair and reinforce any window sills that may have eroded over time and, due to neglect, are now looking like they are falling apart.

It is not uncommon to one day look up at the window sills at the top floors of your home, especially in the back, and realize that it has been years since you did anything to help them out.  Window sills in need of repair can be places where warm air gets out and cold air and water gets in to cause damage.  So this kind of exterior home design project is not only necessary for cosmetic reasons but it is also very necessary for the efficiency of your home and to prevent future damage.

Lawn

When people start considering exterior home design projects they always think about painting the house, adding some siding, or even getting the roof repaired or replaced.  But what about your lawn?  Landscaping is also part of exterior home design and you can use landscaping to really make your house stand out.  Real estate agents call it curb appeal and it means that people looking at your house from the curb will find it attractive if you just add things here and there to your lawn.

Colorful flowers in the right spot are always attractive.  You may not need a whole garden but some color is always nice.  Some sort of border around the sidewalk leading up to your house can also add a nice touch.  Anything that is not over the top but still adds something to your home’s curb appeal is great.

If you really want to start planning a exterior home design project then make sure you get the important stuff done first and make sure that you add value to your home while you are doing it.  There are a lot of great ideas if you just keep your eyes and mind open.

Tags: exterior home design, home design, design