Category Archives: Design, designers and online finds

Blue


A lot of times I hear people say they think blue is a cold colour, and that predominant use of it in a room or space, makes the room feel cold and uninviting. I guess technically, or scientifically, blue is a cold colour. But that doesn’t mean that the use of blue in a design scheme makes a room or space feel cold. And there’s blue and there’s blue.

Check out these examples. Would you feel cold or uninvited in these rooms?

Gorgeous living room with blue color scheme

Kitchen with royal blue painted wall

 

French themed sitting room with powder blue walls

Sitting room with high gloss painted blue walls

Turquoise walls and royal blue furniture combine well. It might be a bit too much for some though

 

Blue works with modern or retro inspired room designs too

The hunt for the affordable buttoned sofa


We are in dire need of a new sofa. Our Ektorp is now almost 7 years old, and is showing signs of unrepairable fatigue. I changed the covers a few times, even dyed white covers in the denim-esque grey they are now. But the time is here to say our farewells. Each time one of us sits down, tiny feathers fly through the air. And with a tie for the sloppiest user between our dog and my significant other, there are stains that are not going anywhere anymore either.

Our sitting room. I have since added an antique chair and a dark green/black glass designer's coffee table where the ottoman is in the picture.

Our sitting room. I have since added an antique chair and a dark green/black glass designer’s coffee table where the ottoman is in the picture. Also, the rug has been replaced with a checkered white/black/grey/beige one. I prefer the one in the picture I think…..

I always like to see what we can find for as little money as possible. The entire sitting area of our living room is now decorated with hand-me-downs, Ikea, thrift store finds and family heirlooms. The combined worth probably exceeds the $1000 max spent on it, even if it might be just in emotional value. But in my humble opinion it also looks as if we spent more than that.  For our new sofa we are looking for something a bit more sophisticated and a bit more mature. But we do like a classic look, so are considering a buttoned design. And as we like the Hollywood Regency style, as well as Palm Springs inspired interiors, we are looking for something a bit retro. Here are a few pictures I collected to inspire us in our hunt.

cool sofa classic tip cheap affordable

Jonathan Adler Lampert Sofa

sofa design tips affordable decorating

Calligaris Manhattan Grace sofa by S. Cavazzana

Chesterfield affordable sofa thrift store

A Chesterfield Inspired sofa. I don’t like the yellow leather (is it leather?) but love the style and how it fits in with, in this case, a thrift store setting. It would look good in our house.

A classic Chesterfield sofa in distressed leather. Love it, but it’s a bit too obvious somehow. I do love how it fits almost every style. And I wouldn’t have to worry about my sloppy house mates.

retro sofa design decorating tips amsterdam

To the one who designed this: For shame! Photographing this lovely sofa in such a dull setting with fake birch laminate floors. Birch laminate… really? This needs to be on a glossy painted black wooded floor, a herringbone parquet floor or a plush carpet. Not on birch laminate!

I guess it’s clear what sort of style we are going for. Classic, but with a retro twist maybe. Buttoned if possible. So let’s say we are again limiting ourselves to $1000 for a new sofa. If we were to buy a Chesterfield it would be through an online auction site like eBay or Marktplaats, so let’s focus on something else for now. I checked Ikea but didn’t find any that I liked. A google search led me to a conspicuous looking and website with the equally conspicuous name fashionforhome.nl.  And guess what? They have tons of sofa’s in a variety of styles suitable to our self-inflicted limited budget! Check out these for instance:

Three seat sofa Chelsea, € 899,00

Three seater Buckingham, € 799,00

 

Three seater Kenley II, € 779,00

I Think the first one is my favourite. Dave likes the second one… Which one do you think we should pick?

 

I told you so…. bright pink and royal blue all the way


So yes, this happened.

Remember I told you about the exam I took a little under a year ago? I designed a twenties/Art Deco revamp of a dated house with great character. The lady examiner that graded me said that she loved my drawing style and gutsy design, but she detested my colour scheme.. bright fuchsia pink and royal blue. I knew for a fact that my colours were right on, especially considering the brief. But I kept it to myself as this lady was still to grade me. I passed, but with the extra remark that I needed to be aware of colour trends.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw this post about a table revamp by Naomi Stein over at Design Manifest. I don’t want to say it but can’t help it…

I TOLD YOU SO!

Table revamp by Naomi Stein in post on Apartmenttherapy.com

My design for a revamp of a 1930’s house

 

My design for a revamp of a 1930’s house

 

Masculine Pinks? Valentine inspired interiors


I was going to call this post just ‘masculine pinks’. But I must admit that it is pretty hard if not impossible to find pink interiors that are not feminine. Alas, it’s Valentine’s Day and I must be able to ride the waves of commercialism too so here we go; 5 Valentine inspired interiors. Happy inspirations!