radiating style.....

After a slight mishap I had involving me slipping on steps and colliding with a cast iron radiator (it did hurt)  it did make made me wonder whether I would have had quite so many cuts and bruises if I had installed bog standard radiators? Not that I care along with net curtains and pine cladding I am not a fan of builders radiators.  Mind it is quite an investment as non standard does mean quite a hike in price. Its getting better though some of the Diy retailers like B&Q do passable radiators at a not quite break the bank prices.

If getting a quality designer look  is a priority then here are some of my favourite ideas.

 Traditional Cast iron radiators timeless and fabulous

How about a tall sleek radiator

Or there are growing range of glass radiators coming on to the market?

home office

its great working from home. No gruelling rush hour journeys is a major bonus. But when you run your  business from home having the right sort of work space becomes essential. I find I need at least 3 work spaces. An area for designing, storage for reference library, admin space and  I forgot an area to store deliveries if the project site  is not ready. I think another 6 months and we will have to move into rented offices. I am taking over the house, plus I am not very good at swithing off when the office always there.

If I were to design my dream office it would have a long wooden table or island so i could spread out while drawing and working.

One wall would be filled with storage space so i could keep everything together, organised and on one floor (rather than running up and down the stairs which is my current situation).

It would have a homely feel

It would have a great view, nothing to distracting, maybe a office with glass walls in a wood.

I would never want to work in a big corporate office environment but it looked as fun as  Google's or Pixar's I might consider it.

Shall we take the lift of the slide?

http://www.id-homes.co.uk

www.bathinteriordesign@blogspot.com

Green Living

When we get our wasted collected it now has to go into umpteen different containers for recycling, one for plastics, paper, cardboard, glass etc. With a continuing growth of the number of items that can now be recycled like, furniture, carpets, metals etc I do sometimes wonder where it all goes and what happens to it. A little rummage on the internet did shed some light!

This Chair designed by Richard Liddle is made from 100% recycled plastic made from milk bottles and washing up liquid made of high density polyethylene. Clever but a little strange looking.

Can you guess what this used to be?

A coffee table made from an old washing machine drum from Reestore!

Inside is an energy-saving bulb that creates a light effect similarly to a disco ball-style.

Or how about some  Recylcled Yoghurt pot coasters?

It seems almost like the possibilities are endless one day we may even see on our streets a whole house made from recycled items like the one created by Affresol in Swansea which is made from 18 tonnes of recylced waste plastic. 

                                              http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8531170.stm

How about Alulife Aluminium tiles made out of recycled aluminium cans. 

Rice, straw and coconut are emerging as sustainable sources to create a home from. 

Have you heard of Resysta?

Resysta resembles a tropical hardwood, maid primarily from rice husks.  The husks are powdered and mixed with salt and mineral oil and pressed onto board.  It doesn't absorb water or grey like wood and the material is recyclable and has won awards for its sustainability.

Recycled is the only way to go to give our planet a chance to regenerate. Next time you are undertaking a renovation project look at what opportunities there are to recycle and reuse.

for mor eco designs head over to;

http://hautenature.com/design-architecture/

http://inhabitat.com/interiors/

www.bathinteriordesign@blogger.com

www.id-homes.co.uk

Frame it

It is such a pain sometimes to find the right piece of art to fit in with a room style or colour and then there is the other tricky challenge to find stuff that is affordable
Some of the things I think about when faced with  a challenge like this is to go about using a left over scrap of material, wall paper or even  postcards.

This image is a left over birthday card.

 Or printed off image from the Internet.

I've just bought some fab posters from Bloomsbury to have framed, the prints cost less than £3

http://www.bloomsburystore.com/home_interior/home_accessories/posters/cavallini_poster_wrap_-_world_map.htm


It's one of the simplest things you can do but with a bit of imagination you can  create a really nice and unique piece of art for you home.

www.id-homes.co.uk

Purple Passion

There seems to be a reoccuring theme going on with the  projects I’m working on at the moment.

Purple
(that and endlessly long hours!).

 

Even when we've developed a few other colour options clients have been  gravitating to purple.

I guess it’s not hard to see why, it is quite a fab colour to use in the home.

 It doesn't have to be an overwhelming colour, it works well on walls. It’s  a colour that’s always in fashion so you can always find accessories and soft furnishings to incorporate on a smaller scale in a room. There are so many tonal variations from calm lilacs which add a contemporary touch, zingy mauve's for a modern funky look, and deep royals purples like aubergine which look really sophisticated and elegant. It can also be a great accessory colour for maybeΩa blue or green decorating scheme. 

These are just a few of my favourite Purple themed rooms;  I love this heather toned sofa and check cushion covers (above).

very sophisticated!

My favourite look is toning purple schemes with just a cream/white accent.

We have one purple scheme finished, going into style this weekend so pictures to follow

and another project just going into production. Will be surfacing from our purple haze soon!

www.id-homes.co.uk
www.bathinteriordesign@blogspot.com

Capture a moment

What makes a house a home?

You do.

One house could be identical to another but it's what you do to the inside, the personality that you give it that makes it your home. And nothings is more personal than displaying family photos.

So instead of just hiding them away in an album or popping them in a photo frame, theres a million more ways to display them imaginatively.

I love this idea,  creating a stunning head board  made out of  Polaroid photos. Or a created out of a montage

Or turn get trigger happy and work one of your favourite prints into wallpaper. Create a unique piece or artwork for your walls or even turn your fire place into a unique style statement. On a smaller scale go diy and add to a lampshade. 

Or if you prefer a slightly smaller home accessory why not dig out your vintage family photos and go old school and slot them into pretty glassware. 

For quotes on turning your artwork into home accessories email us we can create stunning lightshades, murals or blinds.

www.id-homes.co.uk

lisa@id-homes.co.uk

Pack your suitcase and stay home.

With the prospect of a holiday potentially on the horizon (mostly wishful thinking, I've being saying I am going to have a holiday for nearly a year), I wanted to dig out the summer clothes that I had packed away in suitcases months ago.

Though practical and lightweight, looking at my suitcase it lacked a certain charm and elegance that old fashioned  trunks had. Though I'm sure a trunk probably wouldn't be very practical when trying to lug it round Heathrow.  Maybe not practical for taking  away on holiday but  old trunks could make quirky accessories around the home.

Trunk tabletop - songbirdnesting.com

I even found a site that takes it one step further.  Turning the humble trunk and recycle it into a unique and vintage looking pieces of Furniture (not only stylish but eco friendly). Right that has got me into the mood off to flick through some holiday brochures.

 

 






www.id-homes.co.uk

Vintage find

My favourite find recently is an antique dummy. I've been searching for the perfect vintage mannequin for ages and found this at a antique fair in Bath and it had to come home with me. It has such a tiny nipped in waist and beautiful aged look, I've been moving  it around the house as I just can't decide which room to leave it. Its ended up in my daughters room and she has found a very productive use for it. Modelling clothes she is selling on eBAY!

www.id-homes.co.uk

'The nicest thing for me is sleep, then at least i can dream' Marilyn Monroe

One of the nicest things about living in Bath is the abundance of history. The Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and the Museums. 

http://www.americanmuseum.org/default.cfm/loadindex.235

Inspired by the Lady herself I would love to infuse a bit of Hollywood Glamour into a boudoir bedroom. Feminine, glam and  sexy; very Monroe

 




www.id-homes.co.uk