Celebrate Black History Month with Interior Design

In honor of Black History month, we would like to explore the influence of African American culture on interior design. There are so many contributions to the design world that can be attributed to the African American culture and interior design would not be the same without them!

1. Bold colors & patterns: Africans have historically incorporated multicolored patterns of bright colors, geometric shapes, and bold designs in their fabrics. In African culture, colors had symbolic meanings, as well as the combinations of colors or patterns. In African lore, the first pattern was made by two friends who happened to see a spider while hunting. After watching the spider weave its web for days, the friends returned to their tribe and implemented what they had seen.

2. Tribal Masks & Art - Ritual and ceremonial masks were an integral part of African culture. Masks usually have a spiritual and religious meaning which is why they are used in ritual dances and social and religious events. Artists of the masks and those that wore them, were given a special status In most cases, mask-making is an art that is passed on from father to son, along with the knowledge of the symbolic meanings conveyed by such masks. African mask are usually shaped after a human face or some animal's muzzle, but in a more abstract form. The lack of realism in African masks is explained by the fact that most African cultures distinguish the essence of a subject from its looks, and so the essence is what the actual mask represents. Stylish elements in a mask are mandated by tradition and may either identify a specific community or convey specific meanings.
Cubism, Fauvism & Expressionism are the arts which have often taken inspiration from the vast and diverse heritage of African masks and made them into a design standard.

3. Graffiti - more popular in today’s current pop culture, graffiti art can now be seen in interior design. As an emotional expression, graffiti is used to convey messages and feelings. Graffiti can be simple written words or phrases or elaborate works of art. Graffiti can be used to express political and social messages. Although graffiti dates back to cave drawings and even Greece, the modern African American influence is whats has steered graffiti into what it is today, right into the design field. Artists have taken inspiration from the hip hop culture’s tendency to tag, and now the lines are blurred and graffiti has no racial connotation, but more of a youthful connotation. Artists like Jimme Martin and Anna James are pioneers, creating works of art on furniture, which become statement pieces in an interior space. As such a unique way to express emotions, graffiti is putting its roots down in the design field and will continue to grow like a weed!

GSF Collaboration

A wildly successful open house Wednesday with Grey Sky Films! Thanks to all who came!

Winter Blues? Design with Green in mind!

We are surrounded by the need to reduce our "footprint" on the earth. We can recycle our plastics & papers, reduce our carbon footprint with carpooling, and now, even
design our homes with the environment in mind. Interior Design is also calling for a more "green" approach. LEED certifications allow designers to specialize in earth friendly design, requiring education on materials, use of products, recyclability and more. But you don't have to be a certified LEED designer to make design decisions that reflect your earth savvy philosophies. Here are a few ways to be green in your own home design.

1. Up-cycle! A great design technique is to take used items that are heading towards becoming waste, and recycle them- but with a flair! Also known as "up-cycling". Any furniture item can be up-cycled. Apply a fresh coat of paint to a chair you find at a garage sale, or re upholster the bench that you found on Craigslist. Both garage sales & Craigslist are great solutions to design on a dime. As they say, one person's trash is another person's treasure! These places, along with thrift stores and goodwill locations are gold mines for little used items or furniture pieces just begging for a second chance. Use a dresser or cabinet as a blank canvas for song lyrics or poems and use brightly colored paint to make a statement. With a little forethought and a great vision, you can turn a basement bargain into a unique piece for your home!
www.goodwill.com, www.salvationarmy.com



2. Repurpose! Have you ever had an item in your hands, about to throw it out and suddenly, a brilliant thought comes to you on how to use the same item, but in a different way? This is green design! Take your old suitcase, and turn it into an amazing chair and half, dog bed, or even mounted open on the walls for fun shelves. Or take paint cans that you've emptied, spray paint them and use them in your home office or kitchen to hold art supplies, desk supplies, cooking utensils and more! Instead of getting rid of an item, try to repurpose it and see your creativity soar!

3. Think Green. Take a second look at the paint you choose, or the light bulbs you use. Small steps mean a lot! Now you have a reason to select gorgeous fine china to use, instead of serving guests on festive paper plates! And you can shop for fun dish or hand towels to grab in place of the paper towels. As you know, good design is all in the details!

 

Infuse your home with fall inspired decor

Fall is the best time of year to incorporate natural elements in your home. There are many ways to liven up your home décor by bringing nature inside. Fall can be embodied through color and foliage choices, along with patterns and small décor.

• Inspired by food. Fall is full of warm hearty meals, using seasonal vegetables and spices. Gather inspiration from the food that the fall season offers. Instead of using your pumpkins for pumpkin pie, place them in vingettes around the house with some of the other gourds you may want to bake – acorn squash, butternut squash, etc. Or display these gourds in arrangements by layering them in multi-height glass vases. You can even forgo more pie to add some apples for a burst of color in your displays.

• Cinnamon & Spice and everything nice. Cinnamon is not only a delicious flavor and spice that can do wonders to scent your home, but it is also a color that embodies the feelings of fall. Change your summer curtains to a pair of drapes that ooze warmth by choosing a rich cinnamon color. Add a few new throw pillows to your sofa in shades of rust, plum or chocolate brown, or add a playful plaid pattern or highly textured tweed pillow or throw in green and orange tones to bring additional fall tones to your room. Textiles and fabric embody the warmth that people seek in colder months and can add a huge style statement to any room.

• Make it or Break it. Accessories can not only make or break an outfit, but they can do the same for a design! Choose your accessories wisely! Candles are a must have for fall. Whether plain ivory or in a palette of warm colors, arrange them lit or unlit for a fabulous statement. Add some dried (or fake!) fall leaves scattered around or in a vase, some faux acorns, twiggy branches touched with glitter or leaves and even fall-inspired flowers like mums or hydrangea. 

Designer hint: check out Etsy for some great home decor finds.  You'll see vintage items, art supplies, fabric and do-it-yourself ideas that are budget-friendly. Remember, don't think by holiday, think by season! This will ensure your new décor will be worth the investment and last for months at a time while infusing your home with the spirit and warmth of fall-inspired design!
Feel free to post any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Themes in Design, Do or Dont?

A popular way to decorate is to choose a “theme” and work it into the space. This is a great way to start your designing and build upon, but there are a few things to remember when putting your themed room together!

1. Don’t over do it. When you choose your theme, think of how you want to express this theme. Select subtle, distinct pieces that will allow your theme to shine without over powering the space. For example, if you like animal prints, select 3 pieces to have the print on, say a rug, a throw pillow and a lamp shade. Then, coordinate the rest of the room with complimentary colors and maybe even add another, quieter pattern to allow the animal print to shine.

2. Think classy. Not tacky. Polka dots are wonderful in moderation, they can be a great pattern for an ottoman or upholstered chair; but don’t go polka crazy, try to add some antique clown dolls or banks and create a “circus” themed room. When you are thinking about themes, try not to be drawn towards “collectibles”. Dolls, teacups, clowns, cats, and teddy bears arent “themes”. Think more in the direction of “Caribbean Island” or “Hollywood Regency” and take creative steps to expressing these themes using colors and objects that portray that style or “feeling”, design-wise. For a Caribbean Island feel, use sand inspired colors with turquoise accents and star fish or sand dollar artwork. Then add some blue candles, white painted branches or brightly colored coral and paint your side tables in bright glossy white with blue glass knobs. If you prefer “Hollywood Regency”, upholster your queen anne side chairs in a deep gold and paint the frames white. Add a burgundy throw pillow and mount the Ung Drill mirror from Ikea offset to the left on the wall behind the chairs and an antique crystal chandelier overhead. A cherry side table with a stack of antique books and you’ve achieved your “theme” without over powering your visitors or allowing it to become “tacky”.

3. Themes in Business? Office spaces are under-used palettes. Forget cubicles and overheads. Think “theme” and create a fun, creative work space that fosters employee’s spirits. Take a cue from Google, whose headquarters were designed specifically to foster more productivity through carefully thought interior design. Take your company logo’s colors and apply them to the office spaces in new and unexpected ways. Create small spaces for employees to have private conversations, or small group brainstorming sessions. Have some fun, and use “what you do” to become the theme.

Themes can be a great foundation for your room’s design. Use your theme as a stepping stone to larger, more creative ideas on how to take your theme to the next level and remember, be creative, don’t be afraid of color and have fun!

Home Decor: How to Wow with Walls - Woodbridge, NJ Patch

Home Decor: How to Wow with Walls - Woodbridge, NJ Patch

"Wow" with your walls!!!

Creativity in design means thinking outside the box to combine elements in ways that differ from the standard monotony. One of the most under-used palettes in interior design can be walls. For years, the only thing going on with walls is a coat of paint and artwork/photographs/curtains to spice it up! However, there are a unique amount of options available for walls, to use walls as a creative palette for self expression and as an amazing design feature.

1. Paint can be more than a color. For instance, there are paints available for purchase today that turn your wall into a magnetic or glow in the dark surface, white board or even a chalk board. So give your children an area that is an outlet for creativity or an oversized night light! You can even turn one of your walls into an oversized idea board in your home office to capture moments of genius or a magnetic surface to keep track of your families hectic schedule!

 

2. Paneling has come along way. Paneling, with a wood grain, creating a dark and rustic feel , was the rage a few decades ago but its not exactly a great design intent. The key is to use paneling sparingly. Now you can get wall panels made from specialty materials, such as concrete with faux wood grain or distressed finish. Concrete can be mounted to plywood walls making it a contemporary way to finish a wall by creating an entirely different surface. There are also acrylic panels available from 3Form that allow for light transfer, but create brightly colored, designer surfaces. Mount an acrylic panel with embedded bamboo to a create a feature wall in your entrance hall, or select a textured acrylic panel for your kitchen backsplash! You could even use a clear, but textured panel over a bright colored paint, allowing it to read thru or even create a wall solely using patterned acrylic partitions!

 


3. Exposure to the Elements. If your are fortunate enough to be in an older home, there are some opportunities to take advantage of using the natural elements available to you. Expose an existing brick or stone wall and incorporate it as a feature wall into your design. Natural is always the way to go, but if you don’t have an existing wall, create one yourself using some convincing faux brick or stone paneling! Create an Italian tavern feel in your dining room, or an impressive focal point in your bedroom.

 






Don’t be stagnant in your home décor. It may take a bit more elbow grease to create an amazing feature wall, but the extra effort will be well worth the “wow” factor and the smile that appears on your face every time you glance at it!