Contemporary garden going vertical

26th January 2011Get into the gardening spirit this year and make use out of your tiny garden by turning it into a stunning outdoor space. The trick to use every inch out of your small spaced garden is to go vertical. This can be achieved by using tall products and accessories to cover up those lonely walls and empty cornered areas to disguise a small garden.Hanging chairs work well and will visually increase floor width but choose an egg shaped hanging chair instead of an apple shaped one so you won't over-crowd air space. Take a peek at my folder below which has a range of styles and ideas to inspire you to make your baby garden turn into an open-shelled outdoor space.To get possibly everything you are looking for to revamp a small contemporary garden, take a look at Dobbies retailers who supply a range of lovely garden products. You can also view my folder which includes products from Dobbies that I think are stylishly wonderful.Include outdoor floor lamps or led's to brighten up your garden space and these can be placed anywhere where you would like to add focus to your garden. It is best to keep big furniture limited and decorate additional spaces to make your garden look accessorized to create emphasis in different areas. The shape of these foscarini tress floor lamps are perfect to light up your contemporary garden and will draw attention away from small space.Image credit: a white roomTake a look at my contemporary garden folder to see a list of products that i've selected in order to achieve a contemporary styled vertical garden. By following these simple steps you can develop your small spaced garden into an oasis.For more ideas and inspiration, take a look at this link about how Takeshi Hosaka architects make the most out of awkward small space by creating an indoor-outdoor garden. http://www.trendir.com/house-design/cool-modern-home-with-hidden-interior-garden.html

Kid's bedroom under £1000

26th January 2011I know you're probably thinking, how can you create a kid's bedroom for under £1000? Well let me tell you that it can be done, as children's furniture and product accessories are generally less costly than those for an adult's bedroom. Also, if you think about it kid's don't really need that much in their room such as expensive accessories, silk cushions or fancy dressing tables. As long as there's a bed to sleep on and something to play with you can meet the budget.So the colour trends for this bedroom are aimed at either for a boy or a girl and this can be achieved be using a colourful patched wallpaper that has a mix of bright colours. The furniture is pastel coloured and simple and are accessorized with a jigsaw coloured rug which works best to uplift a playful mood. You can organize all your styles and ideas by creating a folder to keep all your great designs and inspiration in one place to find.Making a moodboard is a fun and easy way to brainstorm your ideas and selection of products. It helps to portray colour themes for a bedroom and also shows how well and how not so well your chosen products go together. The Eiffel Tower measuring wall art creates a focus in the room and is best placed on a plain painted wall so it will stand out well. You can use this focus as a great way to arrange your furniture around a focal point, which will help you use your space efficiently.

Contemporary bedroom under £1500

25th January 2011So here's how you can create a contemporary bedroom for under £1500.The theme around this setting was to create a warm and tranquil surrounding, using a mixture of light and dark furniture to blend the idea of this theme. The colours chosen to represent this theme were based around different coffee colours, i.e. light and dark to achieve a warm feeling with a hint of softness. For colour inspiration, use the coffee bean chart below or you can also upload your own choice of colours by using the image clipper tool.The best way to achieve a coffee coloured contemporary bedroom, is to select around 4-5 colours that you think would work well together and choose products and furniture according to the colours that you have chosen to use. If you prefer something more challenging, you can use more than 10 colours, this would be more suitable for a larger room where you can fit a range of furniture that represent all the colours and still have a little bit more space to accessorize your bedroom beautifully.The selection of furniture products and accessories are angular and edgy to portray a strong look against the subtle tones on the interior. The contemporary bedroom has essential products and furniture to match the budget of £1500. When choosing different shades you don't have to make sure that each furniture piece matches to get the right look, remember this is your style so you can be as quirky as you like and use what works best for you.Take a look at the product selection, 3D room and moodboard  in the folder link to see the completed design idea based upon the coffee theme, and why not have a go at creating your own contemporary bedroom under £1500 just by choosing a theme of your choice and see if your contemporary bedroom style can stay within the budget of £1500.

Lazerian by Liam Hopkins at Interiors Exhibition

10th January 2011Happy new year everyone. To expand your thinking space why not attend the Interiors Exhibition from 23-26th January 2011 at NEC in Birmingham. If you are interested in unique furniture pieces and accessories made from natural materials and designed to be inspired from organic forms of nature then you must see  Liam Hopkins, a contemporary furniture and objects designer at this exhibition. He uses a computer generated form to convert into modular sections to create this unique lighting feature shown below. It uses plywood, which is lightweight and light can emit effectively through the shape to reflect shadows onto a wall space. Light Modulator by Liam Hopkins - http://www.lazerian.co.uk/projects/light-modulator.phpIf not a lighting feature how about the Mensa Coffee Table? His inspiration comes from structures, colours of nature and flowing forms of tress. This can be seen in the Mensa coffee tables below that uses flexible birch plywood as a 'skin' which is reinforced with stainless steel rods to create these nature inspired coffee tables. The glass table tops work well with the web shaped stand to reflect the module shapes and creates  a contemporary unique coffee table.Mensa Coffee Table by Liam Hopkins and Richard Sweeney - http://www.lazerian.co.uk/projects/mensa-coffee-table.php

Have the perfect summer garden with B&Q

21st January 2011

After attending the B&Q spring/summer press show I came away with their key trends for the spring/summer season and some inspirational gardening tips to share with you. The predominant theme was how to make gardening easier this year – which is helpful especially if you’re not naturally green fingered. (Click on the image below to view my folder!)

Image credit: mydeco.com

Whatever your sense of style, the design teams at B&Q have created an exciting new outdoor garden range to enable everyone to enjoy the outdoors this summer. The launch of Blooma encompasses a new collection of outdoor garden furniture styles such as country, contemporary, heritage and fun to suit every shopper and style of garden.

In addition, Alan Titchmarsh is working with B&Q for the second year running and his expert tips and easy gardening advice will help you get the most out of your garden this summer.

Making it easier to… Plant and grow your fruits, herbs and vegetables, to help beat rising food bills

Image credit: B&Q

Whether you are an expert in gardening or a veg patch virgin, B&Q have a variety range of specially designed ‘Grow Your Own Products’ with easy to follow how-to guides to get you planting and growing your own food. So if you’re looking for a new hobby this summer, get planting and start saving.

Making it easier to… Using garden tools that work best for you

Choosing the right garden tools can sometimes be like stumbling through a maze, which is why B&Q have selected trusted retailers and brands such as JCB to provide the right power tools for you. Also new for this summer is the build it yourself wheelbarrow, which comes in a range of six gorgeous colours to suit any garden’s colour theme.

Making it easier to… Accessorise your garden in small ways to make a big difference

Image credit: B&Q

Add some personality to your garden this spring by selecting garden wall art and apply it to a bare wall to make it look lively. Mix and match from a range of plant and flower pots and position in empty corner spaces – these little touches to your garden will make a big change. Choose from a variety of decorative outdoor accessories in the shapes of cute animals, butterflies, flowers and leaves and let them make your garden a home.

Making it easier to… Entertain and cook for your guests outdoors

Image credit: B&Q

To turn your evening into a perfect garden party, simply add outdoor lighting to your garden. Whether you prefer it to be minimal or prefer to make a big statement, select from a range of beautiful tinted fabric lanterns and spread them over branches, birdhouses or cover up that old washing line and add some colour to your garden. Al fresco fans can choose from a selection of barbecues with built-in bins to dispose of waste as you grill. Or if you’re really feeling adventurous, select from a range of portable barbecues which have been designed to be small enough to take on picnics and camping.

Making it easier to… Choose your garden style

Image credit: B&Q

To sum up, the key spring/summer garden trends that B&Q showcased were country, contemporary, heritage and fun.  For all the country lovers out there, take a look at the Marquise coffee set table with a two seater sofa and two armchairs and accessorise with lovely cushions to create that warm country feel.

If you prefer your garden to have a contemporary look, create a statement and choose the fabulous hanging egg chair to blend in with the natural forms of your garden.

For those who are looking for a heritage style, dress your patio or decking area with the Saigon coffee table set, which has a rich wooden texture. Add classic white cushions for comfort and simplicity within your garden seating.

Image credit: B&Q

Lastly, for those who love to have fun in the sun, select an Hawaii deckchair or a sunbed lounger to embrace the sunshine and get that beach-body tan. I would suggest placing them in your garden wherever the sun is shining the most!