Great share from HOUZZ about design vignettes. About 15 years ago I tried explaining ‘The Vignette’ to my husband who insisted it was a description being used incorrectly. For those of us in the professional design industry, it is a very commonly used phrase–read the article below and try your hand at creating new vignetttes in your home!
]How To Bring the Outdoors In
Here in AZ it is finally time to throw open the doors, slide open the windows and enjoy time outside. The following infographic describes some easy ways to create visual and functional flow between the inside of your home and the outside spaces. (please ‘click’ on the image to get a larger, more readable size)
Too Hot For Outside Fun This Weekend? Transform Your Kitchen
Below is a guest post on relatively simple, low cost things you can do to transform the look and feel of your kitchen quickly.
Here in Phoenix the temps are so high that staying in an inside air conditioned space and doing fun house and design projects over a weekend sound like a great idea. I just sourced some whimsical hardware for a client that definitely will change the feeling in her kitchen–
A Kitchen Update in a Weekend
Tired of looking at your drab kitchen but don’t have the time or money to invest in a complete makeover? Don’t fret. With a little imagination and some elbow grease you can spruce up your culinary digs in a weekend. The best thing about these projects is that you can do them one at a time and not have to deal with the mess and hassle of a complete remodel.
So what are you waiting for? Dig out your paint brush and screw driver (and maybe a hammer) and put on your weekend warrior face. Here are a few projects that won’t break the bank and will leave you beaming with a feeling of accomplishment.
Install new lighting
A new light fixture can literally brighten up your kitchen. Pick a fixture that appeals to your kitchen décor but also provides adequate light to work under. Wish you had a number of lights overhead? Choose from a variety of track lighting options that replace your old fixture yet don’t require additional wiring or holes in your ceiling. They look great and instantly update an older kitchen.
Change cabinet hardware
Sometimes it’s the small details that make all the difference. Replacing outdated cabinet hardware with a modern design won’t go unnoticed. This is one of the easiest updates you can do yourself. If you don’t want to drill new holes in your cabinets and drawers, simply take one of your current hardware pulls with you to the store and match it up against the selection there.
Paint the walls
Brighten up your kitchen with fresh coat of paint on the walls and/or ceiling. If you’re feeling bold go for a bright color. A splash of color on the walls will transform the whole feel of the room. Remember, ceilings don’t have to be white (or one of the millions of off-white). And if that’s not enough, consider painting the cabinets as well (or instead). It’s remarkable what a fresh coat of paint can accomplish and with some sandpaper and elbow grease—and paint, naturally—you can turn dreary or boring into a high-class fashion statement.
Replace the floor
Depending on how much kitchen floor space you have, this project may be a little more involved, but it can easily be worth the addition effort. The floor can often go unnoticed and many kitchen floors are notorious for being drab and outdated. Rip out the old and put down something new and fresh. Consider hardwoods, stone, and eco-friendly bamboo. If you already have a hardwood floor, then it’s even easier! Give it a nice sanding and a new finish.
Update the faucet
It may be time to replace the workhorse of your kitchen, the faucet. An updated faucet will not only be more versatile than your old one but it will make a fashion statement as well. These days the selection is simply astonishing with everything from hands-free operation to faucets designed to accommodate the largest of pots.
About the author: Jonathon Ensor stays on top of the latest home design trends as a writer for Empire Today. He loves to get unique furniture and decorations from thrift stores and garage sales.
4 Design Innovations to Improve Workplace Satisfaction
Below you will find a great article about how to design for today’s office environment. S Interior Design is currently working on a project for a company who has obviously read the research. We are opening the work space up while still providing some privacy, and have added a communal break room- kitchen. Here is a sneak peak of the break room design in progress
4 Design Innovations to Improve Workplace Satisfaction
Henry Ford’s assembly line and Robert Propst’s cubicle were groundbreaking innovations aimed at increasing productivity in the workplace. While productivity is still one of the critical success factors in a work environment, many major companies have been shifting away from industrial designs towards the type of office that promotes employee satisfaction. The idea is simple: a happy workplace will attract top recruits, improve employee retention, and ultimately allow employers to build an efficient and cohesive workplace.
How does that work? Simply put, happy workers are more productive than their unhappy peers, and there’s now quantitative evidence to back up this claim. Economic researchers in the UK and Germany recently conducted a study revealing that happy people are 10-12% more productive than unhappy or emotionally neutral people.
The truth is, top companies recognized the importance of happy employees well before the results of this study came in. Many businesses have discovered that happy employees are more focused, get more work done, take fewer sick days, and stay at the company premises for longer. With that in mind, tech giants such as Google and entertainment leaders such as Pixar have introduced all kinds of in-office perks, including fitness centers, game rooms, and cafes with gourmet food.
Of course, you don’t have to allot an enormous budget for extravagant perks to boost employee happiness in the workplace. Here are 4 ideas to improve worker satisfaction and productivity through the layout of your office, with minimum investment.
Adjustable Workstations
In their 2013 Workplace Survey, Harvard Business Review found that workers whose employers gave them greater autonomy were more likely to be satisfied at work, perform better, and view their employers as more innovative than other industry competitors.
One easy way to give employees greater autonomy is to let them work from adjustable workstations. For example, Facebook lets employees at their headquarters adjust the height, layout, and configuration of their desks to create their optimal workspace. So it’s okay if you feel most productive and energetic working at a standing desk station all day, while your coworker does best with a seated corner desk – Facebook is happy to accommodate both of you.
Individual departments within Facebook are also able to rearrange their desks whenever they need to. If the marketing team needs to have a brainstorming session, they can easily circle their desks up in the center of the room, then move them back against the wall when they need to focus on individual projects. This freedom to create the ideal workspace improves employee happiness and productivity.
In a medium or large office, it’s all too easy for employees to become isolated within their department or even their immediate seating area. Research has shown that a worker’s immediate neighbors account for 40-60% of their interactions throughout the day, meaning that there’s frequently a disconnect between employees who aren’t geographically close together.
To improve company culture and encourage greater connectivity, some companies, such as inbound marketing specialist HubSpot, have adopted a rotating seating chart every six to eight months. Shifting the seat locations around gives employees the opportunity to get to know more people and to collaborate with people outside of their department. It also gives employers a chance to rearrange employees with work style and personality in mind, so that there are no major office clashes.
A Central Atrium
The Pixar headquarters have a large, central atrium with bathrooms and a cafeteria set far apart from the work spaces. Their goal is to promote connections between workers in different departments and to encourage new ideas from casual conversations. While not every business has the building space to create this kind of grand atrium, smaller businesses can still set up a central space, such as a break room, for employees from across departments to meet in a relaxed environment.
Distraction-Free Workspaces
While the open-office layout has become the overwhelming trend in the US (70% of all offices in America now have an open-floor plan), some employees find this collaborative environment distracting and need privacy to be able to focus on their work tasks. Businesses that use an open-office layout can provide this by setting up areas that are blocked from the main floor. Even companies that don’t want to add walls can resort to couches, bookshelves, desks, and moveable walls to set up an area for employees who are happier and more productive when they’re not in a sea of people.
The key to designing any workspace is to take into account the individual preferences of employees. There can be many different work styles within a single workplace, and the more flexible companies are in catering to those different styles, the more productive and happy their employees will be.
About the Author
Lynne Lemieux, Founder and President of Alliance Interiors Inc., has devoted more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing growth opportunities for some of Canada’s leading office furniture dealers. Her ability to provide clients with inspiring and versatile interior solutions for both business and home office environments has garnered her title of Aboriginal Business Woman of the Year in the city of Toronto for 2012. In her spare time, Lynne takes an active interest in politics, public speaking, and philanthropy, but also enjoys gardening, interior decorating, cooking, yoga, and traveling.
Basic Bedroom Design Ideas
Below is a guest post on the subject of bedroom design. Basic ideas that some times we can forget. S Interior Design believes that your bedroom should be a sanctuary to unplug from your electronic devices and relax. Do your best to keep your work life out of the bedroom. Do not have a desk with a computer in your bedroom unless there simply is no other option in your home. Don’t under-estimate the positive impact of a new mattress. We just replaced our 8-year-old mattress and the commercial advertisements seem to be true……we are indeed sleeping better.
Bedroom Interior Design Tips
For the most part we all have an idea what our perfect home looks like. Depending on our tastes and preferences, it may look like a nice quiet mountain home or even a rich and decadent villa with its own pool overlooking the endless ocean. For others it may be a very eco-friendly home with sustainable materials that make its carbon footprint smaller. Regardless of what your personal choices and preferences may be, your bedroom is the room we spend the most time in while we’re at it. If you have an uninspired and boring bedroom design then you will likely feel it.
You should do your best to ensure your bedroom is something to enjoy, even if it’s only used as a place to lay your head down to rest for the night and wash away your troubles. The following tips will give you a head start in what you can do to make it happen:
One of the best ways to approach your bedroom is to consider what you can do with your bed. There are many companies out there on the market which create beds with imagination in mind, allowing one to enjoy a completely new experience instead of sleeping in the same old, boring bed and mattress. It will likely cost more than the usual equivalents, but it will be something to relax in a unique way.
You can also focus on better lighting, such as a chandelier or wall sconces that give a different outcome of your lights and shadows. You should look for ways you can accommodate bedtime reading as well as a low-key and romantic atmosphere when needed. The main idea is to make sure your & is not too bright, as this will disrupt your sleeping patterns and your rest will be quite restless indeed.
You should never underestimate the importance of pillows. They can make your bedroom much more cozy than it was before. Mix and match favorite patterns and looks and you will have a chance to create a unique look of your own. You will enjoy the pillows, even if you couldn’t imagine that at first.
You can also focus on some DIY decorations, pieces of art or even murals if you are so inclined. All of those will require a good bit of work to deal with, but they will add depth and character to the room, literally spelling out your tastes and opening a window into your inner world. Never go with a bare, boring wall if you can create a kaleidoscope of emotions on it.
If you want to stick to a single style or pattern, that can also work well as long as you remember to do so with flair. You must make sure you follow the same pattern around the room and even with its furniture. Themes are very important in cases like these, as they create an identity that becomes easily remembered.
Bio: Emma is part of a team of professional writers, who, with enthusiasm and flair to the detail, create content on home, renovating, cleaning etc. related topics. For further information check: <a href=“http://www.cleanerscleaning.org.uk/W1-house-cleaning/westminster-cleaning-home-W1.html”>Westminster cleaning home</a>
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