Space planning is a critical component of interior design, especially in London where place is so limited. It includes several elements - interior designers like to think not only about the placement of different furniture items, but also about the "flow" or movement of people within rooms and between rooms in a residence or commercial office in London. Imagine a kitchen. How the dishwasher is positioned in terms of the cutlery drawer might not immediately seem critical - but the interior design professional knows that it is exceedingly important! Alternatively, think of your lounge.
The positioning of the coffee tables and TV stand might not spring to mind at once, but a professional from an Interior Design Company in London will always be thinking of things like this. And just imagine how much time you spend each day walking from room to room in your London home or at work! If the space hasn't been planned correctly, you could be losing valuable time and introducing inefficiency every time you squeeze past that awkward coatstand or wander into the den via the laundry room - London interior designers understand all of this and many have received special training in space planning. When space planning is done right, the interior design professional can make sure that the flow of your London home will look and feel great, and the way you move around your house will suddenly become efficient and time-saving.
An important part of space planning as practiced by interior designers is the use of "window treatments" to brighten up dark spaces. Interior designers use the term "window treatments" to include blinds, panels, light-excluders, banners, valences, and other artistic and decorative window elements. Anything that makes a window feel like it has been "interior designed" is basically a window treatment. The professional interior designer always has an eye for both beauty and practicality - window treatments can allow natural light to flow bountifully into a room or can lock light out, causing the London homeowner's eye to be drawn to artificial or coloured light installations to achieve an entirely desired effect. The London professional interior design team combines space planning with artistic flair to meet the needs of even the most demanding client.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Emotional Wellbeing and Interior Design - Explaining the Profession
If you visit a school or library in London and ask people what they think interior design means, they will often talk endlessly about pretty colours and delightful fabrics. But really there is so much more to London interior design. An essential part of the profession is focused on the physical and emotional effects of a person's surroundings - and the best interior design professionals in London love to take this into account with every project they work on.
Just think of how many hours each day you normally spend at home or in the office in London. Everyone deserves to have spaces that they can truly enjoy and delight in, whether alone or with friends. A fantastic interior designer can improve your emotional state and revitalise your mood with just a few simple changes to your life spaces in London, whether residential or commercial.
Many Interior Design London showrooms will focus on magnificent kitchens. Imagine your own kitchen. Many people complain of dingy and cluttered cutlery drawers, a constant inability to find the right cutting knives, or work surfaces that don't have proper lighting and stovetop burners that heat unevenly. By contrast, a professional interior designer can make any kitchen magical - even if there are severe space constraints or awkward dimensions. Today's professional interior designers will think of everything - including tasteful retractable lighting to brighten up spaces where you can chop vegetables or cook delicious meats, appliances that will do the hard work for you, kitchen furniture, and just about any accessories you can think of. Interior designers often focus on productivity and efficiency in kitchen design. They want you to feel great as you prepare a magnificent meal or entertain dinner guests with stories of your experiences hiring a London interior designer and watching them achieve wonderful results.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Just think of how many hours each day you normally spend at home or in the office in London. Everyone deserves to have spaces that they can truly enjoy and delight in, whether alone or with friends. A fantastic interior designer can improve your emotional state and revitalise your mood with just a few simple changes to your life spaces in London, whether residential or commercial.
Many Interior Design London showrooms will focus on magnificent kitchens. Imagine your own kitchen. Many people complain of dingy and cluttered cutlery drawers, a constant inability to find the right cutting knives, or work surfaces that don't have proper lighting and stovetop burners that heat unevenly. By contrast, a professional interior designer can make any kitchen magical - even if there are severe space constraints or awkward dimensions. Today's professional interior designers will think of everything - including tasteful retractable lighting to brighten up spaces where you can chop vegetables or cook delicious meats, appliances that will do the hard work for you, kitchen furniture, and just about any accessories you can think of. Interior designers often focus on productivity and efficiency in kitchen design. They want you to feel great as you prepare a magnificent meal or entertain dinner guests with stories of your experiences hiring a London interior designer and watching them achieve wonderful results.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Explaining Interior Design - The Art of Space Planning
Interior design professionals in London love to make a difference in their clients' lives. And one way they do that is with the art of "space planning" - a fabulous way to re-envision a home or office to ensure great flow. Think of your kitchen.
The way the stove is positioned with respect to the refrigerator may not immediately strike you as being that important ... but the interior design professional knows that it absolutely is! Alternatively, think of your family room. How the seating is positioned might not immediately grab your attention, but a professional interior design boutique will have this first in mind. When space planning is done right, the flow of your London home will look and feel great, and the way you move around your house will suddenly become efficient and time-saving. Since most Londoners are desperate for more time in our busy lives, many people will hire an interior designer in London to plan their space just for that benefit! Some people worry about the cost, but just think of the cost-equivalent benefit of having more time on your hands to do what you really want! Many people call that priceless - and maybe that is the real value of interior design companies in London today.
Any interior designer knows that an essential part of space planning is to design with natural light in mind. Many of today's top Interior Design London consultancies will focus on so-called "window treatments" to achieve the desired effect. Window treatments is a fancy term for things like blinds, shutters, panels, curtains, valences, shades, and even coloured panes of glass. Anything that gives a window its design is basically a window treatment. Professional interior designers in London focus on adding beautiful design elements by allowing more or less natural light to percolate into a room. The interior design team could choose to focus on sparkly, dappled light effects to beautify a favourite vase or antique. Alternatively, the interior designer could think mainly about form and function - perhaps by allowing plentiful bright sunlight into a room to make sure it stays warm during the wintertime, improving the London homeowner's mood while cutting down on heating bills.
London can be chaotic and crazy at times. But space planning and window treatments to "shed light" on that space might be exactly what you need to create a calm and relaxed mindframe. The professional interior designer will understand the theory of space planning and advise you on how to best achieve these effects. Interior design is meant to be an expression of who you are. Choose what you love and just relaxing at your London home will feel like a real treat.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
The way the stove is positioned with respect to the refrigerator may not immediately strike you as being that important ... but the interior design professional knows that it absolutely is! Alternatively, think of your family room. How the seating is positioned might not immediately grab your attention, but a professional interior design boutique will have this first in mind. When space planning is done right, the flow of your London home will look and feel great, and the way you move around your house will suddenly become efficient and time-saving. Since most Londoners are desperate for more time in our busy lives, many people will hire an interior designer in London to plan their space just for that benefit! Some people worry about the cost, but just think of the cost-equivalent benefit of having more time on your hands to do what you really want! Many people call that priceless - and maybe that is the real value of interior design companies in London today.
Any interior designer knows that an essential part of space planning is to design with natural light in mind. Many of today's top Interior Design London consultancies will focus on so-called "window treatments" to achieve the desired effect. Window treatments is a fancy term for things like blinds, shutters, panels, curtains, valences, shades, and even coloured panes of glass. Anything that gives a window its design is basically a window treatment. Professional interior designers in London focus on adding beautiful design elements by allowing more or less natural light to percolate into a room. The interior design team could choose to focus on sparkly, dappled light effects to beautify a favourite vase or antique. Alternatively, the interior designer could think mainly about form and function - perhaps by allowing plentiful bright sunlight into a room to make sure it stays warm during the wintertime, improving the London homeowner's mood while cutting down on heating bills.
London can be chaotic and crazy at times. But space planning and window treatments to "shed light" on that space might be exactly what you need to create a calm and relaxed mindframe. The professional interior designer will understand the theory of space planning and advise you on how to best achieve these effects. Interior design is meant to be an expression of who you are. Choose what you love and just relaxing at your London home will feel like a real treat.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Interior Design - The Mood Enhancer of Modern Life in London
Ask anyone on the streets of London about interior design, and often they will comment on the pretty colours, beautiful fabrics and enchanting flooring. Most people completely miss an essential part of interior design - namely the physical and emotional impacts of one's interior surroundings.
These days, so much time is spent in London at home or at the office. So wouldn't it be fabulous to fall in love with your local spaces? A stunning interior design - whether for residential or commercial properties - can seriously lift your wellbeing and enhance your mood.
One great example is the professionally-designed kitchen. When people think of kitchens they mainly imagine the clutter and complexity of the drawers, cupboards and racks. But a professional interior designer based in London can completely rework your kitchen, turning it into a cook's dream hideaway. The interior designer will think of everything - from on-the-spot lighting to beautify your workspace and cookware, to appliances, accessories and easy-clean food-safe materials. Just imagine the enhanced productivity and renewed excitement for cooking that could result from a truly interior designed kitchen makeover. Certainly, especially in London, appearance is important - granite versus laminate countertops can make all the difference - but even more important is the great feeling that you will enjoy when stepping into beautiful and efficient chef-approved and interior designer-created surroundings.
Interior designers often have a great understanding of psychology - and the very best Interior Design London boutiques are filled with professionals who just really understand other people. Interior design teams don't just focus on the senses, but they also understand our feelings and emotions. The professional interior designer will choose soothing lighting, colours, fabrics, and touchable floor coverings that are designed not only to spark our senses but also to help us relax and get comfy after a long day at work or a busy day looking after the family at home in London.
Colour is one very important part of a healthy lifestyle. For example - did you know that a soft green sage has been proven to calm and relax one's mood, whereas a deep blue can hugely enhance both concentration and productivity? The interior design professional will always take this and similar theories into consideration when envisioning your London dream home.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
These days, so much time is spent in London at home or at the office. So wouldn't it be fabulous to fall in love with your local spaces? A stunning interior design - whether for residential or commercial properties - can seriously lift your wellbeing and enhance your mood.
One great example is the professionally-designed kitchen. When people think of kitchens they mainly imagine the clutter and complexity of the drawers, cupboards and racks. But a professional interior designer based in London can completely rework your kitchen, turning it into a cook's dream hideaway. The interior designer will think of everything - from on-the-spot lighting to beautify your workspace and cookware, to appliances, accessories and easy-clean food-safe materials. Just imagine the enhanced productivity and renewed excitement for cooking that could result from a truly interior designed kitchen makeover. Certainly, especially in London, appearance is important - granite versus laminate countertops can make all the difference - but even more important is the great feeling that you will enjoy when stepping into beautiful and efficient chef-approved and interior designer-created surroundings.
Interior designers often have a great understanding of psychology - and the very best Interior Design London boutiques are filled with professionals who just really understand other people. Interior design teams don't just focus on the senses, but they also understand our feelings and emotions. The professional interior designer will choose soothing lighting, colours, fabrics, and touchable floor coverings that are designed not only to spark our senses but also to help us relax and get comfy after a long day at work or a busy day looking after the family at home in London.
Colour is one very important part of a healthy lifestyle. For example - did you know that a soft green sage has been proven to calm and relax one's mood, whereas a deep blue can hugely enhance both concentration and productivity? The interior design professional will always take this and similar theories into consideration when envisioning your London dream home.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
From the Desk of London’s Renovation Maven
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: How Should you Set your Thermostat?
I had the pleasure of staying in London during this past snow-filled 2010-2011 winter. Actually I was super-busy with London renovation projects from my wonderful clients who craved a new-look home environment for the new year! With the biting cold I got a lot of questions from both former and current clients regarding in-home temperature regulation. I definitely agree that it is important to not allow your home to become too cold. Even after our London renovation team has achieved breathtaking results, you still need to keep those pipes from freezing! But at the same time, my advice as a London renovation pro is that you shouldn't go overboard - too warm can be quite unbearable.
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: Temperature Tips for Residential and Commercial Settings
Here are my tips for temperature control that won't endanger our planet or your wellbeing:
Commercial London renovation specialists insist that indoor swimming baths should be the warmest places, at a relaxing 27 Celsius. My commercial London renovation team also shared with me that the place where you can really turn down that thermostat is in a factory where employees are doing tough manual labour. In this case, you can safely dial it down to a nippy 13 Celsius and just invite your staff to pull on a light jacket if they feel too fresh.
I sent an email in to my residential London renovation team and discovered that the coolest places in the home are allowed to be at 16 Celsius - that's for wardrobes and porches. As you enter the bedroom, you need 18 Celsius for a good night's rest without a billion blankets. And what about for meals or late-night snack treats? 20 Celsius is appropriate for dining zones, according to my world-class London renovation colleagues.
I had the pleasure of staying in London during this past snow-filled 2010-2011 winter. Actually I was super-busy with London renovation projects from my wonderful clients who craved a new-look home environment for the new year! With the biting cold I got a lot of questions from both former and current clients regarding in-home temperature regulation. I definitely agree that it is important to not allow your home to become too cold. Even after our London renovation team has achieved breathtaking results, you still need to keep those pipes from freezing! But at the same time, my advice as a London renovation pro is that you shouldn't go overboard - too warm can be quite unbearable.
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: Temperature Tips for Residential and Commercial Settings
Here are my tips for temperature control that won't endanger our planet or your wellbeing:
Commercial London renovation specialists insist that indoor swimming baths should be the warmest places, at a relaxing 27 Celsius. My commercial London renovation team also shared with me that the place where you can really turn down that thermostat is in a factory where employees are doing tough manual labour. In this case, you can safely dial it down to a nippy 13 Celsius and just invite your staff to pull on a light jacket if they feel too fresh.
I sent an email in to my residential London renovation team and discovered that the coolest places in the home are allowed to be at 16 Celsius - that's for wardrobes and porches. As you enter the bedroom, you need 18 Celsius for a good night's rest without a billion blankets. And what about for meals or late-night snack treats? 20 Celsius is appropriate for dining zones, according to my world-class London renovation colleagues.
From the Desk of London’s Renovation Maven
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: New Approaches to Big Energy Savings
Sometimes I will receive emails from UK homeowners with subject lines such as "London renovation questions: concerned about energy efficiency." These sorts of emails often ask for my expert guidance on how to squeeze the power consumption down below the government's limit requirements. I typically first assess the situation and then respond from the perspective of my experience as one of London 's more prominent renovation specialists.
Often it is best to think in simple terms for these types of questions. For example, if you are a commercial property developer pursuing a London renovation and you have a big office building, have you considered simply deactivating your lighting circuitry overnight when your employees are in bed? Or perhaps you could adjust your dimmer switches to a less intense default setting?
The next time your London renovation professional talks to you about illumination efficiency, just think back to the first blog post in this series. London renovation mavens simply call it "the perfect light, at the perfect time, in the perfect location." That really says it all!
From the Desk of London 's Renovation Maven: Lighting, Heating or Both?
Even though I may be a London renovation consultant, I try to keep abreast of news from across the globe. Just the other day a colleague sent me an article about the USA 's famous "Mall of America" in Minneapolis - one of the very coldest places in the country! As a London renovation professional who is used to working mostly in warmer climes, I was astonished to learn that this huge mall has no heating system! In fact, this dream shopper destination is kept warm by the lighting system and by the heat from all the guests who run around in search of the hottest new buys. Perhaps we should rethink West London 's renovation of the Westfield mall accordingly?
Sometimes I will receive emails from UK homeowners with subject lines such as "London renovation questions: concerned about energy efficiency." These sorts of emails often ask for my expert guidance on how to squeeze the power consumption down below the government's limit requirements. I typically first assess the situation and then respond from the perspective of my experience as one of London 's more prominent renovation specialists.
Often it is best to think in simple terms for these types of questions. For example, if you are a commercial property developer pursuing a London renovation and you have a big office building, have you considered simply deactivating your lighting circuitry overnight when your employees are in bed? Or perhaps you could adjust your dimmer switches to a less intense default setting?
The next time your London renovation professional talks to you about illumination efficiency, just think back to the first blog post in this series. London renovation mavens simply call it "the perfect light, at the perfect time, in the perfect location." That really says it all!
From the Desk of London 's Renovation Maven: Lighting, Heating or Both?
Even though I may be a London renovation consultant, I try to keep abreast of news from across the globe. Just the other day a colleague sent me an article about the USA 's famous "Mall of America" in Minneapolis - one of the very coldest places in the country! As a London renovation professional who is used to working mostly in warmer climes, I was astonished to learn that this huge mall has no heating system! In fact, this dream shopper destination is kept warm by the lighting system and by the heat from all the guests who run around in search of the hottest new buys. Perhaps we should rethink West London 's renovation of the Westfield mall accordingly?
From the Desk of London’s Renovation Maven
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: The Legalities of Lighting
Lighting experts and London renovation professionals who work with lighting are naturally eager to boost the prominence of our work in the eyes of the public. We know that lighting is absolutely critical to "making a house into a home" and we crave amazing results for our clients that seriously enhance the excellence of their illuminated environments.
Over the past two decades, we have seen huge investments in lighting - especially in our high-end residential and commercial London renovation projects. However, politicians who like to meddle increasingly cause concern for the professional London renovation community! In recent years we have seen nonsensical policies like the EU's efforts to ban the tungsten filament bulb. Similarly, London renovation pros have been caught off-guard by bureaucrats who are just so confused about ultra-efficiency lights, or who think that LEDs will solve 100% of the world's energy issues (they won't, but they can certainly help.... in certain situations!).
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: Technical Lighting Terminology
Lawyers and politicians love to make up rules, and as far as this London renovation expert is concerned, they are mostly motivated by the right reasons. However, personally I am very disappointed that regulations such as Part L feature requirements for electricity usage that just don't make sense. Just the other day I was enjoying a working lunch with a fellow London renovation pro who pointed out that using "total install load" as the favoured currency could in some cases actually push the designer toward less energy-aware implementation choices! My colleague was even more shocked when I explained that in a recent London renovation project we almost had to make some very serious compromises in a lighting scheme just to meet new requirements for low-load electrical schemes. (Fortunately my team of clever lighting hotshots saved the day by coming up with a nifty solution just in the nick of time!)
Lighting experts and London renovation professionals who work with lighting are naturally eager to boost the prominence of our work in the eyes of the public. We know that lighting is absolutely critical to "making a house into a home" and we crave amazing results for our clients that seriously enhance the excellence of their illuminated environments.
Over the past two decades, we have seen huge investments in lighting - especially in our high-end residential and commercial London renovation projects. However, politicians who like to meddle increasingly cause concern for the professional London renovation community! In recent years we have seen nonsensical policies like the EU's efforts to ban the tungsten filament bulb. Similarly, London renovation pros have been caught off-guard by bureaucrats who are just so confused about ultra-efficiency lights, or who think that LEDs will solve 100% of the world's energy issues (they won't, but they can certainly help.... in certain situations!).
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: Technical Lighting Terminology
Lawyers and politicians love to make up rules, and as far as this London renovation expert is concerned, they are mostly motivated by the right reasons. However, personally I am very disappointed that regulations such as Part L feature requirements for electricity usage that just don't make sense. Just the other day I was enjoying a working lunch with a fellow London renovation pro who pointed out that using "total install load" as the favoured currency could in some cases actually push the designer toward less energy-aware implementation choices! My colleague was even more shocked when I explained that in a recent London renovation project we almost had to make some very serious compromises in a lighting scheme just to meet new requirements for low-load electrical schemes. (Fortunately my team of clever lighting hotshots saved the day by coming up with a nifty solution just in the nick of time!)
From the Desk of London’s Renovation Maven
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: The "Three Perfects" of Lighting
Often my UK-based clients ask me what's new and fabulous in the world of London renovations. I respond that the big preoccupation right now is lighting. There is a new movement making big fireworks in town, and it is known in some quarters as the "three perfects." London renovation professionals often refer to it simply as "the perfect light, at the perfect time, in the perfect location."
However, don't be misled by the seeming straightforwardness of this little phrase - its impacts are huge. It influences the way I think of my work as a London renovation pro every day. In this fresh series of 100% original blog posts titled "From the desk of London 's renovation maven " I will attempt to take away the jargon and make sense of what this new outlook means for property owners in our nation's cosmopolitan capital and indeed across the globe!
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: Fresh Approaches to How we Understand Lighting
2011 is truly a breathtaking time for lighting pros who work in London's renovation industry - both residential and commercial. I have personally noted how the lighting world is shifting from tungsten technologies of the 1800s to the latest and greatest silicon-based intelligent illuminators. The work of London renovation pros will never be the same again. Personally I believe that this is the biggest change since we did away with candles in favour of filaments back a couple of centuries ago!
But it's not just the lighting technology itself that is changing the London renovation ecosystem... our familiar approaches to how we come to grips with and measure lighting are now being called into question. And the homeowner's craving for green, environmentally conscious solutions is powerfully accelerating all of this. My friends are kind enough to refer to me as the queen of London renovations, but in truth I think I owe much of my success to the fact that my personal signature design philosophy intersects so perfectly with these new movements!
Often my UK-based clients ask me what's new and fabulous in the world of London renovations. I respond that the big preoccupation right now is lighting. There is a new movement making big fireworks in town, and it is known in some quarters as the "three perfects." London renovation professionals often refer to it simply as "the perfect light, at the perfect time, in the perfect location."
However, don't be misled by the seeming straightforwardness of this little phrase - its impacts are huge. It influences the way I think of my work as a London renovation pro every day. In this fresh series of 100% original blog posts titled "From the desk of London 's renovation maven " I will attempt to take away the jargon and make sense of what this new outlook means for property owners in our nation's cosmopolitan capital and indeed across the globe!
From the Desk of London's Renovation Maven: Fresh Approaches to How we Understand Lighting
2011 is truly a breathtaking time for lighting pros who work in London's renovation industry - both residential and commercial. I have personally noted how the lighting world is shifting from tungsten technologies of the 1800s to the latest and greatest silicon-based intelligent illuminators. The work of London renovation pros will never be the same again. Personally I believe that this is the biggest change since we did away with candles in favour of filaments back a couple of centuries ago!
But it's not just the lighting technology itself that is changing the London renovation ecosystem... our familiar approaches to how we come to grips with and measure lighting are now being called into question. And the homeowner's craving for green, environmentally conscious solutions is powerfully accelerating all of this. My friends are kind enough to refer to me as the queen of London renovations, but in truth I think I owe much of my success to the fact that my personal signature design philosophy intersects so perfectly with these new movements!
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