Reading for the Weekend / Weekendowe czytanie

During an all-day shopping spree yesterday, where I searched through half of London to get all the stuff needed for my Diploma in Professional Interior Design which is about to start, I bought a book and a magazine which I recommend a lot:

Small Spaces: Making the Most of the Space You Have - by Rebecca Tanqueray and Chris Everard

Firstly: Small Spaces: Making the Most of the Space You Have. I really like this book as altough some spaces / floorplans perhaps are not the same as our flats and houses, it is very inspirational, and most importanly – offers a lot of ingenious storage solutions! Focusing on storage and multifunctional furniture, it is a good buy especially for someone who is not afraid of experimenting or DIY (or spending some money on professionals) to turn some of the ideas into reality.

The second buy is the Livingetc October issue:

Livingetc October 2009 issue

Yes, I admit it – I bought it because of the stunning cover (I just LOVE yellow and grey and patterns!!). Yes, I admit also that this is NOT a magazine for decorating on a budget. But – it’s cutting edge and provides loads of inspiration and GOSH! I don’t remember when was the last time I loved every page of a magazine! It is just stunning… check out especially:

• the ‘Living With A Flatscreen TV‘ section showing how to blend yout TV into your room using very original solutions,
• the ‘Modern Romance‘ section (Alex! watch out some of that might inspire your room 🙂 )
• and the astonishing ‘7 ways we boosted our space’ house presentation with super-smart and pretty DIY solutions for both storage and flexibility (furniture on wheels as an example). And – believe it or not – they downsized the house to make more use of the garden and outside space.

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Na wczorajszych calodniowych zakupach, gdy przelecialam z mezem pol Londynu starajac sie znalezc wszystkie materialy potrzebne do mojej nowej szkoly 🙂 (przypominam bom dumna:) – dyplom profesjonalnego projektanta wnetrz) natknelam sie na ksiazke ‘Small spaces‘ (czyli Male wnetrza) oraz pazdziernikowe wydanie magazynu Livingetc – no i oba druki mnie powalily 🙂

Small spaces to naprawde ciekawa ksiazka pokazujaca faktycznie male przestrzenie (w przeciwienstwie do niektorych innych wydawnictw) i jest bardzo inspirujaca, ale co najwazniejsze – skupia sie na wszelkiego rodzaju schowkach i sposobach przechowywania, a takze na wielofunkcyjnych meblach i sprzetach ktore sprawiaja ze mieszkanie na malej przestrzeni moze byc tak komfortowe jak w duzym domu. Swietna ksiazka zwlaszcza dla tych ktorzy nie boja sie projektow ‘zrob to sam’ badz tez moga wydac troche pieniazkow na specjaliste, gdyz wiekszosc rozwiazan jest na wymiar (podstawowa zasada zagospodarowywania malych przestrzeni).

Z kolei Livingetc wydanie pazdziernikowe zaszokowalo mnie tym, ze wszystko mi sie w nim podoba. Nie pamietam kiedy ostatni raz mialam taka gazete w rece. Przyznaje, nie jest to gazeta ‘oszczednosciowa’, ale ile w niej inspiracji! Wystarczy popatrzec na okladke ktora ma boskie polaczenie szarego z zoltym i duzymi wzorami. Mniam 🙂 Proponuje zwlaszcza artykuly o Nowoczesnym Romantyzmie (Ola! zdjecia niedlugo do Ciebie dojda :), sposobach umieszczenia plazmy tak by nie byla glownym elementem wystroju pokoju, oraz prezentacje domu, ktory o dziwo – zostal zmniejszony 🙂 po to by miec wiekszy ogrod i polaczenie z natura. Dom jest rowniez bardzo ciekawy pod wzgledem zabudowy, a takze elastycznosci rozmieszczenia mebli (kanapa na kolkach i tym podobne). POLECAM!

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Pink bedroom for a 20-year old / rozowa sypialnia dla 20-latki

…So I am about to design and decorate a bedroom for a 20-year old Alex as her birthday present! It’s an attic room with one slanted wall, one big window, and pink walls with the slanted one in violet. Pink is a tricky color though, and Alex wants to avoid the room becoming too sweet and teenagey – after all, a young woman is to live there!

I have started the design process by finding some inspirations, which I will later present to Alex to find out her preferences. There are two styles I want to suggest: romantic and modern, and an extra twist with statement wallpaper.

• First – the more romantic look with a wrought iron bed. A natural choice with pink, it enhances its feminine style and is very relaxing. Conducive to dreaming and planning, should create a good atmosphere for the whole day!

Feminine pink bedroom

Pink blush bedroom by A Gift-Wrapped Life

Shades of pink bedroom by Country Living

• Now to more modern look. Stylish and simple, if slightly darker due to complementing with black rather than only white.

Modern pink and black bedroom from KiaC Stylebook

Pink flower bedroom from Photobucket

Black n Pink bedroom from Elisabeth85

• Finally, here are some ideas for enlivening the look with a statement wallpaper on one wall:

Hot Pink Damask from Direct Wallpaper

Milly Black Pink Silver by Direct Wallpaper

Lydia Floral Feature Pink White 13948 by Direct Wallpaper

I will let you know what Alex prefers when she lets me know 🙂

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…No wiec wlasnie zabieram sie za zaprojektowanie i udekorowanie sypialni 20-letniej Oli – jako prezent urodzinowy! Jest to pokoj na poddaszu z duzym oknem, a sciany sa koloru rozowego z kontrastowa fioletowa sciana kolankowa pod skosem. Intrygujace to zadanie – stworzyc ‘rozowy’ pokoj dla mlodej kobiety, starajac sie by byl jak najmniej dziecinny i nie przeslodzony.

Postanowilam rozpoczac od zrozumienia preferencji Oli, wiec zamierzam pokazac jej kilka propozycji by zrozumiec jej styl. W poscie pokazuje moje propozycje, czyli dwa style: romantyczny z kutym lozkiem – jasniejszy, oraz nowoczesny – z ciemniejszymi dodatkami. Jako urozmaicenie proponuje rowniez oblozyc jedna sciane zdobna tapeta w rozu, ale jeszcze chetniej – w ciemnym dopelniajacym kolorze, typu grafit.

Dam Wam znac od razu gdy dowiem sie co Ola preferuje 🙂

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‘My Deco’ free interior design software / Darmowy program do projektowania wnetrz

I have started playing with a really cool  and free interior design software – My deco. It allows for creation of a moodboard – either from uploaded images, or from the existing galleries, or even from websites by installing a plugin allowing to copy any image you see in the Internet to your gallery. Then you can share your moodboard with others.

However, what’s really great is the Design a 3D room interior design software. Not only has it a gallery of real items, so that you create more realistic spaces; you even are given all the information on the shop, price and can actually buy the item straight from the program. While you probably won’t do it too often, the advantage it gives is that the price list of the whole room is generated when the room is ready.

Finally, the absolute best is the free rendering this program offers! You have to wait a few hours, sometimes even a day or two (probably due to demand), but the result is really realistic for free software! And you don’t need to know anything about that – rendering is automatic.

And now to…

My FIRST project!

…just as well I found it as I needed to quickly design a bedroom. Some details: walls of these energetic 40-something year-olds’ bedroom are already of creamy yellow color, so color scheme and accessories needed to be chosen around that. I prepared two versions to match the homeowners’ personalities:

• a glamour – style inspired version with stylized mirrors and lamps, and ornamental wallpaper;
• and a more contemporary one, with simpler shapes and striped wallpaper.

Naturally these are still drafts to be consulted for a more final look.

Please remember that I just started using it and am only getting to know the program’s possibilities; I thought, however, that I’ll share with you those first samples, mixing both styles (as it is yet unclear which one will be preferred).

Before the rendering, in the editing mode, you can get images like this:

Bedroom visualisation - draft

After the rendering, you get images like this:

Bedroom visualization render 1 - mixed influences with wall sticker

Bedroom visualization render 2 - contemporary with a touch of retro

Bedroom visualization render 3 - glamour inspired

Bedroom visualization render 4 - glamour inspired

Bedroom visualization render 5 - family photos

I will gladly read what you think about those drafts. Perhaps you have some complementing furnishings in mind? Or even a totally different idea in mind?
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Znalazlam również wczoraj bardzo przyjemny i darmowy program do projektowania i stylizacji wnetrz My deco. Mozna w nim na przyklad stworzyc moodboards – dosłownie ‘tablice nastrojów’. Zadaniem takiej tablicy jest zebranie inspiracji do danego pomieszczenia; skrawki materialow, zdjecia, kolory, podlogi, ale takze inspiracje w szerszym znaczeniu – np. zdjecie z ulubionych wakacji, do ktorego chcielibyscie by pokoj nawiazywal.  Stworzyc te tablice w programie mozna albo z gotowych elementow, albo wrzucic swoje zdjecia, lub tez nawet skopiowac dowolne zdjecie z internetu dzieki malemu pluginowi ktory mozna zainstalowac w przegladarce.

Jeszcze ciekawsza czesc programu to Design a 3D room czyli ‘zaprojektuj pokoj w 3D’. Co ciekawe, program wykorzystuje prawdziwe elementy wyposazenia dostarczone przez firmy i sklepy, co dodaje realnosci programowi. Te przedmioty mozna tez zakupic bezposrednio z programu. Mimo ze to pewnie bedzie rzadkie, przydaje sie opcja automatycznej wyceny calego pokoju lacznie z dodatkami.

Jednak najlepszy aspekt Design a 3D room to darmowy rendering (symulacja obiektow). Dzieki temu, wnetrza wygladaja duzo bardziej realistycznie. Co prawda na rendering wlasnego projektu trzeba poczekac od kilku godzin do 1-2 dni, to i tak jestem zaskoczona ze ta opcja dostepna jest w darmowym programie. Na obrazkach powyzej mozna zobaczyc jaka jest roznica miedzy podgladem w trybie edycji, a rysunkiem zrenderowanym!

Skoro juz jestem przy obrazkach, to chetnie wspomne…

Moj PIERWSZY projekt!

Obrazki te przedstawiaja pierwsze wersje sypialni ktora musialam dosc szybko zaprojektowac, i cale szczescie natknelam sie na ten program! Sypialnia nalezaca do energicznych czterdziestoparolatkow jest juz pomalowana na zolto, wiec musialam stworzyc schemat kolorystyczny i dobrac dodatki pasujace do tego koloru. W tworzeniu zainspirowaly mnie dwie wersje stylistyczne, pasujace do charakterow mieszkancow:

• glamour – stylizowane lampy, lustra, zdobne tapety;
• klasyczny / wspolczesny – z nutka dodatkow retro.

Oczywiscie obrazki powyzej to pierwsze probki; po konsultacji powstanie spojniejsza i pelniejsza wersja.

Z przyjemnoscia dowiem sie co myslicie na temat tych pierwszych probek! A moze macie jakies pomysly na dodatki?

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Interior design books

Another three books joined my interior design-themed collection yesterday, courtesy of T.K. Maxx (read: for much less than RRP):

1. The Colour Book: Use the Healing Power of Colour to Transform Your Life – by Lori Reid

A psychological take on the power of color in interiors and how to harness it to your advantage. Also, nice intro about colors in general (colors of light vs. pigment colors, etc.) and 12 color cards for conducting a personality test. For the interested, it discusses the energy of color and its healing influence on chakras.

The Colour Book: Use the Healing Power of Colour to Transform Your Life - by Lori Reid

2. At Home With Art [Illustrated] – by Tiddy Rowan

One of my ambition is to make art a natural element of interiors. Whether paintings by famous artists, or vintage posters, art beautifies and adds soul to any space. We face numerous problems when dealing with art, though – what to choose? How much to spend? How to hang it to its best advantage? But most importantly – no one wants to live in a gallery. How then do you get to be at ease with art, and make it manifest your personal taste? I hope this book will touch upon those questions and thus enrich my knowledge of art in interiors.

At Home With Art (Illustrated) - by Tiddy Rowan

3. Home: A Practical Style Guide – by Kerryn Harper

Giving overview of 10 interior design styles and asking questions about your preferences, the book aims to establish which one suits you best. To be honest, having looked through almost all of it, I had to glance back on the inside cover to make sure this book was published in this century. To be honest, not all of the photos work with my taste (especially the French chic and Scandinavian – I personally would have seen those chapters differently), but hey, the book aims at giving an overview, and it does (do not think it covers all the possibilities, though – far from that). The narrative is better, though, and some comments / tips are certainly valuable.

Home: A Practical Style Guide - by Kerryn Harper

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