Back to work

Hello again from The Online Designer!  We hope that summer wherever you are was warmer than it was here in Montreal, and that your vacations were relaxing.

When the holidays are over and after the bustle of back-to-school dies down, a lot of people turn their attention to their homes.  Fall is typically a busy decorating season, so if you are planning for some major purchases or minor renos, be sure to start early (now!) to avoid the disappointment of not having your project completed in time for the holidays.  Delayed delivery times and busy contractors can mean you might be missing some key pieces to your project (think couch, bathroom countertop...) by the time family arrives for the holiday dinner!  Of course none of them will mind, but it might mean an added stress that you just don't need around that time of year.  So the sooner you start planning your project, the better!

Designer-speak Dictionary: Texture

If you read decorating magazines or watch decorating shows, you'll have heard about working with textures.

The way we see it, mixing different textures offers greater depth and visual interest to a decor.  Texture literally means what a material feels like, as with fabrics, but also the  visual impression it makes.  Wood, whether dark or light, generally looks warm, while glass and metal are cooler.  Some fabrics look "heavy" such as velour and others "light", such as linen or silk.  Generally, having a mixture of these elements adds much more visual interest than when the textures in a room are very similar. 

Imagine in the above photo that the headboard had no leather detail and the nightstand no glass or metal.  Then imagine the bedding and cushions being the same flat cotton.  Even though the colours would remain the same, the overall effect would be less variety of texture and probably much less visual interest.  But as it is, there is mixture on the bed of heavy velour in the pillows (with a striking tactile pattern) and a lighter, shinier fabric on the bedspread.  The leather on the headboard breaks up what would otherwise be solid wood, and the glass top to the side table adds a sense of floating lightness.  Add to this the weightless drape of the sheer curtain and we have a very successful mix of heavy and light, and warm and cool textures.

In this next picture, we see another interesting mix of textures.  As before, we have heavy and light (the stone and the window shades), and smooth and rugged (the stone and the leather).  This time the mix also includes a striking balance of natural and man-made textures, most notably with the stone wall tiles and the smooth, shiny metal lamp.  The natural texture of the wool carpet is balanced by the smoothness of the leather which, despite being a natural product, takes on a more man-made allure with its colour and sleek shaping.

Don't be afraid to mix up textures in this way, and if you are feeling a bit unsure, then feel free to visit www.theonlinedesigner.com to request a little assistance.

Eco-friendly design

You'll have noticed that after years of neglect, carpet is making a come-back on the decorating scene.  The current trends of large-scale motives and natural-looking textures has helped bring carpet out of obscurity and into the spotlight.  

If you are thinking of adding carpet to your home, you might consider the carpet company Shaw (www.shawfloors.com).  Not only are their carpets made of nylon that is recyclable after use, they have established a carpet recycling facility that keeps up to 300 million pounds of carpet from landfills each year.  As a result, many of their carpet products feature a percentage of post-consumer recycled nylon, recuperated from these recycled carpets.  Visit their website to find a dealer near you or to order samples.