The Artistry of Mosaics

Mosaics as an Art Form - A Beautiful Expression of ones self.

Some of the most spectacular works of art aren't on canvas, but on floors, ceilings, walls and counter tops. By combining the durability of tile with the creativity of an artist, the ancient art of mosaic has seen resurgence in America.

With the revival of classics and antiques, this ancient art is back using modern technology. One can choose patterns, colors and locations to suit their individual tastes, while working with very durable and beautiful tile. Making mosaics the perfect addition to any home or business.

The modern-day mosaic designers can take virtually any material and arrange it it into a beautiful presentation; from ceramic, glass, porcelain and stone to plaster, stucco, wood and metal, the possibilities are now seemingly endless. The tile shown above from http://www.artistictile.com/ is a combination of Calacatta Gold marble and white natural rivershell inserts.

Consider using mosaics in your next project to create a truly custom look. Let us help you design a dining room table, a 'wall hanging', a unique ceiling in your powder room, a focal point in your foyer. You are limited only by your imagination.

COLOR TRENDS for 2012

What the experts are saying:

• Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute “ Paint Hues Drawn from the American Landscape”

Blue, the Jewel of the Sea: Blues gained popularity in 2011 and continue to be hot in 2012. “ From sparkling sea glass blue to colonial blue-grey, blue are suitable for all living spaces, being a naturally soothing color that is loved - in one iteration or another - by almost everyone,” says Zimmer.

Green, from Farm to Forest: Greens, ranging from celery and asparagus to fir and fern, allow homeowners to bring the comforting feelings of the world out side into the world within. According to Zimmer, dining rooms and kitchens are the “natural” spots for in vogue greens, but the hue is also at home in family rooms and bedrooms.

Violet, Majestic Purple Mountains: “ A harmonious combination of patriotic blue and red hues, violet can add ‘punch’ to any room when uses as an accent color, or service as the dominant color in a bedroom,” says Zimmer.

• Benjamin Moore states: Live Colorfully
  "Color awakens the senses and elevates your point of view. We've searched the world, exploring the latest trends, to bring you a collection of inspired palettes that offer a fresh perspective on your personal style. These four select color groups will bring life to any home and transform the ordinary into the sublime."
  

Earth & Sky: Nature's hues unite for a style-savvy palette that transcends organic roots - sharkskin(2139-30), fresh olive(2149-30), battenberg(AF-70), storm cloud gray(2140-40), wythe blue(HC-143)

Eclectic Elegance: This diverse palette offers a clean, tailored look that works well with any decor - stardust(2108-40), gypsy love(2085-30), white dove(OC-17), nimbus gray(2131-50), nimbus gray(2131-50)

Spiced Life: A palette of well-seasoned hues that offer a refined perspective - french press(AF-170), revere pewter(HC-172), persimmon(2088-40), refined(AF-75), amethyst shadow(1441)

Sense & Sensibility: Timeless colors that make an established home feel contemporary and a new one a little more worldly - ballet white(OC-9), masada(AF-220), dunmore cream(HC-29), pashmina(AF-100), montpelier(AF-555)

• Dulux Colour: "Explore these six new palettes to reinvigorate your home and create your own stylish schemes."

Immerse: Blues are dominant in fashion and are now evolving into the home.Play with these tonal colours to achieve your perfect domain and create some ocean-inspired colour schemes. Mix darker and lighter blues with translucent and textured accessories to transform your room into a fresh and energising space.

Re-Set: 'Re-set' realigns our current outlook and desires on less, not more.Simplicity is the new backdrop using classic whites, beiges, silver greys and charcoals.For the quintessential elegant scheme these whites will accentuate natural light and provide a sense of space.

Carnivale: Let's have some fun with bold colour!Colour can intensify our lives and add drama and excitement to any room. It's time to be adventurous!A heightened focus on colour can create an impression of opulence and luxury. Balance these bolder hues with white, beige or natural stone.

Nuture: We embrace the combination of yellow and green as we observe them in nature. Therefore, we see these citrus colours easily translating into fashion and interiors. Introducing green or yellow-greens into your home can create a feeling of calmness and tranquillity.

Time-Honored: Antique and vintage goods have enjoyed a revival in the past year signifying our return to things which endure. These warm hues can create a feeling of nostalgia and are reminiscent of times past.

Raw: Natural beauty is a style we're starting to celebrate much more. 'Raw' symbolises colours inspired by untreated woods and rusted earthy tones. Create neutral schemes using stone or taupe, soft greys, organic rust and brushed hues.

• My thoughts on color trends in Interior Design?

Color is far too powerful of a tool to allow a trend to make your decision! Exposure to new palettes is always exciting and can help define your color likes as well as dislikes.

Look for future blogs on the many aspects of color use in Interior Design.

Check out this smart phone app: http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/paint_colors/paint_color_palette/colorsnap/

Colorsnap by Sherwin Williams is one of the most popular interior design apps, not only can you capture a color using your camera phone and match it to one of 1,500 Sherwin Williams paint colors, you can also fine tune color selections using lightness, brightness and saturation options, search for complementary colors, create a custom palette, and save and share palettes.

The Adaptable Kitchen—Kitchen Design for the Boomers

1. Side by side refrigerator/freezer makes portions of both available to standing & seated users.
2. Install integral or undermount sink to aid in cleanup & allow sliding of heavy objects.
3. Mount ovens so that the bottom rack is close in height to adjacent transfer surface.
4. Install adaptable and adjustable lighting, such as glare free task lighting.
5. Built-in pullout cutting boards near sink & pullout hot pads near the oven.
6. Open area with fold-away doors at sink for seated users.
7. Use appliance garages to put heavy objects at countertop height.
8. Lever style sink faucets & pull style cabinet hardware.
9. Consider touch latch cabinet doors instead of cabinet knobs and pulls.
10. Use pull out pantries and lazy susans for maximum accessibility.

The role of the interior designer is to assure that design solutions anticipate the clients short term and long term needs so the value of any design adaptation is money well spent.

The Orchestration of Lighting

Lighting is the most elusive part of interior design. It is difficult to explain even from a technical standpoint. We need to see and understand the various levels of lighting that enhance a space in every way.

There are three spheres of lighting: Ambient light illuminates the interior and makes one aware of the shape and dimensions of the space. Task lighting is the light by which you read or sew and allows you to see the controls on your audio equipment. Accent lighting is the third type. It can be directional lighting in the ceiling that bathes a painting or an up-light hidden behind a plant to cast a wonderfully lacy shadow on the ceilings and walls.

John Saladino a national renown interior designer states, "What I seek in the design of ambient lighting is ethereal, if not spiritual quality. Lighting should never confront you, it should be hidden and beautifully orchestrated." "If you think of light not as the buying of lamps, but rather as the complex orchestration of levels and kinds of light, you will become the conductor who gives direction to the theater that is your home"

Lighting when properly executed will enhance a space in every way.

The Re-Awakening of Tile & Stone

Once the providence only of rich pharaohs, sultans and emperors, tile is now a thoroughly modern and democratic material. It is hard to believe we have only recently learned to appreciate this hard-working material. It was not until the 1990s that we began using tile at the same rate as the Europeans.

What Americans love most of all are the glorious natural stone offerings from around the world. The elegant classic looks provide a sense of permanence and a connection to the earth, both concepts that are especially appreciated by a relatively young country in the midst of a technology revolution. Stone adds patina and age and that’s desirable for the large estate homes and desired in new construction - helping to create a welcome sense of the past.

However new looks and concepts in ceramics, glass, porcelain and even concrete are coming on fast and furiously, and they are bound to fascinate designers and clients. The Italians are experimenting with tiles that combine metal, glass and ceramic. They add stainless steel and copper traces to glass, and float glass particles in ceramic glazes to produce effects worthy of a new millennium. At Italy’s Cersaie show, for example, one saw rectangular tiles in vastly exaggerated lengths, mesh-mounted porcelain pebbles in medallion and border designs, and tiles that mimicked the texture and looks of textiles, including Venetian lace and the sun-struck geometric fabrics of Moroccan bazaars.

Yes America loves brand new homes with the latest technology and conveniences but, at the same time, they admire the time-anchored manors of the Loire Valley and the country houses of England - tile and stone can help achieve a satisfying blend.

Top Ten Reasons to Work with a Designer

1. The ability to solve problems
2. The expertise to prevent costly mistakes
3. Access to a much wider range of sources
4. A ‘smartphone' worth millions
5. Guidance through the decision making process
6. Better quality and longer-lasting style
7. Help with setting priorities
8. Arbitration with your significant other
9. The power to advocate with trades-people, showrooms & manufacturers
10. The Ability To Get The Job Done!

HOW TO NEUTRALIZE YOUR HOME FOR RESALE - by Norma Pofsky - Collaborative Design Group

When prospective buyers are brought into your home you need to appeal to their senses and not overpower them with you own personal tastes. Neutralizing your home with a minimal investment can easily reap maximum dollars.

First you need to look at your home in an objective way. See it the way others do. Ask a friend or relative to help. Consult with an interior designer. Ask you realtor. The goal is to emphasize the strong points of your home to give the prospective buyer the feeling that your house will work - for them. We need to appeal to our buyer’s senses - visual, auditory, olfactory and kinesthetic.

All surfaces should be sparkly clean.

If all else fails, camouflage. Let’s start the tour.

Entry: This area is very important. If the exterior didn’t excite them, here’s your chance to impress them; if the exterior was favorable, here’s the opportunity to begin cementing the sale. The National Association of Home Builders reports that 74 percent of home buyers want and expect an entry area to be a feature of their next home. If you don’t have one, create one, perhaps with a piece of artwork and a floor plant. Remove heavily patterned wall cover. Mirrors can help a small or dark entry. Add an inexpensive area rug to give the look of richness and luxury. Remember lighting - a chandelier hanging from an 8’ ceiling tends to make the ceiling ‘feel’ lower. Use a flush mounted style or recessed fixture.

Living Room and Family Rooms: Too much furniture can make a room appear smaller. Consider relocating or removing unnecessary chairs, table, etc. Rooms need a sense of order & function. You may desire to change the traffic patterns in your room for a better flow. A corner in need of furniture fills nicely with a large floor plant. Establish some drama by placing a light can on the floor behind a plant or sofa. If you want to establish a feeling of separate groupings such as a writing or reading area, use a separate light source to provide a sense of definition. If you have a fireplace, light it to give both a cozy feeling and a wonderful aroma.
Dining Room: Create a warm impression by setting the table. Try some inexpensive fresh flowers to add fragrance as well as warmth.

Bedroom: As the bed is most likely the dominant piece of furniture, be sure the bed linens are neat & attractive. Limit your pieces of furniture to the essentials to have the room appear larger. Clean up up the closets - overstuffed can make even a large closet look small!
Kitchen: Appearances here are critical. The color of your appliances & fixtures is the big tip off to the age of a product. White gives little hint of age - investing in re-spraying may increase the perceived value. Clear away clutter, add accent with colorful accessories. A nice throw rug can cover drab or worn floors.

Bathroom: Serious consideration should be given to damaged fixtures, cracked tiles, etc. If a room is just dated, compensate with improvements such as a new faucet, cabinet hardware and towels. Add a good sized mirror above the sink to significantly brighten & open up the room. Remember to remove personal effects.

With very little effort and investment, you too can get maximum results by neutralizing your home.