Interior Trends of 2011 – Emotional Austerity

Due to the financial recession the world of interior design believes that people are asking themselves questions to what they believe they need to live well. This is or has led to the emergence of simple living styles, formal or severe designs which mixes the fundamental basics and old with the newest modern and high-tech ideas. To put simply – Vintage, Modern is an interior design trend which will be seen throughout this year.
To get the latest looks you'll need to do some forward thinking by looking back in history as these time periods will be at the forefront of new trends and colours.
Tudor: This era was rich in voluminous velvets, tear-drop pears and tapestry accents.
Mayan, Inca and Hopi: Tribal influences will be seen in the use of geometric floral fabrics, trapezoids and early images of the sun.

1940s: This decade will once again influence interiors by featuring light maple, pecan and walnut, with fabrics such as seersucker, jersey and cable knits for home-made cushions and throws, curtains, blinds and soft furnishings.

Vintage, modern is an eclectic mix of old and new which enables us to revert back to old ways of hand or home-made to save money and be bang on-trend.

Image: atticmag

Ideas For Decorating Children's Bedrooms: A Beach Theme

First, you will need to pry open the door and assess the storage situation. Most of the time, it is the ever-growing pile of toys and books that make us shudder on entering our child's bedrooms. It is this clutter and chaos that makes us realise that something needs to be done and it wouldn't be harmful to give the whole room a makeover!

Buying some extra storage would be a good move in the right direction. The cheaper options are plastic boxes with clip on lids - choose them in bright colours to add eye-candy for kids or even consider normal waste bins in bright colours for storing anything from toys, school supplies and hats. You will feel a lot better knowing that all of their possessions have a given space and they will like the bright colour additions!

Children absolutely love the beach so they will be fascinated to see their own bedroom transform into their very own private beach cove! Strongly linked with summer holidays, the beach theme will play on light and bright colours to have that sunshine feeling. Choose bedding and curtain sets in colours inspired by the sea. Involve your children with the decorating process - they will give lots of hints at to what they love about the beach and how you can incorporate their ideas into the room or even as a focal point.
Image: On Interior Design

Choosing Blue For Beautiful Bedrooms

Blue is one of the most calming of all colours and can be very easy to work with. Modern and contemporary homes are looking more and more to the qualities of blues such as navy, teal, azure and cobalt.

Like green, the colour blue reminds us of outdoor spaces and nature - specifically our skies and various bodies of water. This connection can also give answers as to why blue is so calming - dreamy blue skies and soothing water therapies. Our contemporary blues do have a tendency to steer towards ocean and aquatic blues that have a gentle shimmer to them.

The many different shades of blue can carry various colours but to stay on trend you should keep things simple with cool neutrals such as a light grey or a pale pink which will lighten darker blues.

Smoky and blue-grey tones are so very now and the best colour for a sophisticated bedroom. Go with a few different shades and give the bedspread or curtains a sheen fabric for added depth and interest. On the contrary, young adults or teens might prefer a more fun approach with bold blues. Make the most of it by adding an accent colour such as hot pink curtains and accessories.

Turquoise is this year's most trendy colour choice and is a blue-green shade. In fact, we are seeing a lot of natural blue-green shades right now and they are definitely the way forward for an ultra modern bedroom interior. Bright and subtle tones are equally on trend and smoky blues are favoured for a more sophisticated edge - well matched with cool neutrals.

Image: House of Turquoise

Let It Shine Even During The Winter!

One of the most popular interior design trends is to use a combination of curtains and blinds as window dressings. Blinds appear to be gradually replacing the humble net curtain which is used basically to prevent passers by being able to see inside your home during the day time.

New trends have a more open approach with the focus being on making the most of natural light whenever possible. This is not only a cost effective way of reducing lighting bills, but also an effective method of reducing your carbon footprint, why use artificial light when you can have light for free!

White is a great reflector of natural light, as such white blinds and curtains are the perfect solution for harvesting free light within your home. You can also use cheap Venetian blinds, if you need privacy, and by slightly angling the slats upwards you can bounce natural light from a white ceiling back down into the room, another great energy saver!

Despite the typical English weather even when its raining natural light is still available, it's just not as intense! Of course blinds are also ideal for reducing heat build up during the summer, especially if you have south facing windows and snow is white which is also a great reflector of natural light! It's a win, win situation all round!

Image: Style Court

Wishing On A Star!

This gorgeous bedroom has the most beautiful uninterrupted view, with the curtains being used as a divider for privacy within the house rather than the more conventional use of being a window dressing.

A wonderful twist on the use of curtains and is a great way to show their versatility around a home.

Curtains with tab-tops or eyelets and becoming an increasingly popular method of creating functional wardrobe space in alcoves but rarely used as a simple yet gracefully elegant room divider.

I love the concept of sleeping under the stars and not being in a tent….

I’m not sure about the audio protection this curtain would provide. Having said that anyone who lives in such a beautiful home is unlikely to have children and no doubt guest rooms are far away in another area of the house so noise wouldn’t pose a problem.

There are obviously few worries of having to provide window protection from prying eyes with a room so open to the world. This is an aspect that few of us are able to do and typically spend our lives trying to find effective and stylish ways to stop people from intruding on our lives by covering our windows with vertical blinds or net curtains both day and night!

Waking up to such a beautiful view must be lovely, a dream come true, however surely you be quite literally be awake at the crack of dawn as the sun rises…or maybe that is something you would just get used to and learn to ignore! However, being woken in such a natural, gentle and unobtrusive way would make a lovely start to your day!

Image: Freshome

Trevi The Magazine Table Rack

I think the design, style and ingenuity of Trevi The Magazine Table Rack is amazing! The clean lines of the coffee table’s top and front plain white legs are injected with the vibrant curve of the magazine storage area in a dramatic and effective manner. The other end of the table is supported purely by the large curve which acts as the magazine storage area.

Trevi The Magazine Table Rack is ideal for modern interiors which are predominately white. The white edging and legs work well with the white opaque glass top, while the red offers a striking injection of colour into a room. White and more white can offer a sense of space and freshness.

With stripped pale floorboards and a widow treatment with full length Ariel curtains - these have a white background with a modern print of abstract large bold design- the room would look modern, chic and very stylish.

Placed in an informal area the coffee table offers plenty of room for cups and an sufficiently large area to look through the magazines! In line with this years interior trend of ‘no clutter’ Trevi The Magazine Table Rack offers the ideal place to keep newspapers, magazines and journals neatly stored and yet within very easy reach.

I love the vibrancy of the curve storage area when viewed from the side, the diffused effect when viewed through the opaque glass top offers a subtle colour change. A very practical and beautifully design coffee table designed by Adele Rotella.

For further information visit Yanko Design.