Roller Blind Revival

I have to admit that I have always liked the concept of using a roller blind as part of a window treatment in both traditional and modern home interior designs.

Roller blinds are an extremely practical way to provide the maximum amount of natural light entering a room as when rolled up they expose virtually the entire window, offering unobstructed views of the outside world. At night roller blinds provide essential privacy in the easiest of operations.

New designs of digital images on roller blinds, which can be made into any size, have given the humble roller blind a whole new lease of life for me. Striking images seem too good not to be see during the day, part pulled blinds compensate this very well and yet still enable light to flood into a room.

Roller blinds need not be confined to a bathroom or kitchen, the functionality and versatility of a blind makes them perfect for using with both contemporary and traditional curtains.

My love of the roller blind has definitely been re-kindled with the range of blinds available from Noodle.

Noodle launched their new range of blinds at this years 100% Design Exhibition with digitally printed Pink Nerine. The natural vibrancy of the colours and clarity of the images present these blinds as works of modern window art in a very exciting way for me.

With over one hundred different designs in the Noodle range, there is a colour and image to suit all homes. Noodle can also produce truly unique blinds using client’s own images to add a real personal touch to a room.

Image source: www.100percentdesign.co.uk

Inject a Riot of Beautiful Colours into a Home

Digital images skilfully designed into a range of cushions by Noodle will inject a riot of beautiful colours into a home. The variety of different images which capture nature at its best are digitally printed onto silk fabric and come complete with a feather insert.

The traditional style square shapes are available in either 16 or 20 inch with the rectangular panel cushions in a generous 11 x 18”, all are machine washable making them extremely functional as well as striking to look at.

Noodle have their own on-line shop with many of their products available ready to buy rather than ordering and waiting for them to be made. The wide choice of traditional favourite flowers in vivid natural colours provide something to suit all colour decors. The stunning effects of the close up images and vibrant colours are perfect for instantaneously injecting colour into a room.

The autumnal leaves and branches in burnt oranges or sunset reds offer a warm appearance just waiting to be snuggled into during the winter months. One of the great advantages of using cushions in a home is the versatility to replace the covers in line with the seasons, alternatively brighten the winter blues by choosing spring or summer flowers reminding us that winter doesn’t last forever!

With Christmas just around the corner, I believe I have found the ideal gift for all horticultural lovers, green-fingered gardeners or those who love nature at its best! With such a vast range available it’s just a matter of selecting which ones to opt for!


Image source: www.noodleonline.com

Big Bar Lake

My Associate Interior Designer and CAD Technician extrodinaire, Carole Root, has just come back from a fishing weekend at a cabin set on Big Bar Lake.  Big Bar Lake is situated in the High Country Region (or as it is commonly referred to as "The Cariboo") of British Columbia and is located north of Clinton and west of 70 Mile House.  It is some of the most beautiful countryside I have set my eyes on. The weather was perfect autumn days when the colors are magnificent, crisp and clear.  I can almost smell the lake and the freshness of the air when I look at these pictures.  How wonderful to be out in nature, truly away from it all.  Below are some of the pictures Carole took with her new camera, a  Canon Rebel XSI.  I hope these pictures are as much a feast for your eyes as they are for mine.  Thanks Carole.  Enjoy..........

Big Bar Lake Sunrise (that is the moon still visible in the sky)

Big Bar Creek

Aspen

Bull Rush

Bush

Grass

Gray Bird
Post Script Oct 30 2008   Gray bird photo is actually a Gray Jay otherwise known as a Whiskey Jack. What's in a name? Well our First Nations people knew this creature as "wiss-ka-tjon" or "wis-ka-chon". In the old-time lumbering days the Jay would visit the lumberjacks in the northern forests of Canada. In turn, the lumberjacks shared their grub with it and came to call it "Whiskey-Jack". Now the bird's modern "common" name is "Gray Jay" or "Canada Jay"(and its scientific name is Perisoreus Canadensis).

Jack Pine

Trout & Rod

Big Bar Lake Sunset

Patricia Gray writes about Interior Design inspirations, emerging trends, and the world of Design. 
While you're here, subscribe to this feed so you don't miss out.

Black and White or White and Black?

I adore these coffee tables made in fabric, PU or leather. The monochrome effect is striking in an understated way, the pattern is inspired by natural objects which have been placed ingeniously around the base, providing a style which would look stunning in a variety of different hone or office interior design styles.

The Buono-coffee table was launched and exhibited by PimPen.Co.Ltd at the 100% Design Exhibition in September this year and is designed to be both a coffee table and a stool. This piece look incredibly comfortable as a stool, just perfect for perching on informally! I can also see this table being used as a foot stool, a contemporary twist on the traditional pouffe in many homes.

The circular insert lends itself beautifully for placing a mug of coffee during the day or a glass of wine at informal gatherings or a quiet night in by the fire! The practicality of incorporating this piece of modern furniture into homes I believe are endless, although they have been made as part of the Buono collection of seating they would look equally striking coordinated with people’s existing furniture suites, more particularly if they are also in plain black or white fabric or leather.

Chic and sophisticated the Buono-coffee table has an unfussiness which I really enjoy, stylish yet functional and exceptionally pleasing to the eye with no harsh rigid lines one’s attention remain focused on the coffee table. For me, either colour way, black and white or white and black is reminiscent of Ying and Yang, balance and harmony.

Image source: www.100percentdesign.co.uk

The Ultimate in Recycling?

This has bench has got to be one of the most innovative designs in ultimate re-cycling! The “334” bench is made strangely enough from 334 old newspapers which have been folded and stacked next to one another on three parallel bars of metal. The design shape and number of newspapers provides the bench with enough strength to hold five people.

Not only is the “334” bench extremely economical and an excellent way to re-cycle it has a design shape which is simplistic yet proportional, suiting all manner of interior design styles.

Created by Oscar Lhermitte, product design student at the central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the “334” bench is part of his 'X Days Project', the concept behind the “334” bench has been used to inspire people into recycling and creating their own unique and fascinating pieces of furniture and useful objects without using glues or screws!

I think this type of effective and practical re-cycling should be encouraged in schools as part of 'going green' campaigns. I suppose for those who wish to be annoyingly pedantic one could only use the newspapers one reads! Saving a daily newspaper, a bench could be successfully completed within a year and the colour supplements could be created into coordinating coffee tables!

I'll be interested to know how well this fantastic idea catches on and whether it will only people who read certain newspapers actually give it a go! Of course there is bound to be the dilemma of where to store a years worth of newspapers somewhere dry while or maybe it should be an ongoing project which gradually evolves over the days and weeks!

Image source: www.woohome.com