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Create Mood Lighting

As you’re probably aware, in addition to being purely functional, lighting can also influence the mood of a room, in three different ways. Lets  do some “different way”.

First, the general illumination can strongly influence the mood of a room. A brightly lit room projects a positive, upbeat mood. A darker room is more intimate and romantic. One mistake many people make in lighting their homes is to have only one extreme or the other: so much light that you need sunglasses, or just a dim candle.

Second, the lighting fixtures themselves express a mood. Some fixtures are traditional, some contemporary. Some are lavish and ornate, some are starkly simple. As with the furniture you select, the style of the lighting fixtures should be suitable in mood to the rest of the decor.

Third, you can provide accents of light in specific parts of a room for no functional reason, but simply because they will add a dramatic touch. For example, you might shine light up through the foliage of a tropical plant, producing an interesting interplay of lights and shadows.

How To Use Feng Shui

It is important to allow yourself to be wrong. If you don’t make mistakes, you won’t learn anything. Pay attention to emotional variations you feel from placing different decorations and colors in different spaces. At a certain point, stop and simply exist in the room, remaining attentive to the feel of the space. Occasionally, make small changes, and observe the emotional and interactive differences.

If you don’t have the time or strength to constantly move furnishings and furniture around, then try visualizing different scenarios. Sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and imagine the room in a different style. Imagine yourself in the room, and try to incorporate every detail in the room into the setting. Feel how your emotions respond to such a setting. Pay attention to any problems you may feel. Allow yourself access to the subconscious of your mind, and trust its natural inclinations, as it will pick up on problems and solutions that you won’t consciously understand. Use color charts and pictures to help with the imagination process.

Feng Shui is a very respectable form of interior decorating with a long and rich history. However, it was originally based on simple trial and error, as ancient Chinese thinkers explored the many different ways that positioning and design can affect the most subtle workings of the human mind. Today you can try to recreate that method, by experimenting with yourself and your surroundings to produce a room that will affect you and your family in a positive way. While you probably won’t achieve the accuracy of the ancients in your first attempt, each try will educate you as to the style and design that suites you best as well as the way it affects you. Exploring this further can allow you a creative outlet enabling you to get in touch with the very basic nature of art that exists within you.

The Element of Feng Shui

Walk into a room, and see how it makes you feel. Notice the colors, the objects, and their placement. What do they evoke in you? Is the room comfortable? Is it calming or invigorating? Maybe there is something wrong in the room, even if you can’t tell exactly what it is, register that feeling. If you are attentive, you will start to get sensitive to the psychological influences that placement and design have on your own mind.

Color

Colors have very strong and individual effects on people. Different shades will have radically different results on people’s mental behavior. Dark colors can either be relaxing or depressing, light colors can be uplifting or annoying, and extreme colors can be exhilarating or aggravating. Pay attention to how these colors make you feel. When you visit other peoples homes, or even their shops or offices, pay attention to the effect that walking into a room has on you. Sometimes you will enter a space and feel naturally relaxed. Other places can have a negative effect, making you feel uncomfortable or agitated for no apparent reason. Remember the colors and the shades of these rooms, especially if you have a particularly strong response to one.

Colors also affect the nature of interactions, and when you enter a new space you should always pay attention to the way people behave to one another. Bright or extreme colors can irritate people’s eyes and increase their metabolism, making them more likely to fight. Darker rooms can put people in a bad mood and make them lethargic. Color and placement are not the only things that influence interactions, but by paying attention you may be able to understand the subtle influence it can have.

Flow

In traditional Feng Shui, the goal is to maximize the flow of positive chi in an area. While you will probably not be able to detect the essence of the energy of a space, you can increase the feeling of flow in a room by paying attention to the way people and objects move through the space.

The flow you want to achieve is in the essence of the room. You want there to be easy access for people moving through the room, as well as in and out of it. You want objects to be able to move from their storage, into use, and back without adding to clutter. This kind of flow is a mixture of organization and design that focuses on removing blockages and allowing easy movement through every area.

You will be able to feel whether a room has flow just by walking into it. There are tiny currents of air that run through every space. We do not generally notice these currents, however using your intuition you can just barely perceive this air. The difference between greater and lesser currents will be translated into your mind as greater or lesser flow.

EXPERIMENT

It is important to allow yourself to be wrong. If you don’t make mistakes, you won’t learn anything. Pay attention to emotional variations you feel from placing different decorations and colors in different spaces. At a certain point, stop and simply exist in the room, remaining attentive to the feel of the space. Occasionally, make small changes, and observe the emotional and interactive differences.

If you don’t have the time or strength to constantly move furnishings and furniture around, then try visualizing different scenarios. Sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and imagine the room in a different style. Imagine yourself in the room, and try to incorporate every detail in the room into the setting. Feel how your emotions respond to such a setting. Pay attention to any problems you may feel. Allow yourself access to the subconscious of your mind, and trust its natural inclinations, as it will pick up on problems and solutions that you won’t consciously understand. Use color charts and pictures to help with the imagination process.

Practical Feng Shui

Debunking the myths and finding out what we can actually learn from the ancients

Most of the information that is available concerning Feng Shui is highly over-simplified. It often comes in the form of out-of-context eastern principals, mixed in with basic interior design horse sense from the west, to form a hybrid which many professional

Feng Shui analysts agree can be as harmful as it is helpful. Feng Shui is more than just choosing certain colors, or “getting rid of clutter”, as many books and articles will have you believe. It is actually an extremely complex system of mathematical formulas that give highly specific advice based on the type of home, its layout, and its time of construction. There are no simple answers in Feng Shui, however there is something we can learn from the methods the ancients used to derive these principals.

Real Feng Shui is a system that has been evolving over thousands of years. The concept behind this design form is the idea that energy or “chi” flows through everything. Feng Shui is an attempt to maximize the flow of positive chi through a space to benefit the lives of the people within that setting. Feng Shui is originally based on the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text of mystical origins. Over the years successive schools of thought have come to dominate this decorative philosophy. As each new movement came to power, they refined the formulas and functions of previous schools. In this ongoing process of refinement, every possible arrangement of objects was tested against numerous people’s emotional and spiritual reaction to them over thousands of years. These reactions allowed the ancients to slowly improve their diagrams for the placement of objects.

Why We Hire A Profesional Designer

In addition to their in-depth knowledge of products, materials and finishes, professional designers have the training and expertise to plan, schedule, execute and manage your project from start to finish.  They know and work closely with many vendors, contractors and other service providers, coordinating and orchestrating the entire design team.  Designers also provide specification and purchasing services to procure materials, furniture, accessories and art, some of which you might not be able to find on your own.

When you hire an interior designer, you get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create an attractive, affordable space designed specifically to meet your lifestyle needs.

When you’re ready to select a designer to work with on your project, the number of individuals and firms to choose from can be daunting. How do you know if you’ve chosen a professional designer?  In general, you want a designer with the following characteristics:

• Is accredited as an interior designer  (If required in your state, be sure the designer is licensed.)
• Has experience in the type of project you are doing
• Has demonstrated creativity, talent and resourcefulness
• Is attentive, responsive and communicates well
• Has a record of reliability and good work habits.

George Brown-School of Design

Toronto has Canada’s largest concentration of design businesses and is one of North America’s four top centres for design. We reflect this context by developing programs that foster excellence in design thinking, design culture and design business. Developed to focus imagination and hone critical thinking, our programs assist students in applying the latest technologies for a career in design. Our unique educational approach combines academic programs with authentic-task projects.

With over 50% of Canada’s design studios, advertising agencies and new media companies, Toronto rules Canada’s design world.

The School of Design at George Brown College is a member of ICSID (the International Council of the Societies of Industrial Design) and ICOGRADA (The International Council of Graphic Design Associations). In addition, the School provides the Secretariat for ACID (the Association of Canadian Industrial Designers) and CSEA (the Canadian Society for Education in Art).

“As a graduate of the Graphic Design program, I can attest to the value of the design education I received at George Brown College. The School of Design is connected to industry and has developed new courses and programs that integrate design and business. The vision for the future is innovative and exciting.”

Indoor Air Quality: How Safe Is Your Interior Decorating?

When you make your fabric selections, be sure to pick natural fibers rather than manmade ones. Remember, natural does not have to mean inelegant interior design. Silk, for example, is a natural fiber made from the cocoons of silkworms.

Natural fibers include:

· Cotton (look for organic, unbleached, and undyed)

· Wool

· Alpaca (comes in wonderful natural colors, from dark brown and black to caramel and honey)

· Silk (available in natural colors ranging from nearly white to golden yellow)

Steer Clear of Manmade Products and Applied Chemicals

In order to meet fire safety standards, some mattress manufacturers apply flame retardant chemicals to mattresses. Seek out mattresses that are made with naturally flame-retardant materials instead, such as wool. In furniture cushions, foams made from rubber, a natural product, are traditionally preferable to manmade foams.

Maintaining Safe Air

If your clients ask you what else they can do to maintain the air quality in their homes once you move on to your next interior decorating project, you can give them these suggestions:

· Vigilant dusting and vacuuming keeps potential irritants out of the air.

· Minimize dry cleaning because of the harsh chemicals used. Hang any freshly dry-cleaned clothes outside for a few hours before bringing them inside.

Interior designers are now basing whole careers on the principles of green interior decorating. If this is an area that interests you, consider specializing, and seek out courses in the topic at your interior decorating school as part of your regular degree program, or as a smart investment in continuing education.

The Hip City List: Study Interior Design in Toronto

Looking for a lively, hip, and in-style city that will inspire you as you work on your interior design degree? Toronto will exceed your expectations. Located in Ontario, Canada, Toronto is a growing city of over six million people. Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and with a multitude of museums, parks, boutiques, and galleries, an aspiring designer will never get bored in Toronto.

Toronto: Style in the Great North

There is a reason millions of Canadians, Americans, and people from around the world flock to Toronto. With unparalleled diversity, warm people, and endless entertainment, you’ll never be bored in Toronto. Toronto is the economic capital of Canada and is also one of the safest cities of its size, making it a great place to get an interior design degree.

Toronto has a lot to offer the style- and design-minded. A few highlights include:

· Fashion Center: The designer boutiques of Yorkville, Eaton Centre, and Bloor Street offer styles on par with Paris, Milan, or London.

· Design Exchange: The Design Exchange rotates exhibits of contemporary design in the fields of graphics, architecture, and interior design.

· Doors Open: Doors Open is an annual event that allows Torontonians to explore the interior designs and heritages of buildings in the city, allowing people to view history through interior design styles.

Interior Design Schools in Toronto

Toronto is home to top interior design schools. Toronto design schools offer degree programs in a variety interior design fields, including:

· Two-Year and Three-Year Diploma in Interior Design

· 2-D Art & Animation

· Apparel/Fashion Design

· Graphic Design

· Residential Design

Interior design schools in Toronto give you the option to watch professional designers at work and get practical experience before you starting your career.