Ode To Famille

I love Famille Summerbelle and all they are about. They make fabulous furnishings for children's rooms, and I am an avid follower of their blog. All of their products are presented beautifully and create a really strong image that make you want to live the life as well as buy their cushions!

Coat Tree

I really like wall stickers. I especially like the quirkiness of this one from Ferm Living. Functional as well as good looking.

Room For A Little One?

I'm constantly redesigning spaces in my mind, and at the moment I'm thinking about my daughter's bedroom. We have a box room that I imagine a lot of people would be put off by, considering its tiny proportions. Me however, I see it as a fantastic little mega-storage-creating project/challenge (for my husband)! Think built in storage, built in bed, drawers, desk, the works. Everything a little girl (and her mum) could wish for...and how easy would it be to keep tidy? I love this bedroom found in Living etc. The bed (above) is just what I have in mind.

I also adore this nursery by Will Meyer (found in Domino magazine). I love the dark wood panelling and use of the arco lamp (available from the Conran Shop). Best start saving!

Perfect for sharers. Found on desire to inspire blog.

Mix Modern and Rustic Pieces For a Stylish Feel

Good home design feels effortless. When inhabitants style rooms to reflect their personalities, rather than the latest design trends, they create thoughtful, comfortable homes. Rather than design "themed" homes, many homeowners blend modern and rustic elements.

But there's an art to eclectic design. Some Americans focus entire rooms on a single, prized possession, while others design more neutral spaces. Either way, mix-and-match types must contrast décor styles to create balanced looks.


Small details change the way homes feel. For example, updating door and cabinetry hardware can immediately inject a room with new style.

"Door hardware has undergone a metamorphosis from merely functional to both architectural and decorative," said Chas Seymour, general manager of Baldwin Hardware, a company that has been manufacturing hardware for more than 60 years. "In addition, we must remember that customers want to know that their home investments, hardware or otherwise, combine a commitment to quality, workmanship and style, with both classic and contemporary cues."

For a modern touch, choose "sleek" and "clean" design elements. Silver and chrome accents help create a streamlined feel. Baldwin Hardware's Minneapolis and Lakeshore collections appeal to modern tastes. The company also offers the Soho entry set, named for the New York neighborhood known for its modern design boutiques, as well as its history with cast iron architecture.

As demand continues to grow for contemporary styling in door hardware, so does demand for what's considered rustic. With that in mind, Baldwin introduced its Baldwin Bronze collection of cast bronze lock, bath and general hardware. Since earliest antiquity, bronze has been an important and revered material with a distinctive look and feel.

For more information from Baldwin Hardware, visit www.baldwinhardware.com

Use Solar Shades to Save Money and Enhance Your Home

Large windows make homes feel airy and open -; but windows also let in sun and allow heat transfer, damaging furniture and raising energy bills.


Controlling the way light enters the home can make homes more comfortable and less expensive, not to mention more attractive. The experts at Durasol (www.durasol.com), a 25-year-old business that specializes in retractable awnings, solar screens and stationary awnings, offers these suggestions to common problems:

- Reduce solar glare -; Bright sun can fade furniture and carpets. Consider closing the blinds on one side of the house in the morning, as the sun rises, and on the other side of the house when it sets, to help avoid the brightest rays.

You might want to consider installing interior solar shades. Durasol's DuraShade retractable solar screen systems offer indoor comfort, increased privacy and protection from interior fading. Better yet, they blend in with any home while offering protection against solar glare and heat gain. You can even motorize them, so you can lower the shades in an entire room with the push of a button. Solar screens that are installed and used in Southern- and Western-facing windows can cool the home by as much as 8-16 degrees F, helping to lower energy costs. Unlike drapes, solar screens are see-through -; so you can enjoy the view without letting in glare or heat.

- Reduce heat gain -; If the glaring sun makes rooms too warm, consider installing exterior solar shades. Exterior-mounted shades offer some benefits over interior shades, because they block the heat before it enters the home. In the winter, exterior shades help protect against winter glare from snow and ice.

- Increase outdoor living space. Retractable window and roof awnings help keep the sun from entering your home, and also add shade to outdoor living space. With an awning over a porch or deck, homeowners can make a wonderful outdoor entertaining space. Awnings are more flexible than building a permanent roof over your porch, which permanently blocks light. Durasol awnings allow you to control how and when light enters your home.

Contemporary architecture - modern House Edge House

Contemporary architecture - modern House Edge House

Poland-based Mobius Architects have created something modern, beautifully unusual and definitely stunning. The Edge House near Cracow is supposed to be built on an excavated niche on a limestone hillside – a terrain that certainly poses many challenges, but also gives birth to some truly exceptional ideas. Pressed by local building codes which disallow roofs with slopes less that 30 degrees, Mobius had no choice but to find a way to obey these regulations. That’s how the concept for the roof came alive. Looking at the sheer plane pierced by windows and the protruding white terrace, we have no doubt this is the best solution for this peculiar plot.

Beautiful Village Home with Modern Design Complements

Beautiful Village Home with Modern Design Complements

The Meadowview House is a daring architecture project which belongs to Platform 5 Architects and is located in Bedfordshire, England. It is a contemporary family home especially designed for a retired couple in a peaceful village. Surrounding by agricultural fields, the designers of the home were inspired to create a project based on a simple linear form, with no dramatic angles or unexpected wall turns. The overall result is an elegant residence, inspiring tranquility and comfort. The interior is truly spectacular, with large open spaces and a daring, but very tasteful color palette. Stylish wooden stairs connect the levels and natural light is welcomed through the generous-sized windows. A few ceiling windows let in some extra light and make for a great design addition. Paintings and lighting items act as diverse and fresh decorating elements in order to give the interiors a unique feel.

from : http://freshome.com/2010/07/11/beautiful-village-home-with-modern-design-complements/

Ingenious Low Budget Family Home in Spain

Ingenious Low Budget Family Home in Spain

Building a house for 6 families (10 adults and 8 children) with a low budget is an incredible challenge. This is why we decided to show you the “Candela House”, an amazing looking compact home in Spain, by Zigzag Arquitectura built in a beautiful and remote location, surrounded by mountains. The initial plans for this house wanted to capture the nature of the incredible near-by landscape. Perhaps you can see the resemblance of this building’s exterior to a hollow mountain with many eyes- this was the main idea behind the project’s design. It is said that all rooms have great views and that the large windows act as good intermediaries. A stylish porch is links the interior with the open spaces outside the construction. The materials were all adapted to the requests of the region- for example it was mandatory that the architects used flat concrete tiles for the roof, which had to go with the overall design.- via Designboom

from : http://freshome.com/2010/07/13/ingenious-low-budget-family-home-in-spain/

Sleek, Beatiful and Inspiring Design in a White Apartment

Since on Freshome we see a lot of interiors, we are getting harder and harder to impress. However, this sleek apartment did a great job in doing so. As you can see, this loft is not exactly what one could call common and ordinary. Not only that, but it has such a well defined personality that it can easily win over any pretentious guest. The apartment has a total of five rooms, which ensures a royalty living. The most interesting room of the crib however, remains the one which the stairs point to, a small space, perfect for reading and meditation. The overall feel of the house is that of an art-working studio, as everything looks so neat and unusual. Check out the photos with patience, as there are so many beautiful details to discover and give us your feedback.-via Alvhem

Sleek, Beatiful and Inspiring Design in a White Apartment

Easy Ways to Give the Illusion of Space in a Small Home

Homes come in large and small, and the reality is, larger homes are easier to make design choices in right? Wrong, small interiors can be challenging, but that’s what makes them cozy and personable. You can give the illusion of space by following these simple guidelines.

INTERIOR COLORS: Use light, neutral colors to give the illusion of space and airiness. Whites, beige’s, grays, and muted pastels can make your small space feel bigger. By tricking the eye, walls will seem to disappear, rather than stand out.

ACCENT WALLS: Consider colors that are a darker hue of the already used neutral color. For example beige walls, with a darker taupe accent wall will still help to make the walls blend with one another. When using darker colors, use them on window walls, or walls with several openings. The darker color will actually seem lighter, because of the window light and breakup of doorways, entryways, and hallways. Try to place furniture in front of accent walls to also “eat up” some of the dark color of accent walls. Remember, the lighter the color the more space that will be felt in the room.

MIRRORS: You’ve always heard that mirrors and reflection enlarge a space right? What about the placement of mirrors? Use a mirror at the end of a hallway to give the illusion of length. Place a mirror on the opposite side of a window wall with a view to reflect light, and the beautiful view. In bedrooms, replace sliding closet doors with mirrored doors. In bathrooms, replace a small vanity mirror with a mirror that extends along the full length of the wall. In kitchens, use a reflective backsplash to give the illusion of space.

FURNITURE: Use multi-purpose furniture that provides storage, function, and décor. For example, a storage ottoman that doubles as a coffee table and seating for guests is ideal. Dining room tables which have storage adjacent or below can double as a home office. When buying a couch, opt for one that can double as a sleeping area like a futon. Fold-out couches, and daybeds can also be used in home offices to convert for overnight guests.

NATURAL LIGHT: In as many ways possible, maximize the quantity of emitting natural light. At windows, use light colored fabrics, and sheers to diffuse harsh bright light. Consider having a skylight or sun diffuser tube installed in the ceiling. This way light can illuminate the small space and open it up. If you don’t have windows, use brighter lighting and colors to bring warmth and brightness into your small space.

STORAGE: In kitchens and bathrooms, take advantage of under counter and cabinet organization tools. Don’t forget items can be hung on the inside of cabinet doors, and drawers organizers will help put everything ‘in its place’. Don’t forget space on top of your cabinets, refrigerator, and back of the bathroom door. In the bedroom, take advantage of space under the bed, and over doorways. Shelving over doorways for books is a unique and decorative way of adding the illusion of space. Use vertical book shelves to maximize storage and display decorative collectibles.

Your home is what you make it, focus on the quality and not how much space you lack.
Easy Ways to Give the Illusion of Space in a Small Home

Elegant Interior Design

Elegant Interior Design

Home Design Fun Color

Home Design Fun Color

Interior Design Full Color

Interior Design Sweden Full Color

Minimalist Modern House in Victoria

Minimalist Modern House in Victoria

Minimalist Design House

Design houses recently experienced rapid growth. We can find various types of design houses that develop in these communities, among other design houses minimalist, modern, Mediterranean, classical and so forth. This is a requirement according to the development era, the more we realize that the role of design and architecture is very influential for the beauty of our design house.

Design house is a minimalist style of its development very rapidly of late. We astudio get a lot of people want to use minimalist style house to follow fashion. Usually among the interested to use the minimalist style of them is still forever young. The young executives like minimalist style, because that style is practical and can be seen to represent their modern lifestyle.