Is now the time to try Interior Design?

Is now the time to try Interior Design?

Where to start with Interior Design

We are all spending more time in our homes, whether we like it or not, therefore the question arises, is now the time to try your hand at a spot of interior design?

With more remote working becoming the norm, your house has now become your office as well as your home, so making sure that it is suitable for both is of utmost importance. Now there is no set guide for interior design as it is ultimately a personal choice on how you want to approach it. There are obvious interior design trends, like you would see in a number of different sectors, you’ll no doubt be familiar with a few, like the minimalist trend but overall, the direction you go is yours to decide upon.

There are however basic elements that you should consider before starting your interior design project these are;

1. Colour – This will shape the feeling of the room, using colours like blue and green for a soothing feel or red for a more intense vibe.
2. Form – This will define the shapes that you are going to use. You generally go with two types of form – organic, natural non-uniform shapes, and geometric, sharper, uniform man-made shapes.
3. Light – Does your room get natural light or are you going to have to manufacture the lighting. Think about the uses of the room and what type of lighting will be required.
4. Line – These are the perimeter lines of the room, you’ll be looking at vertical, horizontal and dynamic.
5. Pattern – This will be mainly based on your choice of wallpaper and fabrics, but this may also apply to lighting elements and other design aspects.
6. Texture – This is the way an object feels, both to touch and upon observing the object within your design, for example, a weathered worktop or a vintage lamp. Each room will have a differing aspect of texture.
7. Space – This can both be 2D and 3D, with 2D covering the length of the room and 3D the height. 2D is worth thinking about when you are looking at carpeting, whilst 3D space is important when looking at your lighting features.

When you sit down to consider these things you may not actually need to cover all of the individual areas but it is well worth identifying what you are most precious about. Whilst looking over these pillars of contemporary interior design it is worth trying to look at the materials and approaches that will allow you to tick off a number of these without breaking the bank.  Versatile materials like laminates are a way to add different textures or colours without paying for a number of raw materials. High-Pressure Laminate sheets are a viable option and can come in a number of finishes.

How has COVID-19 changed Contemporary Interior Design?

With Covid-19 and the effects of the pandemic not going anytime soon, there are also plenty of things to consider as you move forward with your design project.

1. Work/Home Divide – We are now working remotely more and more, so it is worth considering that you may need to kit your home out a little better for this and have a designated workspace. This could be a purpose-built office or you may be tight on space, so you have opted for part of a room, that gives you enough space to work remotely.
2. Private Space – In the unfortunate circumstance that you end up having to isolate with your family, it is wise to have areas that each individual can retreat to for some private time. This can be as simple as having a corner of a room set up with a single comfy spot that can be used in solitude or you could go for a new design feature, to create this space.
3. More Family Space – The polar opposite of the previous point, you will also need to make sure that you have enough space to entertain the whole family, be that for movie nights or for something more energetic like assault coursing (if you have kids and are stuck inside for 14 days this is a great way to sap some energy out of them!).
4. More Anti-Bacterial Materials – It may have seemed strange a year ago thinking about the materials we were planning on using for our design projects and whether they were anti-bacterial or easy wipe but the world has changed in the past 10 months. Natural materials like metals have become more important but materials like high-pressure laminates have also seen increases in overall demand due to the non-porous nature of the material, its versatility and overall cost-effectiveness.

With these new things to consider, not only within interior design but in general, there may be no better time to start an interior design project, not only to refresh your home from an aesthetic viewpoint but also in order to make your home discreetly safer for you and your family.

What is Laminate and why is it so sought after by interior designers?

The use of laminate in commercial design surfaces is nothing new but is it now time to embrace it more within the domestic design world. Interior designers have been incorporating High-Pressure laminate to perfect the surfaces to their designs for years, mainly in the commercial design world but now the residential interior design world is becoming more accustomed to this wonderful finishing for all manner of worktops, cupboards, tables, desks and more.

1. Versatility – High-pressure laminate can be used in all manner of environments from commercial offices, retail, showrooms, cupboards, cabinets and furniture. Laminate sheets can also come in a variety of colours and sizes, depending on what you intend to use it for.
2. Hygienic – High-Pressure Laminate provide a non-porous surface, meaning that it doesn’t allow water or air to pass through it. This means that it is easy to wipe, disinfect and clean. Making laminate surface a great versatile option.
3. Stylish – As touched on before laminate sheets come in different colours, have different effects and textures, like natural wood, stone, metallics, gloss and matt finishes to tie into your design.
4. Durable – One the reason laminate surfaces is such a big hitter in the commercial design world is due to the high level of durability the material possesses. The laminate sheeting is strong, shatterproof, scratch-resistant and due to the non-porous qualities, it stands up to corrosion too.
5. Affordability – What laminate offers is a professional finish for an affordable price. Whilst we would all like a solid marble worktop, we can survive with a marble effect laminate to finish our worktop.

With these factors and properties considered, a laminate surface is a key player in the interior design and part of the future of both commercial and residential design. The hygiene aspect is one that is going to stand out, especially if people are not only spending more working time at home but if they are hosting people, the knowledge that you’re using a surface that is far less likely to harbour anything that might make you or your guests ill is likely to put minds at rest.

The other aspect of High-Pressure laminate sheets is the fact that it can be manufactured to imitate woods, stones, and metals, therefore giving you a cost-effective way to implement them into your designs. If you want to find out even more about laminate surfaces then check out our Laminate Surfaces Guide

So overall with all things considered now is as good a time as any to start an interior design project. This may not be a full-blown top to bottom project but focusing on areas of heavy use, kitchens and bathrooms, and try to make them as safe and secure as possible using materials like high-pressure laminates, that are cost-effective, versatile and hard-wearing.