Today’s homeowners expect their homes to pull double duty. Ensuring function and design meet in the middle is now easier thanever, but those of us who aren’t interior design-inclined may need a fewsignposts. Below are three fool-proof things you can do to rejuvenate yourliving area right now.
Expanding Your Home’s Storage Capacity
Clutter and limited space are a homeowner's nightmare - which is why understanding the real storage potential of your home is key to keeping your little corner of the earth habitable. The skill is about multiplying the efficiencyof your current storage solutions. Example: the shelving on your walls and eventhose in your cabinets or entertainment center can store a lot more than they currently do. Dividers and shelf organizers come in all shapes and sizes andhelp compartmentalize your shelf space to accommodate different-sized items, so that a large space is not wasted. If your shelves are spacedmore than 40cm apart, cubbies or stock cabinets can hide odds and ends. With creative thinking, a simple four-legged table can offer the same storage capacity as a cupboard: install shelving underneathyour tabletop or buy small cabinets or storage bins with casters, which you can slide underneath. Wall-mounted tables leave more floor space and give the rooma lofty, airy feel – just make sure the supporting brackets are sufficiently sturdy.
No-frills furniture allows you better control of yourstorage space, since simple items are easier to combine for multifunction. Anantique mahogany desk fitted with gold handles and a sky-high price tag might not serve your storage needs – it may even be space-inefficient – whereas if you purchase a legless tabletop, you can mount it on that clunky old dresser or file cabinet that has done nothing but take up space. You now have a worktop and storage space. Alternatively, you can stand a small bookcase of the same or slightly smaller width on the tabletop.Paint them in an identical colour for a seamless look.
Corners can be awkward – unless you’re smart. L-shaped shelving ensures no space is squandered, and slim vertical cabinets can be placed in between larger pieces of perpendicular furniture to afford more storage. Simply ensure that your storage solutions are counterbalanced with decorative elements – such as placing a pretty vase onyour bookshelf – to avoid the room looking like a warehouse. Remember that ‘efficiency’ is the buzzword here. Keep asking yourself, Am I stretching thepotential of my living space? For book collectors, floor-to-ceiling shelving can be a solution even if your space is small – so long as the shelves are color-coordinated with the furniture, the room will not look cramped. However,try to devote no more than one wall. Great-looking rooms have one thing incommon: they strike equilibrium between storage and display, aesthetics andfunction.
Muji Recommends:
PP Closet Case
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The storage combinations can be put together in anyconfiguration you desire, allowing you to simultaneously store clutter anddisplay pieces. Made of translucent material, the unit gives any room a clean,put-together look.
Muji
Plaza Indonesia
Lot E26 2nd floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta 10350
(021) 2992 3543
What Lighting CanDo For You
Interior designers know that the naked light bulb is no way to light a room. It is generally wisest to enlist softer lighting, which renders a cozy atmosphere. The function of the room inquestion is the guiding principle in the arrangement of lighting. Two further factors then come into play: strategy and aesthetics. The former dictates the placement of the light sourceso as to provide adequate lighting for your activities - such as installing areading lamp on a desk. The latter takes into account the mood you want yourlighting to exude. Reconciling the two takes tact; much like fusing art with design.
The living room is the nucleus of the home for most families; it must hence be sufficiently bright yetalso cozy and inviting. Track lighting allows you to direct light to the partsof the room that need it most. To add ambience, you can simply installwall-mounted up-lights to soften and down-lights to play up your favourite artpieces/trinkets. Use a different strategy with your kitchen; prioritizefunctional lighting that provides enough illumination for your safety in thekitchen. Track lights are again a good alternative, but pendant lamps (with an unobtrusive shade) and fluorescent lights recessed into the underside of your wall cabinets can shed light on your worktop. Add sconce lighting or a cute lamp on the sideboard to pretty things up. When installing lighting, always remember that light radiates from the source and is refracted by the objects it contacts – you can use this to your advantage. Bouncing light off a mirror or bright-coloured object gives the illusion of more light.
Ambiente recommends:
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Imbuing Colour(Wisely)
Before you commit to a coat of bright yellow paint, ask yourself:do I want my furniture or my accessories asthe focal point of the room? If you are passionate about decorating, your furniture should take a backseat. Invest in a matching furniture set (or furniture of the same colour or material) and paint your walls a pastel hue tolet your accessories take center stage. You can use a shoebox or old basket tocreate your own shadow boxes to play up your prettiest vases – line them with wallpaper in a pleasant motif to add decorative punch. You do not need adesigner’s eye to decorate well – pick pieces that appeal to you, just make sure they are congruous with the colour and decorating scheme of your space.For example, if your furniture is retro or art nouveau, the decorative items you pick should be in keeping with the theme. Don’t put a minimalist vase onyour intricately-carved chiffonier, for example.
If you are not a big decorator, perhaps your tastes tend toward minimalist style. To add colour, the focus is on punching up yourtextiles and structures such as your walls, windowsills and doorframes. Decide upfront whether you prefer a warm or cold palette – mixing the two is inadvisable.Consider an upholstery overhaul, particularly if your sofa is the focal point.Solid-colour upholstery is less of a gamble and allows you to get adventurouswith throw pillows or a bright rug. Nothing is more transformative, however,than painting your walls. Painting all four walls cherry red may be too jarring– paint the wall that is to the background of your room’s focal point (eg:behind the sofa) and paint the other three in a pastel version of the same colour. If your furniture and walls are a neutral colour, you can afford to goout on a limb with your decorating.
Arbor and Troyrecommends:
The Bunch
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The Papilion
Kemang Raya 45 AA
Jakarta Selatan 12730
(021) 719 9070
Luxe Living recommends:
Hamilton
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Linear and elegant, the Hamilton is a Minotti favourite. Thesofa’s hidden feet render its seamless aesthetic.
Luxe Living
Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim no. 55A
Central Jakarta 10350
(021) 392 1901
