Home Decor

Design and culture

2012-02-19T14:44:00.001-05:00

'People ignore design that ignores people' - Frank Chimero. True words of wisdom. I find it particularly true when it comes to international or culture oriented design. Design is a form of art, an expression of a vision. A vision is very subjective but often influenced by culture.

In North America we are considered the new world. We are descendants of mostly Europeans who were fleeing the hardships they experienced in the old world. They came here with a hope to build a new future, a better future for themselves and their children, a different and distinct future. There was even a certain desire to renounce the past and embrace the new and unexpected. This historic moment left an imprint on how we decorate our homes. If you ever travelled outside of North America you probably noticed that when you step out of an airplane, first thing which flashes in your eyes is how clean, modern and rich our streets and buildings look. We are leaning towards the contemporary design the most.

Europeans represent the old world. The world rich in history, art, design, architecture. History takes them back in time from the ancient world , through the medieval times to the monarchy, which is still present, and takes us all the way up until today. When you walk through the European streets often stepping on cable stones, history is in every breath of every step. Many European people lean towards the traditional, luxurious, royal palace look. Luxurious wallpapers, majestic chandeliers, palace looking furniture dominate the decor. With the exception of warm Mediterranean countries, i find Europeans to be very conservative with color. Classic and neutral colors dominate the decor. Below is an examples of European driven decor.

As we cross through Asia we can't help but noticing how the color palette in home decor becomes more and more varied, sophisticated and rich in details. Asian interior design is influenced by Chinese and Japanese designs. Both have long and rich history. Their culture is filled with fairy tales about great warriors and love stories described in the most expressive and colorful language just as their history is.
Dragons, words of wisdom, red and black colors dominate the decor. Japanese are more subdued and their decor tends to be more modern with earthy and natural subjects yet with a punch of yellow.

Sand dunes and camels approach us to Middle East. Similarly as Asians, Arab culture is one of the most ancient. Arab culture carries rich tradition and religion from the past into the present. Favorite stories which were spread from mouth to mouth for generations concentrate on great warriors, great conquers and big achievements. Middle Eastern culture is most resistant to modernism and therefore you will often find typical Middle Eastern traditional decor filled with ornaments, colorful mosaics, golden accents and majestic chandeliers. Close your eyes and picture images from the movie Lawrence of Arabia or Sherezada or One Thousand and One Night and the image in front of your eyes will represent Middle Eastern decor with precision.

If heat is burning your skin you are undoubtedly in Africa. Africa has always been and still is pretty much agricultural in nature and tribal in culture. African people are real artists. Creating objects and decorations is main leasure activity. Therefore jewelry is very creative and full of details, hand crafted objects dominate home decor, wooden arts are varied in shape and color, masks, pottery, sculptures you name them are all a part of home decor. Africans are also the most fierce with color. Any color including the most flamboyant is a fair play when it comes to clothing and decorating.

International design is more varied than that but i do believe they are the main players and the most distinct. When designing for international clients or for ethnical groups bringing a touch of their culture into people's homes makes a house, home. Home filled with warmth, heritage and a personal touch.

Heimtextil 2012 trends

2012-01-27T12:44:00.002-05:00

Heimtextil world exhibition is one of the largest home decor fairs in the world. It is held every year in Frankfurt, Germany. Home Decor manufacturers from all over the world gather together during the second week of January to show case their products, to get updated on the latest trends and to develop business relationships. As per Heimtextil there were about 70 000 visitors. We were represented this year as well and here is a trend report from Heimtextil 2012 world home decor exhibition.

Heimtextil defined 4 distinct 2012 home decor trends. They are: Color Riot, Dark Lux, Craft Industry, Split Clarity.

Color Riot is the mix and match of intensive colors. 'In the new season, rich, fresh shades will act as channels for emotions', explains Claudia Herke of bora.herke.palmisano. To represent this trend i picked the following image below.

Dark Lux is the mixture of rich dark shades with metallic accents as represented below.

Craft Industry is the presence of creative artisan accents and textures as represented below.

Split clarity trend is to play with different illusions of transparency in shapes as well as color effects to create optical illusions.

The Wallpaper section consisted of wall galleries represented by manufacturers from all over the world. As per our V.P of Design his view on the wallpaper trends is : 'Specialty wallpapers such as raised tactile effects plus elements such as metallics, glitter were one of the main themes seen over and over again throughout the fair. From our booth perspective a lot of positive comments came from the fresh tropical blue section. Smaller scale designs were the most sought after designs.' Both our V.P of Design and Heimtextil press release agreed that Wallpaper is back and going strong.

To view our Interior Designer AVL wallpaper selections please visit our website.

All images are the propriety of Mess Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH and are used with permission.

Color of the year 2012

2012-01-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

It is official. According to Pantone, the world's authority on color, color of the year 2012 is orange.

Orange is my top 3 favorit color. I find that this color is often underestimated and dismissed as flamboyant. Just take a look around. Are there many people in the streets wearing orange? Are there any buildings with orange accents in your neighbourhood? Most probably the answer was no and on my humble opinion what a shame.

Color plays an important role in our lives. Even more than we realize. Psychologically speaking, our brain triggers subconscious emotional reactions based on color. Color is widely used in cinematography to convey feelings to the public. There is no doubt color plays an important role in our lives.

There are three color families : cool, warm and monochrome or neutral. Orange belongs to the warm family. It is the color of energy, warmth, change, health. In India orange is sacred (the color saffron). In Japan it represents courage and love. In western culture it is the color of autumn, of harvest and Halloween. For me it is a happy color.

When it is dark, gray and gloomy outside orange or yellow hues can pick you up almost literally. Please follow this link for orange trend decorating ideas from HGTV : http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/color-trends-decorating-with-orange/pictures/index.html.

And here is how a modern condo house looks like with orange details.

And here is a room decorated with AVL orange wallpaper.

Whether you choose to add an orange scarf to your outfit or an orange vase to your decor, join the trend and add some happy emotion into your life in 2012. I think i just created a new resolution.

Luxury goods and recession

2011-12-28T16:04:00.002-05:00

According to extensive journalistic research i have done on the internet, many reputable websites report that despite the economic recession, luxury selling stores post increased profits. The most common explanation is the rich are not affected by the recession as much as the poor. I have a different theory.

The 26th of December is the famous boxing day in North America. I went to buy a pair of quality leather gloves in Holt Renfrew. When i approached the store i was speechless to see the number of people who lined up waiting for the store to open. Holt Renfrew is one of the most expensive chains in Canada selling brands such as Chanel, Dior, Prada and more. They were offering up to 60% off on most of their merchandise, however even after the discount the prices at Holts are nowhere near affordable. I also looked around to see who was lining up and most of the people did not look wealthy to me. Wealthy people don't need to stand hours in line to get a discount. Who were those people and why the luxurious Holts attracted their attention more than Future Shop or Best Buy?

Anyone who has ever studied psychology remembers the Maslow pyramid of human needs. It start at the bottom with physical comfort being the first and self actualisation being the last. The need for luxurious goods would be the combination of the second need from the bottom (aka safety) and esteem which is second from the top. Luxurious goods are better quality than cheaper goods, therefore they serve longer and protect better. Luxurious goods are also a part of the elite group, owing them is a major boost to personal self esteem, a pleasure and an expression of someones creativity. Luxurious goods tend to have out of the ordinary design and more appealing style, therefore they express someones creativity.

My second argument why ordinary average income people covet luxury goods is mere pleasure. Everyone have been deprived by recession in some way and it does not have to be by a loss of income. At the very least more and more people go out less or cut on their grocery bills. During recession businesses cut on working stuff and therefore people work harder, longer hours. It takes more for human being's survival than food and shelter, for many as i have seen during the Boxing Day the retail therapy works like a charm.

During recession people have the tendency to stay at home more and therefore home decor surroundings begin to matter more than ever. What can easily and inexpensively add tremendous style and luxe to your home?

Have you discovered the power of AVL wallpaper? Pictures are worth a thousand words. Lets compare a few before and after photos using our state of the art visualizer.

Here is a dining room BEFORE

Here is the same dining room AFTER

I have seen somewhat similar wall decor in Palais de Versaille in Paris, France

Lets have a look at a more modern luxurious dining room decor

Here is traditionally luxurious dining room wall decor

As you could see sometimes a little decorative touch is all that matters. Whether it is a new lamp, a new carpet or a new wallpaper. It can instantly add glamour to your home at a fraction of the cost. Think my Holts leather gloves to make my whole outfit look expensive :-). Your house might be looking for the same little touch of luxury.

As it is getting colder outside and we tend to stay at home more and more why not make your surroundings more pleasant?

For more decorating ideas visit http://www.avlwallpaper.com/

Chin chin to the New Year with more luxury in our lives.

Wallpaper trends for 2012

2011-12-02T14:35:00.001-05:00

It is almost Christmas and that means 2012 is just around the corner. What is your new years resolution this year? One of mine is to invest more money in my home and less on clothes. Fashion after all is everywhere, it surrounds us and affects our buying choices. As one of my icons Coco Chanel said : 'Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.'

According to Margaret Morgan, Interior Design Examiner, who has interviewed the main players in the wallpaper industry today, there are 6 trends to watch out for in 2012. They are : natural, textures, glam, simplicity, past, traditional with a twist. Lets take a look at them more closely.

The first trend is Natural wallpaper. Natural is everything that relates to nature : animals, forests, trees, flowers.

Here is my pick to represent the natural trend from our AVL designer program. Leopard print is a very hot pick among main street fashionistas. Here is how to incorporate the trend into your living room.

The next trend is Textures. Textured wallpaper has been around for a few years now. We just can't get enough of the real texture feel when we touch the material. Below is my entrance hall pick from the AVL assortment.

The next one in line is Glam, my favorite! Glam is all that glitters. Here is a simplistic modern choice to represent the glam category.

Simplicity in home decor still rules our universe. This trend is the first pick for designers and the main street. As we know it and love : abstracts, geometrical, plain color, simple cuts.

The visit from the Past is the next 2012 wallpaper trend. The Past should not be confused with the traditional. The Past trend represents the return to the mid century housing as well as the 1970s vibe.
I picked the wood to represent the mid century housing. Does it not look great with modern furniture?

The last trend is Traditional with a twist. Damasks, florals and stripes are the representatives of this trend. However it is the twist that takes it out of the ordinary. Below is the Traditional trend with a punch of vibrant color.

Below is my take on the Traditional with a twist. The stripes are traditional, the leopard is the twist. The look is unusual and goes well with the color of the chairs.

How to wallpaper decorate your room in 2012? The sky is the limit. Imagination never goes out of style. After all as my favorite 21 century icon said : 'Fashion fades only style remains the same' (Coco Chanel).

For more styling ideas please visite our AVL website : http://www.avlwallpaper.com/

If you don't have an AVL account with us yet you are welcome to log in as a guest and experience our visualizer. This interactive tool allows you to visualize a wallpaper of your choice in any room.

Happy browsing everyone.

Snap for Christmas

2011-11-24T14:24:00.001-05:00

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow ‘

(by Irvin Berlin , ‘White Christmas’)

No need to dream. This morning I woke up to a porch full of snow and it means Christmas is coming! This year I am going to make sure my place looks like a Christmas wonderland. Well, not quiet, but as most of us I would love to brighten up the gloomy gray days with some Christmas magic. Wouldn’t you?

How am I going to decorate this year? A Christmas tree … yes a must have, miniature Santa Claus… well I will leave it for families with children’s, Christmas lights….. yes to the magic, a wallpaper ………… interesting thought. Not traditional wallpaper, too much work to remove after Christmas. How about Snap? Perfect!

Our Snap wall art comes in a variety of styles to suit any taste and home decor. I am definitely going to use Snap to help creating a festive environment. The best part about this innovative product is they are self-adhesive, repositionable and guaranteed removable. So if you decide to remove them after Christmas, no problem.

Is there somebody on your list who just moved in and don’t quite know how to spice up their plain walls? Snap could also serve as inexpensive but exciting gift.

Have a look at a few Christmas decorating ideas we created. Lets spread the cheer !

Merry Christmas to YOU

XOXOXO

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