home fashion inspiration April 2014 a smart workspace anywhere you need it the enlightened home 7 ways to bring in the light how to choose and use bold wall colors
Did you know? Over two thirds of us want a home office, work space or family computing center in our homes, according to a recent Better Homes & Garden survey. create a smart space...anywhere! Get connected and organized in style whatever size your space. A dedicated work or computing space is a smart idea and something a lot of us wish we had! But if your home isn t blessed with a dedicated office area or workroom, don t despair. Creating a central area for working (or just a place to store your printer and recharging equipment) is easier than ever, even in a small space. Sturdy and stylish, the modular Trishelle offers spacesaving practicality in a dark espresso finish. Wireless communication and smaller devices let us work anywhere in our home and thankfully that means no longer modeling workspaces after office-style interiors! Today s workspace furniture offers more compact sizing, more clever features and more stylish looks that integrate beautifully with the other furniture in your home. 5places to create a workspace If you re still balancing your lap top computer on your knees or stashing paperwork between couch cushions, there s a better way. As these examples reveal, compact work furniture that s also stylish can go anywhere. So don t let a small home deter you from creating a central space for working, or just for storing, organizing and recharging your work supplies! 2 www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com BEHIND THE SOFA. If you ve got room to pull your sofa away from the wall (or float it in the room), place a long, narrow sofa table behind it and pull up a chair. An extra dining chair works (and looks) great! Voila, you ve got a place to work and watch TV! Rustic Accents IN THE CORNER. It s usually a dead space and one of the most underused spaces in a room. Transform it into a compact workspace with a corner-shaped desk. Need extra storage? Add bookshelves on either side. Trishelle
compact home office solutions... Baraga Perfect for tight spaces, this corner configuration is stylish and practical. A white metal base, sleek frosted glass desk top and a rolling storage pedestal are perfect for the modernist! Devrik Be style-savvy with a smart storage writing desk and matching swivel chair. Add a stylish bookcase for stashing everything from books to bins or bunch two or more together for a stylish library wall! Casual styling makes this workspace furniture at home in any room! Burkesville Forget double pedestal desks and credenzas. This 4-piece workspace feels fresh and smart with a great x-base trestle desk, handsome swivel chair, storage-and-printer cabinet and bookcase all in a warm, vintage casual styling. IN A CLOSET OR HALLWAY. The tighter your space, the more you ll need to use the wall for storage, too. This clever desk (with equally clever hutch for storage) works wonders fitting into as little as a four foot stretch of wall. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. Nothing beats workplace clutter like a secretary-style desk. This nifty piece needs just a three foot stretch of wall, but packs in a pull-down desk, file storage, pull-out printer tray and more. UNDER YOUR TV. The perfect choice for lap top users who won t work anywhere but their sofa (but need a place to store and recharge their equipment). This clever console will hold a big-screen TV and printer, and keep cords hidden! Theo Hamlyn Carlyle April 2014 TrendWatch 3
7 ways to lighten up your home A home diffused with light feels healthy and bright. It also promises a spring-like freshness all year long. White and light off-white colors simulate the color of daylight itself. So it s no wonder these enlightened hues offer so many benefits to mind and body... promoting a clean, fresh and youthful outlook. Light-colored rooms offer the same powerful benefits. They bring the outdoors in, simulating peaceful daylight, cutting visual clutter, expanding our space and uplifting our spirits. And they re versatile, too able to inspire coastal, modern or vintage-style interiors. While a wall of windows may be the easiest way to flood a room with white light, it s not the only way. Use any one (or more) of these ideas to let in the light! white it out What s the easiest way to lighten up a room? Add white, of course! From all-white furnishings to white-infused wall paint colors, the color of daylight itself increases the amount of light in a room better than any other color. Matrix-Ivory Accent Chair Burkesville Dining Chair & Porter Table White Walls Maximize light infusion by painting your walls white, or a color close to it. White Furniture & Accents They instantly brighten a room. But remember stark whites are attentionseekers! Pair them with another strong color like dark brown or black. Pluma Riya 4 www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com
Floating Furniture Furniture with air underneath it furniture that literally floats on a pedestal base or tall legs makes it (and the room) a room feel light and spacious - even in a dark color. Daryl Dining Chair stream your lines Svelte, clean-lined furniture instantly lightens the look of a room. Thin proportions, tall legs, pedestal bases and the absence of busy detail creates a lightweight, unencumbered look that s easy on the eyes and mind! Barcello White Chair Modern Shapes To amplify the light-enhancing look of your room, choose clean-lined furniture that s also light in color. It s a win-win helping you breathe easier and reducing visual clutter. Jansey Bedroom Collection be transparent It s a designer trick, and it works every time! A layer of glass on the edges, tops, or sides of furniture makes it look lighter in weight and size so it seems to disappear. Glass surfaces also let us see through the furniture so we see beyond it opening up our view instead of blocking it. Like windows on a wall, windows on furniture make the room seem bigger and brighter. Reece Aqua-Colored Glass Blue-green accents replicate ocean waters creating a vast, spacious feeling! Baraga Dining Table & Chairs Glass-Top Tables They re chic and sexy befitting a glamorous, sky-lit penthouse suite. Sleek Metals Pair glass table tops and shelves with lightcolored metal legs or accents; it ll lighten your room even more. Baraga Home Office April 2014 TrendWatch 5
step white up When white and off-whites are paired with darkcolored accents, their airy quality takes on an elegant, chic quality! For an extra stylish look, use dark colors that are neutral rather than colorful. let lightening strike If white seems too stark on its own, use it as a striking accent or to highlight a dramatic design. A Dark Accent Light-colored furniture gets all glam d up when teamed up with a dark accent. Such a dramatic mix of white-and-black (or ivory-and-chocolate) creates a black-tie vibe that s all dressed up and thoroughly urban! Trishelle Dining Table & Chairs Alice Wall Art Aeryn Wall Art Strike It Light Artwork with light edges or a light background feels weightless and airy especially on a simple canvas without a frame. make it a shore thing There s a reason we love spending time by the sea; the light is pure, clean, vast and healing. Inspire your own lighthouse effect with weathered whites on timeworn shapes. Ballari Linen Sofa & Lov Piroska Bedroom Collection Let In The Light Maximize natural daylight from windows with light-colored curtains or minimally covered windows. Lightcolored cotton, sheers or simple blinds are the perfect choice. Burke Slipc Weathered Whites Slip-covered beds and a linen-like cover a t white-washed finish. T time-worn whites add and light to a shore-st Prentice Bedroom Collection 6 www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com
stay neutral A daylight-infused room doesn t have to be white. Off-whites and neutral colors are effective, too especially when they re used on their own, rather than combined with brighter colors. Carlyle Gray Comforter Set Striking white accents on these bed linens and rug lighten this bedroom s mood. Martini Suite Panel Bed w/storage Variations On A Theme Neutral schemes need a range of dark and light tones to work. For the airiest quality, use light tones on the largest areas. Earthy Elements A nubby rug, textured art and branches add needed texture in a light-colored room. They also bring in a nature vibe that enhances light-reflective surfaces. Candiac Bedroom Collection eseat sville overed Bed chairs in able in a extured, warmth yle room. Light On Light When walls, windows and large furniture are light in color, a room feels weightless and airy. It also invites colorful beach- and tropical-inspired accents! Whitesburg Dining Set Max Chamois Reclining Sofa Add Some Cool Want to mix warm and cool neutral colors? Not easy, but not impossible. Just choose artwork, toss pillows or a rug that contain both the warm and cool tones in the room. Left, the rug ties together the warm sofa and cool wall. April 2014 TrendWatch 7
Q & A how do I use a bold wall color? Are there tips for choosing bold wall colors and making them work? We re re-painting our living room walls and want to try a stronger color. Gunter - Brilliant White Sectional Hi Camilla Camilla Calgary, Alberta The great thing about a bold color is that it doesn t cost any more than gray or beige. It ll also give your room a new look (and a lot of personality) faster than anything else! But bold colors need to be picked carefully; their energy and message needs to work with the rest of the room, including the furniture. Here are five ways to make that happen! Know the effect you want to create. A bold color does more than add color. It creates a distinct mood and energy level that needs to match your own. As an example, Pantone s 2014 Color of the Year Radiant Orchard (see photo, left), is playful, youthful and confident. A deep crimson hue, on the other hand, would feel historic and timeless; while a warm tomato hue would feel casual and relaxed. Match your wall color to the style of your furniture. In the photo, Radiant Orchard works beautifully with the contemporary furniture because they both share a fresh, bold and youthful vibe. With traditional furniture, hues such as scarlet or burgundy would be a better choice; with rustic furniture, tomato or terracotta hues. Keep the furniture neutral in color. Very bright wall colors can be moderated with colors that don t compete for attention. But repeat bold or strong colors in accents such as pillows, rugs and artwork. With Radiant Orchard, wasabi green and plum hues were great choices. Add extra lighting. Bold colors reduce the effect of natural and artificial lighting in a room, creating a cozy but noticeably darker effect. Keep lamp shades light or add additional sources of light. Got a question you d like answered in this column? Submit it at: DesignQA@Ashleyfurniture.com Keep scale in mind. In a bold-colored room, sofas and chairs often end up being lighter than the walls making them appear larger than they are. If your furniture will be lighter than the walls and space is tight, choose smaller pieces. 8 www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com