A Guide to Green Interior Design

With so much of the country these days working on ways of saving our planet and "going green" it is not surprising that green has found its way into interior design. A building cannot be green on the outside without being on the inside. Energy conservation is a key step to going green so it only seems fitting that the first step to a green interior design is to plan rooms with energy sensitive lighting.

Green interior design can also reflect the energy a home gives off and uses up. You want a home that can be kept thermally comfortable while keeping the energy consumption at a low. Green methods of thermal comfort can include solar heating units, thermostat set backs and good home insulation.

Insulating the home is one of the biggest money savers, and many people don’t realize that going green may also have tax deduction advantages. The approach of insulation can be applied to newer homes as well as older ones. Fine-tuning a green interior can take some work but it can allow you to reduce energy costs without losing design quality.

Additional ways to conserve energy in a home can include covering walls with fabric gathered on a rod at the top and bottom, using closets as buffers on north or west walls, adding a heat lamp to a bathroom to take the chill off on a cold morning, use thermal wallpaper to insulate and using foil wallpaper to reflect heat back into the interior.

Also, using filled bookcases on outside, non-mass walls act as insulation, large decorative rugs, tapestries or fabric wall hangings on outside non-mass walls also add insulation. There are many steps you can take to go green with your interior design. A quick Internet search can give you a lot of ideas.

Feng Shui and Interior Design

Translated to English, Feng Shui roughly means wind-water. Feng Shui is essentially the art of arranging objects to achieve harmony in the surrounding environment. Not only is Feng Shui used in interior design, it is used in choosing a place to live, a burial spot and agricultural planning. It is highly believed that Feng Shui has an effect on health, wealth and personal relationships. Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese practice.

Early Feng Shui interior design relied on astronomy to find the symmetry between humans and the universe. The early Chinese often used the celestial poles determined by the pole stars to determine the north and south. Feng Shui instruments dating back to 278 and 209 BC have been unearthed from tombs.

As practiced today, the goal of Feng Shui is to situate the human designed environment on spots with good qi. Spots are determined by an axis in time. Feng Shui teaches that areas that are not suitable for human settlement should be left in their natural state.

Qi, pronounced Chi, literally means air. In Feng Shui, Qi is the flow of energy and may be based on a form of solar energy. Polarity in feng shui is known as ying and yang. This is the absolute balance between two entities. It is the good and the bad, the living and the dead, and is one of the key principals behind Feng Shui interior design.

Most Westerners knew nothing about Feng Shui until 1972 when Richard Nixon visited The People’s Republic of China. New Age by western entrepreneurs then reinvented Feng Shui. Feng Shui now speaks to the profound role of magic, mystery and order in American life.

A Summary of Modern Interior Design

Modern interior design has come into its own and the distinct look can turn your home into a masterpiece of aesthetic beauty without compromising practicality or function. Modern interior design often refers to mid-century design. Many people mistake modern interior design with contemporary interior design.

In fact, many interior designers borrow elements of 1960’s and 1970’s interior design. But this doesn’t mean your house will be decorated with garish wallpaper and upholstery.

The basics of modern interior design utilize new materials and techniques. The most common installations include metal, blown-glass and concrete. Metal is typically used for accents and fixtures. Many people think that the metal decor just adds coldness to the room, but what it is used for is to enhance the warmth of the nearby items. The metal, glass and concrete create a simplistic design for the modern home.

Blown glass can add a distinctive look to your home. Pieces can be one of a kind and can add warmth and depth as well as color. The pieces can make your modern interior design look stand out. Blown glass can be used in places such as light fixtures, or as creative artistic sculptures. Colored blown glass can fit into any decorating theme so a piece can last through every decorating whim you may have.

Decorative concrete can be finished numerous ways and can add any number of effects. They are used in floors, countertops and furniture. Many homeowners are not aware just how versatile concrete can be in decorating a modern homes interior design.

What is Interior Design?

Interior design is the design of aspects of environmental psychology, architecture and product design.
A person who designs interiors as part of their job is an interior designer. Interior design is the creative practice that redefines the interior of a structure using decor.

There are many aspects and areas of interior design, and a person going to school to learn interior design can specialize in any one of them, the types are only limited by the imagination, willingness, and bank account.
With an open mind you can open yourself to a whole new world.
Interior design can improve quality of life as well as work surroundings. Many businesses that open hire an interior designer in order to make their business more aesthetically pleasing to both employees as well as clients.

Restaurants also use specialized interior designers in order to draw the customer in and make them think they are hungry. Interior design can also be used to make life easier for the elderly and the disabled by incorporating user-friendly aspects into the home or environment.

Interior design elements can be drawn from anywhere and anything. Many people choose an interior design based on region, religion, or simply on their personal taste.

While choosing an interior designer to decorate your home, you will be losing the personal aspect of having a home that feels like your own. There are numerous books and classes available on interior design, so you can familiarize yourself with the aspects of interior design and have a home you can be proud of.

Top Interior Design Trends

Over the years, many looks have come and gone in home interior design. The numbers of trends are endless and people love to combine old and new trends in order to adapt their look to match their personalities. But there are some popular trends that keep popping up and staying with our modern society.
The number one hot interior design trend is the French Neo-classical. It is a look that mixes the style of old money with Hollywood regency. The style focuses on restraint along with low-key finishes and architectural delineation.

A new look we can’t get away from is the Shanghai Modern. It is a Chinese modern design. It incorporates the classical curves of Asian furniture with fretwork patterns, koi and foo dogs, using them as a sort of pop art.

Another hot trend is called the Enchanted Forest. As the name illustrates, this is a more whimsical look and is probably not for everybody.This style is very tongue in cheek, using wood grain prints, antlers and antler accessories, trophy mount heads and gnome-like creatures all over the home.

A popular look that will continually stay a classic is the Americana look. This look takes objects from pre Revolutionary styles and brings them in the modern home.
This is a wider range of interior design, covering decor from the 1770’s through the 20th century. The main focus is on red, white, and blue.

These are just a few of the popular trends that we go on to see combined into living spaces as well as businesses. But in no way are these the only ways to embellish your home. The range is broad and only confined by your imagination.

An Introduction to Zen and Interior Design

If you want to redesign your home into the Zen style, there are key areas to start. Zen interior design usually brings to mind scenes of peace and tranquility, a link with nature and a minimalist Japanese style.

Clutter and loud colors are not used, neither are complex patterns, excess furniture or lots of ornaments. Zen actually isn’t even a style at all. It is best described as a pure state of being. Many people think Zen is associated with the Japanese, but its actual origin is from China. Zen can be described as a branch of Buddhism that focuses on meditation to gain enlightenment.

Zen is about inner awareness and true awakening of the pure Buddha mind. Creating a Zen style in your home can be easy. The mind must be brought into the correct state of mind. The focus is on the here and now, calmness, stillness and on just being there.

The first step is to go through each room and clear the clutter. Move out ornaments and knick-knacks.
In Zen, it is important to clear the clutter in order to clear the mind. Be brutal when going through your items. What you decide to keep should serve a purpose. If you don’t have the heart to get rid of something, store it
away out of sight.

Also, rid your home of any extra pieces of furniture. This means walls, ceilings, and floors also. Anything
elaborate or fussy is not Zen.Then it is time to think about color. Colors should be soothing and calm, not loud or bold.

Interior Design On A Budget

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