Modern Melbourne Home

Robson Rak Architects is fast becoming another Australian architecture firm that I am regularly admiring (see this previous post of another stunning Melbourne house they worked on).
This time, they collaborated on this residential renovation and extension with interior designer, Susie Cohen of Made by Cohen. This modern home is in the line up for Houses Award 2014 and was in the  Residential Design short list for Australian Interior Design Awards 2014. It is not hard to see why. Read and see more here.

Photographs by Shannon McGrath via yellowtrace.

Living Well with Traditional and Modern

Claudio Luti and Maria Castelli

I have been working with a client who has a traditional home and at present we are adding new pieces of daring modern furnishings to create a more interesting and eclectic interior. I was glad to come across this Italian home of Claudio Luti and his wife, Maria Castelli as it is a great example of what we are trying to achieve. Luti is the chairman and owner of Italian furniture company, Kartell so naturally pieces from this innovative brand are scattered throughout the home. These interiors demonstrate how taking the bold step to mix influences can be so successful and stylish.

Violet velvet Pop chairs by Piero Lissoni sit in the library

Kartell T-tables by Patricia Urquiola and a Bourgie lamp by Ferrucio Laviani are part of the mix in this living area

A Mr Impossible chair, Cindy lamp and Combak chair sit well in this traditional setting.

This desk from late 17th century is paired with Combak chairs by Patricia Urquiola and Taj lamp by Ferruccio Laviani.

Masters chairs designed by Phillipe Starck with Eugeni Quitllet



EroS chair in front of a Max table and Mobil drawers

Masters chairs and La Boheme stools are scattered throughout the garden

Photographs by Giorgio Possenti via CasaVogue

Modern Hotel Interior Design

The moment you step into a hotel you get a feel how the place is going to be and how much you are going to love being there. And this feeling might be quite different from what you got by seeing the hotel from outside or in a photograph. It is the way in which the interiors are drawn that gives you positive or negative vibrations about a place. And hotels are no exception to this rule.

Have you ever felt like coming back to a hotel just because it makes you feel at home? If your answer is yes, then you know what makes it so special. It could be that special sight from the balcony of your favorite room, like a sunrise or a river crossing. Otherwise, it could be just a cozy and secure feeling evoked by its subtle decor. Whichever be the reason, it is all associated with something within the room or about the room. And when it comes to a hotel room, the only factor that helps the guests to judge the quality and character of the hotel is the way in which its interiors are designed. This is because guests stay only for a day or two and all they get to know is what they see and feel. If you are a hotel owner you would have experienced it. No matter how dedicated your services are, you won't be able to keep the guests coming back if you have a shabbily maintained interior.

The interior designing service for a hotel is not just limited to what you see within the doors of your hotel rooms. It covers the entire hotel including its lobby and lawn. The designers are responsible for developing a unique theme for the hotel through unique styles and decors. They should synchronize the designs and patterns in every material used within the hotel. This includes walls, drapes, furniture, cushions, towels, paintings, show lamps, fans, flowers, carpets, table clothes, phones, clocks and washroom accessories. Every object used inside and outside of the room should be customized to suit the overall theme of the hotel's interior.

The interior designing for hotels requires more skill and expertise than designing a home. Hotel interiors are subject to frequent alterations and renovations. Hence, while planning the designs, a designer should anticipate and make provision for future replacements or enhancements without much difficulty.

Three important things that are vital for any kind of hotel interior designing are good lighting, proper spacing, and unquestionable tidiness. Lighting should be a soothing blend of natural and artificial illumination. Spacing and neatness offers more comfort and homeliness.

The best interior designs need not be the most expensive ones. They can be termed as best for the mere reason that people love it and they feel comfortable and contented by their looks and aesthetic appeal. Generally, people like simple and natural looking interiors rather than flashy or gaudy ones because uncomplicated and sober settings encourage a reclining sensation.

Modern Homes Interior Decorating Ideas

The selection of home decorating style is entirely a personal decision, as well as being very important because it will recreate the atmosphere and comfort that we are seeking to be at our home.

The interior design of modern houses is a great inspiration for those who are planning to potentiate the comfort of space to enjoy their stay to the end of the day.

The modern home interior designs are characterized by having clean areas, with few details and vivid colors but that in turn plays a lot with textures. Most people prefer minimalist style for this type of decoration.

How to Decorate Modern Homes

Choose colors

If you want to choose colors in a palette, you will need to learn and to read a color chart of paint, that way it will be easier to choose and combine the colors with which you want to paint the walls.

If you are one of those people who felt that all white walls are cold and sterile, it is well that you combine with pastel colors and maybe you can compare with other furniture colors.

Materials and accessories for decoration

Often the word clean has minimalist deal with the decoration of the house and also electronic accessories such as stereos or televisions, as they have to bring in space.

On the other hand, there can be granite floors or linoleum, if you have any other option but avoid similar that can choose to use cover with rugs or blankets.

Also in the kitchen decor e.g., interior modernity has come hand in hand with stainless steel or chrome. These materials can also be used in faucets or pipes of the bathrooms.

Modern furniture

In the interior of modern homes, the choice of furniture is a very important issue. One option is to get chairs, sofas and tables of sleek and clean (i.e., sober colors and designs that create a feeling of more space), something bold yet sophisticated.

It is common in this modern decor that used furniture of angular shapes, so you can place that you like but try not to place more because in this decoration "less is more".

Lighting tips

You can choose to place high lamps or lighting with dichroic lamps in the ceiling. It will help you if you have modern decor with large windows that contain spaces. If so, select blinds or simple woven plastic and avoids the traditional curtains.

Modern Kitchen Interior Designs

A relaxing afternoon spent dining with your family in the breakfast nook of your newly-decorated kitchen presents a beautifully vivid image of leisure and fun social activity. We need a few more of these images to fill our lives within this seemingly impersonal and highly urbanized society. Modern kitchen designs are promoting this idea of open planning to accommodate an easy and accessible social setting that will induce people to spend more time in the kitchen and enjoy the company of people that occupy their lives. The designs are set in a more interactive mode and the elements tend to be more attractive to persuade people to relax and stay.

Kitchens nowadays not only deal with food preparation but they have expanded their function into more social and interactive activities such as dining and entertaining. They have bar counters incorporated in their designs to provide extra dining space and conversation area for the people who frequent the kitchen. The styles vary from traditional tavern-like ones that reveal a more formal setting, contemporary ones with tiled top surfaces and framed glass cabinet faces beneath, to very sleek and modern ones that only have granite or similar surfaces and stainless steel tubular vertical support. The breakfast nooks are even more adventurous in their designs with amazing sculpture-like dining chairs and elegant pedestal tables. Most breakfast nooks are permanently situated near a window or a large corner of the kitchen. They either use window seats for the built-in chairs or customized seats that are attached to the walls. The loose chairs usually have matching fabric upholstery as that of the built-in seats and the table design complements the chairs so as to appear as a cohesive and unified dining area.

Modern kitchen design still has room for improvement. Newly discovered materials that are more durable and long-lasting are gaining popularity. Some of them are quite expensive yet but only because they cater to an exclusive clientele. Less costly materials that will replicate these materials will soon reach the market. As the demand for more modern materials grows, it can be expected that higher quality kitchen design materials will become for affordable for the average homeowner. Home stores and showrooms are the primary source for materials for kitchen design, but the internet is also pushing forward for a wider audience which equates to more people being able to find the products they want. Every possibility for change and enhancements is being looked into so that kitchen layouts and designs will be easier to plan, construct and achieve in the future.

Modern Restaurant Interior Designs

The first thing you love about your favorite restaurant is food. Similarly, the first thing you notice about your restaurant is the quality of its interior. Restaurant interior designing is not so comprehensive like hotel interior designing. Restaurant is a smaller place and requires fewer arrangements. However, the extent of beautification depends on the choice of the owner and the size of the business.

Having said that, the fact is restaurants require more catchy designs than hotels. Restaurants need to attract new people who might be strangers, travelers or tourists. When it comes to hotels, people give more importance to reputation and hear says. They look at the rates per day and service charges. Food becomes a secondary priority. However, this is not the case when it comes to choosing a restaurant. Most of the time, the decision to enter a restaurant is made on the spur of a moment. There is no definite reason for this decision. It is the general feeling they get by looking at the place that instantaneously encourages them to take a look inside. Another reason that stresses the role of interior designing in the working of a restaurant is the competition in this business. You go to any city or town you will find a couple of restaurants in every lane. So the chances of a person stepping inside your restaurant are more if you have maintained a unique and attractive interior. Uniqueness is the key factor that can provoke a person to choose your place over others. Your restaurant should be one of its kinds. And for that you must plan a different theme and style for your interiors.

If you are running a small restaurant, you can try and fix the place yourself. You can check out on the internet for some of the latest styles and ideas. You will be getting great tips and reading stuffs on interior designing. You can even buy materials online for embellishing your place. You can get the fabrics, menu cards and paintings designed by online artists. You can arrange things from different places and put it all together on your own. However, if you are running a grand restaurant, then you better get some help for its designing. If you are not good with decoration and designing stuffs, appoint a reputed interior designer who has considerable experience in designing hotels and restaurants before. Before selecting your designer you should check out his/her past works. You should personally visit the restaurants or hotels designed by him/her. Compare the prices offered by different designers. Discuss your needs with them while considering their inputs.

The interior of a restaurant should be designed in such a way that it reflects the essence of the city or town in which it is located. The kind of food offered in the restaurant can also influence the interior designs. For instance, if it is a restaurant offering cuisines belonging to a particular foreign country, then its interior and decor should represent the spirit of that country.

Modern Home Interior Design

If you want a house with chic, clean lines and a fresh, updated feel, you will probably enjoy the look of an ultra-modern home interior design. The primary benefit of this type of design is that it offers a wide variety of choices when it comes to colors, fabrics and decorations that you can use, making it easy for you to come up with an overall look that is truly your own.

The trademark look of modern home interior design is that of class and elegance without the frills and extravagance that designs of previous decades are known for. On the contrary, the furniture and architecture used in modern home interior design are very simple, to the point of being quite minimalist. The colors are very solid as well, and the shapes are mostly geometrical. Intricate designs and lavishly ornamental pieces are very rarely, if ever, found in modern home interior design.

A Contemporary Look

Most of the appliances and furniture used in modern design are made from a combination of stainless steel, glass, plastic and leather, making for a very contemporary look. However, wood elements are also a nice addition to any modern room. The rich, dark tones of walnut and mahogany can soften the atmosphere in the area and they complement the coldness of metal and other modern materials.

Speaking of metal, no modern home interior design is complete without its share of metallic elements. Stainless steel in undoubtedly the most popular choice today, perhaps because of the relatively low cost, but there are also other metals that work effectively in a modern environment. Brushed nickel cabinet handles and chrome floor lamps for instance, are always excellent highlights. In general, any metal that is sleek and shiny will be a perfect fit in any modern home.

Modern Theme Color

Color is another important factor that one should consider when designing a room or a home with a modern theme. A lot of people think that neutral colors are the best choice when it comes to modern design, but this doesn't always have to be the case. You can stick with a beige or gray wall but you can offset the coldness of this hue by bringing in a deep red couch or adding royal blue drapes to your windows. These colors will not take away from the modern look of the room at all, but they can certainly add much-needed drama to the area.

The best thing about modern home interior design is that it is so easy to maintain and so comfortable to live in. This is probably the reason why millions of people prefer this kind of design today.

Modern Home Design

A great way to update the look of your home and make any room in your home more aesthetically pleasing to the eye is to choose some Modern Home Design. Modern Home Design is generally items that have a nice clean look, with simple lines and very intricate detail. Many people love to use Modern Home Design in their living room or their family room. Modern Home Design is aimed to keep things looking simple.

You can add accessories such as a modern looking rug to put under the coffee table or end table. Other great touches you can add are modern looking lamps. As with the living room you can choose a unique rug to put in your bedroom.