contemporary interior design Archives

Posted on October 30, 2016November 1, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

TheMART, an Inspirational Design Center

We recently wrote about innovative co-working and maker spaces, and the impact they can make not only to boost creativity but with added benefits to health and wellbeing.

Today we expand on the theme, with focus on theMart, the world’s largest commercial building and design center, a truly inspiring center for design professionals and customers alike.

The Merchandise Mart on the Chicago River photo@Mike Boehmer, Flickr

This art deco building has been an icon in Chicago’s history since the 1930s. It still remains a landmark hub for design, innovation and business, and the impact it has made on the surrounding area, with resulting buzz and connectivity for the community around the Chicago river, can not be underestimated.

TheMART building Chicago Photo credi:pixabay — TheMART building Chicago Photo credit:Pixabay

Developed by Marshall Field & Co to create a central marketplace where retailers could come to buy their wares all under one roof.

Sitting across two city blocks, and with twenty-five storeys of innovation and culture, it is visited by an incredible 25,000 people each day.

Its Design Center, across four floors, is home to hundreds of tenants and offers a space for leading manufacturers with over 115 showrooms, showcasing over 2,500 products.

TheMART also serves as a business hub for interior designers, architects, contractors, business owners and buyers, as well as hosting several trade and consumer conferences and events each year.

Vornado Reality Trust and New York-based A+I unveil transformative renovations. Photo source: Huffington Post/Building Design — Vornado Reality Trust and New York-based A+I worked recently on some stunning architecture renovations for the building. Photo source: Huffington Post

With such an amazing choice of luxury and contemporary design on offer, we’ve space today to highlight just one of the amazing showrooms within theMART.

Cia Mooney at theMART photo:ciamooney.com — Brayton showroom, Cia Mooney (designed with Robert Leonetti) at theMART photo:ciamooney.com

We particularly like this approach of industrial designer, Cia Mooney, who worked with the design team at Brayton to create this showroom. Using a limited budget, it still creates a huge impact with the space allowing the craftmanship of Brayton’s upholstered and wood framed furniture to take central stage.

Which designer wouldn’t love the opportunity to be included in such an innovative and creative design center?

Sources

TheMart.com

Designcenter.com

Huffington Post.com/amanda schneider

Business of Furniture

Ciamooney.com

Posted on March 17, 2016March 17, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

How to use Emerald Green in Interior Design

Colour has a way of creating a certain mood. With many shades and tones to choose from, green is versatile and ideal for creating an energetic interior. Seen vastly in nature, it has a way of rejuvenating a space and evoking a sense of peace and harmony.

If you’re looking for a colour which communicates elegance and luxury, a rich emerald green is perfect. To celebrate St Patrick’s Day, we’ll take a look at a few rooms for inspiration.

The beauty of using emerald green is the way it works so well with other colours. Here the jewel toned wall colour and armchair are paired with Dixon’s gold pendants. Introducing natural materials in brown is the perfect addition to warm up this earthy scheme.

Source: Dwell

When combined with other neutral colours like grey, emerald green creates a sophisticated environment. I like how the plants and furniture add subtle yet classy pops of colour to the overall look.

Source: Casa Vogue

This wild card showcases a luxurious green feature piece juxtaposed with interesting patterns to complement. The natural theme continues with the accessories well positioned on the shelf. If you like to mix patterns, why not go all out?

Source: Arts and Classy

Like the look of emerald green? How can you inject this beautiful colour into your decorating this spring? Let us know.

Posted on March 8, 2016March 8, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

Japanese Interior Design inspiration

The Japanese are well known for incorporating rich cultural traditions into contemporary spaces. Simple lines and muted colours typically characterise their interior design.

Today on the blog, we share two Japanese interior designs which caught our eye. There are some key design elements in the designs to give particular attention to.

Introduce outdoor elements with natural materials and greenery

Low seating with the addition of large floor cushions creates an authentic Japanese feel in this restaurant. It also incorporates furniture made from natural materials which is popular in Japanese interior design. Wood, bamboo, silk are common for creating harmony and bringing in nature. You can’t go wrong with indoor plants too.

Japanese interior design embraces the use of soft lighting. Light is concealed if possible or dimmed. This restaurant design uses lighting which is dimmed or seeps through. We like the use of ambient lighting and task lighting focused on the display of Japanese-style bowls.

Another element of Japanese interior design is creating a sense of privacy even in an open plan space, Without doubt, most of us are familiar with the screens typically seen in traditional Japanese homes.

Say hello to minimalism for clean refreshing spaces

With the belief that all clutter is tossed aside in place of a simple life, Japanese interiors are usually simple and minimalist in nature. It is refreshing to see how this Tokyo baby café uses this to its advantage.

White minimalism is the key feature in the interior of the cafe. The simplicity of the design provides a tranquil environment. Designed by Japanese designer, Nendo, the café’s absolutely huge and absolutely tiny furnishings give both adults and kids two different perspectives.

What elements of Japanese interior design could you infuse into your interior space?

Sources

Retail Design Blog

Design Boom

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

Easy ways to add texture to your decor

There’s just something about the colder months that makes us want to hibernate at home for months. We don’t have that luxury and need to get out and about to make a living. The least we can do is to make our homes as cosy as possible for those anticipated relaxing days. Adding texture in your décor is one way of doing it. We share three useful tips to get you motivated. They’re super simple.

Create an organic look

It is startling the difference plants and flowers can make to a living space. Perfect for a minimalist or cosy look, you can create a fresh, organic look in your home. Lush greenery teamed with woven textures is a natural combination bound to work. You can even go big and over-sized like this example here. Smaller plants are perfect accents for your coffee table or the top of a chest of drawers.

Add textiles for an instant update

We can’t talk about texture without mentioning our trusted favourites. Cushions, blankets, throws make it so easy to instantly create texture in your décor. Whether it’s a fluffy cushion or a cosy blanket, you can amp the cosy factor. You can introduce them in any room to give a relaxed look. Neutral coloured textiles work very well with most decorating schemes. For those who want added visual interest in a neutral scheme, use textiles with attention-grabbing designs.

Keep it simple with accessories

Thanks to the myriad of options available to us, accessorising our homes is so much easier. Providing function and beauty at the same time, wake up your room with textured pieces. Woven storage baskets for your throws in the lounge or towels in the bathroom. Mug warmers in the kitchen. Distressed wooden candle holders, you name it. Accessories are a sure-fire way to inject much needed texture into your home like a professional.

What will you do to add texture to your home this week? Share your ideas with us.

Image sources

The Everygirl

Brown Design Inc

The Ultralinx

Live Love in the Home

Keep

Nordic House

Funksjonelt

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

Clever ways to repurpose your old furniture

We all have those items in our homes. The ones we’ve had for donkey years. We don’t want to get rid of them but we don’t know what to do with them. Or sometimes it is furniture we’ve salvaged from a recent home renovation project.

Instead of taking them to the skip, why not give them a new lease of life? We’ve handpicked three clever ways to repurpose your old furniture into a new useful addition to your home.

Windows as a Coffee Table

If you’d love to reuse that old window you removed recently but can’t think of how, try this. Make it the top for a new coffee table. Like this one we found, they’ve upcycled a few pallets to create this industrial-style coffee table. Upcycling is sustainable and also rewarding.

Repurpose an old credenza

Turn your old mid-century credenza into a new statement piece for your home. Although a bit bulky and definitely requiring knowledge of a thing or two on woodwork, you can breathe new life into your old treasure. This salvaged credenza was stripped, sanded, filled, designed and painted. A good amount of work went into it but it is a beauty to behold. The new designs also add the fun factor.

Step up your décor literally

Not often do you get a ladder take centre stage in the home, talk less of in the bedroom. It can be done with a bit of creativity and vision. Make your bedside more interesting by repurposing an old leaning ladder. This example is perfect for book storage and even holds a spot for the lamp.

When wanting to repurpose furniture, the options are endless. You can turn old furniture into extra seating, new display units and even wall art. Inject personality and sustainability into your home by taking on a few new projects, or maybe one to start with.

Fill us in on your upcycling projects. We’d love to see your photos.

Image sources

DIY Network

Apartment 34

Dream Home Style

Posted on January 21, 2016January 21, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

New year, new look: Accessorize with style

Taking on a renovation project to achieve your dream home may not be feasible right now. But going for a simple makeover may be the perfect practical alternative. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are fool-proof ways to instantly update your home.

Let the photos do the talking

Still have the same old photos on the wall? Unframed or framed, curated photos will instantly create a personalised area you’ll be proud of. Create a gallery wall to display new memories, maybe even those from the Christmas season.

Amp up your furnishings

By all means, inject some colour and texture into your living room with new cushions. Go with interesting designs and patterns to create visual impact.

Add some surprise elements

We often fall into the trap of making our decor too harmonious, there’s no interest. Pick out new unique bar stools or a provocative piece of art that will impress. An unexpected colour on a piece of furniture or vase can also make such a big difference.

Breathe life into furniture

Give your treasured dresser or bedside cabinet a new lease of life. Don’t be afraid to change its colour or fittings. Swapping those wardrobe handles or cabinet knobs for some new shiny ones can be a big game-changer. Good thing is they’re very easy to replace.

These ideas are simple and easy to achieve. What will you do this week to accessorize your home with style?

Image source: Arkpad

Posted on January 19, 2016January 19, 2016 by Moody Monday Media

Snowy mountainside inspires colourful retail store design

Grey skies all around, craving some colourful inspiration is expected at this time of year. The colourful design of this frozen yoghurt store is quite refreshing even for the most neutral design advocate.

The design is clean with its simple white backdrop allowing the colours to shine through. The attention to detail is commendable. Notice the cone-shaped pendant lamps, white swings and seating. Everything about this store design screams playful and delightful.

It’s like taking a mental trip to a “Skittles” version of the mountainside if it existed. The use of beautiful secondary colours creates a high contrast scheme. The abstract trees smartly placed around the store also break up the space into distinct areas. A perfect combination of aesthetic and functional roles.

We’ve had our colour dose for the day. Now what colourful addition will you make to your space this week?

For more colourful inspiration, also check out these luxury hotels with some serious colour.

Story via Contemporist

Posted on June 24, 2015June 13, 2015 by Moody Monday Media

3 Ways to Use Mosaic in Interior Design

Dating back to the 3rd millennium BC, mosaic is a technique of decorative art or interior decoration. Most mosaics works are made of small, flat, roughly square, pieces of stone or glass of different colours, known as tesserae; but some, especially floor mosaics, may also be made of small rounded pieces of stone, and called pebble mosaics.

Yet as ancient as this technique may be, mosaics can be used to create modern and luxurious interiors as well. Below we present 3 ways of using mosaic in contemporary interior spaces.

1. Mosaic walls

Due to this technique entailing the use of many small pieces to create patters, it is sometimes recommended to use this decorative style on small areas, creating accent walls:

Depending on the space, mosaics can also be used to cover large wall surfaces, especially in rooms that do not typically have lots of furniture or accessories, such as hallway or waiting areas: Blog-2-large-mosaic-walls

2. Moroccan mosaics

Use this style if you’re going for a bright, lively look for your space. Do keep in mind that due to the use of rich patterns and contrasts specific to this particular design, you should use less bold accessories in the interior, to create a visually balanced space: Blog-3-moroccan-mosaic

3. Mosaic accessories and surfaces

Not surprisingly, the mosaic look has been adopted in the creation of diverse home surfaces and accessories, such as tables, lamps, candle holders, coasters, etc. And it works great, as these items add liveliness and colour to the interiors. A few of our favourite examples include:

If you thought mosaics are old fashioned and out dated, we hope this blog post has helped prove the opposite. We think that, used tastefully, mosaic accent walls can add that extra dash of uniqueness to an interior, in a new, contemporary and modern interpretation.

Tag: contemporary interior design