The Olympics in Beijing probably made most of us a bit more interested in Chinese culture - be it the food, traditions, Feng Shui or decoration. If it’s the Chinese decoration that caught your imagination, here are a few tips and ideas as to how achieve the look easily and cheaply..

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As I wrote in the previous article, gloss and lacquered finishes are yet again fashionable. However, you don’t need to replace all your furniture, with a bit of imagination you can update your home to shine!

If you’re happy with the wall colors, just add a shimmery or pearly  layer of varnish or glaze over the existing paint. If you want to change the color scheme, choose  seductive yet subdued colors, such as chocolate, coffee-latte, caramel, ivory, sage, pink, mauve, taupe - either in a gloss finish, or add a top layer of transparent shiny glaze. Wallpapers are also back - big time. But don’t cover all walls, just a feature wall in a textured, glamorous and shiny or metallic finish. Look out for bronze and gold - these two metallic finishes are taking over from silver & chrome.

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After a period of matt finishes being the trend, gloss is back and it’s everywhere - on walls, walls, furniture and ornaments.  This new trend was started by the nostalgic inspiration of Art deco and Hollywood Glamour of the twenties and thirties, but now every modern chic interior has to shimmer by glossy surfaces.

Applying a high-gloss finish to surfaces started in the kitchen. Over the last year or so we have seen a shift from using dark wood veneer to lacquered glossy surfaces.  Kitchen doors have become shiny - black, red & white - and these are combined with mirrored, metallic or coloured glass tiles and splash-backs.  Even Ikea has brought out their Abstract range in these high-gloss finishes, which are hugely successful worldwide..

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For the last couple of years two approaches have been dominating bathroom design & decoration - the modern and the natural.

The modern bathroom is about high-tech gadgets and finishes. This look is defined by walk-in showers with frameless glass panels or a wet-room;  wall-mounted taps; wall-mounted TV; mood-lighting systems; steam enclosures; chrome, glass and ceramic finishes and so on.  However, lots of people now find this look very cold and clinical and choose another style when they remodel their bathroom..

This is a preview, read Bathroom Decor Trends in full.

We are living in smaller homes than we used to, yet we need to accommodate more stuff than ever before. In our previous article on decorating small spaces, we wrote about some of the basic rules of designing small rooms. If you’ve just moved into a smallish apartment or house read that article first - and here we have also put together some more tips about decorating small rooms..

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When we are lucky enough to have a spare room in our home, most of us turn it into a guest bedroom. We place a double bed and some undesired furniture into the room and wait for the guests arrive. This is all very well if you have regular guests or run a B&B. But if you only have to put up the occasional guest, the room is wasted most of the time. So why don’t you give it another function?..

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If you have a remodeling project, spring time is probably the best time to do it. By now you should have thought about what you need to remodel rather than just redecorate. Remodeling requires the revamping of a space, so it’s normally a more time-consuming and expensive project..

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Zoning

In my experience, the most successful kitchens I’ve designed have been those where I’ve used the concept of "zoning"..

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Art Deco

Art Deco was the dominant design style between two world wars. In our minds we associate it with skyscrapers, exciting ocean liners and Hollywood glamour. It was actually a design movement originated in Europe to modernize art, architecture and design - and living. It was known as modernistic or Style Moderne until the 60’s when Bevis Hilier, a British art critic & dealer came up with the Art deco label.

The Art Deco style was influenced by Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism - combined with elements & patterns from the ancient cultures of Egypt, the Middle East & the Orient. The influence of the machine can also be seen in the use of chrome and metallic finishes. Geometric order and geometric shapes became the paradigm of art & design..

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Wabi Sabi

Wabi-Sabi is the latest interior design trend. But what is it?

Apparently it’s an ancient Japanese aesthetic that sees beauty in nature, simplicity, imperfection and impermanence. Wabi is a spiritual path to simplicity and solitude whilst Sabi is a natural process through age resulting in objects that are irregular, unpretentious and impermanent. Isn’t Wabi-Sabi therefore the new name for minimalism?..

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