Trend 6 Patterned tiles

Trend 6 Patterned tiles by design2square featuring blue home decor

Trend 2 Sculptural Light Fixtures

Trend 2 Sculptural Light Fixtures by design2square featuring marset lighting

Home Decorating Trends for 2014!

Here are the trends for 2014…. Hopefully some of you can embrace these trends and use them in your own homes! We found them inspiring and hope that you will too! Embrace some or embrace them all!

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Trend 1

Painting out your trim!

When you’re painting you think that you need to cut in or paint your trim a different colour than the walls. Apparently this year is the year to break that rule. Trim is to be painted the same colour as the walls. This will allow the room to appear or feel larger because there aren't any details that have been pointed out like (for example) white trim or other contrasting colours.

 

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Trend 2

Don’t ignore your light fixtures, they deserve some love too. One of the top trends is sculptural lighting fixtures. Sometimes in some spaces of your home, like the dining room for example the light fixture can make the room, or finish the room. The light fixture can be the pizzazz in the room. With so many diverse styles and designs of lights out there, I’m sure you will find one that suits the room or space in your home.

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Trend 3

Kick up your modern safari flare and shop for some “well-traveled” wares. Pieces that look like you’ve travelled the world. By embracing some worn leather, earthy neutrals and functional buckles and straps all make it easy to find pieces to include in your own spaces.

Trend  4

New geometric patterns, in strong, bold, stylish colours reinvented from previous popular patterns that you can find in fabrics, dinnerware and so much more. These new patterns may seem familiar not only because they are invented from previous patterns but also inspired by some quilting patterns and they also come in bold, lively patterns and colours. Very modern, very stylish!

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Trend 5

If you’re trying to make your space feel bigger and have a more fluid, modern feel, embrace this trend of clear tables. Translucency helps a space to feel bigger because more can be seen, like in a table. You’re boxing less in when you can see straight through. You can also embrace this trend by using Lucite material as well. You can find tons of table ideas for any space in your home for any price point.

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Trend 6

Whether you want to make it a bold pattern or subtle, this next trend is something you’ll be sure to warm up to. Don’t forget about the pattern that you can make on your floor. Wood or tile, take on this trend with different materials and colours. We now have more options than ever for flooring and patterns. Tile making is an art form and so is having the ability to lay tiles down and install them. Kitchens are at the top of the list of popular rooms to embrace this trend and there are no signs of this trend losing popularity.

http://tinyurl.com/ls6vg24

Trend 7

Step outside the box (literally) and imagine a bathtub that isn’t the generic, run of the mill…. Rectangle. Think of a tub with more curves….. and that would be our next trend. Round bathtubs.  If you have a bay window in your bathroom, soak up this trend and install a round bathtub that will fit perfectly into any awkward corner. Let the soaking and relaxing begin!

http://tinyurl.com/q6x7zf4

Trend 8

Statement walls are a big thing this year when it comes to decorating your home. Make a big impression by investing in a painting with bold colours and shapes. Go big or go home with bold abstract paintings or wallpaper.

http://tinyurl.com/ms8yhck

Trend 9

Blue and white dishware is big and it’s in this year as a top trend. There are many different patterns and shades to find it in. The latest finds are less cookie cutter and more unique than ever before. A space can embrace this trend in a monochromatic colour scheme or with complimentary colours that already reside in your space. And remember that you don’t necessarily need to use the dishware; you can also hang them on your walls to be on display for all to see. Think outside the box and be inspired!

http://tinyurl.com/kauen74

Trend 10

Be on the lookout in both the fashion industry and home décor for this pattern, floral’s with black backgrounds. This trend can be seen in the form of wallpaper, on perfume bottles, footwear, fashion pieces like scarves, Ipod cases and so much more. It is a very girlish trend with the black contrast, we love it!

We hope that you find a trend that you can sink your teeth into and embrace a lot or only a little. Doesn't matter! Have fun with it!

PS~ what was your favorite trend mentioned in the post? Let us know! What inspired you about this post?

Make A Wish Bedroom Makeover with IKEA

www.designsquare.ca

While working at IKEA in Burlington, Ontario, Daniel was given the opportunity to do a makeover for a 9 year old boy through the Make A Wish Foundation of Canada.

By using various pieces of furniture and other products supplied by IKEA he created a transformation that you would not believe and the client was blown away by the change in his room too - completely floored!

Here are some shots from the transformation bedroom makeover! Before and After's!

In just a matter of a couple days, this room was transformed from overwhelming to the perfect bedroom for a young boy. Check it out!

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First, starting out and creating "stations" in the room like "living area" (which is the bunk bed, lounge chair and night stand), the "work area", (which is where the desk and workstation is and then the "storage area", where the cupboards, TV and shelving are. This makes for a tidier room and a better organized room, instead of tossing things and putting things in any old spot. Now they have a place to be kept.

Make A Wish is such a wonderful organization to allow children to experience something or give them something that they have always wanted, or someone they have always wanted to see, or this kind of experience, a bedroom makeover. Daniel felt very auspicious to have been part of it!

As you can see, it was a typical young boy's room and it could use some sprucing up.

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Utilizing products from IKEA also shows that you don't need to spend a great deal to make a dramatic change in a space. This room was given a second chance by simply organizing, giving it a splash of colour and adding a few new pieces. 

Too much furniture can also make a room feel cramped and uninviting and then adding extra items like books, puzzles and things in a tight corner, without any sense of organization really makes the space feel overwhelming. A tidy and organized space is the perfect place for a child to sit down and do homework, a craft or some other project and afterward he'll know exactly where to put things when tidying up. Everything has a place and Daniel figured out a space for everything. 

www.designsquare.ca

www.designsquare.ca

For more information about IKEA check out their 2014 flier out now!

IKEA Catalogue 2014


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Colour and Styling Trends for 2013

Colour  & Styling trends for 2013

 It’s finally 2013 and what have you done? Well if there are plans ahead of you for re-decorating your home, we have Benjamin Moore’s colour trends for you-fresh off the presses!

The pick of the crop this year have been grouped together into 4 distinct groups and range from a splashy colour to soft, relaxing a beachy. It won’t be hard to figure out what rooms you can use, what colours in.  

Don’t worry about mixing the colours wrong because the people at Benjamin Moore have taken the guess work out for you. They've made these colour groups easy to work with by conveniently picking out a base colour, a neutral and an accent colour. 

Each group is made up of beautiful rich colours and any of them could be used in every room of your home. From your den to your bathroom! Are you inspired yet?

Simple luxury

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More luxurious fabrics like velvet and silks with delicate patterns and subtle grey tones. This trend is all about showing a rich look without going over the top. All you need is a hint of luxury to make a big statement. This trend seems to favour more contemporary styling as well as simple, sleek designs in furniture such as lamps and tables make for simple but chic interior spaces. This trend is wonderful for anyone who wants a luxurious space but without being to showy. For an easy addition to a space, try adding a cashmere throw.

A walk on the wild side

Here’s a trend that is sure to spark some interest. Something a little more Spanish, a little more colour, a little more spice, a little more geometric. Think earthy and rugged. Mixing South American, Mexican and Native American. Does the word Sarape ring a bell? Embrace this trend by adding hints into your home like tiles with colourful geometric shapes to any space or by adding Spanish inspired colours to your walls like cactus greens, tobacco browns, hot reds, or terra-cotta oranges. 

Letting the outdoors in

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This is perfect for anyone who enjoys being outside, camping, gardening, going for walks, hiking etc. It’s quite simple to embrace this trend by adding more natural elements to any space in your home, such as wood floors, stone floors, and dense textured carpets in natural organic colours like warm browns, fresh greens and soft blues.

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If you live in the country, why not leave one window undressed. This is an easy way to make a natural focal-point in the room and a conversation maker.

When selecting furniture and accessories, be sure to have pieces with organic lines i.e., curvy and natural, oppose to straight more contemporary feeling pieces. The more curves you have in a space, the more relaxed it will feel. By adding any kind of black metal to the space in the form of say, a lantern, makes the space more whimsical. 

Trends that are being updated

The traditional spiral staircase is being upgraded to have a more modern feel. The upgrade includes a more expansive tread. This look in a space can also help to make it feel more European. 

As a basic upgrade to drywall, why not try a more humbling idea like Japanese inspired horizontal paneling. It is more cost effective than drywall and adds easy texture to any space. 

Instead of using traditional french doors in a space, why not try introducing glass partitions with black metal frames. This allows light to flow through, but makes a more graphic statement. Never forget about the doors in your home. They welcome you from one room in your home to another. 

We hope you are inspired by the new trends and colours for 2013!

A word from an Interior Design Grad

A Word from an Interior Design Grad

It’s been a long road but hang in thereJ

It all started when I was little. I would move around the furniture in my room to have a change - to be able to see my room from a different perspective. I would get really excited when my bed or my dresser was in a different place, because I liked the change and it was almost like going on vacation without leaving home.  I don’t know why exactly I felt this way, but I enjoyed it - it was fun for me!

While I was growing up, I went through public school and high school always taking Art. I loved drawing and painting and creating! Finally in high school, you had to make the decision of what you wanted to take in college.  So, I chose Interior Design.

From there came Sheridan College. Not only was it a huge change for a small town girl to move to a city (Oakville, Ontario), but it was a whole new outlook of what I wanted my life to look like and deciding what I wanted my career to be. I didn’t know anyone at Sheridan. I moved away from home and my friend’s and we parted our separate ways to go away to school… this was a major change.

Throughout my time at Sheridan, I learned that anything I wanted to know about this career, I could learn right there. Anything that I needed help with, I could ask a professor. Sheridan was a great experience and yes, I would do it again (I wouldn’t like going through the stress again, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right!) and being at Sheridan and learning all that I did, did make me stronger, it gave me confidence that I could do anything that I set my mind to. The Interior Design course at Sheridan did have a very heavy workload, but I figure that if I could handle all of it, than I can handle anything. I recommend taking the Interior Design course at Sheridan College to anyone interested in Interior Design because Sheridan has great courses and great faculty that help, support and inspire you to do your best.

After graduation, I found it very hard because I had applied to countless companies hoping to hear back for a job placement, and since I graduated at the peak of the recession, getting a job, has been a great challenge in itself. But I have taken that opportunity to start a business with my business partner whom I met at a company who I did hear back from and get a job with. The business is still brand new and we’re still learning about what it’s like to be entrepreneurs. The journey has been fun and rewarding so far! Our business is DesignSquareD2. If you would like us to help you with staging your own home, please check out our website by clicking on DesignSquareD2 and it will take you right to our site.

If you’re feeling blue about the fact that you haven’t heard back from any companies, or you’re adjusting back to living at home and you don’t have the freedom that you had when you were away at school and you miss your friend’s, take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. I’m still feeling that way. I think it takes awhile to adjust, because it’s like going backwards after you’ve already gone forward. I read a book called The Turbulent Twenties Survival Guide and it was a good read.  The book talks about what it’s like after you graduate college/or university, and what its like to try and find your place in the world and how to fit into it after we’ve been living a life that’s been so full of structure since day 1. There were so many things that I could relate to, it was almost scary! But it did help and I would recommend it to any graduate or soon-to-be graduate!

Things will look up! You just have to be patient. You have worked hard to where you are now and you know that you are capable of doing great things! Keep your chin up and enjoy the journey to finding your place in this big world! 

~Lindsey