We want the end result of our interior design project to be effective, after all, we've put a lot of time and effort into planning the design and have taken into consideration all the practical and safety issues, we have identified the style or styles we like and have chosen the colour schemes and all the furniture, fixtures and fittings, so the last thing we want to do is to spoil the whole effect with inappropriate finishing touches.
The ideal finishing touches will compliment the look of the room. They will portray the right impression and help convey the mood and atmosphere that you wanted to create. If you get it right the room will be aesthetically pleasing and the overall ambience of the room will reflect your individual taste and personality so you need to carefully consider what finishing touches you want to include as it is those last little bits of detail that will go together to create harmony in a room.
Matching the style
Most people will have a good idea of the overall impression they want to create but common mistakes involve having too many extra bits and pieces so that the room ends up looking cluttered and chaotic, or choosing the wrong kind of finishing touches that don't contribute to the mood or the overall appearance of the room and look out of place with the style. The trick is to keep it simple and to avoid the temptation to overdo the effect. It can be likened to work of art where part of the skill is in knowing when to stop.
Choosing finishing touches that will compliment and enhance your chosen style is not as difficult as it might sound. Just take a look around and see what others have done. You could browse through magazines, surf the Internet, visit some exhibitions and watch a few television programmes, discuss your ideas with friends, there are literally endless sources of inspiration to draw on.
Ultimately, you will have to rely on your own personal judgement to decide if something works or not. You could simply play it safe and copy a look that you like but don't be afraid to be a bit bold either; why not use your creative talent to produce something totally unique? The only real issue is whether you like the end result or not and if you do, then that is all that really matters.
First of all imagine what sort of ornamental pieces would be associated with your chosen style and ask yourself if they help enhance the look or if they just look out of place. For example:
* A simple bowl of shells or pebbles, or a water feature or fountain could work well in rooms with a nature theme.
* For an African style you might go for wooden animals or carvings, brightly coloured pots or any other artefact that is reminiscent of the African culture. The same goes for other foreign themes, think about items or artwork that would bring a touch of your chosen location into your home.
* Antiques and displays of china could blend in perfectly with a period home. You might also want to consider large carved mirrors or ornate photo frames.
* If the minimalist look is more to your liking, one well chosen piece will be far more effective and in keeping with the style than several pieces grouped together.
Candles
Candles bring more than light into a space. They come in all shapes, colours and sizes and can be displayed either in groups or on their own, they can be an effective centre piece or scattered more discreetly around the room. Scented candles exuding a subtle aroma can help convey a mood of romance, mystique or a touch of the exotic. The colour of the candles can be chosen to compliment existing colour schemes or if the room has few colours a brightly coloured candle can be a welcome distraction for the eye.
Plants and flowers
Well positioned pot plants can literally bring life into any room. Similarly, vases of flowers with blooms that match or even contrast the existing colour scheme can be highly effective. A bunch of bright blooms sitting on a sunny windowsill or on a coffee table that catches the light can transform a room. Flowers with a pleasant aroma can lift the atmosphere and the spirits. If you prefer the minimalist look then a single flower in an elegant vase could be the perfect compliment.
Be creative
Finally, remember that a variety of senses should be taken into consideration when choosing finishing touches. The sense of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell all play a part in creating the overall feeling in a room. Consider displays of fruit, bowls of pot Pourri, wind chimes, wall hangings, pictures and paintings in attractive frames, lamps, mirrors, and so on, the list is literally endless. Let your imagination take over and allow your creative streak to run free.
For normal human activities inside the building what we require is indirect light. There is a major difference between direct and indirect light. Direct light from the sun produces light in high quantities but also generates a lot of heat, which may not be required or at sometimes can be uncomfortable.
Indirect lighting produces a good quality diffused light by eliminating the heat that's being produced from sunlight. Interior designers always look for various ways that will increase the chances of achieving good quality sunlight into a room.
the basic principle behind indirect lighting is easy. Obstruct the direct sunlight on a surface that will absorb the heat and throw our or disperse the light alone uniformly inside the room.
This requires a good study of various light entry points of a given room and selecting surfaces that will receive direct sunlight. Then applying finishes to these materials that will absorb the heat but at the same time reflect a lot of light to the interiors.
There is a major challenge in doing this.
Let's say that I select a bedroom to be treated for indirect lighting. I select a plane wall opposite or adjacent to the window opening that will receive direct sunlight. If I paint the wall with a bright color, it will definitely reflect the light in the entire room, but at the same time create a "glare" that can be quite uncomfortable for the users.
So just creating reflecting surfaces is not the solution. The surfaces that will reflect the direct light and at the same time won't produce a glare are recommended here.
This can be easily achieved using artificial lighting. The greatest advantage of artificial lighting is that you can select the number of light sources in the first place. Then light sources can be very creatively be hidden using shaders and other design elements, so that the light spots can be directed towards reflective surfaces.
A very common use of this technique is, project the light spots on a bright reflective ceiling and the ceiling will uniformly disperse the light in the rest of the room. Projecting the light on ceiling will eliminate the problem of causing glare, since the ceiling is always above the normal eye level.
Using a centralized light source on the ceiling and throwing the light on adjacent walls is also a good solution. This will also save a lot of wiring lengths, cutting your cost in the fixing up of the total electrical system.
A careful choice of reflective surfaces inside a room can greatly enhance the light qualities in a room. In interiors there are hundreds of objects that receive light. Objects such as walls, furniture ceiling, floor will have a tendency to reflect light away from them. Objects like windowpanes, glass panels in the furniture will absorb or will allow the light to pass away the light thought them b reducing the heat and intensity of light.
That's why careful selection of materials during design stage can cause a good lighting solution. Also the lighting solution will differ from room to room depending upon which direction the room faces outwards. For this the sun path must be taken into consideration. By careful study of the sun path it will be easy to decide the color schemes and finishes for satisfactory result in indirect lighting.
Both David Mcevoy & Shrinivas Vaidya are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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