Interior designers get a lot of emails from our wonderful suppliers. I look at each and everyone of them as I need to know the latest trends in kitchens, bathrooms, exterior home finishes. The email today from Marathon Hardware didn't disappoint! The Eurocucina 2022 Design Show was held in Milan, Italy from June 7-12/22. The show featured many of the latest design trends and innovations for kitchens, bathrooms, and every other room in the house. Watch this quick kitchen video above showing the latest and greatest in kitchen design for 2022. Did you know countertops are moveable? Well yes they are! Let me know if you need help with your kitchen or new build, I'd be happy to help!
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Wondering how to position your hanging pendant lights over your kitchen island? Here's a go to guide to make placing those lights easy peasy! Pendant lights can be so very important over your kitchen island. I suggest placing the bottom of the pendant light 36-40" above the island, this may vary a little depending upon your height & the height of the room, but if your ceiling is between 8' & 10' high, this will work well. Here's a good rule of thumb for calculating the width between the lights: For spacing 2 pendant lights, measure your island's width, divide that by 4. That number is how far from the end of the island you should place the center of your pendant light in the ceiling. i.e. 8' wide island divided by 4 = 2. Place the center of each light 2' from each edge, this provides a 4' space in between the pendants, and works well for most standard pendant lights. See the pendant placing diagram below. For 3 pendant lights over an 8' island in your kitchen, here's the following formula to help you place your lighting evenly over the island or peninsula. Divide the length of the island in 1/2. i.e. 8' divided by 2 = 4'. Place the center pendant 4' from the edge of the island at the center point of the island. For the remaining 2 pendants: Divide that number in 1/2 again. i.e. 1/2 of the island is 4', so divide that in 1/2 again and place your other pendants at that mark. i.e. 8 divided by 2=4. 4 divided by 2 = 2. The pendant lights are positioned at the 2 foot, 4 foot, and 6' marks. See the diagram below. Have recessed lighting questions? Have a look at our popular blog Recessed lighting spacing - How many recessed lights do I need? How far apart do I place my lights? Let me know if you have any questions. Happy Lighting! Prepare fillings (below). Trim crusts from 1 loaf unsliced sandwich bread. Cut loaf horizontally into 4 equal slices. Spread one side of 3 slices with softened butter. Place 1 bread slice, buttered side up, on serving plate. Spread evenly with Shrimp Salad Filling. Top with second bread slice and spread evenly with Cheese-Pecan Filling. Top with third slice and spread evenly with Chicken-Bacon Filling. Top with remaining bread slice. Frost top and sides with Cream Cheese Frosting (below). Chill until frosting has set, about 30 minutes. Wrap loaf with a damp cloth and continue to chill 2-1/2 hours, or overnight. 12 to 14 servings. Shrimp Salad Filling
• 1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped • 1 can (4-1/2 oz.) broken shrimp, rinsed and drained • 2 tbsp. finely chopped celery • 1 tbsp. lemon juice • 1/8 tsp. salt • Dash pepper • 3 tbsp. mayonnaise Mix all ingredients. Cheese-Pecan Filling • 1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened • 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans • 1 can (8-3/4 oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained Mix all ingredients. Chicken-Bacon Filling • 8 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled • 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken • 1/4 cup mayonnaise • 1 tbsp. finely chopped pimiento • 1/4 tsp. salt • 1/8 tsp. pepper Mix all ingredients. Cream Cheese Frosting • 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened • 1/2 cup light cream • Green food coloring Mix cheese and cream thoroughly. Add a few drops food coloring to tint frosting a delicate green. Here on the West Coast of BC, Canada, we have had a very wet, cold Spring, but now that Summer is here - let's revamp our homes for the bright, sunshiny look of Summer. Here are 10 tips that allow you to spruce up your home for the toasty Summer months.
5. Paint. White or off-white walls have predominated the interior design scene for the last five years. Believe it or not trends are coming around to the warmer tones. Try a darker cream or light beige to add this latest trend into your décor. 6. Accessories. Lightweight Wicker baskets in natural tones add a light and airy feeling to your room. 7. Wallpaper: Have you tried the new peel and stick wallpaper? Once you get your plumb line set it's a fairly easy way to add a accent wall in your home. Try a soothing Lake mural or a floral look. You can even purchase large flower graphics that peel and stick on to the walls for a fun look. 8. Entry. Why not add a fresh bold colour to your entry area? Make a great first impression! Even one wall in a bright, fun colour will add a fun look to your foyer. Try coral or even a light green to introduce a happy Summer look into your home for 2022. Ensure that the colour that you choose is repeated elsewhere in the other rooms in your home, so it doesn't look out of place. 9. Window treatments. Either add or replace your existing curtains with breezy white linen draperies on either side of your window. Ensure you place the window treatments as close to the ceiling as possible to visually extend the height of the ceiling. 10.Fragrance: Try a citrus or floral scented candle. The light scent will drift throughout the home, and you’ll be amazed how fresh your whole home feels. Let me know if you need help updating your home, I'd be happy to help! How to calculate the distance & spacing for Task lighting You hear about the different types of lighting. Recessed lighting, Ambient lighting & Accent lighting, but what is Task lighting? In a nutshell, task lighting is extra lighting used to highlight spaces where you need either extra light, or specialized lighting. You may want to add:
If you are using an articulating wall sconce for reading, like this brass beauty above, place the fixture approximately 60" off the ground, so that the light (not the base area that attaches to the wall), is in the perfect position for reading. Of course this varies depending upon the structure of the light, height of the bed, how far down it moves etc. Office lamps are probably the most popular form of task lighting as they can be moved around easily. Under cabinet lighting is the most important type of task lighting in my opinion, place them 8-10" from the back of the wall, under your 12" upper cabinets in the kitchen or elsewhere. These ones are from Amazon, note they are 4,000K, which tends to be blue-ish in colour. I recommend going with 3,000K for a soft white that is bright, but not glaring. Read more about colour temperature. Where to position your pendant lights over your kitchen island? Pendant lights can be so very important over your kitchen island. I suggest placing them 36-40" above the island, this may vary a little depending upon your height & the height of the room. Here's a good rule of thumb: For spacing 2 pendant lights, measure your island's width, divide that by 4. That number is how far from the end of the island you should place your pendant light. i.e. 8' wide island divided by 4 = 2. Place the center of each light 2' from each edge, this provides a 4' space, in between the lights, and works well for most standard pendant lights. Have recessed lighting questions? Have a look at our popular blog Recessed lighting spacing - How many recessed lights do I need? How far apart do I place my lights? Happy Lighting! Wondering how to divvy up your total interior design budget? What percentage to spend on furniture? What % to pay on window treatments? Here's a quick summary. Let's say you have $30,000 budgeted for your living room décor. Here's a wise way to break it down.
I usually tell my clients to add an extra 10% contingency fund, just in case something comes up that we don't anticipate. Don't forget taxes & design fees are on top of this. Our fee for full service, virtual interior design is $875 per room. Rendering by Vasyl Mihay I provide my clients with low, medium and high budget ranges, so they know in general what you need to budget for each room. Contact me if you'd like a copy of this! I hope this gives you a little guidance to know where your money will go, on average, for a residential living room! Contact me if you need help!
Now that Spring has finally arrived, here are a 10 easy items to add in (or switch out) for your home design in 2022! 1. Flowers! Particularly spring flowers such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinth and even a potted crocus provides a touch of sunshine to your room. Try using a brightly coloured pot or planter in shades of Kelly green, sunshine yellow or bright fuchsia. 2. Throw blankets and pillows. Put away the heavy wool throw blankets and replace with lighter cotton ones. Heavy velvet pillows can be replaced with fresh linen ones. Simply swap out the covers and you can use the same inserts. 3. Rugs. if you happen to have a dark heavy patterned rug, try rolling that up and replacing it with a Lighter hemp or jute rug. You'll be amazed at the difference makes in the room. 4. Florals. It may not sound ground-breaking but adding florals in your draperies, planters or pillows freshen up the room. Once Fall rolls around tuck them away I'm bringing out the darker, warmer colours. 5. Paint. white or off-white walls have predominated the interior design scene for the last five years. Believe it or not paint colors are coming around to the warmer tones. Try a darker cream or light beige to this latest trend into your décor. 6. Accessories. lightweight wicker baskets in natural tones add a light and airy feeling to your room. 7. Wallpaper: Have you tried the new peel and stick wallpaper yet? Once you get your Plumb line set it's fairly easy to add a accent wall in your home. Try a Spring Lake mural or a floral look. You can even purchase large flower graphics that peel and stick on to the walls for a fun look. 8. Entry. Why not add a fresh bold colour to your entry area? Make a great first impression! Even one wall in a bright spring colour will add a fun look to your foyer. Try coral or even a light green to introduce spring into your home for 2022. Ensure that the colour that you choose is repeated elsewhere in the other rooms in your home. Add in a mirror to check your lipstick, just one more time before running out! 9. Window treatments. Either add or replace your existing curtains with breezy white linen draperies on either side of your window. Ensure you place the window treatments as close to the ceiling as possible to visually extend the height of the ceiling. Add black out lining if the draperies are going in your bedroom. 10. Fragrance: Lastly, try a citrus or floral scented candle. The light scent will drift throughout the home, and you’ll be how fresh your whole home feels. I'm loving these ones by Natural Soy in Canada. I hope these tips provide you with some ideas to get your home ready for Spring! (Now, if the weather would only co-operate!) If you'd like help with your residential home interior design, just fill out our contact form, we'd love to help! Happy Spring! |
Author:Jil Sonia McDonald - Interior Designer of Jil Sonia Interior Designs. Archives
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Kimberley Seldon Design Linda Holt Interiors The Decorologist Warline painting Savour Partnership Ina Goetz Photography |