The Interior Decor Thread! #1

[kuli_trendy]

that K.wearstler is beautiful, i really want to have a house that interior looks like that pic. very housy and cozy.

 

[MUXU]

thank you for posting navygreen!
though i cant say im a big fan of these rooms, not my style. i like the very last picture of the bedroom with robert longo painting on the wall

 

[gius]

insulation

not sure if anyone knows but..
is there any info on how you can increase the insulating properties of your home?

i live in an old house and my impression is that the walls are thin
and there is usually a draft coming from the windows.
i heard it's common for example in Scandinavian countries, windows will have 4-5 layers of glass.. each one can be opened one by one for cleaning

i wouldn't be able to completely renovate the house
like go inside the wall to add insulation foam or something
maybe i could paste felt on to the wall...

 

[Meg]

^
mmm. You could put felt on the wall but that would be big and laborious. To be honest, no. Creating a warmer and more energy efficient house, is really only done through structural change like adding double glazed windows and opting for a thicker foam insulation. My dad has just re-done his entire basement with new insulation to make it better insulated. Other than that......I would try and block the drafts with something (piece of wood/fabric/cardboard). Make sure you have curtains in front of your window as well since they can be a big heat loss. I'm really sensitive to the cold, and like my home to be warm, and I notice a really big difference when I have my curtains open.

 

[gius]

thanks meg! That's a good point
it's too bad, but i suppose the felt can go on the window...
we have blinds and they definitely won't work as well

i like homes that are warm too...
Out of all the places i lived in in the city, no place beats my parents' house in terms of natural light and heat
good thing i'm only renting and have no lease XD

 

[homeboy]

#798 is one fine home. Classy but yet cosy interior that have a homely ambiance. Totally my taste.

 

[haute femme]

^ I like it as well.. the artwork fits really nicely.

gius, I feel you on the "parents home" thing. My mom has a cozy 1-story out in the middle of a few isolated acres, and the light is perfect.. with white walls, terra cotta floors and lots of art. My dad's house is a crazy 4-story, but it can't beat my mom's. My new loft apartment is a great open living space, but it still is lacking that cozy factor!! I know it won't achieve that without my mom's touch..

 

[ChrissyM]

gius i know at hardware stores you can often buy a sort of.. don't know what to call it...
cord? liner? thing... that's sort of like a white rubber.. something... that you can line windows and possibly doorways with to try to seal them better on the edges..

don't know if that made any sense..

 

[Ianastar]

I love alot of the stuff posted on a Paris Apartment blog. She has very similar tastes to me. I want to acquire more French 18th century inspired pieces to mix some of the modern ones I currently have.

 

[Meg]

re-reading your post gius gave me another idea. What I did when living in London (in my super drafty Victorian house with no heat because my housemates never left it on long enough!) was tape up the edge of my windows (ie all along where the window made contact with the frame). I think it would be easy to take this to the next level and simply, as Chrissy suggest, get a thick insulating material and cover the windows with it. A thick felt or foam would probably work (you want a dense material to trap air). You don't have to cover the entire window, but perhaps enough to provide some heat loss while also letting light in? And get a fan heater. I know they generally aren't environmentally friendly but it's better than hypothermia

 

[gius]

thanks so much for the help, meg chrissy
i've never heard of these materials.. rubber lining.. will definitely be on the look out

it's interesting.. taking me back to textile courses.. properties of fabrics
i'll try to find also a foam and double-sided tape for the windows
i was just reading for example about yarns, the way they are spun.. in terms of quality one wool yarn might be considered bad, it will break easily but on the other hand it's very soft and bulky, 90% air..which makes a lightweight and also warmer fabric (as you said, traps more air) than a more durable 'worsted' yarn
anyways..
we have 3 heaters already in the house
but today i got a quilted comforter and do not even need the heater anymore lately.. *_*


ianastar long time no see !!

 

[Susanna-Cole]

I love homes that have quirky details, second-hand charm, and lots of art and knick-knacks. Houses that look well-loved and lived in.

Pictures thanks to http://flickr.com/photos/37375240@N00/432855444 & http://thisisloveforever.com & www.flickr.com/photos/veronicatm & www.anthropologie.com And more specifically from Flea Market Style by Emily Chambers, 130 Best Loft Ideas by Bridget Vranckx, and various Anthropologie catalogs.
(Sorry if the links turn out orange, and the font is small, I just copied and pasted the credits from one of my old blog entries I used most these pictures in. )

 

[Susanna-Cole]

A couple more of a (really lucky) girl's bedroom!

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yyellowbird/

 

[lollicandy]

^
Make sure you have curtains in front of your window as well since they can be a big heat loss. I'm really sensitive to the cold, and like my home to be warm, and I notice a really big difference when I have my curtains open.

This reminds me of my Northern Renaissance class when we covered tapestries. They used them hung up on the walls of those big drafty castles to keep the cold out.

gius You could check for cracks usually around the windows that are letting in a draft and caulk them with something like this:

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/product-showcase/caulk-seal-drafts-with-aerosol-caulk.shtml

The difference is actually pretty noticeable and its inexpensive.

 

[Hanne]

LOVE the pictures Susanna-Cole - there is so much personality and creativity in them.. but I hate cleaning.. and living in a home styles as such must be a cleaning nightmare.. (hence why I LOVE the opposite in interior design - minimalism - it's so darn easy to keep clean and restful on the eye ..)

 

[Aby]

I love the pics too Susanna-Cole! I really like that edward with scissor hands figurine in the last shot!

 

[Deborah]

What lovely rooms. I rent so I can't put things on the walls, change colours etc. Boo.

 

[Lux.]

So I'm thinking about re-decorate my room and I would like it to be very navy style. A lot of blue, navy-blue, which I love.

Any tips or photos, perhaps?

Thanks

 

[fashionista-ta]

thanks so much for the help, meg chrissy
i've never heard of these materials.. rubber lining.. will definitely be on the look out

it's interesting.. taking me back to textile courses.. properties of fabrics
i'll try to find also a foam and double-sided tape for the windows
i was just reading for example about yarns, the way they are spun.. in terms of quality one wool yarn might be considered bad, it will break easily but on the other hand it's very soft and bulky, 90% air..which makes a lightweight and also warmer fabric (as you said, traps more air) than a more durable 'worsted' yarn
anyways..
we have 3 heaters already in the house
but today i got a quilted comforter and do not even need the heater anymore lately.. *_*


ianastar long time no see !!

gaiam.com (green site) sells insulated curtains ... but I suppose with your textiles background you could make them yourself! You could check out the site for a few more details on what materials they're using ...

 

[gius]

textiles not quite the same as home economics : we didn't learn sewing.. but thank you for the tip! i am at the site now, i see their curtains are made of "heavy-duty suede lining"
looks like it has many benefits.. keeping heat in also and blocking light out. i find i am not sleeping well unless it's close to pitch dark; and we have the city across the water's lights coming in straight at us