Malaysia’s Interior Design Blog

Buying a new sofa? Not sure what to choose out of the millions of styles and colours out there? Well here are some tips.

First of all, different homes will have different requirements. How large is your living room? How big is your family? How many people need to use your new sofa? Do you have pets or children? You’ll need to take all these into account when choosing a sofa fabric, colour and size.

The size of your family will determine the size of the sofa you need. If you have pets or children you’ll need to pick a hard wearing fabric that is easy to clean. Darker colours tend to hide stains better than lighter colours but neutral coloured fabrics are can be accommodated amongst most colour schemes. Bold, bright colours can make a statement as can patterned fabrics with graphic motifs. Leather sofas are easily wiped clean and are hardwearing (although they can be scratched by pet claws!!) It is also always in style!

Also consider the physical needs of those using it. Sofas need to be comfortable but you need to ensure that they support your body. Test whether you can comfortably get up from the seat and that the back of the sofa is high enough to support your back.

Consider the size of your room. You don’t want your sofa to dominate your room. If placing it under a window you’ll want a sofa with a low back so it won’t block out the light.

Then there is the style to consider. Most styles can be classed as traditional or contemporary. For large families there are L-Shaped sofas and armchairs, loveseats and foot stools can be added to three-seater and two-seater sofa suites.

All things 50s are hot news at the moment, as TV programmes set in the era seem to be gracing our screens left, right and centre.
And if you love nothing more than the retro styles you’ve seen on the box, you should definitely let the chic decade influence your interior design.

If you’re planning to upgrade your kitchen worktops any time soon, you should be looking to embrace the opulence of the post-war era. Chrome was quite a hot trend back in the day, so you should definitely try to incorporate that into your designs where possible. Tiling and using bright hues to highlight the kitchen was also quite a big trend, so make sure colours make an appearance in your retro-themed room.

If you’re feeling particularly extravagant when you’re upgrading your home, try installing appliances such as a fridge-freezer from Smeg which oozes 50s style or a retro washing machine to give a truly authentic look to your kitchen.Fitted kitchens may appeal to you and, with retro making such a comeback this year, you’re bound to find something which suits the style you’re aiming for in the room.

If you’ve got a kitchen-diner, you can be even more adventurous with the designs you incorporate. Red is one of the biggest 50s-inspired shades, so you could use the bold colour in the furniture you place within the room.Those who feel red is a bit too daring for them might instead want to go for striped designs on some upholstered chairs for the room, putting a retro lamp in the centre of the dining table to make the space look great for family mealtimes.The high street has very much embraced the 50s era, so you should find it fairly easy to kit out your kitchen in fantastic retro fashion.

If you have a small, cramped and dark room or a room that lacks natural light there are ways you can lighten it up and make it more inviting.

The sofa you choose can have a big impact. By picking a streamlined, un-bulky design this will create the illusion of space. Steer clear of patterned upholstery as this can add clutter. Instead opt for a neutral colour. This can fit into a neutral colour scheme that will lighten the room as a whole. Go for modern, metal or glass dining room furniture rather than dark wood.

By painting or papering your wall in a light colour and choosing a light coloured carpet or light wooden floor, the room will open up. If you’re not keen to spend the money putting down a rooms-worth of wooden flooring or buying a light coloured carpet – remember these can stain! – opt for a light coloured rug. It will be much easier to clean.

If you’re worried it may look like a hospital, splash the odd bit of colour around the place. You could add colourful throws or cushions or brightly coloured lamps and picture frames. Metallic-style cushions, fabrics and accessories are also useful for reflecting light.

Also, if your sofa sits underneath a window, buy a low design that does not block the light. In the same way, low furniture will create the feeling of height in the room which in turn creates space. Instead of big sofas you might want to choose several single chairs or beanbags, as they will make the room seem less cluttered.

Sheer, glossy wallpapers can reflect light especially when placed on the wall opposite a window. While you can use sheer curtain fabrics or blinds and shutters to let more light in. By choosing sheer and lightweight styles. Similarly you can pick glossy or glass furniture such as mirrors, coffee tables, cabinet doors or sideboards.

This concept was derived from the famous flip clock of the 80’s (the sort you see in almost every movie which featured an actor snoozing the clock when it rang). Jonas Damon has taken that retro concept to be able to utilize an iphone as the clock display. The clock body is made from beach wood and has the necessary crevice to allow you to pull your connector cable through so that your phone remains charged when docked.

To top it off, you can download alarm clock apps for the iPhone to have it add that retro pizzazz by showing a flip clock display!

via areaware

If you are redecorating your bedroom and are stuck for ideas then look no further. Design trends for bedrooms are everywhere but here are a few of the best ideas around. Pick one of these current interior design ideas and create a design that will be the envy of all your friends…

1. Custom-made headboards. Pick out some fabulous bedding for your double beds and then buy an extra sheet or single duvet cover in the same range to have converted into a padded headboard. If you are good at craftwork and handy with a staple gun then have a go yourself, otherwise find a local upholsterer and get some professional help. The result will be stunning and comfortable too when you are sitting up in bed reading your favourite book.
2. Invest in a chandelier. Yes, they are back! You need a pretty high ceiling though so before you commit to anything too enormous have a bounce on your mattresses and make sure you have enough head clearance. Choose from a traditional, ornamental style – gold is big right now – or go for an ultra modern take on this design classic. Add a dimmer switch for that touch of bedroom romance and you are creating a bedroom paradise.
3. Treat yourself to hotel-style gadgets. A flat screen television either wall mounted or even inside the footer of your bed frame is a really relaxing touch for an indulgent bedroom. Or how about a mini refrigerator for midnight snacks and cold drinks. Or the ultimate wake up call – an espresso maker in the bedroom to put a zing in your step before you even go downstairs. Luxurious heaven, you will never want to leave the room.

The ultimate bedroom will give you a lot of pleasure so think big and create your perfect room.

Bedrooms for boys can often be quite boring as once they get too old for trains, trucks and dinosaurs then the temptation to paint everything blue is often too much to resist. Unless that is they are into football that is, and then a whole world of decorating amusement opens up…

My son has had no option since the day he was born other than to support Manchester United. It is a family tradition from which the male line has no escape, and definitely no choice. I had always been aware of the obsession but the depth of feeling didn’t really hit home until he was born and I received gifts of bibs, baby grows and hats all bearing the club emblem and marking him immediately a fan-in-the-making.

Nowadays he has passed his infant initiation and there is no going back – he loves the club, the players, the ground and everything about it really. In decorating his room I had endless options of items to choose from with the club colours and designs all over them. I could have filled several beds with soft toys wearing miniature kits and you can even buy football shaped lights.

Fabrics such as towels, curtains and duvet covers are all readily available too – even in double sizes to fit the largest divan beds. I found a green rug marked out to look like a pitch, a football shaped clock and even an alarm which plays club songs! It has actually been rather fun and the result, though very much red all over, has delighted my son – and of course his equally obsessed father. I can tell he is angling for the theme to spill over into our room however I have drawn a line firmly in the doorway and he has no chance of crossing it with so much as a red sock. Hopefully I can keep up my resolve…. wish me luck!

Looking for a nice magazine rack but no luck with it? You might want to consider the Hockenheimer Chair by Njustudio. Essentially a birch wood base and a cushion top connected by two straps, the chair takes shape when you stack your stash of magazines between the base and cushion and fasten with the strap. It’s a very clever concept – one that shouts sustainability and saves you floor space by combining a chair and a mag rack into one!

Many use laptops these days and there’s a great tendency to literally plop it on your lap whilst you work away from the comfort of your bed or sofa. Some say, for men, the heat generated from the laptops aren’t good for their swimmers. I don’t know how much truth there is in that but just having all that heat transferred to my lap annoys me. And this is where lapdesks come in handy.

But then again, many Malaysians aren’t willing to pay close to or above RM100 for a lapdesk. Contributor kandrejk from instructables has a great step by step DIY for making your own lapdesk with the gist of it being a cutting board glued to a cushion!

kandrejk’s intructable on a DIY lapdesk

What I find works great for a cushion are airline pillows! They’re just about the same size as a regular cutting board you can get from IKEA and do the job pretty well. If you’re flying business class, the pillows are made from goose down. Don’t just knick them the next time you fly, ask the air crew politely and they’ll probably give it to you.