Interior Design Course: Week 5

Here's a recap of what I learnt in Week 5 of the Interior Design Course

WEEK 5

Colour Theory

Colour and its application

Colour schemes

Paint selections and finishes

This week we looked at all things colour. We made good use of the colour wheel given to us in week 3 which we have been shown bit by bit each week how to use to match up colour combinations (although just quietly I'm still a bit confused about how to use it!)

In fact - a lot of this class went over my head! It wasn't only me which was a relief, most of the class were a bit confused about colour tones and complementary and tirades and some words I can't even pronounce! These are the colour groups that you use for different effects depending on the scheme you want to achieve.

 

Emotional Colour - colours make us feel different things, in a dining room a red wall or red place mats can increase the appetite and make food look more appealing. In a study or playroom yellow walls increase stimulation and the mind. It also depends on what effect colour has on you personally, for me I can't wear anything maroon because it reminds me of my school uniform so we put emotions to colours as well and what you may love someone else may not.

 

A Colour Value is the lightness or darkness of the color. You can find the values of a color by its tints and shades. Tints are light values that are made by mixing a color with white, so pink is a tint of red. Shades are dark values that are made by mixing a color with black so navy is a shade of blue. A new trend is painting furniture in a colours value, I really love the look of this it's like a paint swatch come to life.

Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Because they are opposites, they look really lively when used together and each color also looks more noticeable. Examples are purple and yellow and red and green.

 

Analogous colours sit next to each other on the color wheel usually up to 3-5 colours. They tend to look pleasant together because they are closely related, like these images with greens into yellow and yellows into pink.

We spent some time doing a colour workshop where we had to pick a colour and say what emotion it makes us feel - I picked blue because it makes me calm and relaxed.

 

 

We then had to create a casual relaxed theme and a formal dramatic theme using the emotional colour we had picked.

 

We got out our paint charts (that we had to get from Bunnings before this class) and started cutting out colours. In my formal scheme at first I had the accent cushion as orange, but when Natalie the instructor came around to see how we were going she suggested a lighter shade of the blue would be more formal as the orange was a bit too funky! So I'm glad I asked to get the colour combo right.

The trick with casual is to add white and the trick with formal is to add grey in light and dark tones - I can see in my schemes that this definitely makes them look different and gives them a different feel to one another.

 

 

To be honest I still don't complete understand how colour combinations work and the different groups of colour and shades and tones and so on, I think it will take more than a 3 hour class to figure it all out.

I have my colour wheel to practice with and I have picked up how to put a casual and formal room together. At the end of the day it's also about picking colours that you like and that make you feel good ... not just what works on a colour wheel!

Week 1 you can read about here
Week 2 you can read here
Week 3 you can read here
Week 4 you can read here
Week 6 is the final week and is all about decorating

[1st and last image my own, Colour Wheel HomeBase Expo, Colour Emotion Pinterest,  Colour Value Pinterest, Complimentary Purple Pinterest, Red Pinterest,  Analogous Green Pinterest, Orange Pinterest, Blue Pinterest]

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Fridays Letters - Dear Retail Therapy

Happy Friday everyone! Adventures of Newlyweds are still having a break from the Fridays Letters link up but I'm writing my letters anyway as I like to have a weekly vent!

 

I'm imagining I'm writing this weeks letters from this quaint writing nook on that old antique typewriter while sipping on a cup of sweet tea.

 

 

Dear Retail Therapy - 3 dresses a belt and earrings from one store on my lunch break had me smiling the whole way back to the office. Nothing beats the rush of retail therapy!

 

Dear Suitcase - You are out and ready to be packed. I've got my packing list and have started getting out my clothes and accessories. I get so excited packing to go on holidays!

 

Dear Car - You are getting a new bonnet and door today, I'm out of pocket $550 because of some little punk but at least insurance is paying the rest.

Dear Car Battery - You not starting had me shit scared stranded in a deserted car park late at night and I had to wait over an hour to be rescued by the RAC. I felt like a sitting duck doors locked looking every which way for my rescuer. I'm just thankful that I was kept safe and got home eventually!

 

Dear Hayfever - The start of Spring this week has given me red eyes and a runny nose .... No people I haven't been partying all night it's hayfever!

 

Dear Cousin's Birthday - I'll be dressing up as the Birthday boy tonight in a flanno singlet and jeans to celebrate my cousin's 50th ... can't wait to see the look on this face when he realises we have all come dressed like him!

  

 

 

[Image via My Pinterest]

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The Roof And Its Restoration

Since my last exterior transformation post the roof has had a full restoration and looks fantastic. Here's some flashbacks in before photos to show what we've done

 

The old solar hart and chimney was removed

 

The tiles were removed from the carport roof so the

new roof construction could be built

 

 

New roof construction being built

 

 

Laying tiles over the new roof construction

New gutters, facias and downpipes were installed

 

 

Putting the tiles back on

 

Then the roof was ready for a full restoration
 

 

We picked the roof colour - charcoal (far left tile)
 

 

We booked in the roof restoration guys 10 weeks beforehand
It was a 4 day job for them

 

 

They replaced all the cracked tiles, all the ridge capping was re bedded (with cement) and pointing (with flexible cement) and new valleys were put in
 

They pressure cleaned all the tiles

(and discovered our new down pipes weren't draining the water so
refitted them into place for us)
 

 

Then it was ready for painting - an undercoat and 3 coats of charcoal
 

 

After all painted and restored
 

 

 

The house looks so different with the roof done, it really is worth the money I think and we know the roof is strong and sound for many years to come.

 

Next thing I will show you is the garage door fitted and then this epic garage extension is now finished!

 

Playing along with linky parties Savvy Southern Style and The Dedicated House

 

 

  

[All images my own]

 

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Recipe: Mixed Berry and White Chocolate Muffins

I had one of those eek what have I done moments with this Donna Hay Mixed Berry and White Chocolate Muffin recipe because the mix turned out PURPLE!

I freaked out thinking I was trying to do a nice thing baked muffins for Mr P to take into work and he'd be embarrassed handing out my PURPLE muffins to his work colleagues!

They turned out OK once the mix started to bake they went from purple to brown and another baking disaster was adverted phew!

Before

After

So here is the recipe for moist tasty muffins, don't let the purple scare you at least you are forewarned (unlike me!)

Mixed Berry and White Chocolate Muffins

Donna Hay Modern Classics Book 2
Makes 12 muffins

2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups frozen mixed berrys (part defrosted
3/4 cup chopped white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180c.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Place the sour cream, eggs, and oil in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Stir the sour cream mixture through the flour and sugar mixture until just combined.

Sprinkle over the berries and stir once.
Spoon the mixture into 12 capacity non stick  muffin tins until two-thirds full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

[All images my own]

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Interior Design Course: Week 4

Here's a recap of what I learnt in Week 4 of the Interior Design Course

WEEK 4

Storage Solutions

Planning and Designing storage areas

Hardware and fittings

Decluttering workshop

In week 4 we learnt all about storage - where we keep things now and where we could improve on and store things where we use them to make our lives easier.

What I liked about this session was that we were giving solutions to the problems and not trying to change peoples behaviour. A good example of this is a husband was throwing his clothes on the floor instead of into the laundry basket, he was asked why he doesn't put it into the basket and it turns out he throws them and misses and so they stay on the floor -  the solution was to buy a bigger basket, now he doesn't miss and his clothes go into the basket not on the floor. Everyone's happy!

A big problem area in our homes nowadays is a communication zone for charging phones and ipads and using the laptop and such. This is a good thing to build into the design of new homes, preferably into the kitchen area which is the hub of the home for everyone to use.

We looked at styles of storage - when to use glass doors in kitchens, when to use baskets, when to use solid doors and when to use open shelves.

I've been pretty clever with storage in my home so far:

• My clothes are organised in a custom built wardrobe in my master bedroom
• I'm using the wardrobe in my guest bedroom for winter coats and my scarfs
• I've converting the never used hallway coat cupboard into a shoe cupboard
• The newly renovated bathroom has the biggest vanity cabinet it could fit to hold all my essentials
• My Ikea expedit bookcase in the study is perfect for my books and displaying items it is my favourite piece of furniture
• The coffee table in the living room  has large drawers to hide magazines and books which was a fantastic storage purchase.

 

My old wardrobe

Installed a new wardrobe

My old coat cupboard

 

Turned into a shoe cupboard

 

 

My old bathroom vanity had no storage - the wall unit was the only storage

 

This is the new bathroom vanity (still renovating this one!)

 

My bookcase in my study/craft room

 

My coffee table in my living room

 

We did a decluttering workshop where everyone picked a room we wanted to work on at home and then split into small groups to discuss our problems and come up with solutions. My problem areas are the kitchen and laundry which need to be renovated with a lot of thought to the storage needs.

I ended up picking the laundry workshop as this is the smallest room in our house but has many purposes - it's a thoroughfare from the kitchen out into the backyard through one door or into the new garage through another door. It also has the toilet which people then use the laundry trough to wash their hands. The room has a 2 mtr wall for washer and trough and on the other side toilet and built in cupboard. I need to make this room look good as it is a thoroughfare but also practical to hold storage of spill over items from the kitchen and the usual laundry cleaning items.

There were 3 in my group including me, one was building and the other was renovating but unlike me had heaps of space. We brain stormed storage ideas, making use of the space on the back of doors for brooms etc, hanging airers onto walls. My mention of not putting in a large laundry trough but a small built in basin was met with concern that this might not suit say people who like to wash their pets in there or do hand washing.

Sink built into bench

Large laundry troughs

 

The homework is a bit of spring cleaning - to make a list of all the items you store in each room of your home with a view to where you use it and where it is stored. Also list what you use everyday, only sometimes and hardly never and then start to prioritise where the every days are stored so they are easy to get to compared to the hardly nevers.

I haven't done my homework yet I need a bit of time to go through each room but I will get there ... promise!

Week 1 you can read about here
Week 2 here
Week 3 here
Week 5 is all about Colour


[All renovation images my own. Other images via My Pinterest Laundry sinks 1, 2, 3, 4]

 

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Decorating In Spring Colours - Green and Yellow

Today is the first day of Spring and I've been decorating my TV cabinet and adding some pops of green and yellow to lure in the sunny Spring weather!

Starting with this retro styled lamp I grabbed the very last one at Target when they were half price at $55.

I had hoped the lamp shade would be larger and when I bought it imagined a large over sized one hanging over the couch but as it was smaller I thought it looked more in place behind the TV.

The 16 is our house number I bought from Typo for an outrageous $1 each.

I plan to put the numbers outside near the front door once the front fence and courtyard is built.

A mix of green vases brings out the rug colour - the tall one on the left is from Freedom and on the right Target and my quirky owl vase

Pops of yellow in the flowers bring out the art ... I am in love with all things yellow

My terrarium has had a break from the guest bedroom and looks right at home out here

It seems the cold Winter mornings are behind us now as we move into Spring it is such a pretty time of year.

I love changing up the colour pallete in this room.

Do you change your decorating colours in Spring?

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[All images my own]

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