Category: Design Lessons
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The Psychology of Interiors – Chapter 4: Curves Corners & the Quiet Psychology of Shape
Stand beneath a stone archway and notice how your shoulders fall away from your ears. Now picture a corridor lined with needle-sharp angles: suddenly you lengthen your stride, eager to leave. Long before scanners tracked our heart-rate variability, builders sensed that geometry tilts emotion. Contemporary research now explains why – curves enlist the brain’s comfort…
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The Psychology of Interiors – Chapter 3: Natural Materials, Biophillia, and the Calm Interior
Chapter 2 showed that meaningful objects become emotional anchors. The next layer of psychological impact is the substrate itself – the timber underfoot, the linen that filters light, the clay that muffles sound. Decades of environmental-psychology and building-science research converge on one finding: natural materials stabilise physiology and evaluate mood more reliably than synthetic look-alike.…
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The Psychology of Interiors – Chapter 2: Nostalgia, Rarity & The Story-Telling Home
Last week we saw how clear sight-lines and uncluttered layouts calm the nervous system. Yet even the most elegantly zoned plan can still feel hollow if the things inside it ring false. Objects are emotional amplifiers: they cue memory, signal identity, and – even before we notice – tilt our physiology. Vintage hunting is therefore…
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The Psychology of Interiors – Chapter 1: Energy, Flow, & the roots of Spatial Psychology
“Our homes are living organisms.” That’s the conviction behind this new six-part series. Over the coming weeks we’ll explore why a curved worktop makes a galley kitchen feel friendlier, how ceiling height changes our thinking, and why that marble table you hunted down at a car-boot sale feels far more “you” than any click-and-collect flat-pack.…
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The Ultimate Guide to Buying Vintage
Vintage pieces aren’t just relics of the past – they’re timeless treasures that bring depth, character, and luxury to your space. In a world there interior design often leans towards the mass-produced, integrating vintage finds creates a sense of individuality and craftsmanship that modern pieces rarely achieve. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just beginning…
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How to Style a Vintage Rug
Vintage rugs, especially intricate pieces like Chinese Art Deco rugs, can transform a room with their rich patterns and vibrant hues. Styling a vintage rug is an art that involves balancing its historical charm with contemporary elements. Whether it’s used as a statement piece, layered for added depth, or integrated into unexpected spaces, a vintage…
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The Story Behind Chinese Art Deco Rugs
Chinese Art Deco rugs merge traditional Eastern motifs with Western Art Deco influences. Originating in the early 20th century, these hand-knotted masterpieces adorned grand Chinese homes before making their way into Western interiors. Today, they captivate designers and collectors alike, offering a versatile touch of opulence to modern spaces. Origins of Chinese Art Deco Rugs…
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Communication in Interior Design: Detail Drawings
In the meticulous world of interior design, detail drawings represent the bridge between conceptual vision and tangible reality. These intricate diagrams are the blueprint for craftsmanship, embodying the precision required to bring a design project to fruition. By dissecting the minutiae of design elements, detail drawings allow interior designers, architects, and builders to visualise and…
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Communication Techniques in Interior Design: Elevations
In the visually driven world of interior design, elevations bring the project’s vertical dimensions to life. These detailed drawings are pivotal in visualising and planning both the aesthetic and structural elements of a building or space. Interior and architectural elevations, by providing a side view of structures, reveal the nuances that floor plans cannot capture,…
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Communication in Interior Design: Floor Plans
In the realm of interior design, the blueprint of a space serves as its foundational narrative, communicating the silent language of spatial arrangement and functional aesthetics. Floor plans, as these blueprints are commonly known, are the first chapter of a design story that determines the flow, functionality, and future of an interior space. This post…
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