Posts by creatingyourspace | From the Floors Up

How to Design a Man Cave

June 19, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

With Father’s Day just having passed, there are some must-haves that will make your dad’s man cave perfect. Whether you are a father/mother, a bachelor/bachelorette, or even a student, these tricks will take your “man cave” to the next level.  A “man cave” or “woman cave” is a room which expresses your hobbies, lifestyles, and passions and gives you an outlet to escape from the rest of the house.  Plus, it does not have to be just for men! If you are a wife or a mom needing some time alone, you can use these tricks for yourself as well. Mastering how your man cave feels will boil down to these five attributes:

1.     Theme

2.       Décor

3.       Entertainment

4.       Lighting

5.       Flooring

Theme

This is your room; it needs to express your style.  Your theme should comprise of an atmosphere in which you are trying to set.  Is this room for relaxing, working out, hosting guests, or rocking out on your guitar? Picking the color palette of the room is also essential.  Will your room be elegant dark navy with brown leathers, or will it be a contemporary black and white studio with a zesty red accent?  Choosing your theme and layout before tackling the project is important to help keep you on track.

Decor

How you decorate this area should reflect you and your theme.  Perhaps it is for your dad and he is into cars, so his man cave is styled after a 1960’s garage with a gas pump in the corner and street light mounted on the wall.  Or if it is for you, maybe you are into sports, and you have framed jerseys on the walls and sign memorabilia acquired throughout the years.  Or perhaps you are into reading, video games, movies, boating, crafting, etc. Pick a theme for your man/woman cave that expresses you and have fun with the decor to amplify your space.  Everything should pull back to the theme, whether its posters of movies or model airplanes on the walls.  Have fun with it because it is yours.

Entertainment

Will you have a bar, billiards table, television, personal library, workshop, or weight room in your man cave? Or perhaps you will include a sewing table, craft area, or reading nook. Whether your man/woman cave is for entertaining guest or yourself, it needs to have a purpose to draw you into the room.  Try to envision blending your theme, decor, and entertainment into one room before beginning the project.

Lighting

Lighting sets the ambiance of the room.  The room’s mood will be directly tied to light fixtures and overhead lighting.  Maybe it is a theater, so you have the capability of lowering the light dimness.  If you are using it for a gym, maybe simple overhead light work, whereas if it is going to feel like a study may be a reading lamp is needed.  It is amazing what lights can do for your room.

Flooring

Now, flooring will bring your room full circle and make feel like a finished man/woman cave.  Consider where your cave is and what you will be doing in it.  If your cave is in a garage in which your car resides, perhaps carpet is not needed as much as an epoxy flooring.  If your room has a bar, maybe consider a floor that is easy to clean up spills.  If your theme is comfy and lounging, perhaps carpet is perfect for you! 

Whatever your ultimate goal is for your cave, remember to consider all five of these attributes.  Do not be scared to use your imagination or let out your crazy side.  This room is to express yourself and use it as your escape. Have fun designing it and making it unique to you.

Art Deco Inspired Design

June 18, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

Art Deco incorporates rich colors and bold geometrics that characters the design’s style. This theme places just as much emphasis on form as it does function. If your decorating style embodies luxury and elegance, this might be the best interior design for your home.

Intense Lighting Scheme

In an Art Deco styled home, creating the right atmosphere is crucial to pull off this style successfully. Create an atmosphere by developing an evocative lighting scheme. This is done by layering lighting. You can do this by using various lighting fixtures such as pendant lights, sconces, and torches. To keep in line with the theme, try selecting light fixtures with polished and shiny surfaces. Chrome and gold finishes will further lend to the futuristic style. Beam lighting up or down to cast a flattering glow on the interior.

Bold Geometry

The hallmark of the Art Deco style is the use of strong geometry. Use angular shapes and bold curves to embody this look. Also, you can emphasize the architectural details in the room with other bold shapes. To effectively capture this look think of a 1930’s theater marquee, incorporate carpets and upholstery that feature rhythmic motifs, animal prints (sparingly) and geometric shapes.

Intricate Textiles

Being sure to incorporate textures is crucial to this design. Plain fabrics, natural weaves, and pretty florals should stay far away from this scheme. You can mix textures such as vinyl, satin, and silk for interest. Stick to sleek textures and solid colors. For a dramatic effect, you can add some flair by incorporating in contrasting solid colors.

Black and White Palette

While you do not have to be limited to such a neutral palette, this is the iconic palette for an art deco inspired room. A black and white color scheme is dramatic, sophisticated, and timeless. Can you imagine the effortless look of combining these colors with metallic and gold finishes? If you are craving more color in the room, you should try golden yellows, regal purple, and dark blue. Be sure to use such hues sparingly since an Art Deco-inspired style leans more towards a minimalist approach. Let them serve as backdrops so as not to take away from the theme.

What are your thoughts on Art Deco? We would love to hear them below in the comment section!

Is Interior Design an Art or a Science? | Part Three

June 14, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

The Conclusion

“If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?” The constant debate of what is considered an art and what is considered a science can go on with many beliefs and laws. Interior design can influence emotions and feelings, which is subjective. Yet, finite laws can create these atmospheres. Both are essential in creating your home. Tried and trued techniques can help your home flourish with style; however, tailoring it to what makes you happy can also be vital.

Science Conclusion

It is proven that design is more than just objective in certain aspects. Physics and mathematics play a significant role in our interpretation. Aesthetically speaking, we tend to admire and seek designs with a 1:1.6 ratio and symmetry. This is why most art and painting do not put the focal point truly in the center. You can incorporate this method by visually splitting your room using the golden ratio. Symmetry is essential to aesthetics, but visually, we tend to respond best to 1:1.6 ratio. Off center your bed from a wall, add décor using this technique, even hang art on your walls, can all be used in designing your space.

Art Conclusion

Color can have psychological effects. Using red may make your room feel bolder, applying yellow may add a sense of creativity, while blue can feel calming. The feelings colors give to your room make a perception. Your perception is creating the art. Apply décor and design in your atmosphere that means something important to you. This tactic will keep an artistic, individual spin on your design.

Blend ‘Em

Art and science, or objective versus subjective, can both help your interior design. Use elements proved to enhance your room while giving your own artistic flair to the space. This is the best way to facilitate both elements and get the greatest reward.

What do you think is more effective in interior design? Copying design and replicating schemes is an effective tactic, yet individuality is equally as important. Do not be set on the numbers and guidelines as much as the experience. Your home should make you happy!

Is Interior Design an Art or a Science? | Part Two

June 12, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

The Art Debate

Is interior design subjective or objective? Is it truly a science which is calculated into figuring exact functionality, mobility, and interest in the room? Or is it more of an art, where some design is subjective to the matter of influence. We explored simple ways that believe beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder. Humans have calculated tendencies on what appeases us, such as designs following the golden ratio. However, there is no way interior design cannot be subjective, right? Let us take a look at what interior design truly is.

De-sign /də’ zīn/

• A plan produced to show the look and function/working of building prior to being built or made.
• An arrangement to create a functioning, detailed form, pattern, or decoration

Art

Art is subjective and is influenced by personal opinion. With that being noted, it is quite easy to see that design would be subjective as well. If not, we would all love Rustic Design or Contemporary Design. While certain elements may appease to the masses, it does not create a finite line of one way is the only way.

The Color Spectrum

If you look at art at different times in your life, your perception of it may change. However, if you take away all subjective and perceptive elements, you are left with the universal laws of colors and fundamental angles and lines. This complex matrix is open for interpretation; however, you still have the rules of the basic color spectrum at play. Primary plus primary will create secondaries, as is shown below:

Colors are absolutes and follow an exact science to replicate. Likewise, lines and shading can also be calculated. This means that every artwork or interior design is, in fact, a science; however, it is not because it is open to interpretation.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

We have all heard the expression, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Kant, a philosopher, referred to this expression as the antinomy of taste. He then created an essay giving guidelines to what a true critic must be capable of assessing. Throughout the objective and subjective debate, we notice that subjective matters depend on the existence of properties of objective matters, like colors, lines, and shades. This would then go to prove that through features of furniture arrangements, color schematics, and lighting all can be objective and finite; the combination can create a feeling. This can set a mood. Thus, it must be an art!

While the reality of interior design can find roots in proven tactics, not every person has the same taste. We are all unique and find different interest. What creates aesthetics to you may be different than to your friend. Interior design can create an ambiance or an emotion in the atmosphere. What one may be inspired as relaxing, someone else may find overwhelming. So, truly, it can only mean that interior design is an art, right? Well, check out “Is Interior Design an Art or a Science Part Three” to find out the answer!

Is Interior Design an Art or a Science? | Part One

June 10, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

The Science Debate

Interior design is an art and a science. It is finding a homogenous blend of ideas, functionality, design, and beauty to create the atmosphere in a room. We continuously thrive to create this concept in our own homes. Balance, harmony, emphasis, proportion, scale, all have equal roles to play in creating a room’s aesthetics. However, what is aesthetics? Is it just a mere set of principles and concepts? Artists believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet scientists are more systematic with structures, equations, and practical evidence justifying beliefs. With two very opposite views, is aesthetic truly just an art? Or is there still a science that can genuinely be equated to mastering this look?

Aes-thet-ics /es’THediks/

• A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.
• Branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic taste.

Science

We all thrive to achieve better aesthetics. The principles of symmetry are commonly associated with an aesthetic looking person or figure. Cars, homes, and art all use different approaches to make something more visually appealing. Yet, where does the science lay? Are aesthetics utterly opinionated for interior design, or can we find proof in nature? While we cannot explore all objective properties of design, we can look at one in particular.

The Fibonacci Sequence

Leonardo Pisano, also known by Fibonacci, was a medieval Italian mathematician. He studied and theorized numeric equations. Famously known for introducing the decimal system and replacing the Roman numeral system with the Hindu-Arabic system, Fibonacci was a renowned scholar. He created the Fibonacci Sequence, which goes as follows:

By taking the sum of the equation and adding it to the last number of the equation, you begin to create a sequence. This sequence goes on infinitely; however, it begins to create a consistent ratio! This ratio of 1:1.6 continues to repeat itself forever. Confused yet? Stay with us.

Golden Ratio

If you create a box, using the golden ratio, and continue to break that box down using the golden ratio, you form a spiral. This spiral of the 1:16 ratio is seen everywhere in life. All plants have seeds and pedals corresponding with the golden ratio. All hurricanes spin in the sequence of a 1:1.6 ratio. Seashells, growth baby fetus, alignment of the planets, the helix of our DNA, and much more all follow this sequence and spiral. With this ratio so common in nature, it is known to affect our perspective of art directly. Ancient artist like Michael Angelo and Leonard DaVinci always used this ratio in their arts. From canvas sizes to focal points, the golden ratio has proven to make artwork more notable. This ratio truly made artwork feel more aesthetic and appealing.

Study the Golden Ratio and learn how to facilitate it. Every trick in your arsenal will make you a better designer. Art is flexible, and science is law. Though certain elements can directly affect an interpretation, does that mean interior design is a science? Not quite, take a look at the other side of the debate in our “Is Interior Design an Art or a Science Part 2” series.