Open-plan living has become increasingly popular because it allows you to move freely between areas. Open floor plans tend to have fewer walls in favour of seamless spaces and zones separated by furniture. This layout creates an attractive environment and allows easy movement from room to room, perfect for a social space or family home. However, whilst an open floor plan can sound attractive, it can also present a few decorating and organisational challenges.
In this blog, we’ll take you through some tips and ideas for planning and decorating an open-plan living space.
Consistency is key
When designing an open-plan living space it is important to consider the whole space as one large room. Paint colours, wood finishes and furniture styles don’t need to be exactly the same, but some consistency is important so that it doesn’t look thrown together and unorganised. However, you might actually want to plan some contrasts and differences to purposely separate certain areas. For example, you could establish a subtle rustic theme that connects all areas but add blue accesories to your kitchen and warmer furniture in your living area.
Make it cosy
One downside of a large open space is that it might not feel as cosy as a smaller compact room. There are ways to get around this, predominately with strategic furniture placement. For the living room area of your space, group the sofas and chairs closely together and centre them around a focus point to create an enclosed and comfortable space. You can then use soft furnishings such as blankets and rugs to further distinguish a cosy seating area.
Create a flow
Another important factor to consider with an open-plan living space is to make sure there is a “flow” that directs you through the space. Create walkways with enough space to allow you to walk through each area comfortably. Keeping these walkways clear will also help to keep the space looking more organised.
Add dedicated storage
To keep an open space looking organised, it is important that objects are kept stored away in dedicated storage. Especially if your space has been built for entertaining or is a busy family area. By installing custom-fitted furniture you can personalise your storage to your needs and fit it into the space you have available. Storage units can also be a great way to separate areas and provide some structure. For example, you could place a bookcase behind your sofa to divide the lounge and dining areas.
Whether you need a bookcase, a TV unit or kitchen storage, we can help you to achieve an organised open space. Contact us to find out more about our fitted furniture services!
Slat wall panels are a great way to introduce contemporary Scandinavian design into your home and they can be used in any room. The natural wood finishes give a bespoke hand-crafted look whilst creating a modern structure that will balance out a minimalistic room. Wooden Slat Walls create a big impact and look like they have taken a long time to construct, however, they are actually quite simple and easy to assemble.
In this blog, we’ll look at some interior design inspiration for using wall slats in the rooms of your house.
Living Room
A wood slat wall can be used to create a cosy and stylish atmosphere. A popular choice for living rooms, the texture of wood slats creates the perfect sleek backdrop for your seating area and can help you separate areas such as a dining area and lounge area.
Hallway / Entrance Room
Adding a slat wall to your hallway or entrance provides immediate impact when stepping inside your house. A linear layout will help you heighten the visual impact while highlighting a specific area, such as alcove seating or decorative furniture.
Bathroom
Morning rituals and evening routines are important for mental and physical health, so it’s important to look after your bathroom space. Adding a sleek slat wall will create a luxurious spa-like feeling in your bathroom and help you to wind down at night.
Bedroom
Slat walls can be installed as an alternative to a headboard to draw attention to your bed and give it a hotel-worthy makeover. The slats can be matched to your other furniture or used as a contrasting centre piece. Natural wood textures and a biophilic theme have been shown to help create a calm atmosphere, perfect for sleeping.
If you feel inspired by this blog and like the look of any of these ideas, get in touch to find out more information about our slat walls! Also make sure to check out our other blog posts for more interior design inspiration.
The Art Deco design movement originated in France just over a century ago and influenced everything from interiors to cars to architecture. Recognisable elements of Art Deco design are abstract geometric patterns, vibrant contrasting colours, mirrored panels and stylized imagery of figures, plants and animals.
In recent years, the Art Deco style has remerged into the interior design world and is constantly being re-interpreted and combined with other styles. In this blog, we’ll take you through some key elements of Art Deco in interior design and suggest how you can add Art Deco design to your home.
Striking Colours & Bold Contrasts
Art Deco design is defined by vibrant colours and dramatic contrasts. Highly saturated jewel colours such as red, green and blue, are used frequently. Silver, black and gold metallics create rich and glamourous accents. This rich combination is then contrasted and balanced out with more subtle pastel and neutral tones, such as beige and cream.
To add an Art Deco colour scheme to your home, choose dramatic contrasting colours. Start by choosing one or two bright colours; teal green and red or dark blue and orange work well together to create interesting contrasts. Then select gold, silver and/or black for your metallic accessories, and finally pick a neutral pastel colour to balance out the palette
Geometric Patterns & Shapes
Art Deco patterns are quite distinguishable, usually made up of geometric shapes, tightly repeated patterns and emphasised vertical lines. Often depicting motifs such as animals, flowers, arches, feathers and fans in a bold line style.
You can make an impact with Art Deco patterns in your home by using patterned wallpapers or geometric tiled flooring. If you prefer a more subtle effect, you could try patterned pillows, art prints or light fixtures.
The stylised motifs used in Art Deco patterns are also utilised to inspire sculptural furniture and accessory shapes. Sculptures and other works of art were abundant throughout the Art Deco period, so it will complement your theme to add a sculpture or two for decoration. If you have a bigger budget, you could introduce sculptural furniture; curved sofas and waterfall-style consoles create a luxury Art Deco presence.
Art Deco-style lighting is a prominent accessory that can transform your space. Usually, large chandeliers or geometric-shaped pendants are fashioned from steel, polished bronze and glass, often coloured to create a stained-glass effect.
Reflective Surfaces
High gloss surfaces and reflective materials are another important element of the Art Deco style. The rich shine of a lacquered table, a decorative mirror wall or high gloss furniture creates a glamorous and luxurious atmosphere, perfect for an Art Deco interior. Glossy surfaces can be overwhelming so they are more commonly used as accessories or smaller furniture pieces and balanced with patterns or less glossy surfaces.
To add these to your home interior, choose glossy furniture finishes, mirrored tables or metallic accents. Metallics, in particular, have risen in popularity in recent years, so there is an abundance of options when it comes to metallic accessories and furnishings.
Luxurious Materials
The luxurious feel of the Art Deco style lends itself to working with other elegant and unexpected materials. Interesting wood textures, velvet, crystals, animal prints and marble have all been used to compliment an Art Deco theme.
These materials can be used for large furniture pieces such as a marble worktop or a velvet sofa. Or for a more subtle and budget-friendly option, luxurious accessories such as velvet cushions, crystal decor or marble vases work well.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and feel inspired to introduce the Art Deco style into your home. Make sure to check out our other blog posts and get inspired by more interior design styles!
Smart and high-quality storage is the key to an organised and relaxing home. We create unique, made-to-measure interiors that fit your space perfectly and are made to last.
Family-run
We are a family-run small business located in Corby, Northamptonshire. Our co-owner brothers Mat and Jon started Made Interiors with years of experience in joinery and a passion for high-quality bespoke furniture. We employ a small friendly team who value our customers and spend time building trusting relationships. This means you’ll receive a more personal service than the bigger, chain furniture suppliers.
Crafted with care
We construct every piece of fitted furniture in our Corby workshop and assemble every component with care. Every order is made-to-measure and personally made for each customer, using only the highest quality materials. Our fitted furniture is made to last and comes with a 6-year guarantee.
Hassle-free
Our process is built to be smooth and relaxing for our customers. There is no pressure to buy after the first meeting and we provide an estimated quote and image renders so that you are able to make changes prior to production. We handle everything from the first meeting to the full installation, so you can sit back, relax and look forward to your new furniture.
Variety of styles
We have a wide range of door styles and various customisable options including different colour and material finishes, handles and interior colours. Whether you prefer a more traditional shaker door in neutral tones, a modern minimalist door with no handles, or a bright statement piece, we have something for everyone! Our custom options allow you to have the most design flexibility and really make your furniture your own! We can also offer a paint match service if there’s an existing shade you’re looking to match.
Less environmental impact
The furniture industry can be damaging to the environment so we aim to reduce our environmental impact as much as possible. All of our materials are responsibly sourced; we mostly use timber which is a naturally renewable resource. We use water-based, low-VOC paint, which is healthier for our planet and for us. Our waste also gets recycled to generate energy instead of being sent to landfill.
5-star reviews & awards
Don’t just take our word for it, take a look at our 5-star reviews on Trip Advisor or Google. We have also won Build Home & Garden Awards: Best Bespoke Fitted Wardrobes Provider 2022 and Leading Specialists in Fitted Bedroom Furniture 2023.
In light of Book Lovers’ Day this week, we have put together this blog to help you create storage for your books at home. Whether you’re a novel enthusiast with a large collection or a casual reader with a few favourites, this blog is bound to give you some home book storage ideas.
Use the space you have
Our first tip is to use the space you have wisely. Rather than creating one area for all of your books that might not fit or might get in the way, you can display your books in different spaces that you have available. For example, you might have some shelf space in your living room or an empty corner in your bedroom, there’s no reason why you can’t spread your book collection across both of these rooms.
It’s also smart to consider where you’ll want to read or use your books and try to store them in that area. For example, if you have any recipe books, they’re best kept in the kitchen.
Try different storage solutions
When we think of book storage we usually think of bookshelves or bookcases, however, there are some storage ideas that are more outside the box. The space you have available will decide how creative you can be with your storage, but you could utilise high wall space, frame your doorway or even use a glass coffee table with storage to display your books.
If you have an awkward space and you’re struggling with fitting storage in it, we can design and create fitted book storage to fill your space perfectly, contact us to find out more!
Consider adding seating
If you have a larger space available and you want to make more of a feature of your book storage, you could consider arranging some seating or creating a reading corner. A small sofa or fitted seating in a windowsill or corner of a room works well and allows for lots of storage space. If you have a room corner available you can use both surrounding walls for book storage or decor. Or if you’re near a window, the windowsill can be used as a shelf itself.
If you’re not sure what will work best, we can also help you to build seating into your fitted storage unit.
Decide how to organise
Finally, you will need to consider how you want to organise your books. You might like to create an aesthetic display by organising by colour, or if you have a bigger collection you might be able to sort it into genres. You could also think about decorating your shelves with bookends, plant pots or other ornaments.
We hope that this blog has given you some ideas for organising your book collection. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re looking for fitted storage!
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