Interior Design London UK

Whatever your interest in interior design, London is likely to
have what you are looking for. Maybe you are seeking inspiration and
imaginative tips on interior design for your own home or you are an
interior designer and want to promote your own work, or perhaps you want
to hire the services of a professional designer or even study interior
design yourself, no matter what your need is, there is no better place
to satisfy it than from the design capital of the UK itself, London.

Visiting Exhibitions in London

London
hosts a number of exciting exhibitions every year, some of which focus
on a specific area of interior design and others that are broader in
their approach. Exhibitions serve many purposes, they can showcase new
talent and fresh ideas from up and coming interior designers often
alongside the work of already well established and highly sought after
designers in the industry, they highlight the latest fashions and
trends, spark new creative ways of thinking, provide opportunities to
network and increase business sales and of course they offer the chance
to view the work of some of the best interior designers in the world.

The following list represents just three Interior Design Exhibitions that regularly take place in London:

o
100 Percent Design – Exhibition usually takes place in September over 3
days and is open to the general public on one of those days. More
information can be found at http://www.100percentdesign.co.uk

o
Decorex – This exhibition also takes place each September but is only
for trade and professionals in the interior design industry. Details of
the next exhibition can be found at http://www.decorex.co.uk

o
New Designers Exhibition – opens to the public and exhibits the work of
thousands of new and up and coming designers every July. You can find
out more information from http://www.newdesigners.co.uk

There
are of course many other exhibitions taking place throughout the year
and a list of them can be viewed on The British Interior Design
Association website at http://www.bida.org

Hiring a professional Interior Designer

Many
of us would like to transform our own home and although we may start
out with great ideas and intentions, quite a few of us never actually
get around to doing anything about it. Hiring a professional interior
designer is one way of getting it done and if you don’t have someone in
mind already; one place to start looking is The British Interior Design
Association. The BDA keep a list on their site of interior designers
who are either registered members or associated members.

Registered
members are the most qualified and have the most experience as in order
to get registered they have to satisfy the Association’s strict
criteria. An Associate member has to have been working in the industry
for at least a year and will have passed the association’s interview
process for membership. You can search for an interior designer at http://www.bida.org.

Another option is The Interior Design Handbook website at http://www.interiordesign.com,
where you can search a list of potential designers by location as well
as speciality. You will also be able to view their profiles online.

Studying Interior design in London

London
offers hundreds of courses on various aspects of interior design
starting from the most basic right through to graduate degrees and
beyond and so finding the right one can seem like a daunting task but it
needn’t be if you know where to look.

A small sample of interior design schools in London include:

o The KLC school of Design

o The AIU School of Interior Design

o The Interior Design School

You could also try searching for other courses at http://www.floodlight.co.uk,
which is the official guide to all the different adult education
courses on offer throughout London. UCAS will also be able to provide
you with comprehensive information on different undergraduate courses
that are interior design related and what colleges and universities are
offering these courses.

Why London for Interior Design?

London
attracts a wealth of talent and creative thinking within the interior
design Industry and is an important springboard for launching the very
latest designs from some of the best interior designers in the world.
London also provides endless opportunities for up and coming interior
designers to showcase and promote their own work and can be a source of
inspiration for anyone interested in interior design at any level.

The Quiet Integrity Of Japanese Interior Design

The key point of all Japanese Interior Design is natural serenity, unostentatious refinement or, wabi, as the Japanese call it. While bright, bold colors are still used everywhere in Japan, they are done with restraint and they are used to express a profound awareness or concept of ying and yang. Colors, as well as other elements that are opposites, must work together in harmony. The balancing of light and space is the beginning element for all Japanese Interior Design.

Light is diffused and living and sleeping areas are flexible and usually have moveable screens. Some sleeping areas are futons put on the floor at night, then packed up during the day and stored for more living space. This might seem very strange for westerners, but it is the Japanese way of life. Japanese Interior Design is a simple form of design if you understand the underlying principles. Ignoring these principles will make Japanese Interior Design very difficult for the average Interior Designer.

The Japanese Home

The Japanese home is a private sanctuary hidden away from the chaos and hectic challenges of the world outside. The traditional dwellings are made from natural, organic materials, such as clay, straw, paper, woods (both hardwoods and bamboo) and stone. Japanese Interior Design also makes use of water, natural light and greenery. Again, the use of the ying and the yang are seen as the inside dweller is bringing the outside in to live in harmony. This timeless design is still a fascination to most designers.

The Japanese room is known for its clean lines and uncluttered look. There is furniture in a Japanese room, however, not very many pieces. The colors of Japanese Interior Design are usually quite subdued, showing preference for colors that are soft and quietly restrained. These colors are drawn from neutral palettes, incorporating grays, beiges, browns and off-whites. The majority of Japanese color schemes are monochromatic and lend themselves to dark hardwoods, polished concrete, bamboo or stones and pebbles.

The sliding doors in Japanese Interior Design are known as shoji screens, fusuma doors and ranma transoms. Another standard in Japanese homes are their floors. These innovative floors are a tatami mat flooring system. The tokonoma alcove is another element of the Japanese Interior Design home. This alcove is a spot for family treasures and artwork or seasonal decorations. You might find a bonsai, hanging scroll or ikebana displayed in the tokonoma alcove. This alcove serves as a similar role to a mantle over a fireplace in a Western home. If you are interested in reading an interesting interior design book, than a book on Japanese Interior Design is the book you should read as the Japanese are indeed a fascinating culture to study.