It's competition time!

It's competition time!

Design & styling is my own work!

Share this image & make sure you like the "Design, Form, Function" Facebook Page (CLICK HERE!) to be in the running to win an online interiors layout, furniture selection & design for one room of your home! 

The winner all be drawn next week! Elle x

Tips to help you properly light your bedroom

I receive a lot of questions about bedroom lighting, so I thought I would answer them all in one go with a post! 

Many ask, "why is having the correct bedroom lighting so important?" The answer; light around the home affects your mental and psychological state. Living in a dark and gloomy environment will dampen your mood.

Whether you retire to a small alcove or grand master suite, you probably use your bedroom for more than simply sleeping. Bedroom lighting ranges from basic to bold; dimmed to dramatic.

Help are some tips to help you properly light your bedroom:
Size MattersBefore buying bedroom lighting, first determine the size of room. Take your room measurements, along with outlet locations and furniture placement to a lighting showroom or speak to an interior designer. It is important to have an even spread of light throughout the space.

Height RightThe scale of the bedroom in relation to the light source is crucial to consider prior to purchasing. If your bedroom ceiling is low, avoid fixtures with longer bodies. It would be wiser to purchase a light with shorter or flush wall - mounted fixtures.

Room to GlowYour bedroom might serve more than one purpose; do you have a sewing machine, a small office, or a reading nook? All these spaces require direct lighting, but a sitting area begs for softer, shaded fixtures, so it is best to have varying light sources.

The Lighter SideAvoid shades on lamps or lights that are too opaque, otherwise your bedroom will be too dark. The fixtures may look nice, but the light will not be as functional. When buying a table lamp, opt for one with a softly diffused shade. Spend a moment to see how you turn it on and off to make sure it is not going to be too difficult to manage when you are in bed. My design aesthetic MUST combine aesthetics with functionality, hence the name "design, form & FUNCTION" ;)

Location, Location, LocationDon't install lights directly over the bed. You will tend to look up at them while you are laying in bed and direct light from overhead is less comfortable than soft light at face level.

Get in the MoodA strong dose of ambience is also important in the bedroom. I suggest installing dimmers on lights to allow you to change the desired effect. Softer or colored light bulbs can also change a room's mood.

Closet ConditionsFew things are more frustrating that dark closets. Closets need good light, but be careful not to put a hot light bulb too near delicate clothes.

If all else fails, make sure you have ample natural light!

Elle x

Follow me at www.facebook.com/designformfunction 

or email me at elle@luluolive.com.au for design questions or assistance!

via Lighting Association

Adore Home Magazine Feature

Did you see us on the Adore Home Magazine Blog this morning?

Make sure you jump over to our Facebook Page for constant design inspirations & to keep up to date with our design projects!   

 

http://www.adoremagazine.com/blog/2013/3/4/blog-lovin-with-ellen.html

STYLE + design + function

What do you do in your down time? 

I can't help but design... and then redesign!

What style best represents you?

Elle x

Ashdown & Bee

Visual artist Simon Murray & stylist Melissa Simonetta are the creative couple behind Ashdown & Bee, a creative company who established the company after realising their individual styles and skills were perfectly matched. Even the company name is a combination of the creative two, "Ashdown & Bee is a mix of both our names! The Ashdown part is Simon's middlename (and we liked how unusual it sounded) and my name, Melissa means honeybee which forms the Bee!" 

Talented sign writer Simon has been in the creative industry for 15 years covering all aspects of sign writing. "We love to create hand painted and gold leaf signage for shopfronts, creative spaces, events or any kind of project. We also do 'modern' forms of signage such as digital printing, vinyl lettering, timber routing, stenciling and even aerosol/graffiti murals." This couple seems to do it all!

Melissa is a qualified stylist and a keen interior designer, "I enjoy prop styling for magazines and advertising shoots, visual merchandising and also event styling such as weddings, bridal showers and kitchen teas". Melissa also writes for design blogs (hello Design, Form, Function!) and other social media avenues.

Simon and Melissa work together on all projects, which they find to be creative and quite varied in brief.

A highlight of working within the creative industry for Ashdown & Bee is being "part of creating beautiful spaces and collaborating with other like-minded creatives. We also thrive on the challenge of making something amazing out of a simple idea, and we love getting acknowledged for our talent of creating beautiful things for people to enjoy".

One of their most recent work is the beautifully designed flagship store Ecoya situated in Woollahra, which was commissioned by Stylist Megan Morton. "We created a wooden routed gold leaf hanging sign, painted a quotation in gold leaf on the shopfront and installed copper planters within the store." 

What is next for these two? They are currently creating pie-chart directional floor signage for the St Jerome's Laneway Festival in Sydney in gelato pastel colours. In the near future you can expect to see exciting creations from these two. Ashdown & Bee are currently working on their first collection of one-off vintage style hand painted signs which will be available to purchase from their website here.

"We have also recently done some Wedding Styling and were lucky enough to have our wedding chalkboard signs featured in a few issues of Bride To Be magazine & Hello May magazine!"

  

Ashdown & Bee has a special offer just for followers of Design, Form, Function, yippe! 

The winner will receive a custom interior e-design collection for one room in their home.

This includes; 

• a new design scheme
• visual concept board
• colour specification (if required)
• furniture & decor sourcing (incl. links to online stores & stores in your area) and
• floorplan (if required).

This fantastic prize is valued at $300

All you have to do to be in the running is;
1. Like the Ashdown & Bee Facebook Page & the Design, Form, Function Page (www.facebook.com/ashdownandbee) 
2. Leave a comment on the Design, Form, Function Facebook Page about which space in your home needs attention and why to win! (www.facebook.com/designformfunction) 

A sample interior design e-design board by Ashdown & Bee.

Elle x

My Week in Photos: 1

My week in photos is a little behind the scenes introduction to the my design focused life.

Elle x

Jump over to the Facebook page for more design lovin'

Home Styling

"Tina Seidenfaden Busck and Pernille Hornhaver are the founders of ‘The Apartment’ an interior showroom/shop in Christianshavn, Copenhagen. The space is what it sounds and looks like in these photos, an apartment that has been restored by the founding partners to showcase design objects, furniture, antiques and art. The all-white space serves as a blank canvas where innovative modern design meets the unparallelled craft of traditional furniture making. In these photos you will see how the space has been transformed over time as it is dressed with different furniture, objects and art."

One day it would be nice to have a library in my home, but I would happily settle for a wall of books.

Today designers and architects are finding new and exciting ways to utilize space. One form of doing so it to use all available walls. A wall of plants (vertical garden), a wall of books and a wall of photo frames, there are many options. 

This apartment is a combination of warm and cool elements;

Cool: white walls and ceiling, dark grey wooden floors, metal table and furniture legs

Warm: Coloured books, lamp shade, tones of grey, woolen colourful rugs

images via http://www.stylebyyellowbutton.com/p/about.html