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

Freedom New Season Launch

Out today,  Monday 25 February ... Freedom's latest range. All will be on their website by the morning.  You all know how much I love chairs so I will definitely be checking this new collection out online, and in-store.

Remember when purchasing an item for your home, as fantastic as the fabric may look online, it is not a  good idea to make a purchase without seeing, touching and feeling the fabric.

Another sneaky peek at Freedom's latest collection in store from today. Jump on the website tomorrow to see the goodies from the new collection.

Here are some images from the shoot collection that was taken last week down at Custom's House in Sydney.

Is it too early to start shopping? ;)

Megan Morton styled last season's catalogue, I wonder who will style this one and what the focus will be. Stay tuned...

Via the lovely ladies at www.desiretoinspire.com

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'

A nordic jewel

A white interior filled home with birch wood and simple designer furniture that help make it a jewel of Nordic inspiration.

Via Mi Casa Planete Decor

A little turtle inspiration

Recently I have been exploring different means of inspiration, it is everywhere you look & I enjoy the thought that people find inspiration in very different places to one another. 

After our recent trip to Fiji, I explored finding interior design inspiration in marine creatures. I have always loved turtles I find them relaxed and deeply inquisitive, but by no means do I support harming them in any way. (In fact, please don't, just enjoy looking at them or find imitations).

Where do you find your inspiration from?

Elle x

  

An image from our trip

             

All images via @pinterest

Yellow, grey & a little textile

Loving the colour & textile print combination! I'd love to do a project with this much print, & you know I can't go past grey either!  

What do you think?

Elle x

Image via houzz

10 perfect bedside tables

I got a little over-excited and ended up with more than 10...

We all know how exciting it is to find a new home for an item that has been in the corner of the room for as long as you can remember. I have been thinking recently of all the different objects I can use as my bedside table (currently its a pile of Belle magazines!)

The bedside table solutions below show you when it comes to the bedroom storage, no rules apply. Be it an old chair or chest of drawers, classic or retro furniture, a bedside table can be a focal point to your bedroom, or rather contribute to an ongoing theme. It is a great way to add a little bit of colour and express your personality and sense of style.

Here are a few images to get you thinking of how you can make your bedside table more exciting..

My choice is a tree stump in all its natural glory!

Grand Drum in Yellow from Matt Blatt

Wooden Nesting Table by Citta Design

Teca 4 Hole Stool by Globe West

Boracay Hourglass Stool by Globe West

Art School Bedside Table in Natural by Freedom

Do you have any other fun ideas of items that could be used as a bedside table?

Enjoy, Elle x

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-bedside-tables-that-arent-r-138033

http://www.homelife.com.au/shopping/galleries/10+of+the+best+bedside+tables+,20689?pos=6#top

Old French Barn Converted into Family Home

As soon as I see the words "Barn" and "converted" in the same sentence, I get excited, and this one is particularly spectacular! 

This is the work of French Interior Designer Josephine Gintzburger. Gintzburger took an old barn of 4,300Sqm in Bourgogne, France and converted it into this beautiful and cozy family home. The mix of texture such as concrete and wood, vintage antique with contemporary, the thick wooden beams and the mix of old and new brings a special character to the place that makes feels like home!

You can also find us on Facebook for regular updates throughout the day on all things design!

Loving the long concrete kitchen counter.

See more of Josephine work at www.josephineinteriordesign.com

http://trendland.com/old-french-barn-converted-into-family-home/