Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Roomstyler 3D Room Planner | free interior design application

Official Site : http://roomstyler.com | roomstyler.com/3dplanner

  • 3D Home Planner http://mydeco.com/3d-planner

Roomstyler (formerly Mydeco) 3D Room Planner is a free online room design application that let's you use thousands of objects to create a custom room in a matter of minutes.

Roomstyler 3D Room Planner is easy to use and has a unique camera view that lets you view your room from any angle and render a photo of it.

Roomstyler 3D Room Planner is very easy to use - you'll be creating your online room in minutes The camera view allows you to point the camera inside your house from any angle and view it The furniture and accessories you can choose are actual items that can be purchased online Undo and redo buttons help to quickly fix any mistakes

The 3D view in Roomstyler 3D Room Planner isn't great looking and doesn't add much to the program

You have the choice of starting your room design at Roomstyler 3D Room Planner with a room from scratch or one that's already started for you A video tutorial is there to help you if you need it There's a gallery where you can view other's Roomstyler 3D Room Planner room creations and post your own

The easiest way to draw in 3D
You love what you do. Now love how you do it.


Tuesday, July 15, 2014

‘Do your own thing’: Designers on creating inspired interiors



http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/370317/lifestyle/design/do-your-own-thing-designers-on-creating-inspired-interiors

In a gathering that invited attendees to “join the design conversation,” Elle Decoration hosted their second run of Deco Talks earlier this month in partnership with Avida Land.

Centered on the idea of “creating inspired interiors,” even in a relatively small space such as a typical 23-square-meter studio unit, the talk offered some useful insights into interior decoration and styling one’s personal space.

Three seasoned visual art and design professionals sat down for the discussion: key interior designer Eric Paras, the quirky and cheerful architect Lara Fernandez-Barrios, and dapper art consultant Miguel Rosales.

Facilitating the discussion was Elle Decoration associate publisher Tom Castañeda, who kicked off the event with a brief interview about Avida Land’s latest development in Makati City, the Avida Towers Asten.

The rise of condo living

"Location-wise, you're near a lot of things that you need," said Jojo Fabricante, head of the Innovation and Design Group at Avida, as he explained that condos nowadays are built at convenient locations usually within walking distance from offices and schools, supermarkets, shopping malls, and parks.

The cramped space does tend to put people off though, and many who are used to living in a two-storey house will find the adjustment difficult. However, said Fabricante, "once you've planned your unit in an efficient and well master-planned way, you find out that there are techniques for you to be able to live still comfortably and conveniently."

He suggested going for a place that gets enough sunlight and that doesn’t have too many units per floor. Interior design can also make a big difference.

"To address the feel of crampiness, some employ the use of mirrors," he said, adding that multiple-use furniture such as sofa beds and crate-box coffee tables can also help make efficient use of one’s space.

The collector, the designer, and the architect

The mix of panelists at Deco Talks made for a pleasantly varied set of ideas—in spite of the fact that, coincidentally, all of them earned their degrees from the same university (“we ended up with an entire UP panel here today… I don’t know how that happened,” exclaimed Castañeda).

Barrios shared her experience building a new office for advertising agency Havas Media Ortega, which basically started with the one-word peg, “fun.” The result involved a Mondrian-esque play on bold primary colors, a skating track surrounding the work area and a roof deck bar. The design decisions made were all based on observations she was able to make about her client.

“It’s very important to get to know them better,” she said, explaining that since the client is the one who would be using the space, they should be able to tell you how they want it made.

Paras made a similar point when he shared what makes an inspired interior for him. “Space or size is not an issue. It’s really how you feel about the space,” he said.

Takeaways from the masters

Everything each of the panelists said can be summed up in three major nuggets of wisdom:

1. Explore and learn. "Here, especially in Manila, there are a lot of places where you can find things that are part of your inspiration," said Paras.

A visit to his personal “3-D calling card,” Artelano 11 in Pasay City, would definitely be rewarding for those seeking visual excitement. It is an enclave of beautiful things that serves as the perfect example of an inspired space.

Paras also pointed out “flea markets… Evangelista, outlet stores in Clark, [and] surplus stores from Japan” as good places one can go.

"Just do your own thing... source around," he added.

“There are so many galleries now... it's almost impossible not to find something you'll like," said Paras as he enumerated some of his favorites, from Cubao Ex and 10a Alabama to Blanc Gallery on Katipunan Extension.

He was reluctant to make any specific recommendations about art. Instead he advised everyone to "buy what you like. Buy with your eyes and not with your ears."

He also pointed out the importance of loving your own and educating oneself.

"Know more about your country's art,” he said. “The Philippines has so much amazing art out there that you really have to go around and explore... even the museums. They're there. Use them."

2. Decide what you like and work around it. "Figure out what your interest is... and you can draw from that to create your room,” said Barrios.

"Get the best bed you can afford, for a good night's rest. And I would suggest also a really comfy chair," she said when asked what every bedroom really needs.

Paras had similar splurge-vs.-save advice. "Choose or decide first which is your... piece de resistance," he started.

"If you want to spend on a bed or a cabinet, then decide on that first. Then [go for] those make-do solutions that can also be elegant... tasteful. Like repurpose a furniture piece, learn how to do carpentry, paint. It's being resourceful."

3. Edit. Barrios also advised getting rid of clutter and narrowing things down to what’s really important. "So stuff that don't really mean anything to you... when you get rid of that, your room will feel bigger and then you can kind of get a picture of how to fix it the way you want it to be done," she said.

“Don’t be afraid to edit,” said Rosales. “Part of the collecting process is… living only with stuff that you really love [and] getting rid of the stuff that you don’t really want.”

Clientele of the 21st century

The three panelists have been in the business for quite some time (design veteran Paras has 25 years of professional experience under his belt). As such, they have been able to observe a major shift in client behavior.

“Clients are more open-minded, adventurous,” said Rosales, while Paras pointed out that “access to information” has definitely made it easier to communicate visual ideas.

“There’s a certain sophistication that has developed over time,” said Barrios.

"Nowadays there's so much inspiration... you can look online, there are all these local magazines now and even in the department stores... the taste has improved a lot."

"You can find little things that help create a space and they don't have to be expensive,” she continued.

If there’s anything you need to invest in, it’s time.

"For a budget, it's not really an issue. It's how you put [your space] together. It's not an overnight thing. In time, you can achieve your inspired space," said Paras. — BM, GMA News

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Interior Design with an Equine Twist



One of the potentially exciting but often exhausting facts that comes with being a young professional is the need to move every few years. I’ve moved from Kentucky to Texas, from a suburb to the city, and now from one Houston location to another.

One thing that makes me smile, despite the annoying realities of packing, padding and stuffing boxes, is that I get to decorate a new space. While I definitely am not one to go out and buy a bunch of new things, I do enjoy deciding how I want to make my new house (or apartment) feel like home.

I have been pony-crazy since I was in kindergarten, but I realize that not everyone who comes to my home will share my affinity for horses. I want to have horses in my living space, but I don’t want my house to seem like a page out of The Saddle Club. (I have to remind myself – I am an adult.)

I keep seeing equestrian-inspired pieces in common culture. Beyond the fashion fad of riding boots and tight pants (meant to resemble breeches of course, minus the suede knee patches), store windows and magazine covers have hints of horsey inspiration.

I asked a friend of mine, Stacy Andell, about how to decorate with a sophisticated horsey flair. Stacy and her business partner Jill Egan have their own interior design company in Houston, Texas, Luxe Living Interiors.

"When I think of equestrian design or an equestrian-inspired space, I think classic, chic, sophisticated,” Stacy told me. "Horses are elegant.”

Stacy suggested displaying a simple pair of riding boots or a vintage saddle.

Alerts went off in my brain: I already do that! Except my boots are muddy and my saddle is on a metal saddle stand that doesn’t match anything else in my home.

I asked Stacy for a bit more guidance. My muddy tall boots and industrial saddle stand really qualify as clutter in my home right now, not equestrian décor.

"To set a saddle, I would find either a minimal side table or a pedestal that you might use to display a sculpture,” Stacy explained. "You want to make it prominent. Like a sculpture, it’s a piece of art.”

As we chatted, she brought up Ralph Lauren. I love Ralph Lauren. I played polo at Texas Tech for one year, and I remember being so excited to buy a Ralph Lauren button-down shirt with the polo emblem because I was actually playing the sport!

Of course, Ralph Lauren markets to an audience that is not required to play polo. Similarly, Ralph Lauren makes décor that brings in equestrian elements.

"I recently saw a Ralph Lauren polished nickel stirrup lamp,” Stacy mentioned. "It’s a clean, contemporary design but it lends itself to the spirit of a horse.”

Click here for one of the many websites that sells the lamp.

Stacy also had great ideas for decorating the walls with an equestrian vision. She suggested I hang old horse show ribbons in a shadow box or mount them on the wall in an interesting way.

As a nostalgic horse show girl, I do love to look at my ribbons. I like the shadow box idea. It will require me to pick a few specific ribbons rather than an entire string of them, but I think I can make the selections.

One of Stacy’s personal favorite ideas is to frame a scarf with an equestrian print. For example, Hermès, which does makes actual equestrian supplies, also makes jewelry, scarves and more.

Hermès has several different scarf patterns. Even from this page on their website, I can’t decide which one I would want.

I can definitely see Stacy’s idea being a really neat reality. A framed, equestrian-inspired scarf is a much more refined wall accessory than my favorite picture from last year’s horse calendar that is currently taped to the wall.

Sometimes I open an interior design magazine and feel completely overwhelmed. There’s a reason I’m not an interior designer. Stacy’s simple suggestions give me hope that I can bring in horsey elements into my home décor in a way that is unique to me.

I move in a couple months, and my brain has countless ideas for new ways to decorate using some of the things I already have. Maybe I’ll pick up a couple new things to change things up a bit. I’ll start with a different saddle stand.

Learn more about Stacy’s work at www.luxelivinginteriors.com.

Interior Decoration : http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2014/07/11-interior-design-with-an-equine-twist.aspx

Monday, July 7, 2014

GIMP | Free Graphics software

The world’s most-loved free Photoshop alternative!
http://www.gimp.org

GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.

GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.

GIMP is written and developed under X11 on UNIX platforms. But basically the same code also runs on MS Windows and Mac OS X.