Interior Design development

In this blog post I am going to research and develop my ideas for my dream workspace. I wrote before that I have an interest in natural materials such as wood and stone. I would like to explore this further by looking at how other interior designers have used these kinds of materials in their designs. I hope this will give me ideas and inspiration for my own design development.

"In an age when progress doesn’t always equal well-being, we are all taking efforts to do what we can for our health. Our efforts are mostly focused on diet and exercise. However, the materials we surround ourselves with can also have a huge impact on our health. Not so long ago, home building used to involve some pretty harmful practices, like using asbestos or lead. Those days are behind us now, but a lot of artificial materials are still potentially dangerous for our health. Natural materials are the best and safest option in this regard. And we’re not just talking about the lack of carcinogens either. Research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too."

Chloe Taylor (https://smoothdecorator.com/5-reasons-to-use-natural-materials-in-interior-design/)

Chloe Taylor describes in the article linked above how natural materials are usually safer, more sustainable and longer lasting than artificial materials such as plastic. She also describes how being surrounded by natural materials has a beneficial effect on our wellbeing.

Harbin Opera House, image credits: Hufton + Crow

"The calming effect that wood evokes is comparable to the feeling of walking in the forest; the weight is lifted from our shoulders and we feel revived, renewed and refreshed - nature has a positive effect on us that is second to none."

 (https://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/news/a-treemendous-material-how-wood-reduces-anxiety-and-depression)

I have found some examples of natural materials used in an office space that I like. The image below is from Ercol, a classic British furniture manufacturer. I like the light wooden floorboards, door and desk. The desk uses unusual angles rather than the familiar 90 degrees you would expect to see on this kind of furniture. The design looks clean and practical, but would also add interest to a room.

(https://www.ercol.com/en-gb/home-office/desks/)

As we can see from the below image, there are many types of wood to choose from, with different grain and colour. I will have to take this into consideration when selecting furniture and fittings for my workspace. There is an opportunity to subtly pair the colour of the wood with other colours in the room.
 

(http://imged.me/img/)

I have also been looking at lamps at lighting and have found lighting manufacter Anglepoise. They are a classic British brand that produce practical, metal work lamps. Their style is quite industrial and I feel it would work well in my home studio.

 (https://www.anglepoise.com/product/original-1227-with-desk-clamp)

Here is an Anglepoise lamp used in a creative workspace:

( https://www.lightology.com/index.php?module=how_to&sub=anglepoise-lighting-history)

The industrial design of the Anglepoise lamp leads me to do more research on industrial style design.

"By the end of the second industrial revolution, the trend towards globalisation became even more pronounced. Western European factories closed down and moved their operations to low-cost countries. As a result, these vacant buildings suffered from neglect.
But these plants were perfectly suited for residential conversions. Over time, cities became increasingly larger, resulting in a lack of space. Transforming the old industrial areas around the city into residential neighbourhoods was a logical solution."

(https://www.dmlights.com/blog/everything-know-industrial-style-interior-design/)

Skintflint Design specialise in restoring old industrial lighting for use in contemporary living and workplaces.

(https://www.skinflintdesign.com/collections/industrial-lighting)

I plan to use this kind of lighting hanging from the ceiling in my home studio.

Following this research, I have a better understanding of how I want to design my workspace. I would like to use bare wooden floorboards and a wooden desk as in the Ercol image above. I will use refurbished industrial lighting for the main hanging lights, as above, and a classic Anglepoise lamp as a feature. I will retain some exposed brickwork in the interior as a feature wall. I have selected some initial colours below - the shades of teal compliment the brickwork, and the dark red is the same hue as the brickwork. These colours could be used sparingly around the workspace on fittings and ornaments.

In an age when progress doesn’t always equal well-being, we are all taking efforts to do what we can for our health. Our efforts are mostly focused on diet and exercise. However, the materials we surround ourselves with can also have a huge impact on our health. Not so long ago, home building used to involve some pretty harmful practices, like using asbestos or lead. Those days are behind us now, but a lot of artificial materials are still potentially dangerous for our health. Natural materials are the best and safest option in this regard. And we’re not just talking about the lack of carcinogens either. Research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too.

In an age when progress doesn’t always equal well-being, we are all taking efforts to do what we can for our health. Our efforts are mostly focused on diet and exercise. However, the materials we surround ourselves with can also have a huge impact on our health. Not so long ago, home building used to involve some pretty harmful practices, like using asbestos or lead. Those days are behind us now, but a lot of artificial materials are still potentially dangerous for our health. Natural materials are the best and safest option in this regard. And we’re not just talking about the lack of carcinogens either. Research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too.

In an age when progress doesn’t always equal well-being, we are all taking efforts to do what we can for our health. Our efforts are mostly focused on diet and exercise. However, the materials we surround ourselves with can also have a huge impact on our health. Not so long ago, home building used to involve some pretty harmful practices, like using asbestos or lead. Those days are behind us now, but a lot of artificial materials are still potentially dangerous for our health. Natural materials are the best and safest option in this regard. And we’re not just talking about the lack of carcinogens either. Research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too.

In an age when progress doesn’t always equal well-being, we are all taking efforts to do what we can for our health. Our efforts are mostly focused on diet and exercise. However, the materials we surround ourselves with can also have a huge impact on our health. Not so long ago, home building used to involve some pretty harmful practices, like using asbestos or lead. Those days are behind us now, but a lot of artificial materials are still potentially dangerous for our health. Natural materials are the best and safest option in this regard. And we’re not just talking about the lack of carcinogens either. Research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too.

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In an age when progress doesn’t always equal well-being, we are all taking efforts to do what we can for our health. Our efforts are mostly focused on diet and exercise. However, the materials we surround ourselves with can also have a huge impact on our health. Not so long ago, home building used to involve some pretty harmful practices, like using asbestos or lead. Those days are behind us now, but a lot of artificial materials are still potentially dangerous for our health. Natural materials are the best and safest option in this regard. And we’re not just talking about the lack of carcinogens either. Research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too.