Mood Space

Combining forms and shapes to create the right atmosphere We’ve explored the concept of line in a previous column, and the elements of form and shape are closely related: shape is a closed line, two-dimensional, while form is its 3-D equivalent. As you might expect, the emotional responses evoked b shape and form are related as … Read more

Green with envy

Accentuate the positive Popular wisdom and grandmothers the world over will tell you that you can do your eyes or your lips, but not both; better yet, that you should choose your best feature and accentuate that. For the uninitiated, we’re talking makeup here. Finishing school adages aside, this is advice that you can take … Read more

Opposites Attract: mix and match interior design styles

In this month’s design column we look at how to mix and match interior design styles and make it all work. The principle of contrast probably makes you think of color, and that’s a natural place to start – black and white or complementary color palettes are classic sources of contrast. However, you can also … Read more

Design advice: Don’t trip at home

Balance in design is very much like balance in life. It’s a bit of a cliché, but I can’t possibly begin without mentioning the staggering feats of equilibrium we see every day: a mound of teetering boxes minimally fastened by a bit of rope to a motorbike that carries them; huge panes of glass standing vertically … Read more

Light Reading

Creative lighting solutions can transform your home in many ways Here’s a little secret about light: it’s one of the most difficult elements to get right without any training. Color, pattern, line and texture — all of these are elements that you can, at the very least, observe and experiment with in your space. Light … Read more