October Pick of the Month

This month, we have a stylish sofa for an affordable price. Modern style does not always have to come with a high cost, especially as more companies try to make their products attractive to the budget-conscious buyer. Here, we have a Westwood sofa with clean lines and beautiful button details. Its square shape allows it to fit within many styles of design, including mid-century modern and regency. The button details give the sofa an art deco feel, combining chic pattern with simplistic design. The fabric is stain resistent, making this piece a perfect choice for families seeking durable style for their busy lives. But even with its beautiful structure, the most attractive aspect to this sofa is its low price. All of Westwood’s style, detail, and design for under $1,000.

Westwood 87″ Sofa
$999.00

A Winter Retreat

With winter just around the corner, there’s no better time to create the cozy retreat you’ve always dreamed of. After a long day in the cold, a warm and inviting bedroom is the best place to end your day. When designing a master retreat with the winter in mind, think of using warm tones and plush fabrics. Layers of colors and textures will give the space a comforting depth. Cold winter days leave us wanting a nice warm place to curl up with a book, so a chaise lounge or armchair with a soft fabric and an inviting light above it is a must. A warm area rug will rescue you from any flooring that may get cold in the middle of the night, and an extra blanket folded at the foot of the bed will not only add an accent of color, but be practical for those particularly chilly nights.

This Axis Right Arm Chaise Crate & Barrel is a perfect example of how one item can create the retreat feeling.

With these tips and many stores beginning their fall sales, there has never been a better time to get ready for the winter and create your warm getaway!

Eco-Friendly Design

Today, we have a newfound interest in recyclable and renewable resources. Society is trying to minimize our “footprint” by using eco-friendly products; this is no different in the world of design. Interior design is an easy way to take the first step to living a green, low energy lifestyle. With many recycled products now available in many mainstream furniture and hardware stores, change is easier than ever. But if replacing your appliances with low-energy equivalents and installing energy efficient windows seems a bit out of reach at the moment, an easy baby step into an eco-friendly design is through accessories. From the coasters on your coffee table, to the artwork over your fire place, there are many green alternatives to our every day accents.

A change you will hardly notice is switching out your tableware for recycled glass tableware. There are many available recycled options out there, one we found interesting were the Recycled Glass Drinkware from West Elm.

For an interesting art piece to start off a conversation, try a recycled glass sculpture. This could range from a piece made of used bottles, sea glass, or manufactured with recycled glass materials. A good example is the Recycled Glass Head from Pier 1 Imports.

Glass is not the only material we see in eco-friendly design, which is clearly shown in this unique Recycled Newspaper Vase from Target.

As you can see, taking steps toward living a green lifestyle do not have to overwhelm or break the bank. There are simple, easy changes we can all make that in the end will show a huge difference. It would be nice to see every home transform into an energy efficient, eco-friendly structure, but any step taken, no matter how minimal, is a good one.

A.S.D. Interiors has been nominated again for MyFoxLA’s Hotlist. Click here to vote!

Working from home is a smart financial move as it saves not only the price of outside office space, but also gas and car maintenance required to use a car to commute each day. If you are capable of making the move to a home office, there are a few things you should consider. Many people see dedicating a room as an office as losing valuable space for guests. If you are dealing with a small floorplan there are still ways to create a multipurpose space. For example, desks do not have to be an eyesore when clutered with paper work. To avoid this, a secretary desk can be used to double as not only a desk, but also a storage unit. The “Graham Smart Technology Secretary” desk from Pottery Barn is a perfect example about how function meets practicality and design.

With the pull down desktop open, this piece offers a fair amount of workspace and shelving; closed, it is a charming hutch that neatly stores all books and office supplies out of site while using very little floor space.

In order to avoid sacrificing guest space, even small rooms can provide sleeping arrangements while maintaining the feeling of a home office. Crate & Barrel’s “Willow Twin Sleeper” shows how a great side chair can also offer a comfortable place to accomodate a guest.

With even just these two additions, a small space can provide for both a home office and a spacious guest room. The key is to allow for both aspects of the room to hold its own while the other is tucked away. In this example, if the room is being used as an office, there is a comfortable side chair available for breaks and quiet reading; when the room is being used as a guest room, the desk will fold away and transform into a beautiful nightstand. A home office does not have to feel like wasted space in your home. Multipurpose space utilizes both function and style. There is always a way to create an inviting environment for guests while maintaining an orderly work space.

Gray Possibilities

Gray tones are some of the most versatile colors out there. With endless color options used to create gray, there will always be a tone that will satisfy what you’re looking for. The color gray describes the entire neutral range between white and black. This includes every tint and shade imaginable. Grays can be produced using purely white and black, or by mixing complimentary colors. The use of complimentary colors can make the gray warm or cool, enabling it to enhance a color when placed next to it. For example, if you are decorating a room with a focus on reds, a warm gray accent on a throw pillow or side chair can actually bring out the tone of the focus color. Warm grays are often referred to as shades of taupe. The range of color under the umbrella of gray is remarkable.

The Color of the Month: Plum

As with any form of design, trends flow through every season. Color is one of the most noticeable of these many changes time witnesses each year. This month, we’ve noticed the color plum making a prominent appearance. This rich purple is inviting and charming, as it can compliment all styles of interior design. In modern spaces, we see it making bold accents against stark whites; while in more traditional spaces, plum can warm up a room through an accent chair and throw pillow. Deep purple tones are associated with royalty and exclusivity because of its original rarity and expensive nature. This rich purple color was discovered before Roman times through the use of harvesting and treating of a sea snail known as a mollusk. This tedious task provided very little dye, making the color very difficult and expensive to produce. Thus, deep purple tones were seen only amongst the noble. This recognition has spread throughout various cultures over the centuries, and stayed with us as a sign of wealth and good fortune. Maybe we’re looking to it now as a blissful escape from the economic times we’re faced with. Regardless of the reasoning, plum is a beautiful color with an intriguing history that can liven up any space.

Crate & Barrel’s “Tux Leather Chair” in Notting Hill: Amethyst

Tiles are the perfect way to bring plum into a bathroom or kitchen.

“Dark Heather” Glass Tile from Ann Sacks

If you want to create your own styles using the color of the month, we suggest Innovation’s Luxe Suede in Madeira.

Economical Choices

In today’s economy, even furniture stores are accommodating the bargain wise shopper. While finding a good deal once involved a hunt of sorts, it is now much easier with useful tools provided by the store itself. Online, we can find specific sections dedicated to these good finds that are updated regularly. For Crate & Barrel, there is a section titled “Best Buys” which gives a list of their products that are priced surprisingly low. At Pottery Barn’s website, a similar idea is titled “Affordable Designs,” highlighting incredible deals. With these helpful lists online, anyone can find a way to design a desirable space without leaving their budget.

To give an example of the bargains available, we have selected some of our favorites. In Crate & Barrel’s “Best Buys” we found the Vendome II Bed, which prices at $899.00 for a Queen.

In Pottery Barn’s “Affordable Designs” we love the Chloe Coffee Table at the amazing price of $349.00. It’s style will hold itself next to pricier items, while balancing out anyone’s budget.

The Plus House Project

Pre-Fabricated home are becoming more prominent as simplicity becomes more appreciated. Pre-Fab Homes, for short, are growing in popularity for a number of reasons including sustainability, timely construction, and affordability. Swedish architect Claesson Koivisto Rune created The Plus House project consists of a pre-fabricated house that requires only 20 days or preparation in the factory, and an incredibly short on-site building period of also 20 days. The aesthetics of this house are surprisingly pleasing, with an open floor plan and plenty of natural light. These houses are surprisingly inexpensive. This being said, the demand for such pre-fabricated houses has the potential to grow in today’s economy. Arkitekthus, a development company in Sweden, offers 12 models of these homes, and has begun work on over 60 houses in the area.

A Home That Grows With You

Universal design, by definition, is design that creates an environment anyone can enjoy, regardless of any disability. It is custom for each individual, and rids the inconveniences that a person may have previously faced with standard design. The idea behind universal design is that design can go further than the aesthetics of a space. If the individual’s needs are taken into consideration further than just color, material, and layout, it is possible to better the quality of that person’s life. Visual difficulties are met with distinguishing colors and textures, while mobility difficulties are met with accessibility throughout the home customized to each individual. A home should make the owner completely comfortable, and it certainly should not propose any obstacles for them. Taking every aspect of the owner’s capabilities and lifestyle into account allows a designer to create a space that broadens their independence. Courses for Universal Design are beginning to be introduced into the educational world, as it is becoming more of a demand with each year. Learning Universal Design goes beyond codes and regulations within a region, as it is meant to create a livable space without having to sacrifice aesthetics. No one should feel out of place in their own home.