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COLOURlovers Interview with HOP Interiors

Today we are interviewing a budding interior designer with an eye for style and a love for interiors. Make sure to check out her interior design blog and portfolio at HOP Interiors. Ok, let's get started.

First up, why don't you tell the community a bit about who you are, what you do, how long you have been doing it, and your background.

Hi COLOURlovers ladies and gents! I am Mary-Ellen Paul, Editor & Founder of HOP Interiors. My creative interiors blog is my platform to share my thoughts, personal style and design aesthetic.

(Me with Interior Designer, Potter, TV Presenter Jonathan Adler)

What past experiences do you think have contributed the most to where you are now?

My passion for interior design has been an immense contributing factor. When you have the passion you are more likely to take the bold risks needed to succeed. Through my passion I am continuously seeking to develop my knowledge of interior design, taking risks with colour and exploring its effects.

What colors do you think we will see a lot of in 2012?

I think that bold strong colours will push through this year such as cobalt blues, bright yellows and fiery oranges and tangerine. In a contrast to that, pastels will start popping up, lots of sugary tones of pinks, greys and blues, will be coming through this year.

(Image credits – Main: trendenser.se, Top: etsy.com, Middle: farm6.static.flickr.com, Bottom: savedbythesouthernbelle.tumbr.com)

What patterns and trends do you think will be big in 2012?

There seems to be a lot of the iconic zig-zag Missoni style print which has segued into the interiors stratosphere. Simple prints with both bold and subtle colours will shine through too.

 Which colors, patterns & trends are you personally most excited about?

Cobalt and Navy blues are my favourite colours but I always enjoy designing with colours I’m not used to – taking me out of my comfort zone.

When you are feeling stumped, where do you turn for inspiration?

When I’m stumped I tend to take a break from it. I go through loads of magazines, tearing out anything that fits into my idea and then build upon that.

What is your favorite website or app right now?

At the moment I’m addicted to the Pintest app. I also adore decor8 as Holly is immensely inspirational. I use housetohome.com for inspiration for images for a particular space, be it the living room or the bedroom.

When decorating your home, what are the top three colors you turn to for the space?

What is your favorite paint color?

When decorating a space in your home it’s vital that you assess the space for its size and the amount of light it receives. The more light it receives, the cooler the shades, the less light it receives the much warmer the colour may be used (interior design 101). The colours I tend to use most are Night Jewels, Velvet Truffle and Cocoa Blush – colours from the DULUX paint range. However my fabric choices for my last interior project did encompasses rich reds and lush silver tones.

What's the best home design-related advice you've ever received?

If in doubt, always go back to the brief. The brief is the central core to any interiors project. When designing a space in your own home try writing a brief, detailed statement of what you want and don’t want to include in the project. This will be your blueprint to refer back to. There may be times when your eyes go into interior overload with so much choice out there, but if the products and colours you choose do not relate to the brief or the ethos of the scheme then it’s a no-no.

For someone that is just beginning down the rode to create a better home, what resources or advice would you give to them?

One of my mantras is that ‘a room must not only look great, but feel right’. The room must be right for you, it must be comfortable and feel just right for you. There are so many fads and trends but instead of going with the flow I would advise going for that is right for you and your home. When embarking on a better home or a redesign I would advice taking it one step at a time. It’s easy to get carried away and so my advice would be to slow down and take it room by room. If you are unable to do a complete redesign you can always add a few little changes to make a room appear brand new. For example, you can add a new splash of colour to your room or a change of colour to your fabrics and textiles. My blog will give you a lot of handy tips on making changes to certain rooms in the home.

Be The Next GelaSkins Artist :: Design Contest

Be the next GelaSkins artist! Gelaskins works with some of the world's finest talent to bring stunning art to any device. You could be the next artist to be featured on GelaSkins and have your pattern available worldwide!

GelaSkins is passionate about great design which is why you'll find some of world's most creative minds gracing their pages. A portion of each skin, case or print sold goes directly to the creator, helping to support and promote independent artists everywhere. Pretty neat, right?

The HardCase is the newest addition to the product family. It is a tough polycarbonate case made to protect iPhones and impact damage and everyday wear-and-tear. Simple to install and remove, the one-piece snap-on construction holds tight for maximum protection. The HardCase allows for easy access to buttons and is compatible with charging cables and screen protectors.

So let's get down to business! Here are the details to enter our contest and possibly win the fabulous prices below.

How to enter:

Submit one of your patterns here. Just select a pattern template that you designed and colored and apply it to the hardcase... Easy as that! Give it a try.

Prizes:

1st place prize: Winner will become the next GelaSkins artist, and will collect royalties on the sale of their design to our customers.

Runners Up: The 2nd-5th runners up will receive $100 gift card towards custom GelaSkins featuring your pattern.

The 1st place winner will be chosen by GelaSkins but the 2nd-5th place winners will be chosen via voting by your community. Once you create your submission, make sure to check out the other submissions and vote for your favorites.

Submissions will close June 4th and we will be announcing the winner on June 5! Good luck!

View all the entries here: Gelaskins Hardcase Entries.

Contest Rules:
All designs entered stay owned by the creators. The grand prize winner agrees to share their design rights with Geleskins, and participate as one of their designers. They will earn a part of all sales of their design.

HOW Design Live! Creative Conference & Real Life Palette Making.

Our friends at HOW have their grand event planned for next month in Boston. This creative conference is one of the biggest I've ever been to and brings in fine people from all over the world. Not only will we be there, we'll be providing a little colorful entertainment with our Palettes in Real Life interactive exhibit. Come join us and a few thousands other creative people for an awesome time! (I'll also be there signing copies of Color Inspirations, and I'd love to have you sign mine!)

Register for HOW Design Live using the code "COLOUR" and get $100 of the admission price.

HOW Design Live - Boston
In 2012, Boston is the meeting point for the biggest gathering of designers, freelancers, creative team managers, and other creative professionals in the country. That much creative energy under one roof? It’s a recipe for revolutionary ideas and life-changing inspiration. You’ll rethink your approach to work and life, connect with like-minded allies, hear from creative visionaries, and discover new tools to make your job more satisfying and productive than ever before.

Real Life Color Palettes!

We'd had the pleasure of making palettes in real life with our members a few times, and each time we do it we're impressed with your creativity and energy. We're excited to bring the experience to the weekend fun at HOW Design Live. Find us and make a palette with us! Some photos from our last palette making experience can be viewed below:

Bubs | "Readyforlove" | COLOURlover | @Bubs 

Aaron Epstein | "let there be light" | aepstein | 

Molly Bermea | "Ooga Booga"  | mollybermea @mollybermea

Serafina Bermea | "Goo Goo, Ga Ga" 

Greg Hennes, COLOURlovers Official Photographer | "pink parts are punk" | Greg Hennes

Toti | "Ligero" | @patrullaverde

Gail Towey | "Sorbet" | Martha Stewart

Alice Fisk MacKenzie | "Orange Reality"

See the rest of the Palettes in Real Life from the Color Conference here.

Register for HOW Design Live using the code "COLOUR" and get $100 of the admission price.

The Perfect Robin's Egg Blue Paint Color

I was on the hunt for about 6 months looking for the perfect color for my bedroom. After such a hunt, I realized there probably isn't a perfect "Robin's Egg Blue" that fits each and every room or piece of furniture.

Many people in the blogosphere have talked about their quest in finding the perfect paint color. I checked out every single one of those blog posts and tested every single one of those colors. Unfortunately for me, none seemed to fit just right. So the search continued and I finally found the perfect color.

Source: Nursery, Bedroom

I was looking for something like the bedroom above on the right or something like this bookcase below. To me, this color is a warm blue tone that is subtle yet inviting. I was coming across either icy colors, baby blue colors or just bright blue tones which I didn't want. Since I wanted something warm, it needed a hint of green to soften the tone up just a little.

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Centsational Girl talked a lot about finding the perfect Robin's Egg Blue paint color, and I must say, she did a lot more research than I did! I mean, check out all those paint swatches!

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Red Bird Cabin suggested "antiguan sky" from Benjamin Moore.

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And now, it was time to try all of these samples on the wall.

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I choose tried 4 different paint colors. As you can see, some were not quite what I was expecting when I opened the can. None the less, I tried them all on the wall to see the results.

The runner up was "Bird's Egg Blue" by Benjamin Moore. It was a tiny bit too blue for me, so I decided to jump over to the next swatch which had a little more green in it, "Antiguan Sky" from Benjamin Moore. This ended up being the perfect color for the wall!

The room isn't done being decorated yet, but check out the overall color on the wall. It is the perfect mix of blue and green and offers a warm feel in the room.

Do you like the final color? Are you in search of the perfect Robin's Egg Blue color? Which ones have you tried?

Roomba Light Art

You wouldn't even know that the Roomba is a vacuum when looking through these photos. The idea of turning everyday things into art work is something more creatives thrive on, and this is no exception.

The "Roomba Art" series was originally produced by Tobias Baumgartner, Marcus Brandenburger, Tom Kamphans, Alexander Kroeller, and Christiane Schmidt of the IBR Algorithm Group and Braunschweig University of Technology. "We had a swarm of seven Roombas, each with a differently colored LED on top. The roombas are operating at the same time -- can you spot the collisions?" Source

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After this initial series was created several others tried their version of such an idea and pretty soon various versions of this concept were created and posted online. Hope you enjoy the round-up we have put together.

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Have any of you tried this yet? Would love to hear your thoughts on this awesome photo series and creative concept.

Zazzle Design Contest Winners Announced

Zazzle is one of those totally awesome online brands that has just about everything you could wish for on one website. Aside from offering so many different products, Zazzle also gives you the chance to customize your own. Make sure you check out their selection of goods.

Did you all enjoy creating iPad cases for our Zazzle contest? I hope so. There were so many fabulous entries, you guys are great at creating some inspiring pieces. So thank you for entering.

Today we are here to announce the winners of the Zazzle contest.

• Grand prize winner will receive $500 + a copy of their winning iPad Sleeve
• 1 Runner-up will receive $100 Zazzle gift certificate + copy of their iPad Sleeve
• 2 Honorable mentions will receive $50 Zazzle gift certificates + copies of their iPad Sleeves

The runner-up who will be receiving a $100 Zazzle gift certificate + copy of their iPad Sleeve is: Vintage Flowers iPad Sleeve by HazelAgnes.

The 2 Honorable mentions who will be receiving a $50 Zazzle gift certificates + copies of their iPad Sleeves: PATTERN {chevron 011} by Schatzibrown

And finally, Vintage Floral by pinkinkstudio

Congrats to all the winners! Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Zazzle contest. I hope you had a lot of fun with this contest and we are excited to keep bringing you more.

Floral Trends in Decor, Design + Fashion

I'm excited for the return of floral prints. From fashion to design, this print has grown back into our lives and secured a very special place in current trends. These print pieces are so simple and sweet and will definitely add extra sunshine to your home office.

Today we are going to take a look through all the various uses of such a trend. So get your pinning buttons ready, as you are in for a treat.

Source: Tags, Journal

Logo design? Using Florals? You better believe it!

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I love the use of watercolor + free hand floral drawing in this logo. This is one fun logo overall, and just check out how she plays with it in her branding.

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Floral print in fashion is coming back fast! It is important to find those modern floral patterns as opposed to those your grandma used to own. But if you can find something vintage modern, you'll be golden in pulling off this trend.

Source: Shoes, Skirt, Outfit, Pants

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I wasn't aware that the floral print trend had hit the seating market so heavily. But I stand corrected by these images that shed a whole new light on floral print seating. Which one is your favorite?

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Source: Chair, Etsy

I loved this floral pattern that one blogger created.

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And it looks like you all are creating your own floral patterns on COLOURlovers as well! There are pages and pages of floral patterns for you all to explore on the site.

Source: hana*, ksantipa, Skyblue2u, Skyblue2u 

My challenge of the day is to create some awesome floral patterns on COLOURlovers. Once you have created something you love, comment them all below. Let's help get everyone else inspired with floral patterns too!

Colorful Round-Up + Links From Around The Web

It has been quite a fun week over here at COLOURlovers. Between our iPad contest with Zazzle, book review on the new Smashing Magazine book, Redesign The Web and so much more!

FAVORITE BLOG POSTS:

Some of our favorite blog posts from this week are crafty projects you can do with magazine pages and some fabulously colorful digital art by Andy Gilmore! Also, Zazzle is hosting a COLOURlovers iPad Design contest! If you haven't entered, now is the chance, the winner will receive a $500 cash prize.

CMYLK by DESIGN MILK

Design Milk (one of our fave blogs over here at COLOURlovers) has created a brand new column called "CMYLK". Each week, they round up some images – products, interiors, and art – and their associated COLOURlovers color palettes to inspire and delight. This week, features some fabulous paintings by Kristy Gammill. Check out the blog post for more palettes!

Do you "like" us on Facebook? Well you should be because we post awesome photos like those below all week long!

A few weeks back we held a Betabrand sock design contest! The 3 winning designs are now listed for pre-order on the Betabrand website! Pre-order your pack now!

LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB

LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

• The entire process of creating and building this colorful little room is posted on Design Milk Megan Geckler for Bobble.
• House Beattiful shows us 6 Cheery Yellow Bathrooms. This is great inspiration for those of you looking to spruce up your bathroom for the summer.
• If you haven't had the chance to get yourself a few Pantone Coffee Mugs, now might be a good time to go grab them.

Have any colorful posts you have seen yourself? Share them in the comments below! See you next week with some more colorful round-ups!

Crafting With Magazines

A bit ago we posted about crafting with paint chips. Today I wanted to post about another product you probably have laying around your house that you could turn into totally awesome art.

Have you ever tried to find a use for magazines and catalogs that you finished looking through? Throwing them away feels like such a waste sometimes, doesn't it? Well today we are posting about various art projects you can do with those old magazines to repurpose them and bring those pages to life, for the second time. These projects are also a great way to give your kids something to do, using only products you already have in your home.

The magazine sunburst is probably my favorite piece of magazine art yet. All you have to do to create such an art piece is a roll up magazine pages and paste them together. Check out how she did it. Next to this fun DIY is a cool magazine clock that you can get off Etsy.

Source: Sunburst, Clock 

I know the holidays aren't upon us for quite a while, but here are some fun things you can create for the season. Creating bows from magazine pages is super easy and a fun touch that you can't find anywhere else.

Source: Ornaments, Bow

Magazine jewlery! Want to find something unique to wear? This is definitely a good route to take, and you can even make it yourself which is even more impressive.

Source: Bracelet, Necklace

Here are a few fun ways to add a little bit of magazine crafting into your home.

Source: Frame, Coaster

 Now this is one incredibly awesome vase! Even without flowers, this is such a statement piece for you home.

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This is a fun craft project for you and your kids! And they make for great storage after the fact.

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What are your favorite pieces? I would love to see the color palettes and patterns you all can create with such fun inspiration. And if you have the chance to craft with magazine paper, I would love to see pics of what you are coming out with.

Redesign The Web by Smashing Magazine

We are very excited to review the brand new Smashing Magazine book, REDESIGN THE WEB.  I'll start by saying that I would not only recommend this book to every designer, but it is a must for any person who is in the position to make decisions about their website. Why do I think this? Understanding the how and why behind design allows you to learn the types of questions you should be asking about your website and will help the entire design process immensely.

Let's start by taking a look at the table of contents:

Chapter 1, The Business Side of Redesign, was my favorite chapter in the book. Focusing on the business of design is by far the most important part. This concept can sometimes be overlooked when you get caught up in "making it pretty". "The most powerful defense against fashion is simple: we must ask why." Great tip to try next time your clients wants a "make my website look like that" design.

Another great point brought up in this chapter is the designer-client relationship. I agree that many of these relationships are broken. Without the client understanding the how and why behind your work they tend to focus on the looks, not the purpose. Here are some pointers to create a better relationship.

Chapter 2 dives into the technical needs of a company and offers some basic advice for clients when it comes to exercising their options and choosing the right platforms for their needs. This includes everything from choosing the right content management system to your commerce platform.

The following chapters cover the basics of HTML5, the great advantages of using CSS3, and some of the new features and benefits both of these languages have to offer. It also touches upon Javascript and some tricks to replace complex JQuery. If you are familiar with both HTML + CSS, you will understand the tips and pointers these chapters have to offer. Here is just an example of what you will find:

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Chapter 7 goes over a variety of Photoshop tools at your disposal. Most of these techniques are pretty basic if you are a Photoshop know-it-all, however there might be a few that you didn't know about. If you are new to photoshop, this chapter is a perfect way to learn some new techniques. Here is an example of  from the book:

The chapter, Designing With Personality, was another stand out chapter of this book. Personality really is what sets brands apart. Below are some examples listed of the benefits of creating a personality.

The concept below is extremely valuable. Copywriting isn't always taken into account in design, but in terms of building a brand with personality, it is a very key element that must be given some thought.

A great example quoted from Chapter 10: "GE made its giant corporation feel more humanly by sharing the individual personality of its workforce. It showed us the passion and pride it has for its craft. and we felt it.

There is a landing page strategy that can absolutely benefit you, further than getting early access sign-ups, that is brought up in this book. This is known as the "hidden survey". You can gauge interest and demand of a product that hasn't even been built yet just by monitoring the number of early-access sign ups. Another great way is offering a short "Help Us Build Something You Want" survey asking them a few short questions geared toward getting valuable information that you can use. Getting to know the people that use your product is the best way to build a product.

If you are just starting in the field of design, this book is definitely for you. It will quickly get you up to speed and give you some great pointers that will most improve your current workflow.

If you are well into the field of design this book might not offer entirely new concepts. Still, there is always an opportunity to learn and overall, it is definitely worth reading to see what new ideas you can take away from it.

Get your copy of the new Smashing Magazine book, Redesign The Web.