Art is a very emotive topic. We are all moved by different pieces of art and we all have a very unique appreciation of it here at Kia Designs. This piece I stumbled across spoke to me personally. I could see it working well in lots of different schemes. It’s soft colours are soothing. The […]
Good design is effortless, it hides the bad or frustrating parts of a home and highlights the parts that you have fallen in love with. Most homes struggle with storage, even the largest home needs good storage. With these images we take you behind the design to the hidden parts of the image, the parts […]
There are 2 good investments I keep my eye out for. 1, short term, is to find the darkest period houses. The Georgian gems and Victorian terraces that give you eye strain almost the moment you enter. The other is long term: find nice country houses with stunning views blighted by power lines and towers. […]
American Artist Carmen Almon makes the most exquisite hyper-real botanical structures. And far from being delicate models, her pieces are made from sturdy and durable wire and copper, fashioned into the most meticulous detail. Artificial flowers have gained popularity in recent years, as technological advances make them more realistic and affordable, but Almon’s creations are […]
Clients always want more storage, and London housing always seems to be lacking in it. Here are some quick, cheap and easy solutions to add storage space to your home without gauging out under your stairs or ‘knocking through’. Try a hanging cloak rack if you are short on floor space Floating racks hanging from […]
We’re often asked about our design process, and how best to display and present your Interior Design to our clients. We’ve already blogged about why we don’t use 3D visualisations so let’s talk about what we actually do. Having spoken to the client and established what they need and want to get out of the process, […]
Ever since Pinterest and Instagram have burst onto the scene, people have been more brave and experimental when it comes to pattern and colour. Bold pallets have been introduced to even the most suburban homes, and sales of magnolia have plummeted. The next frontier – multicolour and blended tones. Ombre is building momentum in the industry […]
New Designers, held every year in the Business Design Centre in Islington is a fantastic platform for up-and-coming talent. We go every year in search of fresh, innovative designs and emerging trends. This year we were particularly taken by the intricate work of Bristol based textile artist Jacky Puzey, whose digital embroidery and layers of laser-cut […]
At Kia Designs, previously blogged about how to design a room around a piece of art, now we’re going to focus on the opposite – commissioning a bespoke piece to match the room. Finding art to dress a room after you’ve completed the design can be one of the most pleasurable parts of finishing off your […]
We’re often asked how we start a design. It’s a hard thing to answer as it’s really an intangible concept. After we’ve decided on the new layout, we start by asking the client a lot of questions, and getting a firm idea of what they don’t like and what they gravitate towards, as well as […]
Home automation can be a fantastic proposition however it is often thought of as very costly. There are ways that, through the wonders of modern technology you can automate your home with out a large price tag and without a a re-wire. These small changes are secure, can save you move and easy to understand […]
We’re often visited at our office by sales reps who have come to show us their new wares and demonstrate their products. It’s great to see what’s in the pipeline before it hits any showroom, and it’s always good to have a library of innovative products in mind when listening to clients concerns. A recent visit that […]
It’s trade show time again. This week we’ve been looking at new trends in tiles and at the various wares on show at Surface Design. The big emerging trends are more geometric shapes, lots of hand-painted effect tiles and imprinted porcelain. Whilst we never really go in for “trends”, as nothing dates a property faster, […]
If a client is an art collector, or has a treasured piece, interior designers will often use that image as the main reference source or influence for a design. We’ve had several clients bring in pieces by M F Husain and they make fantastic inspiration. His free flowing lines, contemporary style and vibrant tones gives us lots […]
We are constantly designing new rugs (we even have a very exciting announcement regarding that coming soon) and every now and then you will get to design a rug that is not only stunning but that the client has been searching for without fully knowing it for years! This is that rug. Designed to evoke the […]