Choosing your Art

Choose your artwork by considering the style of your interior and the period of your property. Artwork is very subjective so be sure to pick pieces that you love, as you are the one who will live with it every day.

Don’t be afraid to go for something different and interesting. There are so many different art forms available; from paintings, photography and sculpture to more contemporary forms such as mixed media and installation pieces.

Art doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive or intimidating to buy. There are lots of small independent galleries, so take a look in your local area and get expert advice from the galleries themselves. Another way to find great original art at accessible prices is by visiting Graduate Art shows and exhibitions where there will be an abundance of fresh and exciting new talent.

Framing and Size

Be sure to select pieces that work well within the available space. Oversized artwork is a fabulous way to achieve a dramatic statement, and large pieces are perfect for living rooms and dining rooms in homes with high ceilings and lots of wall space. If you live in a smaller property more impact can be achieved with groups of smaller artwork.

Framing is equally as important, and if badly chosen can detract from even the best of works of art. As a general rule of thumb keep the frame style to the era of the artwork; contemporary art in contemporary style frames and traditional art in traditional style frames. Try matching the frame finish with elements in your room, such as the furniture finishes or the floor and wall colours.

Lighting and Hanging Artwork

Don’t forget to consider your lighting when hanging artworks. Where possible use directional lighting to highlight your piece as an alternative to the traditional hanging picture lights. Traditional picture lights tend to work very well with older or darker paintings. LED lights are considered preferable, as they have no damaging UV rays, no infrared and don’t emit much heat.

Use table and floor lamps in the room to get an atmospheric effect within the space, especially when you have smaller pieces hanging in the room. It’s also a good idea to keep artwork away from direct sunlight to avoid fading.

As a guide to hanging a piece of art correctly the general rule is to hang it at eye level. Place your piece central to your eye level and mark this position out on the wall to hang. Obviously placement is also dictated by the available space, and sometimes being a little creative can make a big difference.

Make sure you use fixtures that are appropriate for the type of wall and strong enough to support the artwork. With large and heavy pieces why not get a handyman or professional to hang it for you.

Finally don’t be intimidated! Art should be enjoyed and treasured, so make sure you pick pieces that speak to you in some way. Go with your instincts.

Congratulations to our customer Graeme on the new addition to his family. Thanks for sending us a picture of your Tree Of Life Lamp personalised with Lucas's birthdate.

It looks a great in your son's room!

Try to use lighting for decorative means and to create an atmosphere. A good way to achieve this is by having layers of lighting.

Main Lighting

When using downlights think about what you would like to highlight in the room. Position them above an artwork piece for example, or light up the front of built in cupboard doors to give a practical light and ambience. If possible try not to use them over a dead space or blank wall as it will draw attention to an unnecessary area.

If you don’t have downlights in the room, choose a pendant light or chandelier as a focal point. A large pendant light with a colour or fabric that matches your interior scheme is a simple yet elegant way to achieve a classic contemporary style. Try using a diffuser underneath the shade to cover up the bulb and give off a warm glow.

For the more opulent tastes you could choose a chandelier, whether contemporary or classic. From shabby chic crystal styles, art deco influenced pieces to contemporary designer chandeliers you can find something fabulous to suit any interior style.

Low-Level Lighting

Low-level lighting can finish off a room and create a mood. Once you have your furniture layout, table and floor lamps can be placed to bring it all together. A floor lamp next to your armchair for reading and table lamps on sofa side tables create a cosy feel.

As well as the functional aspects of the lighting, think about what you would like to enhance in the room. For example placing lamps on your console and reflecting light off a mirror hung above makes a great statement. A subtle low-level highlight can be achieved by using simple LED strip lights concealed within the structure of your shelving. Try using dimmer switches so you can control your lighting moods throughout the day.

Shades & Fittings

Lampshades are a great way to add another dimension into your scheme. If you need a particular colour to tie it all together you can always have them made in the fabric of your choice. Experiment and don’t be afraid to use patterns and prints to bring some life into your interior.

Do your research when it comes to choosing the correct fittings and bulbs. Make sure the finish of the fittings suits your scheme, and that the bulbs give off enough light for what you need.

You don’t always have to keep with standard fittings that a light may come with, for example swap a cheap white cord for a coloured fabric cord or a patterned cord such as zigzag. There’s so much available to tie in the lampshade and base finish with your cord.

For your fittings you may want to match the finish with other pieces in the room, whether it be a detail on your furniture or your hardware finishes. Moving away from standard white or black fittings, satin nickel, bronze and brass are all very sophisticated finishes. Consider your socket and light switch finishes as well, and try to tie them all together to add that extra detail in your overall design.

Finally have fun and be bold!

Don’t be afraid to choose something distinctive and individual. These pieces are the ones that make the room and complete your interior giving your home a unique style and personality.

It doesn’t have to be full of the trappings of a luxury hotel room with velvet padded headboards and glossy furniture. Pick a style you like and use the following simple elements to design your room.

Bed & Headboard

An upholstered bed and headboard instantly gives you a chic statement piece to the room. Keep to soft neutral fabrics for the upholstery, either in cotton/linens or cotton/velvets. Deep tufted buttoned, stud detailed, winged or picture framed headboards all add to the boutique hotel look.

Furniture

If the space allows for it, a chaise or upholstered bed bench at the end of your bed is that extra touch of furniture that is always present in a boutique hotel room. Either keep it in the same fabric as the bed or have a contrast by using a bolder colour to make a statement. For bedside tables and chests of drawers go for smart looks and good quality; whether designer or not, try to avoid anything too safe or bland. Don’t be afraid of picking an interesting finish, such as shagreen or a mix of wenge and leather.

Lighting

Lighting is very important to the overall feel of a bedroom, and can really set the tone in the evening. A classic boutique hotel look is a pair of bedside lamps to complete the room. Whether in glass, timber or metal, just make sure they are tall enough to stand out, and choose a shade colour that compliments the rest of the room. Your central light fitting is also a key element, which should never be too small in size. A beautiful pendant shade fitting with a contrast lining will give that extra touch of style.

Walls

If you want to inject some life or colour into your bedroom, use wallpaper to create a feature wall. Try to find something individual, there is a large choice these days from contemporary patterns in bold colours to revamped original prints from eras gone by. Choose your paint colours to reflect the mood you want to create. For a calming feminine room keep to soft light tones such as pastel colours or off-whites. For a slick contemporary style use stronger architectural whites or bright colours, and to create a moody atmospheric room go for darker shades such as dark blues, greens or greys.

Flooring

Timber and carpets both give a luxury feel to any bedroom. For timber, a smoked oak in engineered wood is very smart and neither too dark nor too light. Finish the look by adding a rug under the bed to soften the room. For carpets, try to keep them fairly light and go for a sumptuous finish. Source a carpet with a deeper pile height for that soft luxury feel on your feet.

Dressing The Room

Dressing the room with those final touches makes all the difference. Cushions, bed throws and bed linen should be given the same consideration as your furniture. If you feel your room is fairly neutral and missing something, adding some colourful cushions or a textured throw on the bed can lift things dramatically. Don’t be shy and play around as much as possible by using colours, patterns, wool or faux fur to finish off your boutique look.

Thanks very much to our lovely customer Georgina for sending us this picture of her Starlight Rug. This is the large in Sea Blue.

It looks great in her kids' playroom with the colourful beanbags and natural lighting!

People are taking more of an interest in crafting and up-cycling to add that vintage feel to their homes. Injecting a bit of the personality of this era into our homes can give us all a sense of individuality. Rather than keeping to the mass-produced products to which we have all become accustomed, many of us would like to see something different and unique in our homes.

At Luku Home this ethos is very much a part of our vision: finding unique and one-off pieces and helping to bring some personality into your home.

For retro inspired lighting try hanging metallic or pastel coloured pendants above your breakfast bar or pick a larger show-stopping pendant for your living room.

When it comes to furniture, using the curved shapes from those decades in your chairs and sofas will bring the retro style through without having to buy expensive original designer pieces. Add timber pieces for the 50’s look and use metal finishes to give you the glamour of the 70’s.

Don’t be afraid to bring in colour and pattern, as this was a time when Interiors became vibrant and bold. Geometric patterns and tropical prints have been bought back with a more contemporary twist for today’s interiors, making eye-catching accessories to complete your look.

Try to mix a bit of vintage with your existing interior as there is no need to go all the way with it, bringing in unique pieces or adding a burst of colour will give your home that extra special feel.

To help inspire you we have created a Retro Luku Look from our collections.

A big thank you to our lovely customer Anne for giving wonderful feedback and sending us a picture of her Oscar Sofa. This is the 2 seater in a classic light grey cotton linen.

It looks fab with these black and white cushions giving a fresh Scandinavian look!

Metallic finishes are still going strong, with copper being the big trend of the past few years. We are currently seeing a move towards brass, warmer rose gold and cooler metals such as silver. We love mixing metals into an interior to give a layered effect, creating a more eclectic and luxe look.

Indigo blues mixed with vibrant jade and forest greens are coming through as this year’s strong colour choices. Moving away from the grey tones we have seen throughout homes over the past few years, designers are branching out with more daring and bold colour palettes. Blush pink is being seen more and more, and is continuing to grow in popularity this year. This beautiful soft pastel shade of pink can be mixed with warm metallic finishes to create an elegant style, or with natural materials for a calming Nordic look.

Patterns and prints are still very much on trend this year. We have seen everything from geometrics and plaid to ikat making appearances on fabrics, combined with either a bold and bright colour palette or soft pastel hues. We’re definitely seeing less of the safe neutral tones, with a move towards a more exciting and vibrant colour trend, and here at Luku we love colour!

We think 2015 will be a year where people move towards finding more unique and one-off pieces for their home, rather than shopping for the mass-produced styles. Sourcing from individual designers and finding those hidden gems is becoming more appealing. There has been an increase in upcycling and making use of great quality older furnishings in our homes by giving them the TLC they deserve. We all love to find styles and furnishings that set our homes apart, and create talking points within the interior scheme.

Here are some of my top picks for you to enjoy and be inspired by:

Charlotte James had the brightest furniture stand; they had really gone to town with colour and pattern giving it a retro twist. We love bold colours and mid-century design influences, so this display really stood out to me! Bright yellow, turquoise and green fabrics alongside copper lighting and grey geometric wallpaper gave it a mix of everything that is on trend this year.

Kaia Lighting showed off their beautifully crafted lighting designs made from brass and plated in copper, nickel and gold! These truly stunning pieces show a simplistic elegance oozing Art Deco influences. We love their Lum pendant with its star shaped interlocking tetrahedrons, giving off fantastic geometric shadows around the room.  Pure elegance and style!

Melodi Horne is a lovely company creating bespoke lampshades and cushions, and their stand really showed off their bright and bold creations. Using vibrant colours and interesting patterns along with a top quality handmade finish, the lovely Athens born Melina Blaxland-Horne has created a stunning brand that is unique and quirky.

Bert Frank is a fabulous lighting company that really caught my eye. They draw inspiration from mid-century and industrial design, with a stunning range of lights from pendants and table lamps to wall lights and floor lamps, all made to the best quality. Out of the mix of finishes we loved the brass and black combination, perfect for that popular industrial look!

Design Trends

The trends of the moment from Decorex are definilty colour and patterns! Goodbye to neutral tones and hello to colour, colour, colour! Blue is a colour that I have seen replacing grey over the past year or so, and bright yellows, pink and green are out there in abundance.

Tropical and animal prints are still very popular, espically in wallpapers and cushions. Geometric patterns on fabrics, wallpaper and carpets are a trend we are seeing more of year after year. Ikat prints and weaves are still going strong after becoming popular again in the past few years, with both fabric and fashion houses using this to inject exotica into their ranges.

And finially mid-century infulences are everywhere from lighting to furniture designs. This period of history is having a fabulous rebirth and is no longer reserved for the auction houses. A mix of beautiful finishes (e.g. brass, lacquer, timber and shagreen) giving either a relaxed industrial look or an uber elegant style.

Clockwise from top left: Thibaut Design, Alternative Flooring and Julian Chichester.

As part of our September Savings promotion and in celebration of Blondie's 40th anniversary, we're giving one lucky customer a free Debbie Harry Framed Print (RRP £90).

The print features a great live performance shot of Debbie Harry fronting Blondie at a gig in Manchester in 1977. It comes as a black and white giclée print on décor smooth art paper in a stylish black wooden frame.

For your chance to win head over to the Luku Home Twitter page where we'll be tweeting about the competition all week. To enter the competiton simply retweet the competition message, follow us on twitter and register a customer account at lukuhome.com

The competition will run until Sunday 28th September 2014 at 7pm BST. After this time no further competition entries will be permitted.

Terms and Conditions: Entrants must be over 18 years old. The giveaway includes delivery within UK Mainland (excluding remote Scottish Highlands). Employees of Luku Home and or anyone else connected in any way with the competition or helping to set up the competition will not be permitted to enter the competition. The winner will be announced Monday 29th September via the Luku Home Twitter page. The winner will then have seven days to claim the prize by sending their full name, postal address and email. If the winner does not respond within 7 days then a second winner will be chosen. The prize will be shipped within 14 days of the winner providing Luku Home with their contact details.