Well, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  good design is about function just as much as it is about beauty.  Such is the case when it comes to lighting.

An often overlooked element, lighting plays an important role as to how well a space supports the needs of our everyday activities.  Just recently a friend asked me what she could do about poor lighting in her small kitchen.  Great question!

Lighting works best when applied in layers:  general, task, accent, and decorative.  While most homes come equipped with general or ambient lighting, fewer incorporate essential task lighting.  To remedy this situation, consider installing under cabinet lighting or adjustable recessed fixtures.  For the best advice, however, invite me over for a consultation

Have you noticed a friend or family member hunched over the kitchen counter, struggling to see what they were doing?  Or have you been startled by your own shadowy reflection while using a friends’ bathroom?  Perhaps Suzy Q from your office has developed a reputation for wearing one blue shoe and one black shoe.  These people may be suffering from poor lighting conditions.  I can help homeowners overcome their lighting obstacles as well as refer a reputable electrician if necessary.

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of organizing a space to create a harmonious living environment.  To be quite honest with you, it is not a service I often mention.  Reason being:  of those who have shown interest in the practice, I have met an equal number of skeptics. 

Regardless of whether or not you are a believer, principles such as harmony, variety, balance, and awareness to the flow of energy thread Feng Shui into what I consider simply good design.   

Potential candidates for Feng Shui include those who:

• have read/watched “The Secret”;
• enjoy authors such as Napoleon Hill or Paulo Coelho;
• believe in abundance, recognize energy, or have studied Tai Chi; and
• are looking for a catalyst for change.

From the interested individual to the hard-core enthusiasts, Lavender & Lotus Interior Design would love to be part of your next project.

I need to tell you about a serious problem – a problem that has plagued homes and offices across the State.  Side effects may include nausea, indigestion, anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, insomnia, or increase in blood pressure.  Similar to the symptoms of ugly wallpaper, I’m referring to…

UGLY WINDOW TREATMENTS!

Aside from the obvious fact that they are ugly, window treatments in need of replacing may have been damaged from a climbing cat, faded from direct sunlight, or reflect the style of decades past.  I can help homeowners with custom designed window treatments, as well as with selection of ready-made alternatives.  What do YOUR windows look like?

Where do I begin?  Just the thought of writing this post has my mind racing with excitement!!!  That, or perhaps I’ve had too much coffee.  Either way, Target is a fantastic resource for just about everything.  Rather than walking you through, aisle by aisle, I will do my best to focus on that which is most relevant.

The images below reflect a lot of my own personal style.  Aren’t they fabulous?!  If you happen to disagree, don’t count them out alltogether.  Between their retail stores and online, Target has a huge selection of bedding, lighting, window treatments, home decor, tableware, and the list goes on…

After all the preparation that goes into celebrating the holidays, in the blink of an eye and a flurry of wrapping paper, they have gone.  Regardless of what traditions are practiced, we all end the holidays with more stuff than we started with.  But where to put it all?

Do you know a household that generally doesn’t put Christmas presents away until Valentine’s Day?  2010 can be the year to change this habit and get their home under control.  Lavender & Lotus would love to be part of their next project, whether it be organizational skills, putting an old room to new use, or for a simple color consultation. 

So what are you waiting for?  Pick up the phone and call for a free consultation.

After what has been nearly a lifetime (I’ve been known to exaggerate), I am finally graduating!  The past 4-years studying Interior Design at NH Institute of Art has been nothing less than sensational.  My path to higher education took a slight detour before I realized the artistic direction I wanted to take in life.  NHIA provided a challenging opportunity to study Interior Design in New Hampshire while continuing to work full-time.  I encourage anyone and everyone to consider NHIA for pursuing their own creative interests.

For the “senior” project, we were given a general footprint of a house and required to either use Universal (handicap accessible) or Green design principles.  Being the green enthusiast that I am, you can guess which option I went for. 

My concept for the project was “A Walk In Nature”.  Elements of nature and New England landscape served as inspiration for each room of the house.  In other words, the living room used colors, textures, and patterns found in the forest.  The kitchen, a field of tall grasses.  The bathroom, a flowing stream.  The bedroom, sunset in the mountains…

Visit www.nhia.edu for more information.  (ID is available through the Continuing Education Dept).

The sun is shining, birds chirp outside my window, and the curtains float up on a gentle breeze.  The smell of lilacs and apple blossoms fill the room.  Green explodes outside.  Spring is a time to celebrate the joy of a new year, starting over, a time for growth.  It’s time for change and your home is a great place to start.

“Home is not just a place to sleep, home is where we house our souls.”                 Alexandra Stoddard

Aimee Leduc of Lavender & Lotus Interior Design is available for projects big and small:  paint color, window treatments, furniture placement, personal organizing, and rennovations including kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, to name a few.  Call or write for a free consultation today!

Spring is just around the corner — and not a moment too soon.  After another dreary New England winter, I have a serious craving for color.  Delicate and subtle shades are all well and good, but right now I want bold, delicious, breath-taking color.  Below are a few designs to help shake those winter blues.  Enjoy!

Shown are images from Domino and desiretoinspire.blogspot.com – love them!

Interview with Dan Barrick, Monitor Staff

The new year is a great time to redesign and rearrange your home.  Aimee Leduc, owner of Lavender and Lotus Interior Design in Concord, which specializes in environmentally-friendly home design, offered some tips on how to make your house look good while also being green.

What are some simple ways people can change their homes to be more in tune with the environment?

It’s astounding to me how many people still do not recycle.  And if you’re redesigning your kitchen, you should make sure to make the recycling area as easy to get to as possible.  Put it in an accessible cabinet near the garbage, for example.  Another easy thing to do is to start paying attention to how you’re using your products.  Are you buying water bottles constantly and cycling through plastic?

Also, instead of buying a new piece to decorate a room, you can go to antique or consignment stores.  Anything you can reuse or use in a different way is a good change.

What about a remodeling job?

It’s impossible to be 100 percent green, so people need to find out what their priorities are and figure how to make that balance.

With a kitchen renovation, you may not have to tear out all the cabinets and replace them.  You can refinish them using low VOC materials.  You may want to introduce high-efficiency appliances into your kitchen.

Think about the choices you’re making.  For instance, a lot of people see granite countertops as a natural material, but they don’t see the bigger picture, which is the effort to take that granite out of the environment and the causing emissions.  As an alternative, there are counterops made out of recycled materials and resin.  When you’re done with that product it can be recycled further. 

That bamboo is entirely green is another common misconception.  People think of it as this fast growing grass, but we don’t harvest it in the U.S. so there’s a cost of bringing it here from China.

If you’re redoing the bathroom, look into some of the new models of toilets that use less water.

Also, you can think about how you can reuse water that would normally go right down the drain.  It’s called gray water – water that runs out of the tap when you are waiting for it to get hot or cold.  If you collect that water in another receptacle, that could go towards watering your plants, or a lot of different applications.

And if you’re building a new house, think about how you orient the house to take advantage of sunlight so you can cut down on your heating costs.

Lighting is a big area where design can be more environmentally-friendly.  The compact fluorescent bulbs on the market are more expensive, but they last a lot longer.  And there’s absolutely a difference in quality.  All compact fluorescents are not the same.

Aimee Leduc can be reached through her website: [here!]