Showing 5 Result(s)

Create A Stunning Focal Point With A Mural

A Mel Holmes Mural
A Mel Holmes Mural

Any interior designer will tell you that the colours you choose in your office or business environment can greatly impact the way your visitors and employees will feel about your premises and will create an emotional response whether positive or negative.

One way to do this is through the use of wall murals. A mural can be defined as a piece of artwork that is applied directly to any permanent surface including walls, ceilings, plaster or brick. The work a muralist does can be truly breath taking as often the architectural structure of the building can be incorporated into the work.

Settings For Murals

Murals have been commissioned around the world and in various settings for thousands of years. The early murals were often used as tools for political and social messaging tools and are an important part of bringing art into the public sphere. Modern murals are often commissioned by local governments and businesses. Murals can vary in size and location and can often depict local topics, events or people. However, murals are also popular with retail outlets, hotels and restaurants to add atmosphere to the premises and can be a key part in increasing the appeal of the business to its patrons.

Types Of Work

Different murals will have strengths in different types of mural application. Whether this is through the use of oil paints, acrylics, emulsion or applied by paint brush, aerosol can or airbrush. Work is normally carried out with an initial project brief and consultation with the muralist laying out detailed design of the mural and agreeing a quote before work commences. This design is then usually gridded onto the area directly so as to scale the mural accurately according to the project dimensions or in some cases the mural may projected onto the wall and then traced with pencil. Some artists even prefer a free hand approach where paint is applied directly to the wall without any prior sketching needed.

Trompe L'Oeuil by Mel Holmes
Trompe L’Oeuil

Trompe L’oeil

Trompe l’oeil when translated from French literally means “deceives the eye”. This art work can create truly stunning pieces which can act as a great focal point to any premises. Trompe L’oeil works by skilfully applying paint to a two dimensional plane to make it look like a three dimensional image. This deception works very well from a distance and it is only closer inspection that the viewer sees the trickery. The kind of work carried out on a Trompe L’oeil piece can be quite realistic and involves a highly skilled technical ability.

Faux Finishes

Faux Finishing has been used for over a millennia. From the earliest cave paintings to modern decorative painting effects, artists have been tricking viewers into believing that their decorative paint finishes are the real thing. Faux Finishing uses paint and glaze which is often applied directly to the wall with a roller, rag, sponge or brush to make to look like a real life texture. This can incorporate many mediums including wood graining, marbling, colour washes, stoneblocking, distressing and guilding. These finishes to do not just have to applied to walls they can also add freshness to furniture and fireplaces too.

 

Mel Holmes is a muralist and Trompe l’oeil artist who has been commissioned around the world. You can see more of Mel’s Murals at http://www.melholmes.co.uk

Make An Entrance With A Mat!

Four Reasons A Branded Entrance Mat Will Improve Your Customer’s First Impressions

Branded Door Entrance Mat
Branded Door Entrance Mat

 

 

 

 

 

If clients or customers visit you at premises, it’s crucial you make their first impression positive

Whether they are entering your shop or your reception, that moment a customer steps into your domain can set the scene for the remainder of their experience.

So whilst your premises are your territory, you need to do what you can to set the right ambiance, create the right atmosphere and evoke the appropriate tone. After all, this can have a significant impact on any interaction that takes place.

As a business owner you can influence that first impression with the décor, arrangement of furniture and even something as simple as your entrance mat.

Here are five reasons why your entrance mat is important…

  1. Create a pause: When a visitor enters your building, a mat will cause them to pause and wipe their feet. In that brief moment, many visitors will look down at their feet and take in their surroundings, and whilst doing so they will make assumptions and judgements about their environment. As a business owner, you can use this pause to your advantage. If you have a branded entrance mat that contains your logo, company colours and perhaps even a welcome message, you can promote brand identify and subtly link the building to your business.
  2. Brand identity: Your brand identity is made up of the visual elements of your business that allow it to be recognised and distinguished by your customers. It includes things like your logo, name, colours and font style. As you know, having an identity for your business that customers instantly recognise is a big competitive advantage. Therefore it makes sense to capitalise upon every opportunity that allows customers to mentally connect your products and services with your brand. An entrance mat with your company identity that customers are going to stand on, presents another opportunity for you to use to build that recognition.
  3.   Clean and tidy: A mat will make it far easier to keep your entrance clean. That’s because a hardwearing mat will trap the moisture, dirt and soil found on your visitor’s shoes and prevent it being spread over the entrance area and further into the building. Imagine the negative impression a wet, dirty floor could make. In addition to being a heath and safety hazard it could risk your customer concluding appearance isn’t really that important to you and could negatively influence their perception of your brand.
  4. Professionalism:  As a business you want to communicate professionalism to your customers. A quality entrance mat can help convey that impression to your visitors by ensuring your premises look presentable, tidy and clean.

So whilst your entrance mat is a functional tool to help keep your premises safe and hygienic, it can do so much more. And so if you’re serious about taking control of the impression your customers and visitors form when they enter your building, the entrance mat is a powerful tool you can use to build your brand identity and communicate that all important positive first impression.

Georgina El Morshdy writes articles on branding for http://www.entrancematsdirect.co.uk

 

Sustainable Bamboo Flooring

R Bogdaniec Interior Designer Spinriver Design ltd
Sustainable Bamboo Flooring

Click the picture above to play the YouTube video on my favourite sustainable inteiror design product at the moment. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, like me on facebook at www.facebook.com/SpinriverDesign for more tips and articles and ask any interior design questions free on my page!

Prepare Your New Interior With Space Planning

Rachel Bogdaniec-Davies
Click the picture to play the video!

(Rufus my Cairn Terrier decided to back out of this video at the eleventh hour so you just get to see his ear in this picture!)

Want to avoid making the costly mistake of taking on a business premises that’s too big for you or buying furniture that doesn’t quite fit into the space you have.  Use my space planning services to ascertain exactly what you need, taking the stress out of the process by removing any doubts you may have about spending money on a new building or furniture! After the initial client brief meeting this work can be undertaken easily on recepit of your existing plans.

If you dont have plans we can arrange the survey for you too. We can then guide you through specification of furniture, materials and equipment and put together a full design concept should you need this.

 

Please give me some feedback, questions or comments on here, talking to a camera just doesn’t seem natural yet! Is there anyone out there!!??

 

 

What Spinriver Design Can Do For You!

Commercial interior designer - Rachel Bogdaniec-Davies
Click the image to play the video!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s blogpost is a video post I’ve recorded to introduce my commercial interior design services.

I also provide design support project management of stakeholders; internal parties and external suppliers, trades and other facilities you may use such as energy suppliers.  This means you don’t need to spend time chasing them all up and meeting with them!

Sign up for my FREE interior design newsletter which will feature both commercial and domestic interior design tips and fixes as well as eco-friendly articles.

Connect with me and like me on Facebook at SpinriverDesign and Follow me on Twitter! @Spinriver

Thanks for watching here!  Please leave questions and comments on Facebook or on the website whichever you find easier…

Best,

Rachel : )