Inspiration

Creating Your Own Home Bar During Lockdown

The global COVID pandemic has driven us inside. But one positive has been a surge of interest in interior design.

During this time, we’ve had the opportunity to decide what home improvements need to be made. For interior designers, a chance to look at new concept ideas to accommodate our new normal.

New trends include clever home offices and ‘flex space’ which ensure homes grow with families. With the housing market at a standstill, this new use of space means less need to move.

As England experiences lockdown mark 2 and restaurants and bars, close we are all missing the ambience of our friendly locals.

So what can be done about this?

Creating a home bar

Well, home bars are also trending and with Christmas on the horizon, they’re likely to be very popular this winter!

Home bars can the ideal way to relax at home after a long day and to offer an intimate social atmosphere for others to share. There’s something very appealing about being able to whizz up a couple of snazzy cocktails in the evening!

There’re many great ideas for home bars and some of them are enjoying a renaissance. The 1920s bar cart and globe drinks holder are proving popular once again. They are relatively small and versatile. You can even find designs online for making a DIY version! Home bars are being created in spare cupboards and on the top of sideboards.

Do your research

For interior designers, you’ll be able to show your clients how a home bar can be cleverly incorporated in dining rooms and kitchens as finding space in many homes can be a challenge.

Remember to question your client about their favourite bar. What kept them going back? What did they like about the ambience? Why did it feel comfortable and like home?

Design ideas

Once again, the curved corner bar is proving popular. If your client does have space, you can design a flamboyantly themed area with a wet bar (a bar with a small sink). Finish the design off with stylish bar stools and consider a wine chiller as an extra feature.

For those working with a smaller area, the bar will need to be incorporated into another room. Proportions will be an important factor, so bear this in mind.

The home bar must be in balance with the rest of the room and compliment the décor, style and colours, as this will ensure a feeling of spaciousness. Using cleverly placed mirrors and lighting can also help.

When designing a home bar they should be well organised and look inviting. Some smart-looking glasses and somewhere handy to keep all the necessary bar equipment are essential. For making cocktails, there’ll need to be somewhere to store mixers and garnishes too.

The winter of 2020/ 2021 is certainly going to be a long one. If the second lockdown continues beyond 1 December, the option of having a home bar is a very appealing one.

The most famous cocktail book of them all, the iconic – Bartender’s Guide by Jerry Thomas (1862) is certainly going to be on lots of people’s Christmas lists this year!

Floresy Products, History, Interior Styles

Creating a Victorian Inspired Parlour

There’s been a renaissance in the popularity of Victorian interior decoration, with designers successfully incorporating beautiful heirlooms into modern homes. Creating a Victorian-inspired parlour can be remarkably easy as it only requires one or two key pieces of furniture. These can be enhanced with Victorian-inspired decorative features and statement houseplants that were so loved in that era!

The Victorian years were important ones for Britain, as they marked a period of great change. The Industrial Revolution brought wealth to many people and with it, a love of lavish and ornate properties. Large Victorian houses often had solariums, greenhouses and atriums as the Victorians loved plants – especially exotic ones such as palms, ferns, beautiful jasmine, hibiscus and fuchsia.

For the first time, furniture was no longer made by individual craftsmen but by numerous workers and machines in factories. Rooms were spacious with high ceilings. Styles were large and curvaceous with carved detail and button embellishments on the fabric. The classic examples of Victorian furniture include the leather Chesterfield sofa, large mahogany sideboards and dining tables with claw and ball feet.

Victorian Interior Ideas

Walls

In a Victorian parlour, the walls were often painted in dark colours such as forest green or claret. A feature wall in one of these colours works well in a modern house, with the other walls covered with period floral wallpaper. In keeping with the period, using decorated cornicing that featured patterns of fleur-de-lys, garlands, wreaths and ovals will complete the look.

Curtains

Curtains in the Victorian home were voluminous, floor-length and pleated. Sumptuous fabrics such as velvet and damask were in rich plain colours. Curtains were also extravagantly lined in silk or fine wool and hung on gilded curtain rails or complemented by pelmets covered in the same fabric. Layered closest to the windows were the first mass-produced Scottish lace.

You can mirror the colour and fabric of the curtains as well as the floral designed wallpaper by scattering cushions. Tassels can be added as trims on curtain ties and cushions as these were much loved by the Victorians too!

Ornaments

There were plenty of ornaments on display including pretty chintz china tea sets. These were felt to be the sign of good taste – and wealth. In complete contrast to the modern minimalism… more was definitely more!

With lofty ceilings, large paintings, sizeable wall tapestries and grandfather clocks were popular. To garner the flooring of that period use either a beautiful wooden parquet floor or smart tiling.

Plants

No Victorian parlour was complete without magnificent plants. The Victorians loved large lush houseplants which were usually placed in metal and wicker pots and sometimes displayed in tiers. Palms and ferns of all kinds were popular and so was the Aspidistra (Cast Iron plant) as it was deemed a ‘good-natured’ plant that refused to die! More exotic and equally popular plants included the Abutilon from Brazil with large, vibrant, bell-shaped flowers. The Jerusalem Cherry, with its pretty white flowers that turn into reddish-orange berries, was also much-loved.

The Victorians adored ivy and encouraged them to grow up walls and along bannister rails.

In Victorian times, the lady of the house or her servants had plenty of time to tend to the houseplants to ensure they always looked perfect. Today, life is much busier, so choosing gorgeous faux plants is the ideal way to complete ‘the look’ without all the hard work!

History, Interior Styles

Using Antique Furniture to Add Personality

Whether you’re planning to refurbish your reception area, restaurant or staff meeting rooms, it’s important to make the space attractive, workable and memorable. One of the best ways this can be done is by introducing a few interesting pieces of antique furniture. This can help create an intriguing combination of contemporary and vintage designs, using textures, shapes and styles.

Say Goodbye to Bland

Much of today’s modern furniture is practical but can sometimes be bland. However, you can greatly enhance them with the inclusion of a few special pieces of antique furniture. These additions will introduce a sense of warmth and grandeur. Antique furniture oozes history and character and its style portrays the high levels of craftsmanship of the past.

Remember, a few carefully chosen pieces are all you need to transform an area and give it personality. Interior designers advise that the ratio of antique to contemporary furnishings is 20% old and 80% new. If you want to emphasise the furniture styles perfectly, it’s best to choose a neutral colour for the walls such as ivory or silver grey.

You may consider a large wooden antique coffee table for a reception area. Include a couple of antique armchairs with beautifully turned legs. If the armchairs need reupholstering, the fabric can be chosen in your company colours to complement the company logo. The rest of the seating can be in a modern design as the two styles will blend remarkably well. Have both the modern and antique upholstery in similar tones to unite. To combat the antique furniture looking heavy – opt for lighter colours.

Other pieces of furniture that can look good are:

Antique wall clocks, ornate gilt-edged mirrors and large period paintings.
An antique cloak rack or umbrella stands which can be a fun and quirky additions too.
Shelves with a series of interesting antique curios on display can add interest.
Vintage textiles can be used to add warmth to a room, including beautiful hand-knotted Persian rugs which make spectacular wall hangings.

5 Clever Antique Additions

In restaurants, vintage oak writing desks and dressers can look stylish and be used for storage.
Lighting is the easy way to introduce other antiques and traditionally styled brass lanterns. Tiffany lamps and sparkling crystal chandeliers can all be used to create lovely lighting effects.
If there is room, you can always create a ‘talking point’ by having an old postbox or telephone box on display in one corner – the latter can be cleverly converted into a wine fridge!
Give cloakrooms a warm antique character with the introduction of a round antique pub table. Decorate it with a plant arrangement, a basket with small rolled hand towels and a couple of period prints hung on the wall above.

If you cannot find the piece of furniture that you have in mind in your local antique shops, don’t forget to look in furniture auction rooms and charity furniture warehouses as both of these are like treasure troves. There are various craftsmen around the country that make brand new furniture in traditional styles too.

Using Plants to Develop the Theme

It is fun to complement antique furniture with plant displays that mirror that particular period. If you have Victorian furniture, it is fun to accentuate the character with the addition of some of the ‘parlour plants’ that the Victorians loved! These included all types of palms, various ferns, fragrant jasmine and potted citrus trees. In Victorian homes, the palms and ferns were often sizeable so this is the ideal way to create interest and decorate an empty corner. You can fill porcelain washing bowl and matching pitchers with house plants. You can also do the same with an old teapot and a pretty maidenhair fern. For easy care plants, choose top quality faux plants as they look incredibly realistic but require nothing more than a regular dust.

The clever introduction of antique furniture will definitely enhance your commercial space, introducing warmth and character that your customers will both notice and appreciate.

Industry, Interior Styles

6 Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Restaurant

In the last few years, eco-friendly restaurant designs have become game-changers in the commercial interior industry. More consumers are opting for restaurants that offer healthy food and a sustainable, eco-friendly atmosphere. Restaurant designers are having to meet new generation standards for more environmental friendly restaurants.

So let us discuss exactly what we mean when we say ‘eco-friendly restaurant design.’ Along with healthy food, the space should be environmentally friendly too. Eco-friendly design focuses on minimum adverse impact on nature by choosing the right materials and techniques.

A recent survey showed that 65-70% of consumers are willing to spend more on green restaurants and dining that causes less harm to our environment. Restaurateurs and interior designers are becoming more conscious of the eco-friendly benefits such as reduced energy consumption, low maintenance cost, reduced usage of toxic material and better air quality. With this in mind, let us take a look at how we can create green, eco-friendly restaurant spaces.

6 Ways to Create an Eco- Friendly Restaurant

Reducing water wastage

The amount of water that is wasted can add up to millions of gallons. From dishwashing stations to bathrooms, from cooking to serving customers. With the amount of water depleting, it is of utmost importance to conserve it. This can be achieved by using low flow faucets, sensor-activated faucets, energy star appliances and equipping restrooms with water-saving toilets and urinals.

If the restaurant has landscapes and greenery, then use sprinklers with timers or opt for artificial plants as this requires no water at all.

Using energy star appliances

Energy star appliances reduce the consumption of water and electricity. Smart investment in these appliances will reduce the costs in the long run.

Lighting and electricity usage

When it comes to light fixtures and decorative elements in a restaurant these play a significant role. Maximum natural lighting and ventilation is a winner, with lots of open spaces and large windows. But in terms of artificial lighting, energy-efficient light fixtures such as LED, Halogen and CFL’s can be used. Energy star light fixtures can be installed as they reduce the heat by 75% and are considered as more sustainable options. Incorporating sensor-operated lights that switch on only when spaces (restrooms, refrigerators) are in use, and on spot air conditioners are great alternatives.

Performing thermostat check

Indoor temperatures should be kept moderate. It is always wise to use a programmable thermostat.

Floresy -thermostat

Using sustainable materials

The roofing material should be energy star compliant. Include a special coating or glazing to windows that can prevent extreme temperatures and provide thermal comfort. Smart awnings can be installed on windows to reduce solar heat. Paints should be heat reflective and non-hazardous such as low volatile organic compound paints. Painting the walls in lighter shades can reflect 80% of solar radiation.

Also walls, furniture and floorings can be adorned with sustainable materials such as wood, cork and bamboo. Concrete and brick are apt in terms of eco-friendliness and in creating a beautiful ambience. Using cotton and wool for upholstery is a great alternative to man-made synthetics.

Effective waste management

Industrial waste should be recycled properly, if not discarded appropriately. Nowadays most of the restaurants are becoming ‘zero waste’. This means they do not produce any food waste or rubbish in order to reduce their carbon footprint on the world.

Aiming to make your restaurant eco friendly is definitely a challenge on its own. But by implementing the above and going by the eco-friendly design concepts, designers and restaurateurs will surely create a positive impact on society and the environment at large.

Exterior Design, Ideas, Interior Styles

Considering a Japanese Inspired Garden Design

Have you been inspired to bring some serenity and zen into your living spaces – indoors or outdoors – for the new year? Consider turning to the East for inspiration with a calm considered design that will provide a peaceful and relaxing space. What better way to embrace the Japanese culture of Zen.

Japanese gardens are designed – not only for considered reflection but to enhance the experience of meditation. As a concept and practice, Zen principles were embraced by the ruling elite as a way of calm during the swirling storm of the country’s discord. The end result is a time-honoured culture which has become deep-rooted in civilization.

Japanese gardens favour blank spaces, carefully raked gravel or contrasting sheets of moss with a minimal amount of perfectly placed plants. Part of this reasoning is that it is thought to make any garden look more spacious. Even if you’re working with a plot just three metres by five metres or even smaller – which is the size of many courtyards or dry gravel gardens – this enhances that sense of space.

Do Your Research

Designing and creating your own indoor/outdoor garden may seem like a cinch. A few rocks here a few bamboo sticks there and you’re all done, right? Wrong.

Japanese gardens are an art form that has been around for centuries and in order to create an authentic design, the form must be studied carefully. Luckily the resources to create your very own oasis are endless.

Garden Types to Consider

The Moss Garden – Japanese culture venerates age and history. Because moss doesn’t grow overnight – and instead takes years and years to cover the surface of stone this is deemed a definite choice and something of virtue for whoever is creating the garden.

Floresy – Moss Sponge

One of the moss plant’s characteristics is that it thrives in a humid and rainy climate. It doesn’t need much water (important as our climate proves more and more unpredictable) and can absorb nutrients directly from the air regardless of any humidity that may occur.

The Rock Garden – Traditionally, Zen rock gardens are not meant for social occasions or gatherings. It is a sacred space for Zen monks to perform their daily practice. This design is meant to portray a vista of mountains and rivers, yet the minimalist design itself contains no actual water. Instead, it uses the carefully placed features to emulate a majestic scene on a miniature scale. For example, sand and gravel raked into a particular pattern will symbolize a river, while rocks placed on the sand symbolize mountains.

Japanese Rock Garden

It may surprise you to know that there are only a couple hundred people in the world that claim to have created an authentic Japanese Zen garden.

Want to create your place of calm and balance?

Japanese Oriental Bamboo

Fatsia Japanese | Japonica 150 cm

These design tips can be used to bring calm to any space whether it be a quiet room in an office for employees to take a minute or the spa section of your hotel to add that ambience of calm and reflection.

Although the design of such a space can take some time, just work through the stages so as not to overcomplicate matters. Start with an understanding of the ancient foundations of Zen and the principles of Japanese garden design. Make sure you have the right space and tools to incorporate it into the designated space that you wish to transform.

Once completed, your reward is that you will have a space that brings you peace of mind with the added bonus that you’ll have learned the history behind your design, giving your space a purpose that is based in the roots of Japan’s cultural history.

Case Studies, Industry

Sustainability in Building

As we fight to improve our impact on the planet, environmental issues have never been more important. All industries are taking a long hard look at their business models and how they can make improvements in order to lessen their carbon footprint.

The building and construction industry is no exception.

What is a Sustainable Building?

By its very nature, the building and construction industry is a big drain on natural resources.

According to The World Green Building Council, buildings and construction are responsible for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions.

So, the aim of sustainable building is to carry out activities without depleting natural resources and reducing the industry’s impact on the environment

How Can Construction and Building be Sustainable

So what can the industry do in order to build sustainably:

Explore the refurbishment of existing buildings, reusing/recycling materials.
Carefully deconstruct green buildings once they have come to the end of their use and reuse the materials in further constructions.
Design with sustainability in mind, aiming for longterm energy efficiency and emission reduction.
Make considered choices on the construction of buildings, procuring green and responsibly-sourced materials and taking into consideration their transportation to site.
Ensure buildings are energy-efficient, using less water and creating minimal waste.

Examples of Sustainable Buildings Around the World

Sustainable does not have to be boring. In fact, this is the perfect time for innovative thinking to really come into play. Here are some examples of sustainability that will drop jaws as well as carbon emission.

Bosco Verticale (Milan, Italy)

Fighting air pollution has never looked so awe-inspiringly beautiful.

Opening 2014, the Milan’s Bosco Verticale, or “vertical forest” comprises two 27-storey residential high-rises, planted with almost 900 trees and more than 2,000 shrubs and bushes.

Equipped with solar panels and greywater recycling, this extensive greenery provides residents with shade in the summer and filtered sunlight in the winter. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, the botanical life also provides cleaner air and reduced noise pollution.

Bahrain World Trade Center (Manama, Bahrain)

This unprecedented design, featuring 42-storey wind turbines, has won several awards. Designed by the architect Atkins, it incorporates renewable energy into its large-scale building design.

Nanyang Technological University, School of Art, Design and Media (Nanyang, Singapore)

Completed in July 2006 and officially opening in April 2009, the university is regarded as a sophisticated icon in design.

The spectacular sloped grass roofs of this four-storey building go beyond aesthetic. It not only doubles as a communal space but keeps the environmental temperature low, reducing heat in the day.

The building and construction industry is forever pushing innovative boundaries. Reaching for a way to reconnect with nature may inspire the industry to find a greater appreciation for the environment thus putting sustainability at the forefront of every design.

Floresy Products, Industry

Guide to Exhibiting at a Trade Show

Trade shows are an excellent way to demonstrate the value of your product or service. It’s a big investment in terms of time and cost so careful consideration must be taken when deciding whether you want to actually exhibit. But, once you have decided to go ahead, that’s when you need to come up with an effective strategy.

Pre-Trade show

Finding the Right Show

Beware – a trade show can be oversaturated. Maybe a show that is not specific to your product or service but where your brand is still relevant could work. For example, if you trade in the gift market then consider exhibiting at a literary trade show. Bookshops thrive on till-point add ons which may work perfectly with what you have to offer.

Stand Design

Like everything else, it is important to get organised as early as possible to allow for any last-minute changes so any contractors that you have hired are not forced to cut corners at the eleventh hour.

Promotion and Appointments

Make sure you are promoting your attendance well in advance. Brands often begin promoting for the following year straight after the current trade show has wrapped up. At the same time – to ensure that you make the most of the event – schedule all of your appointments. Not only does this help make your stand look in demand, it also ensures that you have the relevant visitors at your booth. Passersby notice these things!

The Stand

Finishing Touches

Exhibition halls can be vast and somewhat sterile. Why don’t you bring a bit of the outside in by adding artificial plants? They can be ordered in advance, unlike real flowers that would need to be ordered last minute to ensure freshness. Once you are finished, you can then place them in storage to be reused for the next show.

Organise Seating

Consider how long attendees have spent walking the trade show halls. When designing your stand, consider various seating options. This would be useful for meetings, to view the products and to encourage potential buyers to spend more time at your stand.

Banners

Brochures and leaflets can often make a space look cluttered and in this day and age of recycling don’t appear sustainable. A banner can promote your core message whilst also hiding any unsightly items from view.

Giveaways

Gratis promotional items will always draw attention, especially if you use bold colours. Think smart with your designs and use them to your advantage – these items will double as advertising for your brand.

Trade show

Hands-on

When it comes to your stand, try and have some interactive elements for any potential buyers. This encourages conversation and will lead to the lockdown of any potential new clients.

Engage

As well as having your pre-booked visitors, it’s always important to engage with new business. No need for the hard sell, something as simple as a greeting and an innovative demonstration will suffice. Don’t waste valuable time chatting with fellow stand members as you never know, you could miss that vital sale or important new lead.

Data Collection

Following on from any interaction you’ll need to tie-up any data collection. So ensure you have allocated a space on your stand for a card bowl, laptop or clipboard so you can gather that all-important information.

Post Trade show

Follow-up After the Show

Ensure you immediately follow up with any new leads. Collate further details and fulfil orders etc. Time is key, so don’t leave it so long to allow new contacts the opportunity to change their mind. Some businesses send blanket emails, but whatever you do the more personalised your approach the better.

The trade show experience that you choose to offer is a perfect moment to bring the creativity of your own brand to any potential customer.

Don’t just turn up with a table and chair and hope for the best!

Even if budgets are tight, do your research. There are a multitude of effective ways that you can promote your company without a hefty price tag attached. But if you don’t have the time and want a slick finish, hire an expert to take the pressure off your hands.

Our technicians at Floresy will provide you with all the assistance you need to install and implement our designs into your booth. They can show you the best methods for assembly, disassembly and reassembly, and will provide any further technical assistance you require.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your project in further details please contact us.

Trends

Indoor Plant Trends 2019

The houseplant interiors trend is going from strength to strength and won’t be stopping anytime soon. So, what are the indoor plant trends 2019?

Bigger, more mature indoor plants

Houseplants will become statement pieces in our interiors. Just as we invest in furniture so will also we invest in our greenery. Big, floor standing plants will become fixtures in our homes and workplaces – if they’re not already.

So when you next purchase a houseplant, consider investing in bigger and more mature plants.

: This green Schefflera is a tall artificial plant. At 150cm, it will bring instant height to your interior

: The rubber tree is at home in 1970’s interiors as it is any contemporary setting.

: Artificial Ficus liana exotica tree from Floresy will not droop or lose it’s leaves.

Artificial Christmas product showcase

Christmas 2018 is nearly upon us, again, despite it only being a year since the last one. Let’s look at the artificial Christmas trees and plants that Floresy has to offer:

Poinsettia

Artificial Christmas Poinsettia Plants

The Poinsettia is a popular Christmas ‘flower’ prized for its deep green leaves and bright red bracts. The bracts aren’t true flowers but instead leaves that turn red (or orange, pink or white depending on the variety).

The plant is originally from Mexico where it also began its association with Christmas. Legend has it that a young girl too poor to buy a gift for Jesus’s birthday picked plants from the roadside instead. The bright red blossoms sprouted from the weeds when displayed on the Church’s alter and – bingo – Poinsettias were created.

In the US, 12th December is National Poinsettia Day.

Floresy’s artificial poinsettias come in either white or red colours.

Advent Crown

Conifers Advent Wreath Artificial Plant

The Advent Wreath or Advent Crown is a Christian tradition that represents the four weeks of Advent.

A circular wreath made from evergreen plants symbolises the Christian god’s love and eternity. One of the candles is lit on each Sunday of the four weeks of advent. Different Christian sects may use different colours of candles to match the vestments of their priests such as blue, red, violet or rose.

Sometimes, people will add a fifth candle to the advent wreath and light it on Christmas Day.

The advent wreath was made famous on the British children’s TV program, Blue Peter. The presenters made a wreath using wire coat hangers and tinsel.

Floresy’s artificial advent wreath uses conifer branches.

Artificial Christmas Wreath

Christmas Wreath Artificial

People have been using assortments of flowers, leaves, twigs and fruits to form rings for centuries. Wreaths are often used as decoration but people may also wear them on their heads or around their necks.

Politicians of the ancient Greco-roman world would wear laurel wreaths on their heads to represent their rank or occupation, such as a politician. Farming communities would make harvest wreaths from the leftover straw from their grain bounty.

The Christmas wreath is made using evergreen foliage and is decorated with twigs, berries or pine cones associated with winter. It has its roots in Pagan religions but has become a popular decorative addition at Christmas time too.

The artificial Christmas wreath from Floresy includes pine cones and a mixture of evergreen conifer and spruce fronds.

Potted Spruce

Artificial spruce tree in a pot

It’s the classic Christmas tree we all know and love.

Spruce trees are members of the same family as firs and pine trees. They come from northern temperate regions of the planet. They are evergreen trees that have needles instead of leaves. Conifers, the family of trees that spruces belong to, have been growing on earth since the early Carboniferous period, which is about 300 million years ago.

The oldest living tree is believed to be a Norway spruce that is thought to be 9550 years old!

Spruce trees sometimes grow up to 60m in height. So you’ll be glad to know that Floresy’s artificial spruce trees are available in more manageable 145cm, 160cm and 180cm sizes.

Silver Winter Tree

Artificial silver tree

If you’re looking for an alternative look for your Christmas display, why not consider this silver artificial tree? Resembling a deciduous tree in deep winter, these trees have no leaves and their bare branches are silver in colour.

Their shimmer is a perfect addition to a winter wonderland scene but likewise, those barren branches would make for a dramatic festive look.

In the 1950s, silver Christmas trees made from aluminium gained popularity. It’s dramatically artificial look matched the era of innovation, atomic power and the dawning of the space-age. But they came to represent the over-commercialisation of Christmas and had lost their appeal by 1965.

Now, these retro trees are collector’s items and museum exhibits. Despite their bad-taste design, they are cultural icons of the hopeful and positive spirit of the 1950s.

Snow Tree

snow tree, green and snow

Floresy’s snow tree is a ready-to-display artificial Christmas tree that comes complete with lights. The thick branches covered with glossy green needles are decorated to simulate the snow-covered fronds of a forest in winter.

The tradition of bringing an evergreen branch indoors for a winter festival goes back for thousands of years. Most pagan or pre-Christian rituals would use branches or fronds of evergreen foliage fashioned into wreaths. Christianity popularised the tree tradition, most likely alongside the already accepted the pagan customs.

Prince Albert introduced the Christmas Tree tradition to the UK during Queen Victoria’s reign. Decorating trees at Christmas time had grown in fashion among the European nobles during the early 19th century.

Before plastic tinsel and baubles, people would decorate their trees using fruits and paper flowers.

Check out Florey’s complete range of artificial Christmas trees and plants.

Ideas

Why do our brains like high ceilings?

High ceilings are a highly desirable architectural feature. But why? And what’s so bad about normal ceiling heights?

We like high ceilings because of their association with grand interiors or properties from certain periods, such as houses from the Georgian era. Walking into a hotel lobby with lofty ceilings will add anticipation of just how luxury your guest experience will be. And a cathedral’s vaulted ceiling will raise your eyes, and thoughts, to heaven.

But likewise, high ceilings can make a room feel cold or empty. The room may lack warmth or make you feel uncomfortable and exposed. A large foyer in an office building can feel intimidating or clinical. Or maybe the room just lacks the appropriate proportions to warrant a high ceiling and therefore feels ‘wrong’.

There have been several studies that have looked at our relationship with ceilings height. One suggests that we find high ceilings more beautiful because we associate them with freedom. Whereas lower ceilings seem to stimulate better decision making perhaps in response to feeling confined and in need of an exit strategy.

This is all because of a concept called ‘priming‘ which activates different thought-processing in the brain. In other words, ceiling height can change how we think.

The upshot of this information is that both high ceilings and ceilings of a normal height can be beneficial to a workplace or retailer, depending on how you want to workers or customers to behave.

Use ceiling height to create different working environments or to influence how we want our customers to behave.

Hotels may want to promote a sense of freedom and escapism for their customers, with high ceilings inspiring the possibilities of their stay. Retailers may also want their customers to feel inspired but would a more typical ceiling height encourage decision making and lead to a purchase better?

An ideal office environment would offer different spaces for when a worker needs to be creative and expansive in their thinking, perhaps problem-solving with colleagues. But when that report’s deadline is looming, getting your head down in a lower-ceiling environment could help improve focus.

How to make your ceiling look higher

Draw the eye to the highest point by hanging curtains/blinds at the top of the wall, not just the top of the window.
Choose furniture with a low profile. Avoid high back sofas and chairs. Low-profile will create a greater expanse of space between the top of the furniture and the ceiling. Conversely, you can include high profile pieces such as a tall shelving unit. This contrast of height with your low profile seating will also create a similar sense of expansive space.
Paint your ceiling the same colour as the walls. Lighter colours work better but so do gloss paints as they will reflect the light making the ceiling feel higher.
Avoid clutter and overfilling a room as this detracts from the sense of space.

How to make your ceiling look lower

Use darker colours on the ceiling. If you combine this with a picture rail at you desired ceiling height, paint the walls the same colour as the ceiling down to this rail.
Hang suspended lighting at lower heights to bring the focus down from the ceiling height. You can use this same trick with hanging/trailing plants.
Bigger furniture will fill a room with a high ceiling and give a better sense of scale.

Plants are a great way to emphasise an area that you want to draw focus to. You can use tall plants to raise the eye-line or to create contrast with low-profile furniture. Wall-mounted displays can also define the height of a room and hanging plants can be used to create a floating ceiling at whatever height you wish. Floor-standing pots with bushy foliage are a great way to keep the focus lower.

Floresy offers exciting solutions to your interior needs. Get in touch today.

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