As is the case with any career, the practice of interior design can be rewarding and fulfilling if hard work prevails. Excelling at interior design requires energy, technical proficiency, vision and dedication.

Keys to Success

As members of a service profession, interior designers’ fortunes depend on their ability to satisfy clients. Thus, they must understand artistic and technical requirements of a project, interpersonal communication, and management strategies.

• Artistic and Technical Requirements
  Interior designers must know how to plan a space and how to present that plan visually so that it can be communicated to the client. Interior designers must also know about the materials and products that will be used to create and furnish the space, and how texture, color, lighting and other factors combine and interact to make a space. In addition, interior designers must understand the structural requirements of their plans, the health and safety issues, building codes, and many other technical aspects.

• Interpersonal Communications
  Interior designers must be comfortable meeting and dealing with many kinds of people. They must communicate clearly and effectively, as well as be attentive listeners. Because they often must work with architects, contractors and other service providers, interior designers need to be both good team leaders and good team players. They must be willing to negotiate and mediate when necessary to solve problems.

• Management Strategies
  Interior designers must have excellent time and project management abilities since they frequently work on more than one project at a time under demanding deadlines. Interior designers must understand business planning, and they need to know how to sell their ideas to clients, create informative and persuasive proposals and presentations, and maintain good client relationships.

Avoid decorating mistakes in the living room with the following advice.

It is easy to make decorating mistakes, especially in one of the most used rooms in the house – the living room (or great room, family room, den, or whatever your name for it). Here are some common decorating mistakes to watch for when decorating your living room.

1. A shrine to the television
   Most likely the living room is where you watch TV; however, a common decorating mistake is to have the entire room revolve around the TV set. If possible, hide the television in an armoire. If you have a flat screen, mount it on the wall so that it is more of a decoration. If you want the room to be attractive, avoid making the TV the center of attention.
2. Two competing focal points
   This decorating mistake can be hard to overcome if you have a fireplace. The natural focal point of the room is the fireplace, but the seating needs to face the TV. Be creative in how you arrange seating so that it faces the aesthetic focal point but is also functional. Perhaps you can set up the room so that there are focal points on opposite walls. The seating can then be arranged right in the middle. Or, if you have a flat screen TV, you can mount it on the wall above the fireplace.
3. Too many decorations
   Another common decorating mistake is to have too many decorations cluttering the room. Having displays of knick-knacks gives the living room a cluttered feel. Remember – less is more. Set out the pieces that are important to you. If you display all of your collectibles, they get lost in the clutter. This also includes photos. If you cover your walls and shelves with family photos, they get lost and you just create clutter. Instead, display only the best ones and make use of photo albums.
4. Furniture that doesn’t fit
   The wrong furniture makes it easy to make decorating mistakes. The layout of a room determines the furniture that you need. Too often, people just work with what they already have. While you should certainly use any furniture that you already own, living rooms can be tricky spaces. If you’re trying to arrange seating around a focal point, keeping your current furniture may be a decorating mistake. Be willing to buy the pieces that fit the room.
5. Too trendy.
   You know the scenario – all the stores and catalogs are carrying the hottest decorating trend. You think it would be great in your living room. However, this can easily become a decorating mistake. First of all, you need to decorate based on your personal style, not the latest trend. Trends come and go, but you have to live with how you decorate your living room. Therefore, go with your own style and tastes. Also, spending a lot of money on a trend just doesn’t make sense. Trends do not last. Dark wood paneling and lava lamps used to be the rage. Instead of making a decorating mistake by investing lots of money in trends that won’t last and don’t fit your style, choose to buy trendy accent pieces that do not cost a fortune. This can help you to get the look you want in your living room without making a decorating mistake.

1. Clocks In History

Clocks first came into existence in 1656 when the first pendulum clock was built by Dutch astronomer and mathematician Christian Huygens. Prior to his invention, clocks during Huygens? time were not inaccurate. The most accurate clocks that time were off by several minutes daily. Thanks to Huygens, having a reliable clock everyday proved to be possible. Huygens used a pendulum as the timer of the clock. Before Huygens, however, Galileo was already doing some work on how to invent a clock! Galileo even had a pendulum system to keep track of time. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to complete his work.

2. Decorating with Clocks

Decorating a home using clocks is not exactly new. Since a few hundred years ago, home owners and good decorators have been choosing clocks as decorative devices in their homes. Ever since the pendulum clock was invented by Christian Huygens in the 1600s to measure weights and as a type of swinging pendulum, clocks have been known as good decorative items.

3. Modern Clocks

Compared with past ones, today?s clocks are stylish and sleeker in style aside from serving its main purpose. More than just telling time, clocks of today?s age, thanks to the state-of-the-art technology, are definitely more elegant and nice to look at than compared with their older counterparts.

4. When Choosing A Clock:

- Remember that the clock you are buying should reflect your personal tastes and serve as a decorative complement in the room you are putting it in

- One good tip in choosing clocks is to look for the fashion and style in a clock. When looking for a clock, choose one that makes a statement

- If you want to have a French country look in your home, select wall clocks that reflect country accents, such as having a patina finish on the clock?s face, wrought iron accents, or wood base that were whitewashed

- If you, on the other hand, want a contemporary look, why not try to shop around for a clock that has minimalist lines as well as chrome. There are also clocks that are sleek and have stainless detailing.

- You could also choose big and oversized clocks if you want to emphasize your timepiece, compared with a smaller one that could get lost in a clutter.

5. Large Clocks

- If you want to balance out an oversized lamp, try putting a traditional anniversary clock on the end of the table

- You could also put a wall clocked placed on a sturdy and decorative easel in your kitchen for quick and instant charm

- Having an antique grandfather clock in your den provides extra comfort and warmth. Of course, the grandfather clock should be in a nice condition. Otherwise, the effect is somewhat diminished

First: furniture. Furniture choice is very important when it comes to designing a small bedroom. Since Asian and Swedish cultures have been living in cramped spaces for centuries and have mastered the art of close living so when purchasing furniture for small rooms, you should look toward Asian and Swedish designs. The futon is an attractive piece of furniture that easily converts from a sofa into a bed. There are many styles available, from the economical to the luxurious. By having a futon in your small bedroom, you can have more space to move around during the say, while still having plenty of space to sleep at night.

Second: furniture arrangement is also very important. One option is that you may want to try putting one side up against the wall, even if one person may have a slightly harder time climbing into and out of the bed instead of putting a bed in the center of the floor. Another option is the have the bed extend from the corner of the room. And you can also add a table beside the bed.

Design themes: There are many themes for the small room decoration. You can design the bedroom interior to resemble the inside of a sleeping car, or you can also make the room reminiscent of a houseboat. In addition, a fun decor option for a small room for kids is to make it resemble the inside of a circus tent.

Imagine no more, for a certain forward thinking rather futuristic furniture designer from Italy has created a fantastic range of funky sofas and chairs encapsulating an elegant and organic finish with supreme practicality. From their modern, retro range, two examples of this indoor-outdoor range, celebrating the interplay between people and their environment , are their sofa and armchair.

This Italian designer has cleverly created furniture that can withstand everything the elements can throw at it. Stainless steel, FSC and certified Ivory Coast iroko wood have been used in the main supporting framework. Upholstery has been hand-woven between the many rounded and smooth cylindrical slats. Additionally, the upholstery has been created from non-toxic, fire-resistant silicone, covered with the designer’s signature Rope. Seat cushions and pillows are constructed from materials that can withstand temperature extremes, rain, mould/ and fungus. Removable outer covers are also present. Sunlight will find it hard to fade any colouration since UV protection is built in, alongside many of the existing brown colours having gone through a weathering process.