Minimalism or Maximalism

Minimalism or Maximalism

We are finally starting to see the light at the end of the road, after more than a couple of years, or at least it looks like we are starting to see it. This affects everything we do in our lives. Renovating our home, always reflects what we are going through and how we are feeling about it. We have been spending time in our houses more than ever, and we experienced a situation that most of us never did before.

This has brought us to the point that more or less we all need a change of scenery. We all need to live in a place where we feel calm and comfortable, peaceful and beautiful. In the past, if you had a room full of furniture, very cluttered, it was a sign of wealth. Now, and after a lot of things happening in the World, we need to recalculate and think about how are we going to go on.

Although I truly believe that Minimalism is the way to go, somehow, we need to meet somewhere in the middle, because luckily, we are all different people. We find calmness and peace in different ways. We can still unclutter our rooms, by just getting the right amount of furniture, but we can mix it with patterns and colors that each of us prefers. So we still use minimalism but with some tips from Maximalism.

Written By Adriana Glait
Design Specialist at Decorium
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Let’s Talk About Velvet

For a long time, it was synonymous with luxury and extravagance. Velvet originated in India, made on manual looms from silk fiber. Then it was also produced in Italy, where factories in Venice, Florence, Genova, and Milan gained worldwide fame. The origin of the name comes from the Latin “vellus”, which means “hair” or “tufted hair”. It is a dense weave fabric with a soft and smooth texture. In addition to natural fibers, such as silk, linen, and cotton, it can also be made from synthetic fibers or a mixture of fibers.

Partly for its history with aristocratic appeal and partly for its sophisticated look, velvet is vintage by nature. But recently, especially thanks to the development of high-performance, synthetic fabrics composed of a large amount of polyester, velvet is a material suitable for all styles and designs of furniture. Sofas, armchairs, dining chairs, whatever your imagination wants.

Marketed since the 14th century, velvet dressed European nobility, decorated their palaces, and was always related to the aristocracy. Over time, it was widely used to produce luxurious accessories and furniture. In the 20th century, a new approach to this material emerged, especially in the late 1960s and 1970s, velvet started to be seen in several environments hitherto little explored. The Hippie wave deconstructed many concepts and one of them was that velvet was necessarily linked to the aristocracy.

In addition to being beautiful, its soft appearance makes it an excellent choice for that comfortable sofa, or those pillows that will bring the coziness you are looking for to your environment. Velvet, without a doubt, is a synthesis of contemporaneity: classic, chic, comfortable and can also be super practical and easy to maintain if used in a synthetic version.

Written By Henrique Morais
Design Specialist at Decorium
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Blocking and Spacing Your Home

Blocking and spacing the rooms in your home requires an understanding of your home’s entire space, as well as an understanding of how to define the rooms in your total space.

Now that homes are being built and renovated to more open concepts, understanding how to define rooms with furnishings is more important than ever.

Furniture, carpets, lighting, and artwork can help you to define and distinguish ‘rooms’ while bringing a connectedness to open… or more open spaces.

First, remember your sightlines. -When entering a space, we humans roughly spend about 20 percent of our eye time looking down. Logically, this is to secure footing and asses a safe and comfortable pathway. This is why flow-through flooring in small and larger spaces helps provide a sense of seamlessness to any size space.

We can further define our rooms and enjoy a space defined with great lighting. From recessed-in ceiling fixtures to significant and hopefully dramatic chandelier(s) / lamp and even pendant lighting. For those in a new build or comprehensive renovation… in-floor lighting can serve to not only illuminate pathways but provide great drama in hallways and feature walls.

To furniture, whether you are in a more traditional home or an open concept home, allow for each piece to breathe….it is essential.

Clutter is a thing of the past. I suggest choosing your anchor pieces carefully. And build around them. Don’t over furnish. Get great pieces that completely compliment one another, define a space, and again … allow them to breathe.

In a more open concept realize the arm of that sofa is helping create flow and pathways. Carpets do the same.

It’s where we feel we can breathe in a comfy space, and create intimacy even in an open concept all while still allowing for a social connectedness when entertaining or in a family gathering.

Written By Jonathan Furlong
Design Consultant at Decorium
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Say Hello to Spring

The winter is slowly passing by and waiting for the spring to come along so you can change your sofa to refresh your family room with chairs as well to give you a new and exciting look with fresh colors.

Written By Raffaele Martino
Design Consultant at Decorium
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Fast Furniture

You have probably heard of the term “fast fashion” which is used to describe cheaply produced clothing in mass amounts that are designed to break down and typically sold at a very low price.

“Fast Furniture” has become the new trending topic, which is creating fast, cheaply made, poor quality furniture at a low price point. While we often become blinded by price, we realize the reason they do this, it’s so that in a short period you will be back to replace the same piece of furniture for that low price point over and over again. Unfortunately, it is also wasting environmental resources.

At Decorium, you are getting valuable information on the products you are interested in. Measurements are created to ensure every piece fits perfectly, you are informed on materials used to create your pieces, and you are also supporting local businesses and Canadian-made quality products. You can Customize your pieces in different configurations and choose your fabric creating your “Dream Furniture” which becomes a generational family piece.

Seasons may change, but our in-person “above and beyond” Customer Service approach will always be in style. 

Let’s choose “Sustainability” in 2022!

Written By Andrea Lalonde
Design Specialist at Decorium
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Introducing Home Accents to Your Space

Today, the minimalistic and monochromatic design seems to be the way to go. It’s chic, timeless, and definitely won’t be going out of style in the near future. But what if you threw some colour in the mix?

Accent pieces allow you to incorporate pops of colour or new styles into your space, especially if you’re worried about it being too striking.

Rugs are a great place to start! Adding a colourful or patterned rug can change and enhance the whole vibe of the space. It’s an amazing way to integrate colour and can also help hide dirt and debris!

Toss pillows and throws are amazing ways to accent a space as you can make them interchangeable with the seasons. This will allow you to experiment with all of the colours of the rainbow while giving the space a fresh look every few months.

If you’re someone who tends to go for neutral furniture pieces, why not throw in a bold accent chair or ottoman! These can help brighten up the space as well as possibly create a focal point.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with colour or accents because no matter your comfort level, there is always something out there that can freshen up your space. Even if it’s just some flowers or a plant!

Written By Evan Sims
Design Specialist at Decorium
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DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT A VENEER IS?

Unfortunately not may do! most people see veneers as a laminate material made from plastic, paper, or even foil that has been printed with a wood grain pattern. The main purpose of veneers is to be environmentally conscious as they are “maximizing that log in thin little sheets.”

The veneer is a traditional and structurally significant element of furniture-making, that is still very important in contemporary design. It is used on all types of custom furniture, including high-quality ones.

The original concept of veneer was about conservation. The history of wood veneering originates in Ancient Egypt circa 3000 BC and continues into modern-day woodworking. Historically veneers were hand-cut until the 1820s when machine-cut was dominantly used. This allowed the veneer to be uniformly cut and set a standard.

Veneer making was sparse during the medieval period and came back into vogue during the 17th century in France. This period of veneer techniques became very sophisticated, using tiny pieces of wood and burl grain to create intricate designs or lavish scenes, called marquetry or intarsia work.

There are many advantages of using veneers. One of the most beneficial aspects of wood veneers is their cost-effectiveness. Veneers tend to have more design options. Environmentally-friendly. Appearance is similar to real wood, thus making it a perfect option for covering plywood, MDF, particleboard, and for covering finishing curves.

The possibilities are almost endless, and you can check out the result of beautiful veneer work in our showroom. Come on and visit us!

Written By Henrique Morais
Design Specialist at Decorium
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Turn Turn Turn! The Swivel Chair

The pandemic seems to have hit a turning point. For this reason, I have decided to write this month’s blog on the swivel chair.

Swivel chairs offer easy movement when seated. They come in multiple types of chair designs. One of the most common designs for this category is the round swivel chair.

It offers easy movement when seated. You can relax in a comfortable and stylish swivel chair. Unlike the standard stationary chair, the swivel chair moves smoothly from side to side.

Swivel chairs are especially functional in open-concept spaces so you can easily pivot to wherever the action is happening.

If you’re using a swivel chair in your living room, you can simply turn to grab the TV remote, a drink, or a snack. You can add a comfy swivel chair to a nursery so you have a soothing place to put your baby to sleep.

Swivel chairs come in different sizes, from an oversized ultra-chic swivel chair to a small profile swivel chair for smaller spaces.

Come to Decorium to experience the amazing seating for yourself.

Written By Ellen Zworth
Design Specialist at Decorium
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Interior Design Trends to Know in 2022

WE went through another year in the middle of this Pandemic.

Considering how much time we spend at home, in 2022 we need to introduce comfortable sofas, daylight, earthy tones, cozy spaces, indoor plants to create calming effects and design stress reliever rooms that will never go out of style.

In addition to this, we choose textured fabrics like velvets, sherpas, and boucle because they not only feel amazing but they are chic and luxurious as well.

Staying at home, also makes us use the rooms in a variety of ways, transforming the use of them depending on the activity that it takes place: for example, a dining table becomes the “desk” during the day.

Neutral colors on the walls and the furniture plus black accents and hardware to create depth will become more popular during this year.

We are looking for timeless spaces, minimalistic rooms, combining textures like wood, fabrics, stones, and metals in order to generate a sophisticated, calming look with the input of uniqueness that the personal touch can give.

Written By Adriana Glait
Design Specialist at Decorium
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What is performance fabric?

Performance fabric is the best choice for high traffic areas and living spaces needing to stand the test of time.

Performance fabrics are easy to clean and withstand the wear and tear of everyday life.
They are engineered to have water-resistant and stain-resistant qualities so everyday spills and stains do not soak into cushions.

These fabrics are; durable, cleanable, pet, children, and family-friendly.

Always remember, choose the right fabric for your lifestyle.

Article Written By: Renata Biala
Design Specialist at Decorium
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