We all know what time it is when we hear that memorable song pronounced through the television… daaaa…daaa….da..da….da……da….da (I have never been able to read or write music, so please excuse my poor rendition of the Olympic theme music). So, when you hear that song what are your first thoughts? What does that make you feel? I personally think of strength, endurance, the USA.

So in regards to interior design, how can we bottle these immediate feelings of athleticism and project them into our surroundings? Or better yet, how do we capture the essence of battling the elements and harshness of winter to act as nothing less than world class athletes? How do we take such physical human effort and embody these same emotions in an interior?

Here are a few thoughts and opinions about transforming such intangible feelings and emotions into an interior without being too literal…

When I want to convey strength, I think rigidity, clean lines and mass. If you want your interior to represent strength and athleticism, I would aim for vertical lines of girth, such as columns or bold wide framing around windows and doors to give them more visual weight. Choose furniture that has mass but does not look too soft or cushy. I would think of solid wood pieces. They do not necessarily have to be dark in color, but rather have large feet, thick support and rectilinear attributes.

If you are looking for a space to represent the grace of more of the indoor winter sports like figure skating, then I would allow yourself to be inspired by the lines in the ice. Think of how you write your signature in cursive lettering – it flows and is continual. Thinking about gradual growth, like a skater picking up speed, let the interior grow to a definitive point of excitement (this will represent when a skater lands a jump in the highlight of the program). Perhaps combine soft curtains and pieces with beautiful curvilinear lines. For the highlight, use a bold piece of art or maybe a vibrant side chair in a sea of otherwise graceful and peaceful space.

Whatever Olympic spirit you want your space to embody, just be sure to really get in touch with what type of inner athlete you are.

So here’s the big question: Canada or USA for the gold in hockey?

Professional interior designers are expertly trained in the use of lighting features to create breathtaking results. In this four-part series which I call “Colour Me Brightly: Understanding Light in Interior Design,” I draw on my experience in London’s interior design community to explain this fascinating subject. This first article is about patterns.

Ask a London schoolgirl to imagine natural patterns, and she may talk at length of curvaceous seashells, the undulating edge of waves on the shore, the grooves in a gnarled tree trunk. Interior designers know that patterns are all around us. Patterns profoundly influence all interior design schemes, transforming our appreciation of color and texture, adding fluctuations and drifts or promoting harmony and stillness. London Interior Designers will focus on soft, fluid outlines in order to create relaxing patterns. By contrast, bold graphic statements in a wallpaper stencil can be invigorating for a London discotheque or salon. Pattern is a foundational ingredient of interior design, fragmenting overwhelming shapes and plain surfaces while simultaneously lending personality and profundity to a room.

London’s professional interior designers know one big secret: pattern is created not only by fabric and wallpaper. Light also forms any number of patterns through a virtual tussle or rough-and-tumble interaction between light and shadow. Light patterns are foundational to interior design schemes – from snippeted, kinetic and frosted patterns to curvy arcs, spearhead-style lines and theatrical projections of abstract forms.

Patterns of light fall into two main interior design categories. The first is all about objects in the path of light, casting shadows. We draw our inspiration from the natural world where, when sunlight strikes rippling water on London’s famous River Thames, flickering patterns are reflected up into the trees along the water’s edge. Similarly, if an artificial light source is directed onto water – perhaps a pool, fountain or babbling artificial brook – active reflections will dapple the surrounding walls and become an interior design feature. Sunlight may shine through the branches of a tree to create moving patterns of light and shade below, and similarly a low-voltage uplight, positioned behind indoor plants, can create beautiful interior design features on the walls and ceilings. This technique can be stunning both inside and outside the building.

In my next article, I turn to patterns that use perforations and glass.

Professional bathroom designers are masterful at merging both function and form to create breathtaking results. In this eight-part series which I call “Understanding Bathroom Design,” I draw on my experience working with some of London’s top bathroom designers to explain this exciting field. This seventh article returns to eco-friendly design.

The use of recycled or recyclable materials is a real trend with some of London’s best-known bathroom designers today. Recycled options such as glass or rubber can be a great alternative to non-renewables. Another important element of eco-friendly bathroom design involves wise positioning of windows. Installing windows in exactly the right places can help control bills by allowing sunshine to wash into the bathroom during the day or encouraging fresh breezes during the night. Bathroom designers know that pleated curtains made from recycled materials can help with seasonal variations – especially in a city like London where summer temperatures can warm up unexpectedly and rapidly.

Did you know that London’s Heathrow Airport has the worst air pollution in the UK? Eco-friendly bathroom designs always use paints that are low in volatile organics. This helps reduce indoor pollution – after all, if London’s outside air is polluted enough, why should you want your indoor air anything less than the cleanest it can be? Along with low-emissions paints, many modern bathroom designers will focus on fluorescent or LED lighting options. These are much more energy-efficient than filament-based alternatives, and have the additional benefit of guaranteeing a much longer operating life.

The last part of eco-friendly bathroom design is mostly about what people do in the finished bathroom itself. I recommend the use of ecologically sensitive cleaning products like vinegar, salt and sodium bicarbonate – all of which are available at any of London’s many small corner shops or convenience stores. These products break down naturally once they are flushed down the toilet, and are therefore environmentally very benign. A green bathroom design can only go so far – ultimately it’s up to the consumer to make sure they fix dripping taps, recycle lavatory paper and other recyclables, and only flush when absolutely necessary.

In the next and final article in my series “Understanding Bathroom Design,” I’ll finish with a summary of the psychology of London Bathroom Design today – “Designing for Happiness.”