How to Enrol

Click here to go to our page dedicated to the Interior Design Week course, where you will find all of the necessary information for enrolling on the course as well as a detailed description of what to expect on the course.

Interior Design Week

A one-week interior design course accredited by City & Guilds

This practical, hands-on course is ideal for those who want to learn the principles of interior design.

During Interior Design Week you will be guided, step-by-step through the key elements of working on two actual design projects: from meeting the client brief, site surveys, drawing to scale, considerations when working with colour and producing your own scheme boards.

Delivered by a professional interior designer and qualified tutor, the course invites a maximum of 10 students – ensuring quality tuition and guidance.

On successful completion of the course, students will gain a City & Guilds award in interior design.

Overview of the week:

• Understanding interior design principles
• Colour schemes & how to combine colours successfully
• Drawing to scale
• Wall and floorcoverings, soft furnishings & accessories
• Creating your own scheme boards

Click here to sign up for Absolute Academy School of Interior Design’s ‘Interior Design Week’.

“The whole course was very professional, friendly, informative and delivered in a fun and creative atmosphere”
-Sue, Oxfordshire

“The course was the perfect introduction to the world of interior design. I would recommend anyone embarking on a career in this field or just updating their home to enrol with Absolute Academy, School of Interior Design.”
-Jan, Warwickshire

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For any design aficionado, a visit to an exhibition of this kind is quite awe-inspiring and fires ideas at you that can be adapted and implemented for different projects at different budgets. We love the idea that this event is complementary to the main Interiors UK event, as we do not think we could have got through the year without another trip to a major exhibition of design excellence.

The Interiors London event takes place from May 19th – 21st, which gives plenty of opportunity to pay a visit. It is a unique chance for professionals in the business to source perfect design led products form the elite end of the market place. Interiors London will also introduce the best of British design and launch some international products to this exclusive marketplace. The whole event will be enabled digitally so that the sophisticated technology behind contemporary design may be demonstrated to prospective customers. What has us most excited is the opportunity to see the work of undiscovered new talent, which always gives food for thought and fresh ideas to investigate.

Exhibitors

In keeping with the boutique feel, around 100 hand picked and carefully selected companies will exhibit all encapsulating ranges of beautifully designed contemporary products using traditional designs, edgy and innovative design with techniques old and new on display. Established brands will vie for your attention with the new entry and emerging talent in an assault on creative emotion. From the fields of furniture, wall coverings, textiles, wall coverings, flooring and lighting, new elements are expected to take our breath away and we cannot wait!

Interiors London takes place at the end of the traditional European season so we are assured of the best that has been on offer giving Interiors London the accolade of the final prestigious event in the calendar.

The Mingle

One of our favourite parts, we love to meet up with friends old and new and touch base with other interior design colleagues, suppliers, retailers and buyers from all over the world. While mostly London and UK visitors are expected, invitations have been sent to the most important buyers from across the globe. This multi dimensional mix of people and exchange of ideas has us taking masses of pictures and chatting into our smart phones, as well as taking out our notebooks for a swift sketch and a jot down of facts figures, phone numbers, and calories in a slice of lemon torte – you know yourself! The various community amenities around the exhibition spaces include a champagne bar (oh dear!) complete with a VIP area for relaxing and networking.

Interiors London promises to create a buzz demonstrating may features to enhance the experience. Some of these promise to be unmissable including the Seminar Theatre where inspirational talks and latest news from the industry will be presented. The different showcases and innovation centres boast the very latest in leading edge display styles and digital enhancements. As if this was not enough, there is fine dining on offer.

We are looking forward to the May Design Series and Royal College of Art student competition, which offers interior design students an opportunity to design two bars for the exhibition. Visitors and exhibitors will then be trying the bars out for size relishing the fruits of the future generation of designers.

If you are able to visit the London Interiors event, we can guarantee you will not be disappointed. For any student it is an education and for any designer, a joy to spend time surrounded by wonderful objects, furniture, accessories and décor innovation.

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Today, there are so many interesting textiles, metal wall sculptures, mirrors, wall lights, artwork, and ornate plaster mouldings you will be spoilt for choice. A wall is also the perfect backdrop for a personal collection of ceramics, photographs of ancestors, children’s paintings, books, dolls, or an eclectic mix of everything. Obviously, the current style and theme of your room will need to be taken into account to ensure your choice of wall decoration suits the room. You can also use clever shelving as part of your wall decoration to display objects or even books, which can look decorative against the wall. In this article, we look at ten trendy wall decorations you can affordably use to give your room a makeover.

1. Empty Frames

Picture frames can be simply gorgeous so why take away from their beauty by having a picture or photograph framed within. Elaborate and ornate picture frames can be bought quite cheaply from charity shops and boot sales so look out for pictures and buy them for the frame. A cluster of empty ornate gold frames on a dark wall is an elegant wall decoration reminiscent of a more gracious time.

2. Chalkboard Paint

In a child’s room or in the kitchen, an interactive wall decoration can be created as wall decoration. A notice board size square painted on a kitchen wall and framed with simple wood can be the family calendar or an ever-evolving art gallery that is created by any gifted artists or kids in the family. In children’s bedrooms, a chalk paint wall featuring some writing gives the feel of an old-fashioned nursery.

3. Magnetic Strips

For a utilitarian open plan type space, many people love to hang pictures, important papers, and much more on to the walls. Magnetic paint on a wall means an organic evolving wall decoration that is different every day.

4. Maps and Old Newspapers

Framed maps of your local area, especially very old or antique ones make a fantastic wall decoration for a study or hallway. Combined with old newspaper front pages the look is old colonial explorer and is ideal in an older home.

5. Ceiling Tiles

Designed for the ceiling but equally at home on the wall, these amazing metal or faux metal ceiling tiles in contemporary or antique styles look perfect on the wall. They can be up to a metre square if its drama you are after. The metal ceiling was a popular old American colonial look with exquisite tile designs available in a repro tile today.

6. Oriental Wall Hangings

A minimalist setting can be given a focal point with oriental wall hangings. There are many varieties and it is personal choice what is right for you. Japanese and Chinese wall hangings are delicate and beautiful often painted on rice paper or bamboo. Balinese and Thai wooden carvings give an exotic flavour to a stark wall.

7. Wall of Clocks

Tick tock, nobody said you only had to have one clock on the wall. Just for fun, several wall clocks hung artistically as wall decoration will amuse people and yet they look fabulous especially if they conform to a theme. They could be advertising themed clocks, retro clocks, old railway station type clocks, or even cuckoo clocks although that may be too noisy.

8. Textiles

Fabrics and Textiles are always a wonderful wall decoration idea and an interesting fabric can be stapled onto a simple frame to make a wall decoration piece. Tapestries can add a medieval feel to a room.

9. Digital Photo Frame

A large wall mounted digital photo frame can add interest to a wall and allows you to have a permanent slide show of all your favourite photographs that can also be set to show only one at a time and can also be switched off completely.

10. Sporting Achievements

Always on trend are personal items such as medals, rosettes and other sporting awards along with photographs showing the achievements won.

The post Wall Decoration: 10 New Ideas appeared first on Absolute Academy School of Interior Design.

Wednesday 15th May 2013
10am–12.30pm

Just Fabrics, the leading fabric supplier in the Cotswolds, are hosting a Special Event called Just Colour.

Discover how to combine colours successfully to help you achieve striking results throughout your home.

• Illustrated talk and hands on workshop
• Make your own mood board
• Access to hundreds of fabrics
• Complimentary glass of bucks fizz on arrival
• 20% discount voucher for Just Fabrics

Just Colour is being run by Absolute-Academy, School of Interior Design who are one of the leading UK providers of interior design courses.

Taking place in the beautiful Just Fabrics showroom in Cheltenham, guests will enjoy an illustrated talk and practical workshop session about how to style your home with colour. With access to hundreds of fabrics, tutors will guide you, step-by-step to create your own colour mood board to take home.

Reserve Your Place

Bookings are filling up quite quickly so make sure of your place on this exciting workshop by booking online at Just Fabrics or downloading the form below. At £45.00 for the workshop, it is great value and will teach you skills you will retain for your future interior design projects. We look forward to welcoming you at Just Fabrics on the 15th of May.

The Workshop

With the weather and great outdoors unseasonably arctic carrying a colour scheme of white and whiter, we cannot wait to bring a rainbow of colour into your lives at the Just Fabrics workshop. This occasion is for everyone regardless of experience and will be a whole morning of hands on fun creating your own mood board with access to the sumptuous fabrics in which Just Fabrics specialise.

Whether your preferred look is chintzy, funky or classical, our illustrated talks and informative hints and tips will help you create a mood board that is just your style to complement your home. Naturally, no event is complete without a welcome and we hope you will enjoy a delicious glass of Bucks Fizz to start the day. The gifts keep on coming: as well as your mood board to take home, Just Fabrics are giving each workshop participant a voucher with a whopping 20% off all fabric purchases.

You will be guided through texture, colour, and fabric choices for soft furnishings, upholstery, window dressing, blinds, and curtains and for those clever sorts who sew, accessories such as beautiful cushions and shams. We will help you to transform your home with beautiful colour and divine fabric.

The Just Fabrics Stores

For those of you who are not familiar with Just Fabrics, it is a store that will inspire you. In fact, if anyone is missing from Absolute Academy, it is one of the first places we go to track them down. This will give you some idea of the irresistible and heavenly fabrics in store:

As interior designers, we love fabric, like other people love shoes and chocolate. OK, we admit we also love shoes and chocolate very much as well. We love Just Fabrics because it has a fab reputation since starting up in 1988. The store stocks a treasure trove of designer fabrics, ends of lines, regular lines all at affordable discount prices. As independent retailers, they hold their own exclusive lines and are the first to recognise the industry design trends. For us as designers we can rely completely on them to order fabrics, even if they are hard to track down.

Their website is attractive easy to use and the perfect showcase for the fabrics on offer showing off the range to all UK customers who may order online.

Everybody needs a colourful boost after the dreadful winter we have suffered and May is the perfect month of the year to fling open the windows and begin a room make over. It is such an inspiring month when spring has finally sprung and the natural light has renewed and refreshed the natural world giving us inspiration for our décor changes.

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Budget and Mood

Budget and Mood are the first things to consider when home decorating. Before you start, a look at cost is essential as costs can quickly escalate so decide how much you have to spend and stick to it within a 10% tolerance which usually works well, avoids you going too far over budget yet allows for that essential accessory at the last minute. There is nothing like a fixed budget to get those creative juices flowing!

Examine what mood you are trying to create and use the mood to reflect colours and accessories. For a relaxing oasis use cool and light colours based around green and blue for example. For theatrical drama you may want a boudoir bedroom with luxurious fabrics and wall decoration in reds, purples and black.

Colour

One of the most important aspects of wall decoration is colour. Choosing colour sets the scene for your décor and a wall can become a main feature or neutral backdrop for other kinds of wall coverings and decoration. Try to keep to the same hues or contrasts. Using a colour wheel can be your best friend as it can be seen clearly that colours can blend unusually in a way that is pleasing, even if they do not seem obvious bedfellows. Play with the sample paint colour charts and cards during your design phase and also try out some of the match pots of paint samples which can be very revealing!

Do not be scared of colour. Many people stick to neutrals because they find choosing a colour daunting. If you would like to have a bit more oomph in your wall decoration but are apprehensive, start with one wall in a contrasting shade, something bolder and more vibrant. If the walls are too daunting then accessorise with some bright and vibrant cushions or wall hangings until you get used to colour.

A bold statement can also be made with the use of wallpaper for wall decoration. Bold patterns are very on trend just now and providing the room is not too small, a feature wall using bold patterns and colours can give a dramatic look to a room.

Pattern

One great way to change the interior of your home is to feature pattern. Some people who are a little colour shy often feel the same way about pattern thinking they are overwhelming or scared they cannot juxtapose different patterns and styles together. Again keeping to colour basics and themes you can easily add stripes, swirls, paisley, floral, tapestry – the combinations of pattern are endless and if you have kept to plain wall decoration then choosing an interesting pattern in a fabric or in furnishings can add a real style statement.

Wall Décor

A collection of picture frames on a wall can be a simple wall decoration idea. Laying out the picture frames on a large piece of paper and marking where the hanging nails or hooks will go gives you a template for fixing them in the right place on the wall and gives you the chance to assess what look you want to achieve on the wall.

Mirrors are a marvellous décor item and using them around the home creates space and a sense of airiness and can make small spaces look larger. They are great objects for creating an illusion of space. A statement mirror over a fireplace never goes out of style. A popular place to hang a mirror is a hallway. Not only will a mirror open a hallway up but also gives the house occupant the opportunity to glance in the mirror before opening the front door.

Kilims and silk Turkish or Persian rugs make fabulous wall hangings, especially if they are antique and have a slightly faded look. They are best displayed against a white or pale backdrop as the patterns are usually colourful and intricate in design.

You can even make your own wall art from fabric you have at home.

As you can see, you can have a professional home decorating look with just a little forethought and planning like the professionals do. Big changes to your home style can be made with some really quite small steps so go down to the showrooms and pick up some paint and fabric samples and get decorating. If you do not feel confident, then do contact us for our prospectus of wonderful courses ranging from one day to one year.

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The world of interior design is therefore delighted that businesswoman and interior designer Kelly Hoppen is to join the fire-breathing panel on “Dragon’s Den”. She will appear in what is the 11th series of the ever-popular BBC show. Kelly Hoppen is an MBE and runs her own design school and interior design firm. She is well known for her use of beige and taupe colour schemes. No stranger to television, Kelly fronted a Channel 5 series. She is also the author of interior design books.

Kelly Hoppen

South African born Hoppen’s career started at 16 years old and in time, she was designing for celebrities including Victoria and David Beckham and Martin Shaw. Over the years, she has stamped her unique style on private jets, yachts, and homes of clients as well as being the interior designer for many prestigious commercial projects globally carrying from aircraft, hotels, offices, and restaurants. A recent project was undertaken with Pearl Motor Yachts.

Kelly has authored seven books, which have been well received and are popular with anyone interested in interior design.

Her design ideas are accessible and to this end, she has designed many ranges for retail outlets such as Debenhams and QVC shopping channel. Her home accessories range of products includes décor items such as wallpaper, furniture, wall art, ceramics, carpets, lighting, taps, paint, bed linen, vases, bathroom accessories, scent, and candles.

Hoppen’s signature design is famed for the use of a colour palette that is neutral using natural, taupe, and beige colour ways. Her philosophy of design is based on creating calm environments based on oriental cultures. Order and harmony flow through her designs and people feel comfortable within. She believes that how people feel is as important as how a design looks.

Apart from being an interior designer and businesswoman, Kelly is also an educator and runs her own interior design education programme passing on her expertise to a new generation of designers.

Her personal style reflects her interior design style with clean lines and structure with neutral colouring in her clothing choices, which is the perfect backdrop for her vibrant strawberry blond curly hair.

Dragon’s Den

On the subject of her appointment to the Dragon’s Den Hoppen was delighted as she has always been passionate about encouraging entrepreneurship. She looks forward to taking that passion to the next level by investing in new innovative business ideas on this exciting show.

Hoppen is well qualified for the job having been running her own business successfully from teenage years and building up the business to the well-regarded global business it is today. She hopes to bring a fresh perspective into the den and looks forward to discovering some new business gems along the way.

It will be interesting viewing and to see what types of ideas and schemes Kelly puts her faith into. No doubt, there will be some creative projects coming through the den, which are sure to attract her attention, but you can be sure unless the figures stack up, she will not be taking a risk on them.

The Dragon’s Den team are looking forward to welcoming Kelly Hoppen on board. They stated she was an exciting addition to the existing line up and have recently begun filming for the series to be aired later this year.

There is no doubt that Kelly has been an inspiration to many of us in the world of interior design and beyond. She has an enviable creative energy, fantastic sense of style and business ability. Her promotion of truly British design has helped the industry and we wish her the very best of luck and look forward to seeing the businesses that appeal to her.

She has a new App for iPhone and iPad called Home Style.

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“Whether you just want to brush up your interior decorating skills in order to help you to decorate and furnish your own home or you want a bona fide qualification to set yourself up with a career in interior design, Absolute-Academy, School of Interior Design, will be on hand at Sudeley to point you in the right direction. Their high quality, nationally-accredited City & Guilds courses range from one day to one year, as well as week-long and distance learning courses, all taught by qualified tutors.”

If you’d like free tickets to the event read on below to find out how to get them. We hope to see you there (We will be on stand 31!)

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Absolute Academy, School of Interior Design invites you to The Spring Grand Fair at Sudeley Castle – from Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th April 2013.

We will be exhibiting (on Stand 31) and we would love to see you and tell you more about our interior design courses!

If you haven’t been before, the event is a real treat – with over a hundred exhibitors selling jewellery, gifts, foods and accessories for the home.

To gain your free tickets, simply click on the link below and follow the instructions – and feel free to forward this on to any friends or family who might want to come too.

http://www.ukgrandsales.co.uk/freetickets.aspx/Campaign-SudeleyExhibitors25to28-4-13/absolute-academy

We look forward to seeing you there!

Anne and Rachael

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While we may not be in the same league as Google who wanted their offices to be an oasis of inspiration, we can use some economical office decorating ideas to create a pleasant, welcoming, and inspiring space in accordance with the business type or profession. Google’s stock in trade is innovation and they wanted a space that would nourish this. They turned the office space into an inspiring haven that raised the motivation of workers in a colourful, playful, yet tranquil manner. There are slides, gym equipment, pool tables and so on and all spaces are different to celebrate the uniqueness of their employees.

Fortunately, there are affordable ways to freshen up your office and done well, new décor will create a talking point too. If an office looks interesting, professional, attractive professional and welcoming, your customers will be attracted to your services and presentable office decoration will make business to business meetings with fellow professionals, trading partners, customers and accountants go more smoothly.

Decorate by Profession

The first thing to decide upon is the impression you wish to give customers. For example, if you are a solicitor or accountant you will want to project a serious and trustworthy impression so office-decorating ideas are likely to be traditional and solid, using dark rich colours and dark wood like mahogany. Traditional paintings on the walls will complete the look. People in creative roles such as graphic designers should use cutting edge, modern office decorating ideas with bold colours, modern workstations, and computer equipment. Artwork can consist of projects you have completed which will act as a visual portfolio for visitors.

Interior designers of course have carte blanche and an eclectic look in an office that is spilling with fabric samples, easels with mood boards displayed, distressed armoires as filing cabinets along with clever use of colour will give the right artistic impression that customers are looking for. Equally, they can be industrial and minimalist depending on their specialist areas.

Colour

Colour schemes also make an impression and professional offices are best to stick to neutral colours such as tan, taupe, and beige while the creative professions can use bold primaries and unusual colour combinations. Remember also that the psychology of colour can be used to good advantage when decorating an office.

Paint is an instant way to freshen up office walls and can make a huge difference in a short space of time and act as a backdrop to display your particular profession. For example a blue or sea green wall decorated with travel posters will give the feel of a holiday in a travel agency and may well persuade your customers to book a holiday as the environment conjures up sea, sunshine and far away places.

Furnishings

Furnishings should be professional and suited to the occupation; even the artistic professions still need ergonomically designed desks, chairs and storage spaces for the comfort of the occupants. Any storage solutions should tie in with the furniture. With many options and clever adaptations, storage need not be restricted to grey metal cabinets.

Accessories

Accessorising the newly decorated and furnished office space should tie the look together and there should be the right balance between professionalism and personality of the individual. Anything goes providing it suits the scheme. Paintings, carpets, framed pictures of family on the desk, interesting desk accessories, sculptures and lamps are all office decorating ideas to complete the total look.

These office decorating ideas will help freshen up a dull space and make the office a grand place to be and hopefully inspire workers and improve productivity, leading to a more viable and successful business.

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The UK alone has many interior design magazines and there are some iconic worldwide publications, which are definitely worthwhile reading. Here we take a look at our top picks of interior design publications and the best of the rest.

Architectural Digest

No list of magazines would be complete without including this iconic title. The world’s best interior designers and architects feature in the magazine and the artwork and layout means this magazine is worthy of a coffee table book. Every page is full of stunning interiors and building design. The magazine oozes style, culture, and colour. Architectural Digest is well known for its influential designers publishes an annual round up of the most innovative international designers and architects. The magazine leads where others follow and is forever evolving.

Elle Decor

This title started as a spin off from the women’s Elle magazine from its lifestyle features. Vying with Architectural Digest at the top of popularity chart, Elle Décor represents all that is sophisticated, elegant, and modern. Show casing breathtaking interiors, Elle gives us luxury living, applications and products.

House Beautiful

House Beautiful is one of those magazines that makes you feel good and empowers you to make subtle but meaningful changes to the home. Less avant-garde than other publications it enables homemakers to put together practical yet beautiful looks for everyday living in everyday homes. The magazine offers tips and has features where and instant make over is shown in a room. Functional and modern, House Beautiful is a useful addition to the magazine rack.

Better Homes and Gardens

This publication is the grand old lady of interior design magazines and has been established for decades. It provides useful and practical knowledge on interior design, home décor, and furnishings. Although it is not all about interior design, the title offers terrific ideas for varied interior styles and includes your garden in the package.

Country Living

Country Living is a lifestyle magazine for all those who have their hearts in the country. It is rich with features on home makeovers, home businesses, and all aspects of country life. It offers a wealth of ideas for interiors and is especially strong on country chic accessories and colours. There are total look features that follow seasonal themes so if you want to decorate your home for Christmas or welcome Spring and the Easter Bunny, Country Living will help you create your country home even if you are in the suburbs.

Living etc

Living etc magazine is for modern living with the emphasis on modern design and style. It is full of clever advice, stylish decoration ideas, and plenty of shopping advice to help you find the best deals on the market whether buying a new kitchen or new lampshade. Ideal for first time homeowners and those with contemporary tastes, the magazine also boasts a colourful lively website for readers.

Dezeen

This magazine is in digital format and their mission is to bring you a hand picked selection of international design, interiors, and architecture projects from around the world. Launched in 2006 Dezeen magazine is one of the most influential digital publications in the word of interiors. A combination of cleverly crafted features and chatty snippets make this an entertaining and informative read.

Also Look Out For…

Worth looking out for are Sunday supplements in newspapers that very often have an interior design feature or run a series of home makeover projects. Often the most affordable way to read the magazines of your choice is to buy a subscription, which often comes with a discount and free gift, or to subscribe to read online. The physical magazine makes it available to clip notes and photos from and nothing beats purchasing a glossy magazine and carrying it home in a paper bag anticipating the joy of immersing yourself.

Look in charity shops for piles of donated interior design magazines. Back issues will be inexpensive and just as inspiring if you are looking for traditional or classic looks. Once you have found your favourite, you will find it a fount of knowledge and ideas.

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