Interior Design Ideas - 5 ideas for making the most of your ceiling

We all seem to have a default setting when it comes to interior décor. We get so excited choosing wall colours and papers, patterns and accessories, but we completely ignore the ceiling! It hangs there all white and forlorn, enviously watching us paint its neighbours an array of exciting and wonderful colours… desperately longing to get a piece of the action. So in this post I propose 5 ways to give your interiors a lift. Pimp that ceiling.

1. PLAIN and SIMPLE

The easiest way to completely transform a room is to paint the ceiling. As a general rule, lighter colours will open the space up, and darker colours will close a space in and make the room feel cosier. That said, don’t be afraid of darker colours.

This idea is great – the majority of the room is neutral but the whole space is both lifted and warmed by a deep purple ceiling. It also a great way to incorporate a secondary colour, to balance out a colour scheme or simply “finish off” a room. Pale greys and neutrals can look great on the ceiling, as they just take the edge off a stark white which can sometimes feel slightly harsh.























Don’t be scared of black! Look how sophisticated this space looks with a black ceiling, and it doesn’t close the room in at all. This has been enhanced by a feature plaster mold – easily picked up on ebay.

2. STRIPES

I love stripes – they can be sophisticated or playful (or both!) depending on the colour, width and how you apply them. Plus, they are a great way of introducing pattern without having to commit to anything too jazzy.

Keep the walls plain so things don’t get too busy, you will be amazed at how a few stripes will totally transform the space. Don’t forget, deciding which way your stripes go can make a big difference –stripes across the width of the room will make it seem wider, while stripes following the length of the room will make the space seem longer/narrower.

If you are feeling really brave, following the stripes down the walls will create an amazing effect, and can create the illusion of a larger space. Just ensure your stripes are of a good width in proportion to the size of the room.

3. TEXTURES

I can sense you cringing. But stay with me! I know the word “Anaglypta” immediately conjures up ideas of hideous, dated, spongy, woodchippy textures best left in the 70s. These are not the kind of textures I mean. There are some great paintable wallpapers available at the moment, in a variety of patterns that are contemporary and graphic or vintage, stately and Victorian depending on your style. Have a look at www.wallpaperdirect.com (the best place to buy wallpaper from) or Graham and Brown who have some great ones.  

As a guide, the larger the scale of the pattern, the more dramatic and contemporary it will look. Painting over it in a silver or gold metallic finish wall paint will really highlight the embossed design and is a great way of attaining that elusive “boutique hotel” feel to your home (something I am always aspiring to create). 

I think this silver textured ceiling is amazing and makes an otherwise pretty plain dining area look fit for a king!

4. PATTERNS

Patterned wallpaper on the ceiling can really elevate your home décor from “pretty average" to “designer” instantly. (Well not instantly… the amount of time it takes you to wallpaper the ceiling – you know what I mean.) When incorporating different patterns, try to have at least one consistent colour in the room that features throughout, to tie everything in together.

This kitchen above looks so quirky with the wallpaper extending onto the ceiling. The bright colours mean the space doesn’t feel closed in, and the hint of turquoise in the pattern is accentuated by the cupboard doors.

Of course it doesn’t need to be as obvious as this. The darker colour scheme of this dining room is subtly enhanced by the tonal wallpaper on the ceiling.

5. PANELLING

Panelling is increasingly popular at the moment, and something that is easily created with the good old dado rail. Why not try something like this below? 

Fix the dado rails to the ceiling, and paint them in a contrasting colour to create a panel effect.

You could also use dado rails to create a central ceiling panel with a textured or patterned wallpaper inside as a feature. 

If you paint the outside of the panel in the same colour as the walls it will make the ceiling appear higher. Bringing the ceiling colour down onto the walls with a dado rail as a divider is also an interesting way to play with the illusion of space.

So those were my 5 ways to pimp your ceiling. Time for you to raise your eyes towards the sky with paintbrush in hand, ready to transform your world. What do you think? Are you tempted to try any? 

If you liked this post please feel free to share and subscribe - spread the ceiling love!

Tara Sofia - the beginning!

Hello friends & readers!

This post is going to be the first detailing my ‘Tara Sofia’ journey – creating artwork and designs and somehow harnessing my creativity into a business that I enjoy. So, it is more of a "setting the scene" type post, and as time goes on I will share details more specifically as different aspects develop.

As a quick insight into my background, I come from a creative and entrepreneurial family – my parents created ‘Santoro’, an award-winning lifestyle brand known for its captivating art collections and innovative designs.

I decided against university, favouring real-life experience instead so I went to work at Santoro immediately after completing my A-levels. I couldn’t wait to get stuck into a full-time creative working environment. Ten years later, with all my self-taught skills (graphic design and fine art)  and having designed for one of the UK’s leading home fragrance companies, I found myself wanting a change but I couldn’t pick a path. I loved painting. I loved product design. I loved graphic design. I had also now developed a love for fragrance. I loved too many things!! I wanted to dedicate more time to my artwork (which up until that point had taken a back seat), but I didn’t want to abandon all the other business and design skills I had learned.

 

After leaving full-time employment I started working freelance, splitting my time between designing for clients and creating my own artwork collection. I worked on combining painting and photography with graphics and embellishments… eventually I came up with pieces that looked like this:

Then I came up with a plan. I would combine my love of art and design with my love of home fragrance, and so I currently find myself in the process of developing my own ‘Tara Sofia’ range of scented candles which are inspired by my art. I wanted to see my artwork translated into products, so I took the graphic-based “Bollywood Queens” collection and started to create fragrance profiles around them, as well as a vessel design and packaging ideas. That was the easy part!

The hard part is getting scented candles produced at as low a cost as possible so I can make a profit from selling them. To make matters even more difficult, of course everything I wanted to achieve design-wise ended up being the most expensive way to produce something!

So at the moment I am waiting for a glass sample which I am hoping will be exactly what I want it to be, for the main vessel for the candles. It is expensive but I know through my knowledge of the scented candle market that in order for anyone to be interested in a new range, it needs to be different. So I am following my artwork style – creating a range that is luxurious, glamorous and flamboyant. With that in mind, I knew there was no way I could simply use a plain glass vessel with a sticker on it.  

Also I have just received my first selection of fragrance samples which I am planning on sniffing through shortly. As fragrance is so personal it is quite hard to pick fragrances that will appeal to everyone – so I’m not. I will pick fragrances that I think best embody my artwork designs, and that best convey the overall ‘Tara Sofia’ style. In doing so they will become personal to me – in a way that artwork is personal to an artist, and conveys an element of their personality.

 

At the same time as creating a range of scented candles, I am continuing with my artworks – doing a lot of guerrilla marking at the moment! Approaching as many different establishments as possible to try and get some exposure and interest in them. I am also working on setting up a small gallery type space for my canvases which will be a great way for people to view them in person, as unfortunately I don’t think photos do them justice at all. They really need to be seen in person to appreciate the full effect of the 24-ct gold leaf and the Swarovski Crystals.

 

I am hoping that I can use the artwork and candles as a way of marketing each other, we will see how that goes! Anyway time for me to get back to a painting which I really want to finish, hopefully will post it on instagram over the next few days so keep an eye out and let me know what you think!  

The Low Down. Tips and Tricks for getting the most out of your Scented Candles.

So… have you been burning your scented candles? Hopefully you have, and are starting to come around to my way of thinking. Scented candles are A-MA-ZING. However, once you’ve decided that you love them and want to start burning them every day for the rest of your life – how do you decide which ones to buy? And once you’ve bought one, how do you know if it is good quality?

In basic terms – from the way it looks, smells and burns.

OVERALL:
A good quality candle will be smooth on top with an even colour (whether dyed or natural). There won’t be any “sweating” of fragrance on top, or pigmentation/discolouration. It will burn cleanly and evenly, with a good scent throw. You can usually tell the difference between luxury brands and cheaper ones due to their scents – the more sophisticated a scent is, the more expensive it usually is. Cheap fragrances can sometimes smell very synthetic and one dimensional.

That being said, here are some vital tips when burning candles that are imperative to follow, in order to make sure you really are getting the best out of them, no matter the price.

TIP 1 - TRIM THE WICK
A well-made candle will create virtually no smoke when burning properly. However, if the wick becomes too long the flame will enlarge, creating smoke/soot and the wax will start to burn quicker and unevenly. Therefore before lighting, ensure the wick is always trimmed down to about 5mm. Your candles will burn for up to 25% longer if you make sure you trim the wick each time it is lit.

TIP 2 - LET IT MELT
When burning candles, I cannot stress how important it is (especially the first time it is lit), to leave it burning for at least two hours. The length of time will vary a bit according to the size of the candle, but what you want is for the pool of wax to melt right the way across the top before you even think about blowing it out.

Why?  Wax has a “memory” – so if you blow the candle out before it has melted across to the edges, it won’t melt properly the next time you light it. This results in ‘tunnel’ burning, where the wax pool extends only as far as it did before, so residual wax gets left behind around the edges. What a waste!

I came across this link in frustration once and found it quite a handy little trick if you are really sad like me and cannot bare having unmelted wax left behind! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVFRziacuDM

TIP 3 - BIGGER IS BETTER
When wax melts, the liquid releases scent into the air – therefore the larger the surface area of the melted wax, the more fragrance is released. So generally candles with a wider diameter will smell stronger when burning. It is worth considering this when burning candles in larger rooms – you can either use larger candles (multiwicks) or burn several smaller ones together at one time.

TIP 4 - DRAFTS
Drafts can cause a candle to burn excessively fast or unevenly. If you see the flame of your candle flickering a lot, move your candle to a different location to maximise its burn. If drafts are unavoidable, try turning the candle each time it is lit to even out the burn.

TIP 5 - GLASS VESSEL
If the glass of your scented candle is particularly pretty and it seems a shame to throw away – don’t! To ensure its preservation, stop burning when there is approximately 5mm of wax left at the bottom. Once the wax has cooled, putting the almost empty vessel in the freezer overnight will cause the wax to shrink a little, and it should pop out easily. Now you can use it for whatever you like! (Eg. Decorative storage, tealight holder, or even as a vessel for making your own candles).

THE BIG QUESTION

So, what everyone wants to know is… is it really worth paying for the ‘luxury brands’ as opposed to cheaper ones?
As is the same with everything, you get what you pay for. The top end candle brands will typically be using the best quality ingredients (wax, wick, fragrance, vessel).  To preserve their brand reputation, they are committed to ensuring their candles are of excellent quality, so that they burn evenly and that their scents are expensive.

I like to use cheaper candles for every day use and save the expensive ones for “best”, or if I am simply in the mood for something a little more luxurious.

 

Anyway I hope those tips were useful – probably a little in-depth for the general reader but if you are a candle junkie like me then  I think it really is vital to know exactly what you are paying for when you buy a candle and how you know whether you are getting your money’s worth.  As usual please feel free to subscribe/comment, as I would love to hear from you. Let me know all about candles that you love, or ones that you don’t. Or just say hello! J