City interiors chic for Graduates
Top designer Anna Gryce from THis designs reveals some handy hints for graduates moving to London to pursue their career and who want their new lifestyle and apartment to look the business!
Shake off that student lifestyle. You’ve left university and landed your first job in the big city. You’re not overloaded with money, but you want the place you live in to make the right impression –not least on yourself. How should you go about designing it?
- Keep it simple. Like all the best ideas, simplicity is the key to good design.
- Spend what money you have carefully and wisely. Spend less on large items of furniture and more for accessories like cushions. Spend a little time and effort sourcing stylish but moderately priced furniture. You’d be amazed how a few cushions in a vibrant fabric can give a budget sofa the ‘wow’ factor.
- Try to include one key item in each room. In your reception room you could invest in a piece of modern sculpture to provide a focus while saving money on artwork by having photographs printed onto canvas (as shown). In the bedroom an upholstered headboard will add a touch of glamour.
- Keep decoration simple, too. This is very much the ethos at THis. Choose a neutral wall colour from one of the major paint manufacturers, which should be relatively inexpensive. But invest in a more expensive paint range such as Farrow & Ball for your woodwork. You might also consider using bold wallpaper or contrasting paint colour for a feature wall. And never forget the importance of lighting.
- Do your homework. By shopping around you should be able to find stylish but inexpensive lamps and lights. Start with Christopher Wray, which stocks a great selection. Used creatively lighting can add a great sense of space, reflect light in a mirror or highlight that fantastic piece of sculpture.
www.thisdesigns.co.uk
020 7349 9494
Ross Edgley’s tips for a celebrity body
Former international athlete turned celebrity fitness advisor and head LA Muscle nutritionist Ross Edgley BSc (Hons) gives his top 5 tips to achieve a firmer, flatter stomach.
Food Singer Kelly Osbourne claims her fat loss was down to giving up her favourite fix, Jammy Dodger biscuits. This basically meant her body wasn’t releasing a lot off the ‘storage hormone’ insulin which is released when we eat something high in sugar and it’s this hormone that is responsible for storing fat on the body. So less sugary foods, means less insulin and less insulin means less fat on around the stomach.
Water World renowned model and mum of two Claudia Schiffer, claims her great physique is down to drinking plenty of fluids. Because if the body doesn’t have a sufficient supply of water, the kidneys cannot function efficiently. At this point the surplus workload is done by the liver meaning the liver can’t do its job of metabolising stored fat for energy properly thus meaning less fat is burnt. So simply, not enough water means not as much fat is burnt. (The Institute of Medicine recommends women should be drinking 2.2 litres (about 9 cups) of water a day)
Cardiovascular exercise Known for her yo-yo dieting and battles with bulimia Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell can now be seen sporting a tight, curvy frame which she claims she owes all to exercising and just eating healthily. Since exercising raises the body’s metabolism meaning you burn calories long after you have finished.
Vitamins and Minerals Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has long been an advocate of the organic diet and for good reason, organic food is full of vitamins, minerals and enzymes which support the body’s metabolism. This means the body is able to burn fat on the body far more effectively.
Yoga Madonna was apparently introduced to yoga by Sting and has been hooked ever since and it’s this that is partly responsible for her tight, thin abdomen. Since all of the breathing techniques in yoga teach people to train their Transverse Abominis muscle. This muscle wraps around the abdomen like a corset and when trained, remains firm and produces a slim midsection.
Energy-efficient lighting
Sally Storey, Design Director of John Cullen Lighting, offers clever new solutions for energy-efficient lighting in the home – and practical tips on decreasing energy consumption, using the latest arrivals at their King’s Road store:
- For lighting steps, use the latest products from John Cullen Lighting - Lucca or Riva – which, with their warm white LEDs, produce a soft light similar to tungsten. Through using less energy than previous low voltage options (1.2W as opposed to 20W per step), these can give around a 94% energy saving.
- Consider using the new style, slimline, warm-coloured fluorescent lights to backlight shelves or a splash-back in the kitchen.
- A simple way to provide greener general light in a kitchen is to use energy-efficient fluorescents to uplight from the top of cabinets, with low voltage Polestars giving softer light over a kitchen island in the evening.
- In bedrooms and corridors, a simple fluorescent wall light can provide ambient background light. Use the new Shanghai fittings from John Cullen Lighting, with a silk shade for a decorative, softer effect. Choose from chocolate, violet, lime, frame, birch, pebble or porcelain. Alternatively, the Plaster or Metal Flats can give a more architectural effect.
- Bathroom wall lights with new warmer compact fluorescent lamps are a perfect replacement for the old tungsten favourites. These task lights provide a bright, even light to the face when positioned either side of a mirror (bottom middle) providing a 66% saving.
- Fireplaces and plastered walls can become dramatic features with new energy-efficient solutions like, for example, the new 1.2w LED Lucca uplight - below left (less draining on energy than a halogen fitting). With its white LED providing a soft, warm light similar to that from tungsten, nothing is lost in terms of the lighting effect, but crucial energy savings are made.
- Finally, save on energy consumption at night with the new Cama, LED bedside reading light. Plenty of light is provided to read by, without disturbing your partner in bed, and its energy-efficient credentials mean you can sleep with a totally clear conscience.
John Cullen Lighting,
545 King’s Road SW6
(020 7371 5400/www.johncullenlighting.co.uk)
