Bedroom Wallpaper Decorating Tips from UK Designer Jeff Banks

Irwin Weiner ASID - UK fashion and home goods designer Jeff Banks is a busy guy! When he's not dressing the well-tailored man, he's dressing their homes, from tabletop to walls. In this video, he covers some bedroom decorating tips and shares the stage with a design expert from Wallpaper Direct UK.

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Beautiful Interiors from Downton Abbey

Irwin Weiner ASID - If you love beautiful interiors, Downton Abbey on PBS is giving you some early 1900s British decorating inspiration - the Library has a secret door that leads to the Music Room (above) and Cora's bedroom has beautiful 18th Century silk bed hangings (below). This hotly watched episodic mini-series shows the upstairs-downstairs world of an earl's estate - the real-life Highclere Castle - and we're swept away with the titled family's life, the intrigues of the serving class, and how both are swept up in the turmoil of World War I. 

Get a good story of the real Downton Abbey here, and click here to see Linda Merrill's fantastic survey of the rooms and set decorations in her Downton Abbey feature on Silver Screen Surroundings. And if you're not familiar with the television series, watch the following video trailers for the first two seasons of the show ... and be swept away.

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Refreshing Collaboration Between Architect and Interior Designer

Irwin Weiner ASID - Whoa! I was delighted when I found a video that documented a close and respectful collaboration between a group of architects and an interior designer. So often the two design forces have a tendency to clash and fight for turf, much to the client's consternation and dismay. I would encourage every homeowner who's seriously considering working with both sets of design professionals to watch this video to see how a house planning process should be done, either the redesign of an existing structure or creating something brand new.

I've had some training in architecture, and that's helped me respect and integrate construction and building phase planning into all my client design work; it also helps me speak the language of architecture with a client's architectural team so we can quickly get on the same page. Oftentimes architects aren't thinking, however, of the interior space that a client's family must experience every day ... and this can sometimes boil down to planning enough wall space to accommodate a client's art collection or incorporating windows overlooking an important view which we interior designers want to closely integrate into the design scheme. I extend a professional tip of the hat to UK interior designer Christina Fallah and the architects at Hampson, Williams and Kimble for having the courage to document their planning process, empathizing with the client, but at the end, realizing that the client's own degree of involvement - from hands off to micro-managing - will greatly determine the end results.
 

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Chic Industrial Salvage Decor from Trainspotters UK

Irwin Weiner ASID - The notion of reusing industrial products in your home is appealing to me on several levels. You're recycling and reusing something that has outlived its original use, and that's a good thing. You're adding a tech vibe to your decor, which will add some eclectic edge to your interior design scheme. And you're adding objects with interesting stories to tell - like the metal shelving in your kitchen (see above) which used to be British train car luggage racks. We found Trainspotters - a UK source for industrial salvage from the UK, former Eastern Bloc countries, and elsewhere - and dug up some real treasures. Click on each photo for more info.

Decommissioned NYC Walk/Don't Walk Traffic Signs

Double-Sided Czech Communist Clock

Polish Bulkhead Factory LightingCzech Factory Plan Chest with Bakelite Handles

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