Some ideas for M7

I just realised that after all my talk about ideas for M7 I never showed you my finished product! I eventually decided to keep it simple in an off-white so the hall could update their look regularly. I found a lot of community halls I saw used strong colours like orange, maroon, blues and greens. This is fine while the colours are fashionable but date so quickly - a community hall doesn't have the money to update their paint colours every season!

Here is my moodboard which I created to inspire my final design.

And my final sampleboard:

I thought I'd also share some of Richard's comments for anyone else's benefit. He said to include the title to presentations like these in the lower right corner, since work is typically found to the left or top (I had my title on the back). He alo said to consider the wider community for supplies, sponsorship and sewing.

He also commented that he liked my use of varied and interesting types of paint. I chose to look at a metallic paint, milk paint, 'venetian glaze' and low VOC paint. Of course there are many interesting varnishes and stains as well - personally, I chose not to use one as I couldn't get an appropriate sample.

Some of the main paint suppliers in Australia include:

Dulux: http://www.dulux.com.au/
Taubmans: http://www.taubmans.com.au/
British Paints: http://www.britishpaints.com.au/
Nippon: http://www.nipponpaint.com.au/
Wattyl: http://www.wattyl.com.au/
Resene: http://www.resene.com.au/
Designer Paint Company: http://www.designerpaintco.com/
Haymes: http://www.haymespaint.com.au/
Porter's Original Paints: http://www.porterspaints.com.au/

Of course there are many small producers that make specialised products - do some careful research and you are sure to find some fantastic products you've never seen before.

History Lesson: The Edwardian Period

The Edwardian period is one of my favourite periods of design. Following the elaborate and cluttered rooms of the Victorian era, Edwardians brought pared down airy rooms. Colours were fresher, ornamentation simpler and dados, pictures rails and extensive paneling began to vanish. Although more detailed than modern homes, the Edwardian era is the beginning of more modern sensibilities, and works beautifully with modern furnishings and design.

The picture below shows some of the key architectural features from the Edwardian period. Although less detailed than Victorian rooms, Edwardian design still often featured a picture rail (the mouldings which run above the doors and windows), a dado or wainscot (moulding which rungs just below the hip level) and of course, cornices and skirting boards.

Image from Paint & Paper by David Oliver

Colours schemes of this era were also fresher; pastel tones and pearly greys were used extensively.

Here are some pictures of modern interpretations of the Edwardian style.

Image from Paint & Paper by David Oliver

Image from notebookmagazine.com

Above two images from design Hillary Wallace

A delay...

My business degree is taking over for the next few weeks as I prep for exams. I did get a good mark for my last assignment though - 87%. I have never manged to get over 87% with Richard Edgar and was wondering if it's just me or if it's the same with everyone else? Back to the books - shall start working on Fabrics seriously in two weeks.

Thought I'd leave you with a pretty picture for inspiration...

image from: Desire to Inspire