Author: kate_od

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One of the easiest ways to achieve an industrial look at home is to use industrial materials, like concrete! Concrete is a versatile material that can enhance both internal and external spaces. It is the perfect addition to any home or space as it offers a variety of purposes. Concrete can be used in multiple ways throughout a space for both functionality and aesthetic reasons. Due to its flexibility, it can be molded into any shape and it may also be textured and colored as desired. From stairs, kitchen counters, bathroom sinks and tubs, to benches, walls, architectural needs and accessories, such as side lamps and door knobs, concrete has its way of finding itself around the space. Check out our Pinterest board for some inspiration on how to incorporate concrete into your spaces…

Follow Kingston Lafferty Design’s board Concrete Inspiration on Pinterest.

There are many elements that offer calm & serenity.
First off, have a look at the layout and contents of your house. De-cluttering your space is at the fore front of the journey to making your surroundings a calm and serene environment.
Secondly, we all know that colour plays a huge part in our day to day lives whether that be in an emotional, psycological or physical way. Be aware of how certain colours make you feel and how they affect you. The colours that bring a sense of ease are the colours that you should surround yourself with. You can add blocks of colour and patterns in the smaller details.
Immerse yourself with nature!!! By incorporating natural elements such as [natural] light, wood, pine cones, plants and flower etc into your space, you are allowing a zen feeling flow into your life on a daily basis. Decorate using plants….you are cleaning and re-oxygenating the air within your home.

Follow Kingston Lafferty Design’s board Calm & Serene on Pinterest.

My name is Peter Homan and I am an artist from Dublin, living in Dublin and painting from my wee studio in the front room of my house in Rathfarnham.

I have been painting ‘professionally’ since I left school in 2001. I entered Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology where I studied Fine Art TILL 2004. I would mainly say I am a self-taught artist. I learnt most of techniques from other established artists or through trial and error of my own, such as my Fire Painting.

It happened accidentally!…. While I was on a Residency in Noelle Campbell – Sharps artist village in Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry in 2005 for 2 weeks.

When I arrived there, there was Kerry Mist everywhere. You couldn’t see beyond your arm when held out at length. It was like this for a solid three days. Being a city boy I was not used to the deafening silence, lack of phone reception, T.V. radio, etc… I went slightly mad.

I tried desperately to paint what I went down there to paint which was the scenery. After 3 days of greyness and complete madness nothing happened. I was worried so I thought, “let lose Peter just vomit (artistically) onto a canvas and see what happens.” NOTHING!! On the fourth day that all changed… The sun finally broke through and showed me my surroundings, my little piece of heaven, County Kerry #heaven.

I was in awe of the 360* complete beauty. I was suddenly inspired; I grabbed my canvas, applied oil paints and other mediums to it. I was hoping to combine the colours by combining it all with my trustee hot air gun, but instead the whole thing went alight. In a complete state of panic, while losing my entire arm hair, I blew it out and saw what I had accidently created. The #FirePainting

After 10 years of Fire Painting I have learned to realise one can never perfect it only tame it. It is fire, one of the elements, you must have respect for it. One can only manipulate fire to a certain extent.

I have lost many a canvas to a ‘bad days’ work in the early days of perfecting the right mix of mediums and heat. I originally based the paintings on landscapes, seascapes or the weather were I created abstract pieces.

One day after applying only Titanium White paint to the canvas and setting a light to it, the results where brilliant. There were amazing shades of blacks and browns were the heat got so intense it bought out the chemical elements in the paint itself. (In the olden days when paint was ‘bone black’ let’s say, it was literally that, bones burnt to a certain heat and then grounded to a fine consistency where egg tempera or oils would have been added, now a days the cheaper paints are chemically formed)

The texture and colours on the canvas reminded me of the stone ceilings of the Lascaux Cave Paintings in France. From then on I started to do a series of Cave Paintings through fire, which now has lead me to creating grounds for paintings to create textures. The textures that the heat gives you are phenomenal.

A friend of mine called into the studio a few weeks ago, I asked her to call in and view a piece as I am my own worst critic (I hold her opinion highly). I was in stress mode meeting a deadline for an exhibition in Sligo and I wanted her to give me her painfully honest opinion, she loved it but pointed out the texture in the back ground which reminded her of the moons surface.

Fire painting is the way forward. It is different and unusual. What I create is unique and no one else knows how to do it. (Well as far I know they haven’t as I haven’t taught anyone). Not only is this way of painting different and a talking point in itself, it also adds a central point to your room.

When hung, the painting (framed or unframed) is a little piece of magic hanging there on your wall. It changes with the light throughout the day or artificially. Every time you look at it you see something new, a colour you never noticed, or a form or shape that wasn’t there before.

Visit/contact me on my Website or through Facebook.

By Juliet Rennie

At the end of last year, the UN declared that 2015 would be the International Year of Light and Light Based Technology. By doing so, they recognised the importance of raising awareness of light, as well as its fundamental role in the development of human society.

Light plays a central role in health, communication, energy, education, agriculture, design and much more. Towards the end of 2014, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), back in the early 1990s. Since then, more research has been done into the benefits of LED lighting. For example, LEDs use a fraction of the energy that incandescent bulbs use and they last around 70% longer. In relation to design, the directional nature of LEDs allows the lamps and fittings to be designed for optimum efficacy, enabling the designer to illuminate specific objects or outline a space with light.

The fact that LEDs are also available in a wide range of colours, makes them adaptable for certain spaces, but also puts them at the forefront of research into human centric lighting. Throughout the day our body and behaviour adapts; we release certain hormones which relate to our surroundings, needs and sleep-wake cycles. These patterns are known as circadian rhythms and they have been closely linked to our relationship with light and dark. Fittings containing a variety of coloured LEDs can be easily tuned to a wide range of colours and hues, as well as being dimmed. This capability then gives us the opportunity to have control over the colour temperature and intensity of the surrounding lighting.

With the development of LED technology, lighting manufacturers and designers are increasingly looking towards circadian rhythms and how artificial lighting might be used to compliment and coincide with our sleep-wake cycles. As a result, artificial lighting is now being adapted to imitate daylight and the cycle of the sun. Certain types of light encourage the body to release chemicals, such as melatonin which makes us feel sleepy. Higher amounts of white and blue light, generally experienced during the middle section of the day, contribute to a feeling of alertness, often improving concentration and productivity. Naturally, and in relation to our exposure to light, our bodies should supress the release of melatonin from around 7:30am, making our most productive time roughly mid to late morning. As the day draws into evening and we begin releasing melatonin again, we become sleepier and it is more difficult to focus, until eventually most people fall asleep. Case studies within schools and hospitals have also shown that human centric lighting, when properly controlled, could directly affect our ability to concentrate, reducing the likelihood of error, as well as even decreasing the amount of time it takes to heal after an operation!

However, research has also been done into the possible negative side effects of our 24 hour lifestyles and the fact that we now have access to computers and screens pretty much wherever we are. The widespread use of LED light in our computer, smartphone and television screens means that we are often getting more than our share of short wave blue light, contributing to the suppression of melatonin and thus, our lack of sleep! It is argued that the potential suppression of melatonin caused by artificial lighting at night, could have long term negative effects on our health, including the increased risk of certain types of cancer. Additionally, it has been suggested that the shift to the use of LEDs in exterior could pose a threat to the nocturnal environment worldwide.

Research into the effects of light and ways in which we can use it to our benefit are continuing but,

There is so much more research to be done and the potential to revolutionise the way we see, use and feel light is endless. Directives like the UNESCO International Year of Light only help to broaden our perspective and understanding of the world we live in, now and in the future.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the International Year of Light, or having an explanation of human centric lighting and circadian rhythms from a real expert, take a look at the links below!

http://www.light2015.org/Home.html

http://www.lightingservices.com/lighting-human-biological-behaviour

http://www.laserfocusworld.com/blogs/photon-focus/2011/09/does-led-lighting-at-night-have-bad-effects.html

http://www.trilux.com/uk/topics/human-centric-lighting/

http://www.lightingservices.com/lighting-human-biological-behaviour

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Paint Brushes and small rollers
• Frog tape
• DULUX Signature range
• DULUX EasyCare range
• Scissors/Blade
• Pencil HB or lighter
• Ladder
• Spirit level
• Dust Sheet
• Tape measure/Ruler

PROCESS

Step 1: Prep your wall

Ensure you wall is free for dust, dirt, blue tack etc. Fill and holes with poly filler and sand till smooth. When you are happy with your wall, paint the whole wall with 2 coats of the base colour. The base colour is the lightest of you selected colours, Dulux Signature Range – Subtle Cloud.

Step 2: Pick your wall colours

It is up to you how many different colours you want to use. In this project we’ve used 10 different wall paints which are listed below:

Yellow/lemon – DULUX Signature range Subtle Gelato

Yellow/lime – DULUX Signature range Green Eggs & Ham

Green – DULUX Signature range Mindgame

Teal – DULUX Signature range Lapis

Orange – DULUX Signature range Atomic Tangerine

Blue – DULUX Signature range Night and Day

Purple – DULUX Signature range Absolutely Livid

Light Green – DULUX Signature range Subtle Jute

White – DULUX Signature range Subtle Cloud

Aqua – DULUX EasyCare range Cape Cod

Step 3: Draw your grid

Measure the wall and divide it up evenly. Using a pencil, lightly draw horizontal and vertical lines on the wall using a spirit level to get a grid pattern, it is important at this stage to check that your lines are straight. Using a ruler draw the diagonal lines across, to form the triangular pattern on the wall. This is one of the most important steps, ensuring you get your measurements correct from the beginning will save you a lot of time when you are painting.

Step 4: Tape off your colours

Tape off your first colour outside of the outline of your triangles. Use a good quality tape to not to pull the base coat off the wall. We recommend the yellow frog tape, lower tack for freshly painted walls.

Step 5: Paint your triangles

Press the tape down thoroughly to avoid the paint seeping under the tape. Paint your first coat and allow to dry. Apply 2-3 coats of paint until you achieve the desired effect, keep in mind some colours may require more coats then others depending on the depth of colour and what colour the base coat is.

Step 6: Remove the tape

Remove the tape while the paint is still wet to avoid the paint being pulled off.

Step 7: Tape off a second colour and paint

Wait until the first colour dried off and tape off your second colour. Paint your triangles and repeat the process until the whole wall is finished. When dried, clean off any remaining pencil lines. This can be easily done with a pencil rubber/eraser.

 Step 8: Enjoy the result of your hard work

Handy Tips

This may sound obvious but have all your materials and tools organised before you start and it is a good idea to have a cloth to hand in case of and spillages or getting paint on your hands.

As you will be using a few colours for this wall, keep in mind that you will be changing brushes or rollers regularly. It is a personal preference to use a roller or a brush, a roller will be easier on larger patterns but a brush will be necessary for cutting in at ceilings and corners.