Furnishing your House and Home
The choices made for new furniture and furnishings for the home will usually depend on the style and size of the home and on the budget available.
Creating and furnishing the interior of a home can require the energy and skills of a filmset production designer so the furnishing and decoration tips and tricks of home design professionals can be very helpful in getting the looked-for results.
The organisation of the space available, whether for a studio apartment or for a family home, needs to ensure that it is functional but at the same time comfortable and suits the lifestyle for which it is needed.
Furnishings include carpets, rugs, curtains, drapes, throws and cushions, with many materials, textures and colours that come in to play – Furniture includes tables, chairs, beds, bedding and mattresses, light fixtures, household goods.
Altogether, and adding in kitchen, bathroom and living area fixtures, there is plenty to think about and consider in the mix for the style and effect for which decisions need to be taken.
Many designers, planners and coordinators are available to help homemakers in Gibraltar and surrounding area with the decisions as to the right mix of styles, colours and materials.
Design solutions
Time and plenty of energy is needed to research and then visit suppliers, which can be enjoyable but perhaps often too time-consuming to be possible..
..an alternative is to bring in a designer/planner as an effective solution to finding the best way through the maze of options whether for a small hub studio or a family apartment or house
Traditional or modern, the selection of fabrics, material and style is a personal choice and can be a daunting one given the matrix of possible combinations.
In Gibraltar and the surrounding area, whether setting up home for the first time or just having a makeover of the existing home, from building a new villa to fitting out a hub studio, there are many options available to provide for the wide range of the products and services needed.
Meanwhile, when getting a new property project underway a handy facility often needed is storage.
Being able to store new items until they are needed or move out items from the property temporarily while it is being refurbished is a convenient way to keep timing and momentum going for the project.
Now available in La Linea and Palmones are the depots of uStore-it offering many sizes of unit and access including their transport service for pick-up and delivery, with the unit at Palmones soon to be offering 24 hour auto-access.
Experience and information
Experience as well as information can help to get thoughts and ideas to become physical realities.
For guidance to find the way through the different styles and sources for fitting out the home, interior designers and suppliers are available to consult in Gibraltar and the surrounding area.
Darch & Co of Sotogrande explains that “our studio is a sample of the “tailor-made” interior design that we offer, an interior design that goes beyond the big brands and that manufactures its own furniture, turning your home into a truly unique place”
They quote Saul Bass, the American graphic designer and Oscar-winning filmmaker, when they say “Design is thinking made visual” ..the design/ work studio at Darch provides ideas and plans as well as information about the products which would best suit the project.
Based in Gibraltar InVision design and produce project plans and build/manage the project, and offer “our team of interior designers and architects to turn your dreams and visions into reality.”
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With their shop providing a range of home-design products in Gibraltar, Denville Designs explain that “interior design is not about decoration, it’s about problem solving. A good design can feel like something you have always been waiting for without ever knowing it.
At Denville Designs we take everything in to account and are always available to guide you through the steps you need to take, providing complete stylish furnishing packages tailor-made for your home which will suit your needs, taste and pocket too.”
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Complete packages
Complete packages need to be as complete as possible, so need thinking through and planning beforehand.
At their Interior Design Studio in Sotogrande DM Interiors say “they have a great selection of furniture and fabrics that you uniquely find in our showroom..we especially provide you with support from your first idea. For this reason we also have our own construction department, from which we can manage your construction or refurbishment project.”
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Soft furnishings and bedding are often selected as a final stage in a project but careful thought during the project’s early stages is well worthwhile
For example, while the style for the bedroom is being considered a specialist such as Gibraltar’s Duvet Paradise can offer access to well-known brands that bring a variety of fabrics and styles to help with getting the best-fitting duvet covers and to select the most suitable matching curtains, cushions and throws.
Outside spaces
The exterior space available for the home, whether small terrace or patio or a garden area, also needs consideration when selecting the most suitable furniture, fittings and furnishings.
At Sacarello Interiors, in Gibraltar, the garden sets and outdoor tables and other items needed in the outside areas complement the range of interior furniture available from the wood furniture brand Neptune, well-known for its sustainable, long-lasting furniture..
“Neptune’s philosophy of quality permeates every inch of their designs and all their pieces are made with solid timber.
That means no chipboard, no MDF, and this gives long lasting furniture, which makes them a far more sustainable choice..meticulously crafted, that will stand the test of time in traditional styles that have a modern twist.”
Well-known brands
Among the many national and international brands in the area the well-known solutions offered by Ikea can be obtained through Ikea Gibraltar Direct at Kitchens by Top Design in City Mill Lane in Gibraltar.
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The large display area at furniture store Centro Mueble with over 40 years’ experience in La Linea’s Zabal district, demonstrates how helpful a sufficient range and selection available in one location can be when laid out over a large area, showing the different combinations of styles. They provide a helpful delivery and assembly service, free in the local area.
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Also in the Zabal district, kitchen units from the German Ergo Kuchen brand are available in their showroom at ceramiKocinas, and also at their store in Sotogrande. On display are bathroom fittings and furnishings including a wide range of both traditional and modern tiles and tiling materials.
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The Zabal area has many other large home furnishing showrooms including Pepe Cote Kitchens offering their ever-popular style of traditional wood furniture known as Old-English which “with a light-grey, bright and natural wood effect and a stunning mix of colour palettes can transform your kitchen space into a classically elegant timeless but traditional-look kitchen such as York Magnolia.”
Amongst the carpenters and wood-workers in Zabal that can provide bespoke artisan hand-crafted items, from a selection of natural woods, from staircases and fitted wardrobes to handmade beds to the customer’s design, are long-established Fernandez Martinez and Carpenteria Lolo.
Fitting out and furnishing the home can be a fascinating voyage of discovery, whether for the first time or with experience and in Gibraltar, the surrounding area and inland, there are many ways of exploring the different opportunities to find everything that will be needed, whether the sofas, coffee tables, furniture, paintings, wall decorations, standing mirrors, bedding sets and table lamps and much, much more, in whatever style has been chosen or just the single item that can end a long search.
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2022 Jon Lewes @homeyhogargibcampo
