Ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to the first newsletter of Decoration-Ideas.com !
I'm happy to announce that from now on, everything's up and running: You are one of the first subscribers of the newsletter, which makes me very happy, because in some way, this feels like some kind of support.
The website traffic is also starting to have a lift-off, which is also fun to see as webmaster.

So, my name is Matthew and I studied for interior decorator at Akademie Vogue in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It's a private school that has been teaching students for over 75 years on fashion and styling, which also includes interior decoration. If you're into photographic art, you'd might know Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin? They also studied at Vogue.
At Akademie Vogue, you're mainly taught to create your own style (hence the title on the website), which means that I didn't only have the opportunity to have eye for detail and to develop a certain taste, but it also gave me the opportunity to go for whatevery I like most, and that is mainly modern design with an Asian touch, as I still have my roots there. I know a lot about European design furniture: the famous Dutch Design, colorful French furniture or the smooth Italian design (which sometimes tends to have a few interesting contrasts).

As an interior decorator I don't only decorate interiors with lovely colors, but I also do more: keep an eye on the trends on the area of art, fashion, architecture and design, do the styling of a set for a fotoshoot, and in my spare time I study on what there's to learn about interior, because there's a lot to learn about it!

So, what are the interior trends we could be expecting?

What I learnt at Architecture at Delft University was that there's a serious movement towards Lightness & Solidity:
materials that need to be light, so that they're easy to transport & produce, but it also needs to be solid, so that it meets the needs for everyday use: not too hard, so that it will damage everything else on contact, but not too soft either, so that it'll fall apart in no time. Many furniture producers, such as Ikea have been working with this concept, as it's not only good for the environment, it also saves costs! That of course, is the most interesting for companies... One of the examples of ingenious inventions on the area of lightness & solidity is the umbrella that can withstand big winds, so that you can use it for a longer time, the lean design of the Apple iPhone, or the cardboard furniture, which has become popular quite recently!

Another long-term trend we can expect is the home of the future: the rooms of the house won't have the traditional functions anymore, but will be more flexible to meet the needs of the inhabitant: in the living room, you can eat, as well as watch TV, check your e-mail, chat with friends over the Internet, meet your friends of the real world, show them some Youtube movies, all in the same place! This will mean that more and more parts of the interior of the room will become multi-functional, so that you can do more things with the same piece of furniture. A coffee table isn't only to put on your coffee cups, but in future, it can do much more with it: it has a computer built in it, so you can show each other's photos, you can book your airplane flight with it and you can make your table change color any time you want! If it's inter-connected with other parts of the house, it can also start your washing machine, open doors or even drive your car! This multi-functionality also means that more and more technology will be involved with the furniture of the future, which of course brings many challenges as well. One of the most popular exampes of experimenting with home automation is of course the Microsoft Home.

As last interior trend, I also expect to see more second-hand like furniture everywhere. Right now, this furniture is only in the higher furniture segment, but I also expect them to be available in the lower segment furniture shops in future. Cardboard furniture is one example that's not only light and solid, but also second-hand material in some way!
So, the furniture won't look new, but more used, just like how jeans used to be stone-washed to give it a worn look.

Of course, there will be many other trends, but their impact might be smaller, as it are only a few regions that are involved, such as the royal trend: many countries will have new kings in or around the year 2012, as many will retire. This means that certain elements of these royalties might be taken over in future furniture: throne-like armchairs, lots of gold in the furniture and luxurious fabrics, and the famous red carpets of course. Another trend that could might play is the Maya Apocalyps, as some people will expect it to be the end of time in 2012. Well, I don't say that it's impossible, but I'd rather believe that life still goes on after 2012, so that the Maya Apocalyps will come back in some interior elements, such as South-American motives in fabrics or furniture, especially lighting that will look more apocalyptic.

So, what can I expect from Decoration-Ideas.com ?

Well, apart from the most beautiful designs, you can expect news on the area of furniture, design, interior decoration and anything else that might be related with it! If you wish to redecorate your home yourself, we'll be giving all kinds of advice to help you further!
Apart from that, we'll also be telling about events that might take place in your area, or international events that you should see if you're a fan of design interior!
Further of course, you'll be hearing more on furniture discounts, so that you don't have to pay the full price for a beautiful interior!
Do you have any questions? You can ask them on our forum at http://decoration-ideas.com/interior-discussion-forum or you could send me an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , your feedback is always welcome!

So, all in all, there are many exciting things to keep your eyes open on! Eventually, I hope that in future we'll be able to serve you in the best way possible on anything that has to do with your interior!

I greet you all!

Matthew.