While it can be a challenge at times to keep up with design trends, one thing that will never go out of style is brilliant lighting. In many homes, a flip of the switch and an occasional lamp is the extent of the thought process when it comes to adding lighting to decor however, light should be used to highlight accents, not be an afterthought. Of course, natural light is always welcome and preferred but when the sun isn’t finding its way through your windows, you need to brighten your home with style.

• Pendants – Hanging multiple pendants together over an island or kitchen table certainly adds a lot of original and interest to your room.

• Strands – Think string lighting with big round bulbs! These can be hung in an endless number of configurations. You can create a waterfall with several strands or even use them to divide off a room.

• Chandelier – While you may not associate chandeliers with modern design, you will be surprised at the styles that are available today. Chandeliers simply have a way of demanding attention and becoming a focal point in any room.

• Waterfall – Table top lamps that feature strands of reflected glass or metallic beads will add sparkle to your space. Set them near a mirror for a real treat!

The stunning Mercury Ceiling Suspension by Artemide that is featured in the picture can be found at Lumens.

Do you know that a Missouri jail once painted blue teddy bears all over their pink cell walls to create a soothing environment and a large number of drunk tanks in jails across the country are pink to help calm intoxicated prisoners. If you find you are always in an unpleasant mood when you come home and you don’t know why, your color palette may be to blame.

Warm Colors

Your mind naturally finds many colors more warm and inviting than others:

• Blue – Tranquility, reliability and harmony are represented by this color of the sky and ocean and can calm and promote creativity. Blue has even been found to lower heart rate.
• Green – If you want to invite feelings of freshness and rejuvenation, green is a color that symbolizes good health.
• Yellow – One of the most peaceful colors is yellow. It promotes enthusiasm, optimism and happiness. The softer the better!

Exciting Colors

Want to add vibrancy to your space, there are colors that naturally invoke excitement:

• Orange – This is a color that expresses friendliness and energy but choose your shade wisely or your home could just look like a pumpkin patch.
• Red – Here is a color that demands attention and it is proven that red can increase memory retention.
• Purple – Once reserved for only royalty, purple is an exotic and passionate color that promotes an elevated quality of life and wisdom. Purple can be brash so watch your hue!

If you feel as though you lack energy and excitement in your home or even have signs of depression, anxiety or stress, a paintbrush may be all you need to change your mood for good!

Green seems to be everywhere right now in the decorating world so you may find yourself wondering if this is the new color for spring this year or is this color choice simply being influenced by the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day?  If you want to keep up on the latest trends in the interior of your home without making a drastic change and falling into the here today gone tomorrow category, simply add a few accessories.

Face it, green is hot right now but an entire redo of your living room is not absolutely necessary.  Simply adding in a few accessories like a modern table lamp or a few decorative pillows is all that you really need.  This is also the perfect way to add a bit of glam to a black or neutral room.

A modern lamp like the one featured in the picture by Viko will help you keep up with the color of the moment and then when you are bored with it, you can put it in the nursery, office or store it away until next St. Patrick’s Day.  If you are not keen on green, Viko makes their hollow wood lamp in red, blue and orange as well!  You can find this modern accent at Home Decorators Collection.

Bringing nature indoors is a great way to stay ahead of the curve of interior design trends.  Because of the new eco-friendly wave that is hitting everything from cars to soda cans, you can now find many ways to “go green” in your own home.   Potted plants are a great way to enliven your living space, as they will not only clean the air around them but they are also great at tying a room together with a warm, inviting atmosphere.  When adding large, leafy greens to your home as accent pieces, you’ll notice the vibrant energy right away, and you can expand on this by playing with greens and earthy tones to highlight the natural elements in your decor.

We’ve all seen the typical urban-industrial loft highlighted in the glossy pages of interior design mags (or splashed on the front page of design blogs), but much of the design ethos of loft living is seeping into the everyday. Take this relatively recent trend: eco-friendly, sustainable concrete slabs as countertops. These can be made as rough or as smooth as one desires, and they really are quite a durable surface. You can use them as kitchen counters or as bathroom accents, and they’ll bring that industrial vibe into your home in a lasting way. The above pictures are of a poured concrete counter with color inlays and recycled glass chips (above) and a polished but rough kitchen bar (below). For information on how to create your own concrete countertops, check out NaturalHandyMan.com, or visit The Concrete Network for inspiration.

A relatively new trend on the modern interior decor scene is incorporating the relaxing atmosphere of a spa into your bedroom. Any master bedroom can be given an aura of calm with a little attention to detail. Add some over-stuffed chairs, subtle aromatherapy, mood lighting and even an indoor waterfall to really bring out the chill. You don’t have to have a masseuse on hand, but if you work a little creativity into your decor, you can make your bedroom a place that’s more than just a bed and a good book – it can be the go-to-place for all of your relaxation needs.

The German-based Schub Laden is a modern interior designer to watch. They create chunky, modular and squared-off furniture that will appeal to anyone who wants to add a playful yet sturdy touch to their home.

Most of Shub Laden’s work features at least partial natural wood grain in its texture. This is often mixed with pained wood in whimsical colors like lime green, to give the piece an eclectic air about it.

You’ll find plenty of dressers, drawers and cabinets of all sizes on this designer’s web page. If you’re looking for a bold statement, the above-pictured large dresser drawers would do the trick. They feature reclaimed drawers with a variety of different textures, patterns and hardware, all combined in a single standalone unit.  Altogether, Shub Laden has found over 800 drawers to include in the many dressers they plan to create.

The process that Shub Landen uses to create their found works of art is quite unique. Rather than measuring everything out and trying to squeeze in the reclaimed drawers, they first choose the drawers to work with and then create the casing and tracks around them. They normally use painted MDF for the body.

If you’re looking for a completely unique piece of furniture that has a great back story attached, check out Shub Laden.