关于房间的使用, 室内设计师和业主一直在探讨如何把家庭办公室---那些电线和设备置入家中
几乎所有的家里都有电脑,但并不是所有的家都为一个家庭办公室留有余地。很多客户都想把他们的家庭办公室置入已有的房间中,并让房间变得多功能。 经常遇到的问题是怎样把电线接入使电脑在家中看起来不是从天而降,你需要有足够的创意把电脑桌放到餐厅而不会破坏餐厅的审美效果。
有一些有特别用途的房间渐渐流行，比如：电视间，或者把靠近门厅的形状奇特的房间改装成葡萄酒品尝间，管家的茶水间也可以作为烤制中心，洗衣间兼做手工艺间， 嵌入墙中的平板等离子电视屏幕使电气产品与房间的结合更加灵活，电视从卧室到起居室无所不在，与艺术品一起成为房间的装饰。

在如今人口不断膨胀的时代，能够适合各种人群的标准化设计有越来越多的需求，从坐轮椅的人到盲人，人们通过辅助装置获得引导的空间日益受到欢迎

很多客户购买的是第二居所，不管是在闹市的小阁楼上还是在较偏僻的高档公寓，这些家中都需要一种灵活的配饰，所以室内设计的潮流转向那些经典的能够在不管是小公寓还是连排别墅都能普遍适用的风格。对于设计师Wirrig来说，就是要把这种标准化的室内设计应用到各种不同的客户家里，不管是第一还是第二居所。 我的那些客户不管是选择居住在市中心的旧仓库中，或是社区的单亲家庭，还是把高尔夫度假区里的公寓作为第二居所，Wirrig说我都尽量把标准化设计的原则应用在这些项目中，使我们的家人和朋友不管怎样迁移都能够获得同样品质的居住空间，这一点非常重要。

室内设计的另一个趋向是设计师在专业范围内发展了自己的专属领域，比如Martin的主要业务是旧建筑的室内改建，因为她的很多客户只是想把已有的资源进行重新配置。“我的客户不想把所有东西扔出窗外再开始布置一个新家，相反这对于一个传统的室内设计师来说是一种羞耻，越来越多的人想要结合已有的，为那些旧家什找到新的生命，通过改变空间的色彩或是对现有的配饰进行重新的安排就可以达到他们所想要得效果，许多客户只是想要一种全新的观感，还有些客户完全没有时间，兴趣和相关知识来谈论风格或是要求专业的帮助，这就需要设计师来进行引导。

总之不管是装饰客户的第二居所，或是精简你的繁琐的窗帘，了解最新的设计趋势就能够帮助你保持已有的而又在自己的储存目录中增加新的内容。（资料来源：蒙恩）

Interior Design Trend, 2006
Each year designers and those fascinated by home décor wonder what's in store – what are the interior design trends driving design this year, and how can a designer or a student of aesthetics anticipate the new directions in style?

For answers, we went to some of the country's top designers, those people whose job it is to keep ahead of interior design trends.

For 2006, one predominant theme that is influencing the landscape of interior design is the continuing emergence of an interest in decorating using earthly tones and homey, comfortable looks. Instead of jumping at the flashy and ostentatious, more people are opting for a design look that speaks of a down-to-earth hominess.

According to Lauren Brasile of M & L Designs, the tense times we're living in this year have created an atmosphere that encourages people to seek the comforting and the comfortable in home design.

"Because of the recent natural disasters and great losses so many people have suffered, I think that the interior design trends for ‘06 will be comfortable, family friendly interior designs – designs that warm and personalize spaces," Brasile said.

Cari Pilon, of All About You Interior Redesign said that for many clients, this means making the most of what they've already got. With oil prices expected to continue rising, and with people tucking into home more, many interior design clients are asking for advice on how to use the home furnishings they already have in innovative ways, rather than having to invest in a whole new look.

"I see a lot of ‘what is old is new again','" Pilon said. "A lot of my clients are trending towards making what they already own work in their new designs. They are interested in refinishing, reworking and restoring to give old pieces new life. They love to shop for antiques or retro items that fit into the style they are going for."

But this doesn't mean there aren't interior design clients who want to update the look of their home.

Karen C. Wirrig of Karen Cole Designs sees clients slowly moving toward a more contemporary look, trading in ornately-carved furniture and fussy upholstery for furnishings with cleaner lines.

"I see furniture being designed with sleeker lines, less carving but still great attention to quality and detail," Wirrig said about the latest interior design trends she is seeing. "I rarely have a client who wants an ultra contemporary look, but I often have clients who want cleaner lines and simpler interior designs than we have seen in the recent Tuscan-inspired furniture."

Wirrig also sees this interior design trend toward simplicity in window fashions, with clients bringing down the poufy chintz drapes and replacing them with window treatments that have a more contemporary look. This means people are exploring the use of different materials in their window coverings.

"I am seeing clients move away from fussy draperies and toward a layered look of simpler styles, such as a woven wood blind topped by a simple valance and side panels. In homes with lots of high windows, motorized window treatments are a very good solution," Wirrig said.

Cari Pilon agreed. "I see more simple window treatments, or none at all in some cases. With some windows, their trim and the view are so beautiful, people just don't want to block that."

For Lauren Brasile, this kind of creativity with textures is an important element in the look for 2006, and doesn't necessarily interfere with a room's color scheme. "Multiple textures within the room add interest without adding color," she said. "I think we will continue to see this trend in home décor and interior designs. "

Karen Wirrig also sees a rise in the use of textures. "Increasing use of textured materials is definitely on the rise. On a recent project, I used an acid-stained copper for a master bath counter, combined with hammered copper sinks and sleek satin nickel single lever hardware," she said.

Another area of change is in wall covering, Wirrig said. "Three dimensional wall covering made of glass beads, vinyl, or hand-painted and hand-torn paper are just some of the new textures along with wood veneers and leather in tile form. It's not your mama's wallpaper anymore!"

Gail Prauss, of Prauss Interiors, also sees the use of "green" or natural materials as pushing forward the use of textures.

"Clients are looking for a more simplified lifestyle, more relaxed and tranquil," Prauss said. "Bamboo is a great material for flooring, adding texture and durability with a material that grows fast and will not be depleted. Lighting and music complete the desired interior comfort."

When color is used, the natural tones continue to surge in popularity. According to Cari Pilon, "Style trends seem to be leaning towards appreciating the outdoors and incorporating nature in our interiors. Organic colors seem to be more popular. Warm colors of the sunset, greens found in the backyard and the neutrals from the wetlands" are all popular.

Wirrig sees the interior design trend of earth tones as becoming more sophisticated.

"In my opinion, we will continue to see earth tones but in more saturated hues such as rich chocolate browns, gold, burnt orange and rust, olive greens, smoky eucalyptus blue/green, and mysterious deep blue/gray," Karen Wirrig said.

For Prauss' clients, the neutrals are "still strong," with grays and metallics, as long as they're not too shiny, predominant.

"Greens continue from grayed to yellow greens," Prauss said. They look great with the popular dark mahoganies. Reds are leaning towards the Chinese orange reds."

Combining colors – often with one or more earth tone – is also important in creating a look, according to Brasile.

"Popular color choices will be earthy, natural colors with touches of bolder colors for accent. Color combinations really set the stage – chocolate with ice blue for a contemporary look – rich gold with moss green for more traditional looks," Lauren Brasile said.

And what sort of rooms are these colors being used in? Cari Pilon said that in terms of room use, interior designers and homeowners continue to struggle most with integrating the home office – and all the electronic equipment we now have – into the home.

"Almost all homes have a computer, but not all homes have space for a home office. A lot of my clients are trying to incorporate their ‘home offices' into existing rooms, making a lot of rooms multifunctional," Pilon said.

Oftentimes the challenge is in integrating the electronics in such a way that "the computer desk doesn't look like it dropped from the sky into the family room," she said. "You need to be creative to include the computer desk into the dining room without losing the aesthetic of the dining room," Pilon said.

Karen Wirrig also continues to see a need for the "media room," but other specialty rooms are also growing in popularity.

"I am seeing clients ask for specialty rooms such as a wine tasting room I recently designed and had installed for a client who had an oddly-shaped room just off the foyer," Wirrig said. "Butlers' pantries that can serve as baking centers, and craft rooms combined with laundry rooms are also popular."

For Gail Prauss, the wall-mountable flat screen television allows for great versatility in terms of incorporating the electronic into a room.

"Media is peeking its way into every room, from the bedroom to the living room. Flat screen TV's are in for good and can be camouflaged with art," Prauss said.

Karen Wirrig also sees that as the population ages, there's an increased need for "universal design" – design that can accommodate the widest range of people's capabilities, from those using wheelchairs to those who have sight challenges. There is increasingly a need for spaces that are "easily navigated with assistive devises, yet comfortable for others using the space."

According to our designers, more people are buying second homes, whether it's a pied-a-terre in New York or a condo in Turks and Caicos, and these homes need to be decorated with a flexible flair, according to Lauren Brasile.

"I think we will see an interior design trend towards simple replicable styles – styles that are just as much as home in large homes as they are in smaller condos and townhomes," Brasile said.

For Wirrig, she tries to incorporate universal interior design into the variety of homes her clients have, both primarily and secondary residences.

"I have clients who are choosing to live in lofts in urban centers, single family homes in gated communities, or condos which serve as second-home getaways in golf resorts," Wirrig said. "I try to incorporate the principles of universal design in all of my projects. Making our living spaces accessible for our family and friends, no matter their mobility, is now and will continue to be very important," Wirrig said.

One interior design trend we saw in interviewing these interior designers is that each one develops her own specialty within the profession. For example, Cari Pilon's business is called "Interior Redesign" because she works with clients who want to re-configure what they already have.

"My clients don't want to toss everything out the window and start new. Unfortunately, that is a stigma attached to traditional interior designers. More and more people want to incorporate what they already own, find new life in older pieces and maybe change the color in their space. Often times a simple rearrangement of their furnishings can give them that change they are looking for. We find that a lot of the clients just need the finishing touches that complete a look. More often than not people don't have the time, interest or knowledge to pull a style together and call for help." Pilon said.

Likewise, Lauren Brasile emphasizes to her clients that she isn't there to tell them what kind of style to choose, but rather to help them determine their own style and then express it. "We don't want to dictate your space but rather help you make the choices within your budget limitations that will help you realize the space."

Wirrig has found one niche that works both for her and for her client. Sometimes a homeowner wants to simply buy a second home – usually a condo – that's already fully furnished and decorated, and Karen Wirrig helps with this. "I see a definite trend toward the purchase of second homes. I have developed a fixed price, fully furnished package for condo buyers in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, and San Diego markets. This allows the buyer the convenience of walking into a fully furnished home without the hassle of shopping by long distance or trying to find resources in an unfamiliar area. This program also allows realtors to offer an additional service to their investment buyers," Wirrig said.

Whether it is decorating a client's second home or getting the courage to simplify your own draperies, staying on top of design trends can help you remain current and also help you expand your repertoire. And if doubt, you can contact one of these top designers for some tips. （Resourse from:Mr. R. Meng)