SBO welcomes Silk Road Weaves from the US

Boston-area designer Barbara Jacobs - owner and designer for her line of custom heirloom quality, artisan Tibetan rugs /Silk Road Weaves announces her affiliation with http://www.sampleboardonline.com.

States Jacobs, “This venue is an exciting one for me because I work a lot with my clients individually, providing in-depth custom design services for creating fine Tibetan rugs.

When a designer sees one of my rug designs on SBO, they can use it right way in their design boards. Then, if some customizing is desired, they can easily communicate the options to their clients since I can provide all that information to the designer directly. In this way, we can communicate to make any modifications they need without having to go through a showroom. Since personalized service is key to the way I work, this method of fewer steps is a perfect fit.”

A color consultant with a background as a fine artist, Jacobs has been working with homeowners and business owners for over 20 years to create harmonious and supportive environments. “Color is such an important part of any built environment, whether inside or outside,” says Barbara.

An accredited consultant by the IACC (International Association of Color Consultants), Jacobs brings the multidisciplinary approach to all areas of her work. “Applying an understanding of our human response to color is the philosophy I take to any environment and even carry into creating the rug colors and designs.”

Compatible with Jacobs’ design philosophy is her membership in GoodWeave <http://www.goodweave.org>), formerly known as Rugmark, the organization dedicated to eliminating child labor in the rug industry, and that guarantees all rugs from Silk Road Weaves are made by adult artisans only.

Barbara notes, “This is the basis for creating rug designs that can enrich the owner on many levels, beyond the visual surface enjoyment and way they feel so great under bare feet!”

Barbara Jacobs Color and Design

Silk Road Weaves

Fine Tibetan Rugs:Collections and Custom

T: 508.472.8105

http://www.SilkRoadWeaves.com

Check out REcreate's suitcase chair!

SBO welcomes REcreate

Recreate is a cutting edge interior design range started by Katie Thompson in 2009.

Using pieces of discarded junk, Katie recreates a unique, recycled range of furniture, lighting and interior accessories, each piece infused with its own previous character but with a new function. By blending South African craftsmanship, with high-end finishes and her own eclectic perfectionist flair, Katie creates an original end product with a new integrity that epitomizes the very best of South African design.

 Katie never works within established stylistic boundaries. She creates a surprising combination of styles, materials and finishes- this skill highlights her passion and her ability to find the intrinsic beauty and new, hidden purpose in the old, discarded items she chooses for her pieces.

Recreate also specialize in Interior Design, Redecorating and Renovations and its design philosophy is to strive for the unconventional and unique in every project.

Render your AutoCAD plan in Photoshop

The easiest way to create a rendered plan is by saving an extra version of your AutoCAD plan, removing the text (it gets distorted in Photoshop otherwise) and making sure all your lines are linked. 
I've found the most effective way is to only the present the General Arrangement (GA) without the lighting layout, electrical etc as it gets too confusing for the client to understand. Break it down - step one is to sell your concept and sample board. Stick to your furniture plan.


Print your plan to PDF (you can not save a CAD plan as a JPEG) and open it in Photoshop.
The more detail you have the longer it will take to 'rasterize' - just wait patiently until it opens.
Flatten your image (Layer - flatten image)
Create Layer 1. Create duplicate (name it 'shadow')

Use the magic wand to select the floor area.
Use the Gradient tool to fill your floor with colour in Layer 1- i found using neutrals works the best, but play around.
Go to your 'shadow' layer. Note that you will now see a black & white plan as your coloured plan is underneath. Using the magic wand, delete your floor area. The coloured floor area will now appear.
Now use the fx tab at the bottom of your layer menu select 'drop shadow'. You can decide distance, spread and size of the shadow.

And it's that simple! A fast and effective way to help you stand out from the crowd.

Create a sample board using 'My Items'

A lot of queries have come through asking how to upload a personal image to your sample board, so I thought the best way to explain is a step by step tutorial.

Step 1 : Create you free account

Step 2: Upload Image

Step 3: Go to 'My Items' in the bottom right hand corner

Step 4: Drag your images across. Include your rendered plan, Sketch Up drawings, elevations, mood images