Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Living in a nice environment is essential to happiness and productivity. No matter where you live, you can make it a great place to be. There are lots of ways to improve your surroundings. You can add some color with paint or fabric, you can get new furniture, you can add lighting, or you can decorate with plants and artwork. Whatever you do, don’t let the place you live be boring – make it beautiful!
Read on for more information about interior design!
Dialog
1. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Everyone wants to live in a cool pad, right? Well, everyone should. It’s easy to make a house or apartment a hip and stylish place to live. There are an endless number of resources out there that can help you improve your space – no matter what your budget.
Below is a list of the best places to find information about interior design:
High End
Design Within Reach (www.dwr.com)
A cool website with some of the best designed furniture in history.
designboom (www.designboom.com)
A webzine that highlights the hippest design on the planet.
Spacify (www.spacify.com)
Another source of top-of-the-line furniture.
Elle Decor Magazine (www.elledecor.com)
Learn how to live glamorously!
Middle of the Road
IKEA (www.ikea.com)
The best place in the world to find just about any household good you need. IKEA stuff is well designed, stylish and inexpensive.
Dwell Magazine (www.dwellmag.com)
Magazine that promotes innovation in architecture for normal, everyday people.
Martha Stewart (www.marthstewart.com)
Marthat knows pretty much everything there is to know about decorating. She’s got her own web site, TV show, magazine and a line of goods on sale at K-Mart.
On a Budget
ReadyMade Magazine (www.readymademag.com)
Magazine for people who like to make stuff. Features instructions for making super cool stuff out of normal things you probably have around your house.
Crib Crashers TV Show (on MTV)
Learn lots of easy techniques for quickly redesigning a space.
Goodwill Store
A second-hand store where you can find thousands of things at dirt cheap prices.
Quizzes
Lesson MP3
The iTEP® test
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Discussion
Making changes to the place you live is a fun way to spend free time, because you can see the results of your hard work. It always makes me happy to find a new lamp or new piece of art to add to the mix. I especially like things designed by Philippe Starck and Karim Rashid. If you’re not familiar with their work, check out www.umbra.com.
Good luck!
Have a great week,
John