How To Style And Use Your NFT At Home
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have hit the headlines in recent months, but millions of people remain unfamiliar with what an NFT actually is and how it can be used. If the world of NFTs is still a mystery to you or you’ve never heard of incorporating NFTs into your interior design, you’re certainly not alone, but help is at hand. Here, we take a closer look at how NFTs are changing the way we look at design and how you can use NFTs to enhance your own home.
What Are NFTs?
A non-fungible token is actually a form of financial security that confirms your ownership of a digital asset. Until NFTs were introduced, purchasing digital assets was a risky business. After all, there’s nothing stopping other users from right-clicking on a digital image or video and downloading it to their own hard drive.
Now that NFTs are available, purchasing a digital asset becomes more worthwhile, as your ownership is recorded in the blockchain. The blockchain is essentially a distributed ledger that records information. Additional blocks are added to the chain when there’s new information (or transactions) to record. While ownership of an NFT can be transferred by adding another entry to the blockchain, previous entries cannot be deleted. This makes it easy to authenticate your ownership of a digital asset.
What Can Be Sold as an NFT?
When you purchase an NFT, you’re effectively buying the right to assert yourself as the owner of a digital item on the blockchain. However, a wide array of items can be sold in the form of a non-fungible token. Clothes, artwork, furniture and even houses have been sold as NFTs in recent times, with Beeple’s artwork entitled, ‘Everydays – The First 5000 Days’, selling for a staggering $69.3 million dollars at Christies in 2021.
Of course, buying an NFT doesn’t mean that you receive a physical item – quite the opposite. While some NFTs may include physical assets, the majority of non-fungible tokens are related solely to digital files. If it seems strange that a virtual chair or digital painting can sell for as much (or more) than its physical counterparts, you’re beginning to understand the new and exciting world of NFTs.
How Can NFTs Be Used in Interior Design?
As so many types of NFTs consist of artwork, decoration and furniture, it’s no surprise that non-fungible tokens are having a revolutionary impact on interior design. Despite the increasing trend of releasing NFTs amongst creators, many people are still unsure how to use and style their new decorative assets. For inspiration, take a look at these four ways to use NFTs to enhance your surroundings:
Digital Displays
Buying a digital asset gives you the opportunity to display the piece in your home in its original digital format. From digital frames that showcase your latest NFT artwork to projectors that generate life-size images of your NFTs for an immersive experience, there are plenty of innovative ways to display digital assets around your home in their original format.
A dedicated NFT frame is designed to show off digital artwork at its finest but there are also a lot of user-friendly features to look out for. Using motion sensors to determine when people are nearby, an NFT frame can even recognise when to start displaying pieces, for example, or show various artwork from your NFT collection on a loop.
Physical Copies
Being able to render a physical version of your digital NFT gives you added scope when it comes to using and styling the item around your home. If you purchase an NFT of a chair, for example, having a physical version created allows you to incorporate the piece into your interior design and integrate it into your day-to-day life. Adding physical functionality to the digital form, this is an exciting way to make your NFT tangible and maximise its impact.
When creators release NFTs, they sometimes offer buyers added bonuses, such as access to a new collection or a physical copy of their non-fungible token. If so, you’ll receive a physical version of the digital asset you purchase, which ensures you’re able to enjoy a new piece in various formats throughout your home.
Showcase NFTs via the Metaverse
The ‘metaverse’ is still tricky to define but you can think of it as a blend of virtual reality, augmented reality and real-life. Commonly hailed as the ‘future of the internet’, the metaverse empowers people to live digitally, as well as physically, so where better to use your NFTs to spruce up your environment?
If you’re active in the metaverse, you’ll notice than NFTs are becoming increasingly coveted within this world. In fact, designers and major brands, like Adidas, are releasing new product ranges for users to wear or enjoy within the metaverse and you can use your own NFTs in a similar way.
Print Videos
If printing videos sounds like an oxymoron, prepare to be surprised! In a new twist on NFT displays, adventurous innovators are printing videos and turning them into permanent design objects. When you add printed video to your interior design, you can style it in the same way as printed images or regular artwork. From custom frames and bespoke installations, printed video turns moving images into must-have artwork in your home or workspace.
Alternatively, print a still image from your NFT video and incorporate a QR code into the design or frame. You can style the piece as artwork in your home, with the QR code providing instant access to the NFT video in digital format.
Are You Ready for NFT Interior Design?
Although NFTs are proving to be wildly popular, we’re still at the inception of this exciting new technology. As more creators release NFTs and interior designers become more accustomed to integrating non-fungible tokens into their work, we’ll see more and more people adorning their spaces with these innovative pieces. If you want to get ahead of the curve and set the trend, begin exploring the world of NFTs now and discover how interiors can be elevated by blending digital and real worlds.
Reshaping Real Estate with Interior Design - The Developer’s Guide
Commissioning a new property development gives stakeholders the opportunity to build real estate that will entice future buyers and maximise value. However, interior design plays a key role in ‘selling’ a property and can have an enormous impact on a potential buyer’s purchasing behaviour.
Due to this, it’s vital that property developers realise the value that an interior design can add to their project and use their expertise to enhance the final outcome. In our Developer’s Guide, you can discover how to integrate an interior designer into future development projects to achieve the best results:
1. Appoint a Designer at the Concept Stage
Hiring an interior designer once a property has been built is a little like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted! While a talented designer can certainly add value to a project at this stage, you’re limiting the impact they can have. In contrast, appointing a designer at the concept stage of a project allows them to integrate their ideas and visions into your plans for design and construction of the building itself.
Essentially, you’re pooling more resources and knowledge-sharing on a wider scale at a time when it can have the most beneficial effect on the project. As a result, you’ll be able to use input and recommendations from your designer to inform your overall design and construction decisions.
2. Prioritise Internal Space Planning
Working with an interior designer allows you to prioritise internal space planning from an early stage and gives you the scope to utilise the interior in a way that is most effective. Designers are adept at defining how a space will be used and creating interior designs that accommodate everyday living, which is vital for a successful residential development.
3. Permit (and encourage!) Creativity
Instead, permit and encourage your interior designer to use their creativity to design a unique and inspiring interior. When prospective homeowners walk into a property, the interior essentially allows them to envisage a future for themselves and sells them a dream lifestyle. With a distinctive yet non-polarising interior design, you can ensure that buyers are captivated by a property as soon as they come through the door.
4. Choose Quality Craftsmanship
Furthermore, don’t shy away from having bespoke items commissioned. This empowers your interior designers to collaborate with creators and have unique pieces produced. When custom-made furniture or decoration is used within your development, it accommodates, reflects, and highlights the features of the property and showcases them to maximum effect.
5. Create a Legacy
If you want your property development company to be renowned for its work and highly respected within the industry, focus on creating a legacy for your brand via your properties. While maximising commercial value will always be a top priority, don’t overlook the fact that you’re creating homes that will be enjoyed for generations.
Hiring an interior designer ensures that the purpose of the property is at the heart of the design and construction process at all times, and it gives context to the build. As your designer focuses on how the interior will look and feel, this approach will enhance the final product and allow you to cultivate a reputation as a top development firm.
6. Factor in Final Dressing
However, many developments run out of time and over budget, which means that developers tend to overlook the importance of final dressing. By ringfencing some of your budget and allocating sufficient time, you can ensure that this critical aspect of preparing your development is given the time and expertise that are required.
7. Trust Your Designer
Successful property developers have a wealth of expertise, knowledge and skills, but interior design may not be one of them! When you’re working with an interior designer to enhance your developments, be confident in their abilities and put your trust in them.
Establishing the parameters of the project in advance and being clear about expectations will help both parties to set reasonable objectives and give you an insight into how your chosen designer can enrich the project.
Can Interior Design Add Value to Your Developments?
When you’re reviewing a site for potential development, the interior of the property might not be the first thing you think about. However, interior design is a major factor for potential buyers, which is why it has the potential to add significant value to your developments. With input from the right designer, you can ensure your properties exceed the expectations of subsequent buyers, reflect your brand’s attributes and add value to your portfolio.
