Property Staging Ideas

I have spent hundreds of hours analyzing design systems. One of the things that confused me for many years is how to structure color scales and tokens. I have experimented with multiple structures at different sizes of design systems, and at a high-level recommend the following approach: 1. Primitive Colors Your design system foundations should always start with a full color scale that is based on your brand identity. We call these colors Primitives, and your variable/token collection should look like this: - purple-600 - purple-500 - purple-400 - And so on.. To create a Primitives palette you will want to start from your main brand colors and use a tool like UIColors, Supapalette, Colorbox to expand to the full scale. (links in comments) This is a great foundation to have, as it gives you a set of shades that can be used in different ways, and ensures all of them have consistent hues, saturation and brightness. However, Primitive colors are simply not effective when used directly in your designs: - They create ambiguity - Their names have no contextual meaning - They are often misused due to similarity If you have had the “why are there 20 different shades of gray?” conversation with an engineer, you know what I mean. So let’s see how we can improve that. 2. Semantic Colors This is my default recommendation to all product design teams that don’t have a highly complex design system. What you will want to do here is create a new variable collection named Semantic, which is what’s visible in your design files, and comprises of: - Brand / Action - Text - Link - Border - Icon - Surface / Background - Bias - Data / Charts Each color should point to a primitive value, e.g. - text-primary → gray-800 - text-secondary → gray-600 - text-tertiary → gray-400 This takes a bit of setting up, but creates immense long-term value. A great example of a simple, theme-level Semantic structure is Shopify’s Polaris (link in comments) 3. Component-level Semantic Lastly, if you are working on a design system with a lot of complexity and, ideally, a dedicated design systems team, you might want to add another level of hierarchy and specify colors at a component-level. In this structure, you would want to create color tokens based on how they are used in each component. - input-text-filled → text-primary - input-text-placeholder → text-secondary - input-text-disabled → text-tertiary This eliminates all guesswork, but also increases the complexity exponentially. It does serve a purpose though. As design systems scale, you may find that: - A theme-level semantic structure is too restrictive - There is still some guesswork - Decisions need to be documented. An example of this is Uber’s Base and Adobe’s Spectrum design system, linked in the comments. I’m curious to know, what structure are you using for your design system and what has worked well for you? — If you found this useful, consider reposting ♻️ #uidesign #designsystems #productdesign

"But who’s going to maintain the green?" I hear this all the time when I suggest turning empty lawns or parking lot corners into thriving gardens around corporate buildings or public sites. Here’s the simple math that gets ignored and why it’s a massive opportunity: A well-designed edible or biodiversity garden requires about 4h/100m²/year of maintenance. Now take the average size of a big corporate campus with 3000m² of green space: 👉 that’s 120 hours/year of maintenance → at €50/hour → €6000/year (60 USD/hour → 7000 USD/year 👉 that is peanuts compared to what companies pay for their buildings. Or let's take it one step further: Encourage your team spend 1 hour per person per year in the garden → team building + mental health + €0 maintenance cost. Now compare this to mowing grass every week or using chemical maintenance: ❌ Higher cost ❌ No biodiversity ❌ No PR value ❌ No talent attraction ❌ No connection with your brand story Meanwhile at our visitors center garden on a regenerative farm we created a simple biodiversity garden: 👉 it requires less than 24 hours of maintenance across 9 months 👉 it attracts HUNDREDS of extra visitors per season 👉 it makes the farm experience memorable and drives product sales Most companies are sitting on an outdoor goldmine. They just need to stop seeing Nature as a “maintenance problem” and start seeing it as a business asset: ✅ Attract visitors & clients ✅ Enhance brand story & PR ✅ Improve team wellbeing ✅ Get authentic ESG compliance ✅ Turn outdoor space into an experience, not a cost center Or... keep mowing grass and missing the opportunity. In regenerative design, we don’t fight Nature. We partner with it to create beauty, resilience, and business value. 👉 Where do YOU see the opportunity to turn outdoor space into an experience and an asset? #regenerativedesign #corporategardens #esg #biodiversity #talentattraction #businessandnature #natureasstrategy #stopmowinggrass

When designing gardens or landscapes, always consider people in all shapes and forms. Raised gardens, for example, are really helpful for individuals with back troubles. Some tips you could use if creating a (semi-)public outdoor space: ✅ Use wide, stable pathways At least 1.2 meters wide, with non-slip surfaces like compacted gravel, resin-bound paths, or decking with grip strips. ✅ Provide seating and rest areas Place benches or natural seating (like logs or rocks) every 20–30 meters. Include backs and armrests for extra support. ✅ Create sensory-rich zones Incorporate fragrant plants, textured foliage, and gentle sounds (like rustling grasses or water features) to stimulate the senses, especially for people with visual impairments or autism. ✅ Vary the heights of garden beds Include some at ground level, some raised to standing height, and others for people in wheelchairs to roll under comfortably (typically 70–85 cm high). ✅ Use clear signage with icons Label plant species, directions, or learning points with large fonts and symbols to support visitors of all reading levels and abilities. ✅ Include shade and shelter Pergolas, trees, or simple awnings can provide essential relief for those sensitive to heat or sun. ✅ Avoid sharp edges and trip hazards Smooth transitions between materials and clearly defined path borders are key. #regenerative #landscapedesign #landscapearchitecture #agroecology #regenerativefarming #agroforestry #farming #tuin #permaculture #voedselbos #nature #climate #health #gutmicrobiome #guthealth #foodforest Image: @creative_gardening1

🦜 “How We Fixed Skyscanner’s Broken Color Palette” (https://lnkd.in/erqd-yCX), a practical case study on how the Skyscanner team fixed their color palette — along with process, naming, testing and explorations to get there. Neatly put together by Adam Wilson, via Anna Palgan. ✅ Set your base colors: primary, secondary and UI states. ✅ Define core color pairings and extended pairings. ✅ Choose product-specific colors, gradients, patterns. ✅ 4 color groups: neutral, white text, black text, yellow/orange. 🚫 Avoid poetic names: they are difficult to remember and refer to. ✅ Mix black and grey with primary color for a better design fit. ✅ Choose a night color that is slightly lighter than black. ✅ Your colors will need to appear on different backgrounds. ✅ Create color sets with transparency for such cases. ✅ Create tints based on the color contrast against black. ✅ Create shades based on the color contrast against white. ✅ Test for color contrast, colorweakness, colorblindness early. ✅ Double-check the dark yellow problem in your palette. --- 🌱 Useful Guides How To Design A Color Palette For Design Systems, by Alex Baránov https://lnkd.in/epJkT252 How To Set Up Color in Design Systems, by Nathan Curtis https://lnkd.in/e48aJaGb How To Create An Accessible Color Palette, by Stéphanie Walter https://lnkd.in/eUnSTYSM “Dark Yellow Problem” In Color Palettes https://lnkd.in/eS7YqfCf --- 🪴 Useful Case Studies Contentful: https://lnkd.in/edHpghSj, by Fabian Schultz Goldman Sachs: https://lnkd.in/e28Fxuuv Modern Health: https://lnkd.in/ez7xM5xt, by Brian Cleveland Stripe: https://lnkd.in/enaXpWvD, by Daryl Koopersmith, Wilson Miner Wise: https://lnkd.in/eyv8Qh7r, by Stephanie S. Wish: https://lnkd.in/eGYGa7PK, by Taamannae T. --- 🍭 Color Palette Generators ABC: https://lnkd.in/e7QHC2gx Accessible Palette Generator: https://lnkd.in/ejkpyWqZ Colorbox: https://colorbox.io/ Contrast Grid: https://lnkd.in/e6sENdRW Figma Color Palettes: https://lnkd.in/et2zeUjX Leonardo: https://leonardocolor.io/ Naming colors: https://lnkd.in/e6jJzRdW OKLCH Color Converter: https://lnkd.in/esP29Jyj Primer Prism: https://lnkd.in/ekpTmkkM Poline: https://lnkd.in/eSwuXW5P 👍 Stark: https://www.getstark.co/ HUGE thanks to all the wonderful people who worked and shared their insights here for all of us to use and learn from! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 If you also struggle with color, hopefully that’s a good foundation to start with. What techniques, guides and tools do you use to design color palettes? Share what has and hasn’t worked for you in the comments below! 🙏🏾 #ux #design

There’s no such thing as inaccessible colors. It’s all about combinations. Yes, even yellow! Let’s debunk the old myth that “accessibility limits color choices.” I love yellow (have you seen my hair?) and purple (have you seen my website color palette?). Together, they prove you can design fun, vibrant, accessible palettes with so-called “tricky” colors. I built six WCAG-tested palettes to show that accessibility doesn’t limit creativity. And I turned the process into a full tutorial (with video) so you can learn how to build your own accessible color palettes in Figma. What to expect: - Six accessible yellow and purple palettes, ready to use - Step-by-step guide to building palettes in Figma - A 19 minutes video tutorial to make my whole process easy to follow 👉 Read the full article + tutorial on my blog: https://lnkd.in/gq8eHK_Q And if you don’t use Figma, I’ve added links to web-based tools so you can follow along too.

One of the biggest mistakes I see analysts make when it comes to data viz is this: Using color like they are throwing a par-tay I used to do it too. I thought every category needed its own color, and more color = more engaging. Turns out the opposite is true. At best, poor color choices water down your message. At worst, they mislead your audience entirely. There are many nuances when choosing colors, but the following quick tips will get you 90% of the way there: --- 1. Use grayscale + one pop of color to spotlight the key category or trend You can also use a darker shade to draw attention. For example, all bars in a bar chart could be light blue, and the bar of interest (say, this quarter’s data) could be dark blue. --- 2. Use distinct colors only if each category is truly critical to the story But really, I mean TRULY all are critical. For example, you want to show product revenue for your top three performing products over the past six months. --- 3. Use sequential color palettes for ranges (low to high values) Say customers rated a product on a scale of “like it”, “love it”, or “gotta have it.”. Show “like it” in light blue (or whatever color you choose), “love it” in a slightly darker shade of blue, and “gotta have it” in the darkest blue. --- 4. Use diverging palettes for data with a neutral midpoint Imagine you have survey responses ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The disagree categories would be in orange, neutral category in gray, and agree categories in blue. --- 5. Consider color psychology & cultural connotations Colors carry meaning, and that meaning can shift depending on culture or context. For example, red can mean danger/caution OR luck/celebration. Using red to highlight a trend might trigger very different reactions depending on who’s looking. --- Want to see examples?  Click ‘View my newsletter’ at the top of this post to read this week’s issue: How to let color do the storytelling. -------- 👋🏼 I’m Morgan. I share my favorite data viz and data storytelling tips to help other analysts (and academics) better communicate their work.

Color isn’t just decoration. It’s persuasion. Every hue we choose tells a story. It shapes feelings and guides choices. That’s why color psychology is a must-have skill for any designer — whether in UI, UX, or branding. Here’s a detailed look at how different colors impact user perception: 1. Orange Orange sparks enthusiasm and energy. It works well for entertainment and sports brands. Use it to create a lively atmosphere. 2. Blue Blue stands for trust and intelligence. It’s a favorite among banks, tech firms, and healthcare providers. This color builds confidence in your brand. 3. Green Green symbolizes harmony and growth. It’s perfect for eco-friendly, wellness, and finance sectors. This color connects with nature and health. 4. Yellow Yellow catches the eye. It’s great for snacks, kids' products, and playful brands. Use it to grab attention quickly. 5. Red Red is bold and urgent. It’s often used in retail, food, and entertainment. This color can drive action and excitement. 6. Black Black represents luxury and strength. It’s a staple in high-end fashion. This color adds sophistication to your designs. 7. White White stands for clarity and purity. It fits minimalist and modern designs. This color creates a clean and fresh look. 8. Purple Purple suggests creativity and mystery. It’s popular in beauty and innovation. This color inspires imagination and uniqueness. 9. Pink Pink is fun and inviting. It’s often seen in cosmetics, wellness, and youth brands. This color appeals to emotions and warmth. 10. Multicolor Multicolor shouts diversity and playfulness. It’s ideal for artistic and fun brands. This approach can attract a wide audience. Understanding color psychology gives you an advantage. You’re not just making things look good. You’re making them feel right. Always design with intention. Colors don’t just decorate your design. They define how it’s remembered. #UIDesign #UXDesign #ColorPsychology #DesignTips #ProductDesign #BrandStrategy #VisualDesign #UserExperience #CreativeThinking #DesignInspiration #DesignPrinciples #DigitalDesign

The Sipping Garden Corner: Designing a Landscape for Slow Evenings Some of the most memorable landscapes are not defined by grand lawns or dramatic water features. They are defined by moments. A sipping garden corner is one of those moments a small, intimate outdoor space designed for a simple ritual: sitting quietly and enjoying an evening tea, coffee, or drink while the garden settles into dusk. In landscape design, this is a human scaled refuge. A place where the day gently slows down. The design begins with placement. The ideal sipping corner is rarely in the center of a garden. Instead, it sits slightly aside under the filtered shade of a tree canopy, beside a textured planting bed, or at the end of a meandering path. This subtle separation creates psychological distance from daily activity. Microclimate is crucial. Late afternoon shade, gentle airflow, and the cooling effect of surrounding vegetation transform the corner into a comfortable outdoor room. In tropical climates like Sri Lanka, layered planting shrubs, ornamental grasses, and small trees can soften sunlight while creating a sense of enclosure. Materials contribute to the atmosphere. Natural stone paving, timber benches, or textured gravel underfoot create warmth and authenticity. A small table, a built in seat wall, or even a pair of carefully placed chairs becomes the anchor for the ritual of sipping. Planting should stimulate the senses without overwhelming the space. Fragrant plants, soft foliage textures, and evening blooming flowers quietly shape the experience. As daylight fades, shadows lengthen across leaves, air cools slightly, and the garden begins its nightly transformation. This is where landscape design touches something deeper than aesthetics. A sipping garden corner becomes a pause in the rhythm of life. A place where conversation softens. Where a warm cup of tea feels more meaningful because it is held within nature. In an era where outdoor spaces are often designed for visual impact or social gatherings, these smaller, reflective corners remind us that gardens are also places for stillness and personal rituals. Because the most powerful landscapes are not always the largest ones. Sometimes, the most meaningful design decision is simply creating a quiet corner where a person can sit, sip, and watch the garden breathe. #LandscapeArchitecture #BiophilicDesign #GardenDesign #OutdoorLiving #LandscapePhilosophy #NatureInspiredDesign #LuxuryLandscape #GardenExperience

Technique for Landscape designs that stand the test of time. 🌱 Creating landscape designs that stand the test of time involves careful planning, thoughtful selection of materials, and consideration of long-term maintenance needs. Here are some strategies to achieve timeless landscape designs:- 1. Design with Classic Principles: Incorporate timeless design principles such as balance, proportion, rhythm, and unity. Classic design elements like symmetry and focal points can lend a sense of enduring beauty to the landscape. 2. Use High-Quality Materials: Choose durable materials that withstand weathering and require minimal maintenance. Opt for natural stone, brick, or concrete for hardscape elements like pathways, patios, and retaining walls. Selecting high-quality materials upfront can prevent the need for frequent replacements in the future. 3. Select Long-Lived Plant Species: Choose plant species that have a reputation for longevity and adaptability to the local climate and soil conditions. Native plants are often a good choice because they are well-suited to the environment and typically require less maintenance over time. 4. Plan for Growth: Consider the mature size of plants and trees when designing the landscape to prevent overcrowding and the need for frequent pruning or removals in the future. Leave ample space for plants to grow and mature gracefully over time. 5. Create Flexible Spaces: Design outdoor spaces that are versatile and adaptable to changing needs and preferences. Incorporate elements like movable furniture, flexible seating areas, and multi-functional zones that can evolve with the changing demands of the users. 6. Balance Trends with Timelessness: While it's okay to incorporate current trends and personal preferences into the design, strive for a balance between trendy elements and timeless features. Focus on elements that have enduring appeal and can transition gracefully through different design styles and preferences. 7. Invest in Proper Maintenance: Regular maintenance is essential to preserve the integrity and longevity of the landscape design. Implement a maintenance plan that includes tasks such as pruning, fertilising, irrigation management, and periodic inspections to address any issues promptly. 8. Consider Environmental Sustainability: Incorporate sustainable practices into the landscape design, such as water-efficient irrigation systems, native plantings, and permeable paving materials. Sustainable landscapes are not only environmentally friendly but also tend to have lower maintenance requirements over time. By incorporating these strategies into landscape designs, designers can create outdoor spaces that retain their beauty, functionality, and appeal for years to come, standing the test of time and evolving gracefully with the surrounding environment and users' needs.

After designing hundreds of premium outdoor spaces, I've noticed a clear pattern: 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀. Here's why our discerning clients consistently gravitate toward this design choice: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:  Vertical walls maximize floor space while creating distinct zones. In today's compact living environments, every square foot matters. Our clients appreciate how vertical elements draw the eye upward, making rooms feel larger and more expansive. 𝟮. 𝗔𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:  Unlike horizontal partitions, vertical walls provide superior sound isolation. Our corporate clients especially value this for creating private meeting spaces and focused work environments. 𝟯. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:  Vertical walls serve as stunning canvases for texture, lighting, and art integration. We've incorporated everything from living moss walls to integrated LED systems, creating breathtaking focal points that horizontal designs simply cannot match. 𝟰. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆:  From an engineering perspective, vertical walls distribute weight more efficiently, allowing for bolder design statements and integrated storage solutions. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹:  While horizontal trends come and go, vertical elements maintain their sophistication across decades. Our clients choose vertical walls because they deliver measurable results, increased property value, improved functionality, and unmatched aesthetic impact. After years of perfecting this craft, I can confidently say that vertical wall integration isn't just a design choice, it's a strategic investment in your space's future. 𝗣.𝗦. 𝗗𝗠 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹. #luxurydesign #outdoorarchitecture #spaceoptimisation