Color champagne is an elegant, neutral, pastell shade which is nearest to beige. It contains yellow and orange. Vintage effect can be reached using it on matte surfaces and luxury feeling on shinier surfaces. It was named after the beverage.
Émile Restaurant in Budapest through the eyes of the guest (2019)
Provence style has a continuous popularity since years all over the world. Maybe it captures people with its calming effect.
It contains the essence of French country style. Houses were commonly built of freestone, they became the integral part of nature with their unplastered walls. There are shutters on windows, since the interiors have to be protected from strong sunshine. This makes the heavy curtains unnecessary, commonly only cotton voile curtains are on the windows. Frequently French doors are on the ground floor instead of windows. The patio has an outdoor room function. Since the weather is nicely warm, most of the meals are kept here also. The table is placed in the shadow of a pergola or a bigger tree.
The thick walls protect the house from extreme warming-up. Doors and windows are remained open, this way the cool breeze can blow through the inner rooms also. Walls have light painting. The floor is terracotta or stone paved in the community spaces and bathrooms, there are old wooden floor in the bedrooms. The mood is given by the shabby elegance of wooden furniture and old household objects. It is an important fact, that all of these are original pieces which served generations, so they weren’t made by paint-and-wear technique. They descend in the family or are flee market finds. They can be put on their place after a careful cleaning. Wrought iron accessories and small furniture are common also. These are frequently light colored (off-white, cream, green). The most significant furniture items in the kitchen are the sideboard cabinet, the huge solid wood table and the stone fireplace. Everything was made by hand all over the house from natural local materials. The domination of neutral colors is broken by muted shades (blues, greens, pinks and purples). Nature shows itself in the decoration also. Lavender is the first in the row of flowers, but wildflowers are beloved decorating elements as well.
Ask for help of an interior designer for creating Provence mood in your home.
Glamour style is very fashionable since a couple of years. It is a feminine trend which has classic style marks also.
Basic colors are neutral: black, white, beige and grey. Light reflecting surfaces break the monotony of them. Glimmer is reached by using metallic (golden, silver, rose gold, chrome), glass/crystal/mirror and high gloss surfaces. This can be involved into the interior with lamps, small furniture, picture frames, mirrors etc.
Stacking of fabrics and creating luxurious softness are typical. Characteristics of the Baroque, the Classicism and the Rococo are recognizable, but the furniture bring back the classic lines and decorations in a simple way (e.g. cabriole leg, buttoned back, drawer pulls). Seats are fully upholstered, just like the bed. The total effect is elegant but inviting. The amount of cushions on the sofa, in the armchairs and on the bed suggests the biggest comfort. Velvet, fur and satin-like fabrics are perfect to this style.
Design is accented beside the functionality in the lighting. Chandeliers are placed even in the smallest rooms. Glass pendants reflect light. Lamp shades made of light transmittance fabric can be used for the more mysterious and subdued effect. Candles have important role because the romantic overtone is connected to the style.
Neutral base can be broken with some dashes of colors. Then the subdued but not obviously pastel colors appear, first of all blues, purples and pinks. Although the used colors can be warm hues only but the whole effect is marked by some kind of coolness, maybe just because of the quantity of glimmer.
The modern twist is represented mostly by artworks. Pictures on the wall, statues and other decoration objects are commonly contemporary pieces. Their colors and glamour integrate them to the interior.
The place can be popped up with a few but determining patterns, if it shouldn’t be reached (only) with colors. Damask pattern, the eternal classic, provides a good result here also. Geometric patterns fit for glamour style too (e.g. chevron, trellis, orderly stripes).
Since the style has a lot of modernized classic marks, therefore original antique pieces are not fit in these surroundings. They are not mixed with shiny-glimmering brand-new elegance but rival with them which cause an embarrassing outcome.
Ask for help of an interior designer for creating glamour style in your home.
Valentine’s Day sweets suitably served to the occasion
Downtown flat renovated for renting (without furniture)
More photos: https://classicinteriors.hu/hu/referenciak/20-referencia/62-referencia16
Christmas decoration goes back to the boxes after the holidays. The „emptiness” can be odd in the first few days because our home was resplendent in colors and lights for a month. However, the Christmas decoration can be transformed to a winter decoration with some clever tricks, this way the mood can stay until spring.
Firstly, take the red color out of the palette, because this reminds us to the feasts mostly. Let’s work with neutral colors. Plain evergreens should be placed in the vases instead of holy berry and other berry-branches. Cotton sprigs or just bare branches can be added to them.
Potted mini thujas/pines sprayed with faux-snow look good instead of Christmas table centerpieces. Color bubble ornaments in a bowl should be changed to whitened pine cones, for example. Fairy lights, Christmas ornaments and bows should be taken away from pine garlands. Let’s change the door wreath to a more neutral and simpler one. This can be made of pine cones, ivy, pine-branches etc.
Blankets and cushions made of checked flannel or knitted material have a winter atmosphere also instead of seasonal pieces. The red color can be kept in this case if it fits for the mood of our home.
We don’t have to get rid of fairy lights also. They are nice mood lightings, for example in a big glass vase, in a bowl with full of apples, in the fireplace (during out of order) or fixed to the curtain rod, in these early darkening days. The same is true in the case of candles and tea lights.
The red poinsettia should be replaced with a white one. Any kind of faux-snowed decoration can stay if it is divested from its Christmas features, namely less glittering and colorful accessories are given to it.
Ask for help of an interior designer for decorating your home also.
Create a pleasing winter mood at the table by seasonal table settings
Varnished surfaces are common on antique furniture. This is a high-gloss and hard coating which is transparent enough to show the nervure of the wood. It was applied from the end of the 17th century to the 1920-30s, until the appearance of artificial lacquers.
Shellac is an animal-origin resin, the phlegm of the lice called Laccifer lacca, living on trees. Varnish is the alcoholic solution of this. Its color range is from yellow to brown.
The surface of the furniture has to be prepared properly for varnishing. The wood is grinded in several steps with more and more fine grinding paper. The surface is burnished for reaching the desired color then the next step is immersing with vegetable oil. The latter highlights the nervure of the wood. The pores of the wood are sealed during priming. A completely flat surface is created by using pumice-dust and 7% varnish. The first polish is done after drying with a so-called varnish ball and 7% varnish. The second polish is done after grinding, with 5% varnish. The final polish is done with 2% varnish and polishing ball (e.g. linen, industrial cotton wool, raw wool). The polishing is actually the removal of the oil from the layers. This gives the final shine of the furniture.
Varnish is a very durable and noble but expensive and sensitive surface. The direct sunshine and heat (for example near the radiator) can harm it. It needs proper care: only alcohol and solvent free detergent can be used and avoid wax and silicone-containing products. It mustn’t be cleaned with wet rag. Remove dust it with a soft cloth. Repairing of the injured varnish is a time-consuming task, leave it to a professional.
Ask for help of an interior designer for placing your antique furniture properly, even in modern surroundings.
Old barn transformed to a new home – it is worth to rescue
