Black metal

Black metal home accessories are more and more fashionable

Glamour

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.

Different handles

Sep12

Use different handles/knobs on the lower and upper kitchen cabinets or doors and drawers – the effect will be more stirring

Rococo

Jun4

Rococo came to be in France at the beginning of the 18th century and was popular until the 1780s. The origin of the name is the word rocaille which is a mix of pebbles, cement and seashells. The new style was a kind of rebellion against the rigidity of Baroque. The nobles desired more free, playful and more decorated surroundings after the death of Louis XIV. It culminated under the reign of Louis XV., in which his lover, Madame Pompadour had a great role also.
Rococo is actually a decorating style. Everything was decorated with carvings and gypsum decors, mostly gilded. There were twisty vine scrolls, flower and fruit garlands, C and S volutes, shell motifs around pictures/mirrors, on furniture (especially on console tables, commodes and tables), on the walls of the rooms and also on the ceiling. Genres came in fashion in painting which reflected the idealized thoughts and desires of the nobles about the world (e.g. A. Watteau, F. Boucher). Slightly looser themes weren’t taboos anymore at all, not only mythological figures were depicted without clothes and/or in piquant settings. Toile de Jouy pattern visualized the pastoral idyll which was „born” in that time. Chinoiserie was an important part of Rococo also which brought the far Eastern culture in the royal courts. Furniture was lacquered, decorated with painted scenes, ormolu and inlays became popular. Colors were muted, white and pastel shades were fashionable. Thanks to the formation of the European porcelain producing, miniature statues and figures appeared. These were placed on the mantelpiece or console table as decorating elements. Their theme was joy or love. There were many lace trimmings, ribbons, bows and embroideries on the clothes, powdered wigs and gloves were important accessories. The institution of salon appeared where the chosen companionship gathered and lived a vivid intellectual life. Rococo style gave a special surrounding for this.
From today’s point of view, Rococo might be a bit „too much”. However, it can be replaced into today’s interiors also with holding in the amount of gildings and decorations and handling the main features as only examples. Ask for help of an interior designer for this.

Mercury glass

Feb12

The so called „silver plated” glass (mercury glass) was very popular in the 19th century, it was developed in Germany at the beginning of the century. It was purchased instead of real silver, because of its silvery shine by those who couldn’t afford the real ones.
In spite of its name, it doesn’t contain any pure silver or mercury. Double layered object was blown of glass and silver nitrate was injected through a small hole between the layers, then the hole was closed. For example, candle holders, doorknobs, jugs, goblets and vases were made this method. They soon became popular in England, France and in the USA also. After a short break, it became fashionable again around 1900 thanks to the Christmas ornaments and faux fruits made of it. Even colored variations appeared in the 20th century.
Collectors are still looking for original pieces. If the air gets in between the two layers, the silvery coating oxidizes and becomes freckled. In order to prevent this, the original seal (lead or wax) on the hole shouldn’t be harmed.
We can make silvered glass replica DIY. Fill a spray with water and vinegar in 1:1. Spray the desired object with „mirror” paint. Let it dry for one or two minutes, then spray the surface with the vinegar mix. Push it around with a paper towel. This not only soaks up the surplus but the desired cracked mirror effect is created this way too. Let it dry completely.
These decorating objects fit very well to the elegant and country classic styles also. In case of uncertainty, ask for help of an interior designer for the decoration.