One of my prior projects: 38 sqm block apartment in calming blue
Further pictures: https://classicinteriors.hu/en/references/21-references/35-references02
Archives
Old objects’ new functions
In most of the homes there are many old objects in the attic, in the basement and hidden in the garage which are though not attractive and not useful, they are not thrown out because „it will be good for something” or just simply because of laziness for walking to the dump with them. Nowadays it is more and more fashionable to give new life to old household objects and after a makeover giving them a completely other function as originally they were designed for. Here are some examples which fit firstly to country styles or Scandinavian-like interiors but can be fit to any environment up to taste:
If baskets are hung on an old ladder, it can be a perfect storage in a gardrobe or bathroom. Putting shelves between the steps of a single ladder, it will be look very good in the living room as a bookshelf. A smaller ladder can be a nightstand also.
Let’s pad the old leather or textile-leather suitcase, fix short legs on it and it can be used as a coffee table. If a big soft pillow is placed in it and its lid is fixed open, it can be a comfortable bed for our pets. We can spare the price of a side table near the reading armchair with putting some old suitcases on top of each other.
Old wooden window frames from a wrecking can be reused as mirrors for example above the console table in the hall or above the fireplace. Putting mirrors in the old doors instead of the inner panels, they will be full-body pieces in the gardrobe. They can be interesting headboard also with which a simple bed can be popped up.
Old wooden crates and boxes fixed on the wall can function as perfect bookcases. If there is a collection of many smaller wooden boxes, fix them on the wall in a shape without their lids, this way they can be showcases for smaller memories also.
An old metal bucket can be reused as a vase for flower bouquets or plants can be directly pot in them too. Log can be stored in them for the fireplace or can be transformed to industrial style lampshades.
The possibilities are almost countless. If you have an old object which you would like to make a part of your home again but have no idea, ask for help of an interior designer for planning.
Shabby chic
Shabby chic is an interior design style which is very popular nowadays. It can be relatively easily realized in any home.
A shabby chic interior is feminine, light and has a little bit warn effect, despite of this, still elegant. Dominant colors are white, grey, powder blue, pink, crème, light green and beige. Furnishing is made of wood, chairs are upholstered comfortably soft, or even wicker braided. Basically it has French style characteristics. Although the overall effect is rural, yet it fits well even in an aristocratic environment. The double doored large wardrobe, the Bergére armchair and the great variety of fabrics provide the luxurious, but still muted feeling. Feels like if we spend our holiday in our country castle.
We can produce the furnishing ourselves for this style. Let’s paint the old furnitures purchased at a flea market with off-white and generate the antique feeling using some umbra brown. Another method, if the paint is burnished back at the edges, at the handles and at the bottom of the legs. This simulates the worn effect gained by the heavy years of usage. At accessories, avoid using strong colors. Flower bouquet is always an important decoration element. It can be placed in practically anything, like a watering can, a jar or old cookie box. Select pastel coloured flowers, which fit to the rural atmosphere, like lavender, roses, tulip or wild flowers. Prefer natural materials at fabrics, like cotton or linen. Use patterned material or plain weaved ones occasionally with toile pattern using only two colors. Use them brevely, combine several hues of a given color. For metallic accessories, silver or gold color is the best choice.
If you like shabby chic, but don’t know how to start, ask help from an interior designer.
Feng Shui
The philosophy of Feng Shui based interior design is to establish the balance between the individual and the environment. Its essence is the harmony of energies and objects, the elements and styles. Much more complex and more serious interior design trend than generally considered.
When it comes to Feng Shui, most of the people associate colorful mandalas, choking smoke and Buddha statues, nevertheless, this knowledge is known to look back on a long history. Feng Shui is independent to location and style. These energies work the same way in a minimal or a baroque interior, in Japan or Hungary also. Basically, there are two different aspects of an apartment or house:
Considering the rooms as separate units is the essence of space management, since Jin or Jang characteristics, colors, forms, materials and motifs are assigned to each of them. This is the primer method of harmonizing the environment.
Using the Bagua map, the home is considered as one unit. The total floor area is divided into nine equal parts, where all sub-units has its own characteristics based on the map. In this later case, orientation has an important role. The given areas should be intensified or weakened, deficits should be fulfilled depending on the required result.
Whichever we choose, we have to keep in mind: the theory is general, but the methods and tools used may have different meanings in different cultures or even countries. E.g.: dolphin as motif has a different meaning in a region, where such animals really live in the wild, from another region, where they are not organic part of the environment.
When applying Feng Shui, we have to be careful with the relation of objects used, spaces and the people living in them, so ask help from an interior designer who hase massive bases in the area.
Bathtubs
Inspiration 6.
Color pairs 4.
Steampunk
Metallic colors
When it comes to “metallic colors” we are thinking about gold and silver immediately, which are assigned to yellow and gray by most of the people. We are often associating to warm and cold contrast. Of course, there are much more metallic hues, in addition to, different colors can get a metallic shine also.
About the elements in our homes, first we consider the items and accessories really made of metal: faucets, door handles, lamps, picture frames etc. From the aspect of material, they can be made of copper, chrome, steel, iron, bronze, etc. These are automatically become parts of our interiors. Using paints, fabrics and wallpapers allow more emphasized usage. Wooden furniture painted to gold results luxury effect. Fabrics woven with metallic fibers make any style of seats exciting. A quite simple interior can get a focus point with a wallpaper with metallic motif. In case of historic styles, (e.g.: renaissance, rococo, empire) we often meet these solutions, sometimes even exaggerated. Gold was always the symbol of the wealthy. In a church, the respect of god(s) is being expressed by it. Nowadays chrome and nickel coatings provide not only the glazing, but also the endurance and long lifecycle.
Feng shui associates silver (lunar quality), copper and bronze (venus quality) with Jin, the feminin side. With Jang, the masculine side, gold (sun) and iron (martian quality) are assigned.
In business life, metallic hues have representative roles. At events the gilding of the cutlery or the gold wristwatch of a businessman has a clear meaning. Metallic luster paper of the sweets arouses our interest, implies exclusivity. Use metallic surfaces with care in your home, because they can easily rule the complete room. Ask for help from an interior designer to produce a real classy glamour.
Tartan
Tartan is associated with the Scottish heritage.
The pattern itself consists of stripes with different widths and colors which cross each other in 90° angle, this way they create a grid pattern in both directions which has a checked pattern effect. There are same stripes in width and color on both sides of the main stripe in vertically and horizontally also, so the pattern is completely symmetrical. This differentiates tartan from other similar checked patterns. The order of the threads is reversed mixing the two colors with this and „creating” a third one.
On the contrary to the popular belief, in old times rather institutes, regions and families had the same clothes, not the clans. The pattern was connected later to the Scottish nationality and costume. First it was only used on textiles for clothing, these were made of almost only wool and were colored with natural dyes. Artificial dyes became widespread in the Victorian era allowing new color variations to be used.
Nowadays tartan isn’t limited only to clothes, or to the fabrics at all. It appears on objects made of any material, be it paper, porcelain or plastic. Because of this fact, there are many possibilities for using the pattern in interior design: not only on upholsteries but on wallpaper, lampshade, dinner set, carpet etc. The variations of it with red-green color combinations are associated with Christmas mood.
If you also like it and want to make tartan the part of your home, ask for help of an interior designer.