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Air conditioning
The matter of air conditioning comes to the fore because of the hotter summers, everybody who can, installs one at home. However, in the case of classic style interiors not only the function but the sight matters also.
The most important aspect of design is to place the indoor unit properly, that the cold air doesn’t reach us directly. If this is not possible because of the lack of space, let’s buy a model with adjustable reeds in both directions. This way, the „target” shouldn’t be the bed in the bedroom, the desk in the office, the main countertop in the kitchen and the sofa in the living room. The air conditioner with proper capacity can cool down the room without risking our health.
Only the grid part is visible of the ceiling built-in models. This can be perfectly implemented to the surroundings by a suspended ceiling decorated with classic style moldings or gypsum stuccos. But this requires a proper room height also.
There are some solutions for hiding wall mounted indoor units also. One of them is painting them with the same color. Since the cover of the air conditioner is removed during cleaning and maintenance, the painting should be done part by part, eliminating surface damages. Color models can be purchased also.
The indoor unit beside the window can be covered with the curtain when out of use. Let’s fix a longer curtain rod which overhangs the indoor unit. When it is turned on, the fabric is just pulled away.
The unit placed above the window or door and in the same color seems like the part of it, just like an overdoor. If it is not lately placed but we are in a building process, the frame of the door or window should be placed around the indoor unit also.
The unit can be hidden in a floor-to-ceiling cupboard too. One of the solutions is putting a door before it. The other solution is hiding it in the place of a shelf, just like a decorating object. If the cupboard and the unit have the same color, it will be more invisible. Proper air ventilation should be provided in both cases.
Take an example of fans, they can be built in behind a drywall also. Let’s create shelves below it in the drywall to make it functional.
Ask for help of an interior designer for fitting the air conditioning system in a classic interior.
Garages
Pergola
Shading is the biggest problem in the case of a patio connected to the house. There are less and less plots with big trees, so the problem should be solved artificially. A pergola can be a showy solution.
Pergola is a frame made of wood, it is open at the sides with a trellis top. The wood has to be properly treated to make it weatherproof. The nervure of the wood remains visible under burnishing and lacquering, so it can be seen in its natural beauty. Painting makes the structure more uniform, it handles the pergola as a freer focal point because of the range of colors.
Pergola filters the sunshine on its own but mostly it is plant-clad. If we don’t want to toil with caring plants, a light, breathable cotton fabric should be fixed on its top which provides the perfect shading. It is enough to tie it loose, on just some points for removing it easily in the case of a storm, but the textile moved by the soft breeze looks nice in good weather.
Its size is defined by the usage of the area: bigger meals, two-persons-chatting, swinging in a swing-bed etc. It not necessarily has to cover the whole patio, this way there remains place for sunbathing also. It can stand alone or can be joined to the wall of the house also.
Pergola can be used as a rain-roof above the entrance door and the car park, as a cover above the pathway leading to the outbuilding, as shading above the windows, for highlighting the entrance of the garden etc. Its great advantage is that it looks very good even in winter when covered by snow.
Ask for help of an interior designer for planning the pergola harmonizing perfectly with the building.
Iron stairs
Mediterranean style
Mediterranean style is continuously popular in Hungary. Usually Italy, especially Tuscany comes to mind about it. The main features can be different in the countries of the region but there is a united picture in public awareness of the interiors. The style itself is a bit rustic and rural, with a warming total effect.
Colors are the most determining during construction. Warm earth colors give the most of the palette: terracotta, oranges, several browns, sunny yellow, dull red and claret. Off-white, moderated turquoise, black and dark green appear as additional colors. From materials let’s choose terracotta, glazed ceramics, black wrought iron, natural stones and brown woods.
The floor is usually covered with glazed tiles or natural stones. This provides pleasant coolness inside the house under the warm climate. This is not so comfortable here in Hungary in winter but laying some smaller woven carpets fit to the style is a solution for this if the weather turns cold.
The walls are mostly plastered and painted. The smudgy, bleached-like, even Venetian plastered thick walls help a lot also in keeping the summer heat out. The doors and windows are made of wood. Shutters are not only functional accessories but decorative elements also. Curtains are light, let the soft breeze in but keep the most of the insects out. Roof tiles are harmonizing with the whole house. A fireplace is needed there also in winter.
The garden complements the sight. Meals are usually kept outside under the shadows of pergolas or trees. Water elements (lake, plashing, fountain) make the heat more tolerable.
Many products fit to the style can be purchased here in Hungary because of the popularity of it: pavements, ready-made wall paints, decoration accessories, fabrics and furniture. Ask for help of an interior designer for creating your Mediterranean style home!
The entrance
Welcoming guests begins at the front door of our house not just when they step in. That’s why it is important to have a nice, inviting and clean surrounding of the entrance and the pathway leading to it.
The front door should be decorative! It can be a perfect focal point if painted in a bold color. Let’s strive to keep it immaculate: the peeled painting, hardly working handle and dirty glass panel is not an attractive sight. Naturally vintage, rustic and country styles are exceptions; a shabby wooden door nicely fits to them.
The mat is an important element of the general effect, don’t neglect it. Let it be decorative, fitting by its color and not sleazy or ragged. Sometimes clean it also.
Clean the pathway leading to the house and the stairs regularly. Pay attention to the latter’s safety: the steps should be undamaged, immovable, just like the rails and they shouldn’t become slippery in wet weather.
Symmetry always pays off, it’s very easy to achieve an attractive sight with this trick. The front door is the center. The aim is to decorate both sides of it in the same way. This works even in that case if the door is not opposite with the leading path and we have to turn to step in. The simplest solution is placing some kind of potted plants on both sides of the door. Their style has to be matched with the style of the house. We can complement the given parts with a prudent choice of color.
The look can be made unique with a smart street number. If there is a space near the door, we can create a small sitting area. The success is certain by season decors.
The proper lighting is important! Let’s light not only the space before the door but the pathway and the stairs also for avoiding accidents. Maybe the motion sensory lighting is the best solution for this.
Ask for help of an interior designer creating an elegant an inviting outdoor space!
Light up
My project 7.
My prior work: Two storey family home furniture design – 168+126 sqm
Further pictures: https://classicinteriors.hu/en/references/21-references/43-references10
Adam style
Architect Robert Adam (1728-1792) was one of the most prominent persons of English classicism. He came from an architect family and worked with his brother (James). Adam-style was named after him, which is still very popular in the Anglo-Saxon areas.
Adam was travelling for four years throughout Europe before began to work on getting familiar with architecture and culture of other countries. He spent two years in Rome studying the ruins of the classical world. He used the ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan architectural marks (medallion, vase, urn, vine scroll, sphynx, griffin etc.) on his buildings. Also used the style of Louis XVI. as source. In the first time, the Adam brothers got jobs only at the countryside, but later they were invited to London for several projects, practically they took part in the city-planning. Their unique decoration style was the key of their success. They paid attention not only for the outside of the buildings but the inner parts too: the elaborate plasterworks of ceilings and walls and rich classical decorations are still awe-inspiring. Furniture, carpets, lamps, fire places etc. designed by the Adam brothers were used in the interiors. They applied newly developed paints and created special color palettes: pea green, sky blue, lilac, bright pink, red-brown terracotta, lemon. Painted decoration elements were basic features of the style, e.g. swags and ribbons.
Their most well-known buildings: Edinburgh University Old College, Kedleston Hall, Kenwood House, Luton Hoo, Paxton House, Syon House etc. Their plans were published as a book. The style’s revival was in the late Victorian era.
This very classical style gives elegance but using it an inappropriate way makes the interior cluttered. It requires proficiency to be applied in the available interior, so ask for help of an interior designer.