Festive outdoor lighting

Nov14

It already gets dark early in the middle of November, so we can begin to decorate our balconies, houses and gardens with light garlands. The simplest method is to fix the tensed fairy lights to the rail or the drip, or wrap it around trees, shrubs and the pergola. It will look nice, however, we can be more creative.
Let’s buy glass or plastic LED luminous globes in different sizes. These fit very well in an urn shaped pot and a bird bath. But they can be also placed alongside the garden path. We can even make them by ourselves using old globe lampshades. Put the lights in it and seal it with a proper sized tin can at the socket. This latter can be used as a stand for stability, but we can transform it to a huge Christmas ball ornament by turning it upside down and fix a bigger hook in it.
Let’s use the hanging wicker baskets which held flowers in the summer. Pad it with light garlands with pulling out the small lights on the holes of it. Cover it with cotton wool and maybe fill it with glass ball ornaments. Hang it to its place where it was in summer. It will be a cozy sight.
If there is a human or animal shaped sculpture in the garden, it can be decorated with light garland. The garland should be formed spherical by looping it throughout itself for keeping the shape. Place it in the hands or at the feet of the statue as if it was played with.
Let’s make artificial icicles until there are no real ones. Cut the legs of some nylon stockings. Fill it with cotton wool with placing the light garland among it. Sew it at the top. Hang it under the roof, near the front door or on the patio, preferably protected from rain because cotton wool sucks water quickly.
It’s important to use only outdoor, waterproof light garlands for safety! Ask for help of an interior designer for planning the festive outdoor lighting.

Copper

Nov11

Copper is in fashion again in interior design

My project 11.

Nov9

Before-after photos of my latest project (block apartment, 67sqm)

Staircase decorations

Nov7

The inner staircases were mostly treated as a necessary bad during planning and building a house. They were commonly designed narrow for gaining bigger useful spaces, with frequently uncomfortably high steps. This is felt by not only the owners but the guest also. Try to distract attention from it.
Let’s redirect the guests’ attention at the walls instead! One way of it is to put strong patterned wallpaper on the walls from the bottom to the top of the stairs. In this case, there’s no need for additional decor. If the surroundings are quite neutral, bold colors and patterns will attract the attention. Creating a picture gallery is another possibility. Hang similar themed or similar framed pictures all on the walls of the staircase. We can use mirrors, old window frames, colored gypsum rosettes etc. instead of pictures.
Further method is to decorate the stairs themselves. The rises of steps can be painted, wallpapered or even tiled. The stair runner not only makes the usage more comfortable, but it can be a perfect design element also. Striped pattern helps attract the eye upwards, but the same effect can be reached with a stronger color divergent from the color theme of the interior.
Any object can be a focal point in the turn of stairs or on the wall vis-a-vis the top of it, this way it almost drags up the one who passing. If there is a bigger place, put a chair, a bigger vase, an old rocking horse or any other object there fitting for the style. If there isn’t such a big space, just hung a picture on the wall or put very narrow shelves on which smaller decorating objects can be lined.
The combinations of these above just enhance the effect. Ask for help of an interior designer for solving similar problems.

Color pairs 19.

Nov4

Color pairs: red-brown

London houses

Nov2

Elegance of London houses

Stripe fabrics

Oct28

It’s easy to create classic mood by the always elegant stripe fabrics

Table centerpiece 6.

Oct26

Halloween table centerpiece ideas

Elegant decors for Halloween

Oct24

When preparing a Halloween decoration, the goal is to create it more scary. Anyhow, classic homes should be decorated in an elegant way for this feast also.
Decorate the mantelpiece, coffee table, shelves with objects which have old mood and fit for the occasion: alarm clock, antique silver and glass candle holders, paper and metal boxes in fitting colors, magnifiers, bird cage etc. Some leather- or linen-folded old books are a good base. If we don’t have these at home, we can even make some by ourselves: cut black-and-white newspapers at the required size, glue them to each other by the edges to get a ca. 2-3 cm thick „volume”. Wrap it with brown paper. Dip it into black tea and let it dry. It will be similar to an antique book without its cover. We can even burn the edges and write the title on the rootlet by a fountain pen.
Make the door wreath from e.g. black feathers which remind us to crows but look good anyway. If the door is too dark for this, then choose white, silver or golden colored pieces. Orange dried flowers and white chrysanthemums are suitable instead of feathers also.
Let’s decorate the walls with unique handmade silhouettes. Cut the profile out from black cardboard and put them on light bases into similar frames. Old black-and-white family photos and anatomical engravings are also perfect decoration elements for Halloween.
Gather old types of keys, the bigger and shabbier is better. They can be hanged on the wall in frames but the smaller can be pinned on pumpkins as decoration too. If they are individually stringed to a black ribbon, then they can be hanged interlaced to the stair-rail or the curtain rod.
Let’s paint some classic bird feeder to dark grey or black color. They will be spooky placed in group in the corner near the door.
Take out the high-heeled black boots and shoes, top-hat and hat fitting in color from the wardrobe. Stuff the shoes and place them e.g. beside the fireplace. Hats can be put even on the top of the pumpkins but they look perfect hanged from the ceiling also. We can highlight these everyday objects decorating them with light-garlands.
Ask for help of an interior designer making a classical effected Halloween decoration.