Empire

May30

Empire style was developed in France under the reign of Napoleon. The emperor wittingly created a style which marks his reign and contains the main features of ancient world-powers, referring to his own glory. It was spread all over Europe by his conquests.
Empire style is based on monumentality and luxury. It alloys ancient Greek and Roman architectural features with ancient Egyptian motifs, favors the more ornate ones from all of them. Corinthian columns dominate in the buildings. Big amount of gilding makes the sight imposing in the interiors, which is pared commonly with black (ebony, varnishing, marble), claret and bright dark blue. Furniture are covered with ormolu, the frame of seats is fully gilded, moreover the upholstery has yellow or gold color also. Out of fabrics, silk and damask became conspicuous.
Bays, olive-branch, N (Napoleon) and J (Josephine) letters, flower garlands, pitcher are repeated motifs. Frequently caryatides or winged animal figures hold the top of tables instead of legs. These decorations are common on dressers also. Mahogany was the most frequently used wooden material.
Walls were covered with heavy fabrics which were even pleated for a thicker effect. Their colors were commonly dark green, claret or dark blue. Beloved solution were the painted walls and the gilding of plastered ceiling. The edges and patterns of paneling was highlighted by gilding too. The base color of these was typically cream or off-white. The bottom of curtains reached the floor, they were made of heavy but lighter colored fabrics, richly pleated and decorated with golden fringes, tassels and trimmings.
You can also implement the feeling of luxury provided by Empire style in your home with the help of an interior designer.

Paint palette 6.

May26

Sunshine, flowers, cheerful yellows

Jewellery storage

May23

Storing jewellery usually means putting them in a box/bowl which is hidden in the drawer or just leaving them on the table in a heap. Let’s be more creative and use our jewels as decoration while not wearing them.
Buy a dressing table which has glass top, so the contents of the drawers below are visible. Usually it is divided to sections, there are separate spaces for necklaces, bracelets, rings etc. It remains showy while it is closed and jewels won’t be dusty.
Let’s fix some nice and small hooks on the side of the wardrobe which is an unexploited area. Even more necklaces have place on each of them. If we would like a more striking sight, we can use drawer or door knobs in different sizes and colors instead of the hooks. Similar solution is fixing smaller hooks around an old-fashioned wooden hanger, this way it will be a great necklace holder.
There are ready-made so-called jewellery dolls with curved metal wires in the place of its arms and head. These are suitable for holding almost all kind of jewels. Figures for storing rings are also purchasable (in the shape of a shoe, a sofa, a flower etc.). These are padded and provide separate places for every single ring, this way they don’t contact each other.
Using a three-storied porcelain cake stand is a spectacular solution. The lower and bigger part holds the necklaces, the middle one holds the bracelets and the upper one holds the rings. It’s easy to find one fitting for the style of the room. We can make it by ourselves of wooden cake stands in different sizes.
Foam boards covered by light fabrics and laces put in frames are perfectly suitable for showy storing of earrings. Even a denser chicken wire can be put in frame for this purpose. Clips can be clipped on the edge of the table lamp’s lampshade.
There are several further solutions fitting for a classic style. Ask for help of an interior designer for planning and implementation!

Several upholstery

May20

Seats upholstered with several but harmonious fabrics

Rustic

May18

Truly rustic interiors – neutral and harmonic color palette

Rose

May13

In the pull of rose

Useful accessories 6.

May11

Useful accessories on the patio

Garages

May6

Choosy garages offer nice scene beside functionality

Same patterns

May4

Wallpaper and fabrics with the same pattern in one place: the result is a sophisticated and rich sight

Pergola

May2

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.