Winter door decors – even DIY
Door wreaths 2.
Archives
Red
Red is one of the three elementary colors. The most striking member of the color wheel, that’s why it is beloved by many people. Its complementary is green.
As a physiological effect, red increases blood pressure, has exciting effect on nervous system, fasten metabolism, it’s activating effect increases vitality but causes stress and makes one nervous at the same time. It is the most noticeable at daylight. We associate to love, sexuality, fire, blood and war by it. It means danger and prohibition in symbolism, that’s why it is used for danger signals in traffic. It is frequently used at groups of disaster protection and healthcare companies, just think about Red Cross and fire departments. In old times red was one of the most expensive clothes dyes which was made of cochineals or dye-murexes, thus only the rich could afford it, so it was connected with wealth also (e.g. carmine edged togas of ancient Romans, robes of the cardinals). The red lamp quarter got this name not by chance also.
Red has the most intensive narrowing effect among warm colors, that’s why we feel the room in this color much smaller. It is a food-color, so fits well for dining room and kitchen but it can be used in home office too because of its stimulative effect. Many people paint the walls of their bedroom red because it is the color of love. But this is not a good solution for a long term, it causes sleep disorders and nervous tension. The bedroom should be calming, if red is desired to bring in anyway, it shouldn’t be seen from bed. For example, lay a red carpet, paint red only the wall behind the bed, put a bedspread or cushions on the bed which will be put away before sleeping. Handle it cautiously anyhow, because it is a very intrusive and aggressive color. Use it rather on accessories or as a focal point at home. Its strength can be blunted with white or cream. It looks very good in combination with black, dark brown or grey. Its deeper tones are more elegant, for example claret or burgundy red. These were frequently used as background color for gilded framed paintings as a gallery.
Feng Shui assigns red to fire element. It is the color of Jang, the male side. It belongs to the 1st chakra (root). This is the color of good luck in China.
It is used by very dashing, fast-expanding, mass-producing companies in business life as color of their logos or products. It comes into view immediately on the shelves of the shops or in the advertisements.
It’s not an easy task to create a real elegant red interior, so ask for help of an interior designer-color adviser already for planning!
Niche
Do not hesitate if we have possibility to conjure a nice niche!
For Santa Claus Day
Decorate our home for Santa Claus day
Winter
It’s winter again, the season of snow, clod and ice. The garden and the nature is not dull this time neither, since we can get inspiration from them.
Most plants and animals are having rest now. The amount of colors is limited and we can see muted hues. Nature is like an elegant lady in white coat. Characteristic winter colors are black, white, cold greys and browns, pine green, steel blue, cold red, ice blue and silver.
In our home, we can realize a really spectacular atmosphere by these colors. We can balance their coldness by the fire blazing in the fireplace and lots of candles. Use mood lighting instead of general lighting (standing or table lamp, hidden LED lights). Cover the couch with fur or polar blankets. Silver framed mirrors reflect the light of candles. Let’s use curtains made of light, monochrome or patterned material fabric with silky shine. Use middle hue paint on the walls, e.g. steel blue or gray-brown, which provide the background for the romantic and elegant mood. When purchasing decorations and accessories, choose the ones made of glass, shiny metallic or crystal. Using a muted red cushion, painting or vase, we can control the view of our guests creating focus points. Wooden floor, upholstered chairs, christal chandelier and wardrobe made of dark wood is a perfect combination for a winter style interior. White on moldings, doors and mantel can provide freshness in the view.
These colors have to be used with care, since the result can be very rigid. For an elegant winter home, ask help from an interior designer.
Display chinas
Display our nice dinner set or other chinaware collection in the mode of old times
Buying antique furniture
Purchasing antique furniture is always risky if we are looking for original, old pieces. What can we do before going to a shopping trip, if we haven’t got sufficient professional knowledge?
First read about it. If the style, age and type of the desired furniture is decided, let’s search some comprehensive, furniture history books which detail the specification of a given piece or a given ages. They describe the types of pinnings, the thickness of varnish, or the applied materials specific to the era. Not necessary to purchase all these books, they can be borrowed from a library, but we can find lots of sources also on Internet. The essential pages should be copied or printed to be available at shopping.
If we don’t want special pieces, but simple old furniture, there are also some issues to deal with. Check the piece for possible damages, especially at marquetry and carvings, painting / varnishing and at the corners. If there is any damage, we have to decide to buy it or not, will it be fixed later or left as is for the old feeling. Restoration by the proper expert can be expensive! Let’s search the marks of previous fixes and restoration, e.g. parts made of different wood (like a part of the carved decoration or one of the legs etc.), or metal parts having different colours. In case of drawers, always check the pinning and try to pull the drawer. The weight of the furniture also can indicate if it is a modern copy. If the piece is extremely worn, later it can be renewed by painting, but in case of real old, unique furniture don’t change anything, instead of let them restored by experts, thus keeping or increasing their value. Common pest of wooden furniture is woodworm. Typical signs of it are the small holes on the surface. If these marks can be seen on a relatively great area, the furniture shouldn’t be bought.
If our budget allows, let’s purchase items at an official auction, because the authenticity of an object and its origin are guaranteed, but flea markets and internet auction sites also can be visited, since beautiful old furnitures can be found also there. In case of uncertainty, an expert can be involved when making the deal.
A unique, antique piece can be the decoration element in any home. For choosing the proper one, ask for help from an interior designer.
House numbers
Does the house/door number’s style befit to our home?
Inner pool
Elegant inner swiming pool for the home recreation
Brown
Brown is gained by mixing red and green colours, thus all the three base colours are involved. This is the most liked ground colour. It has warm and cold hues, the laters have greyish tone. Brown is considered as masculine colour.
This colour is associated to force, safety, maternity, simplicity, diligence. According to physiological effect it is relaxing, protecting. It’s also a food colour, first we associate to the fine cookies. In ancient Egypt, good dreams were marked with brown colour. In the medieval and early modern Europe it was one of the basic colour of the clothing of poor people, since they couldn’t afford the dyed fabrics. In England however brown was the determining colour of the wardrobe of the perfectly elegant gentlemen for long time.
Since natural wood and leather are also brown, in interior design this is generally and frequently used. Using as wall paint, it gives depth to the space, as floor cover it gives stability. Dark hues can replace black – as its warm tone alternative – when we would like to emphasize something. It can be used in any room, but in case of dark brown walls, the proper lighting should be also provided. It is regular in historical styles, mainly the deeper hues. Combined with gold, a luxurious interior can be produced. Together with white, cream or beige, the result is classically elegant. Nowadays it is still very popular, it fits to practically any style.
Feng-shui associates brown with the earth element. Light hues are assigned to Jin, the feminine side, while dark hues to the Jang, the masculine side colours.
For advertising, it is used by companies that providing luxurious products or services to their customers, e.g. sweets, wellness, etc.
Most people like brown in their homes, but to avoid “cave like” result, it has to be used with sense. If you would like an elegant and stylish brown interior, ask for the help of a colour adviser.
