Beach style

Aug1

Beach style captures the heart not only in summer, but it is popular all over the year. The reason is maybe the cheerful, airy yet elegant and sometimes contrasting color scheme and the memories of vacations.
Beach style can be created in the easiest way with two basic colors: white gives a refreshing clean and a sharp clear background for the decoration, beige/sand provides a much more calm and natural basic. The total effect is colder in the case of the first one and warmer in the case of the second. The additional colors are the same in both cases:
The brown of the natural wood (except for orange and reddish hues) appears commonly on the floor, on the beams and on furniture. It’s important that it is not a painted brown color but the wood’s own color which is protected only with a coat of lacquer, this way its pattern also remains visible.
The neutral colors (warm greys, beiges) of natural fabrics (linen, sisal, coir, hemp etc.) look good on carpet, curtains, covers of seats and on accessories like table lamp made of cord, for example.
Navy blue is a quite dark color, still it is frequently used as wall color also, not only on accessories. It anchors the space and makes the style much more „tangible”. The effect is high contrast, still calming if pairing it with white.
Brighter colors like turquoise, blue water, sunny yellow and red are commonly the colors of accessories. Of course, nothing forbids using them in larger amounts also, even on the walls, but attention should be paid to fit for the beach style. This is much easier to keep if they are paired with white.
Definitely striped is the favorite among patterns which fits perfectly for this style. The advantage of it that it can visualize more of the colors mentioned above in the same time. Patterns depicting ships and their parts, sea-animals and seaside buildings can be freely used also. Seashells and sea-glass can be collected, starfishes, corals and colored glass bubbles can be bought for decoration, but the wall can be decorated even with a steering wheel of a ship.
If you also would like to go home after work as going to holiday in all over the year, ask for help of an interior designer for creating the seaside mood.

Rustic

May18

Truly rustic interiors – neutral and harmonic color palette

Mother-of-pearl

Feb22

Mother-of-pearl, which is the inner layer of certain seashells, is used by not only in jewelry shops but in classic interior design also. Pearl oyster creates the natural pearl, which can be produced artificially also nowadays.
Mother-of-pearl is silky, iridescent and well workable material. It has a wide range of colors, from white to dark grey but always dull and filmy. It was used primarily as a decoration element. For example, it was a favorable material of André Charles Boulle carpenter at the court of Louis XIV., who used this marquetry on most of his furniture.
Cutlery set with mother-of-pearl handles was fashionable even at the beginning of the last century. The material itself is not expensive but its effect is luxurious. For example, razors, hairbrushes, mirror and picture frames, jewel boxes, trays and objects like these were decorated in the same way. Buttons, furniture handles, jewelry, hairpins etc. were made of it completely. It was frequently paired with tortoiseshell, semiprecious stones and rare wood. It fits well to eastern and waterside styles also.
It stands still in the environment of present times also as decorating element, but there is a solution if only its colors conjure us. Let’s choose pearl-color wall paint, satin-like finish will reflect even better its mood. However, pay attention to the fact that satin-like wall paints require more precise preparation works and more careful application method. Mosaic tiles made of mother-of-pearl can be purchased also which are proper for bathrooms and as kitchen backsplash too.
Ask for help of an interior designer for elegant usage.

Paint palette 3.

Dec30

Nature created color palettes

Mountain chalet style

Dec14

Ski season is coming soon and many people travel to the near mountains to enjoy the fun and sport opportunities provided by winter. Rentable mountain chalets are also popular beside hotels. In both cases, we meet with characteristic mood and interior design.
Wood and quarry stone are the most determinative of the materials used. The very knotted pattern of pine planks and beams is highlighted much more by lacquering and burnishing. In the case of other wood types, nervure has bigger role and can be more spectacular by it. The stone fireplace or stone decorated main wall gives the basic mood. Its colors have a wide range from grey to brown. The two extremities can be mixed, so the outcome will be more natural and colorful.
Upholstered furniture provides warmth to the space. This softness is needed beside the wooden walls, beamed roofing and huge windows. The color palette is mostly warm. Fabrics should be thicker but soft. Checkered pattern also fits for mountain chalet style, beside plains. Craftsmanship-like patterns of cushions and blankets add a twist to the total effect. A blanket and a smaller rug made of fur gives us the feel of warmth. The big leather armchair near the fireplace will be a perfect reading nook. (Bio-ethanol fireplace can be placed in any kind of flat/house.) Let’s put characteristic alpine heart-back wooden chairs beside the wooden table in the kitchen/dining area for the desired rustic mood. For more elegant look, upholstered chairs are better. Quarry stone can be used for tiling the bathroom also.
Chandelier and wall scones made of antlers, faux trophies, landscapes, candles, knitted things, antique tools and skis are perfect decoration elements. Use colors specific to the style: browns, warm grays, warm whites, cherry red, darker greens, beige, dark blue, cream. The patchwork blanket and home slippers at the foot of the bed will be an inviting sight.
Ask for help of an interior designer for enjoying the mood of a mountain chalet not only during the ski tour but even in the whole year, in your own home.

Wicker furniture

Oct21

Warm colored and clssic style wicker furniture perfectly fit into the autumn color palette

Paint palette 1.

Sep25

Appetizing colors 🙂

Shabby chic

Apr27

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.

Neutral colors

Dec31

Natural, neutral colors are considered as the base elements of interior design. Many people think they are dull and impersonal, although they can be used versatile – resulting really wonderful interiors.
Some of the most well known natural colors are beige, taupe, creme, light hues of grey, egg shell, sand, ecru, lightest hues of brown, etc. Both cold and warm tones. Nature provides them ready-made. Let’s think about different stones, raw linen, wooden materials and sizal.
Nature colors are excellent background for vivid colors. They weaken strong, warm hues and strengthen the cold ones. If we are uncertain, which colors we would like to see in our home, let’s paint the walls first with the colors mentioned above and apply neutral fabric for larger furniture. After it, this base can be decorated with more intensive colors we like, e.g. on cushions, curtains, accessories. If we don’t like the result, the color of the decoration can be changed easily until we find the proper ones.
Neutral colors have calming, eye-relaxing effect. They fit to almost every interior design styles, we can use this palette bravely. They are perfect choice for French country style, Gustav style, or seashore style. Even the warm hues widen the space, since they are regularly light hues. For a more characteristic effect, darker tones also can be selected. Combining different textures, the view can be even more exciting.
Although using natural colors is considered to be a safe solution, it’s not easy to select them properly to get a really nice result. Ask help from an interior designer for reaching the optimal.

Gustavian style

Nov12

When we talk about Scandinavian style, everyone associates to IKEA furniture, large white spaces and the sauna covered by wood. But this style has another, even more sophisticated face too.
This is Gustavian style, got the name from the Swedish king of the XVIII. century Gustav the third (1746-1792). In this era French was allied state, by this, lots of elements have been derived from the style of Louise XV. and XVI. These have been combined with English and Italian characteristics, which finally resulted the fine overall impression fitting to the Northern taste. Furnitures and decoration elements are displayed in a sleek design with muted colors. Main features of Gustav style: hues of white, gray, light yellow, light blue and beige, raw or painted wood in its natural colors, stenciling, chequered and striped fabrics, worn effect. Elegant, yet slightly rustic appearance of the interiors. Wooden flooring is often left in nature color with lacquer, but it can be painted white also. Walls are covered by painted wooden panels or plastery. As decoration, paintings (mainly portraits), medallions made of parget and mirrors with gildened frame are applied. The ceiling beams are often visible. The space itself is not crowded. Typical accessories are the crystal chandelier, a tiled stove and a large, standing clock. Furniture are made of wood (mostly birch), with light painting, sometimes gildening or painted motifs.
Perfect style for those, who love the cold Northern landscape, the fine pastel colors and the airily elegant atmosphere. If you would like an unusual Scandinavian interior, ask help from an interior designer.