Archive | November 2014

Front yard

The front yard typifies us already, so let it be tidied and beautiful

Louis-styles

The interior design styles of the era between 1610 and 1793 in France are called Louis-styles after the four reigning kings.
Baroque was half-baked and the effect of Renaissance was strong under Louis XIII. (1601-1643). That’s why the interiors were moderately decorated. Although furniture was richly carved, they were natural in color and large-scaled. Their architectural elements were determining. Chairs are upholstered, most of them are not folding. Louvre was the seat of the king by this time. Impact of Baroque began at the end of his reign.
Louis XIV., the Sun-king (1638-1715) was the lover of pomp. Baroque reached its peak under his reign. The aim was using the more decorating motifs, gildings and exotic materials in every fine arts. He had the castle of Versailles rebuilt to a world famous palace of the king. Boulle is the most known name in the field of furniture, he became famous by his marquetry. He used ormolu, tortoise shells, brass, noble woods by chance. Mansart created lasting in architecture. He is known by the roof type named after him. The beauty of the gardens were the works of Le Nôtre. The geometrically arranged flower beds, fountains, long promenades are spectacular even nowadays. The colorful frescos and murals of Versailles are the works of Le Brun.
Louis XV. (1710-1774) was the great-grandson of the Sun-king. Rococo is the style of his era which was marked by over-decorating, shell motifs, chinoiserie and feminine interior details. The fashion was dictated by his two famous lovers, Madame Pompadour and Madame Du Barry. Porcelain manufacturing started, the lace-manufactures and silk-weavers were sponsored for the most splendid fabrics which were matched with goods from abroad. The walls were covered by fabrics or wallpapers, furniture were lacquered and painted, the decorating C and S pieces were used inordinately.
The reign of Louis XVI. (1754-1793) was the era of Classicism. The ancient Roman buildings, sculptures and household objects found in excavation of Pompei had a big influence on the people of the age. The stifling over-decoration was followed by a more moderated style: the decoration elements of ancient times were used again, the shapes of furniture became clear, the lines straightened. Even dressing fashion turned to a more comfortable direction. Patterns and decorations of idealized country life were used on fabrics, porcelains and other household objects.
The revolution terminated Louis-styles and the ancient régime also. Several buildings, paintings, valuable statues, porcelains etc. were perished during the huddle and terror of years because of the intentional vandalism and fire-raising of the mob. These are lost forever for posterity.
Fortunately, enough sources and pictures remained for falling in love with any of the Louis-styles and for desiring to implement them at home. A good interior designer can help to realize this dream by refreshing and fitting it to the sizes of present flats/houses.

Roman blind

Nov28

The roman blind is an elegant shielding solution, it gives clear-out contour for the window

Music room

Nov27

The meeting of love of music and classical interior design

White

Nov26

White merges all of the colors in itself. This can be easily recognized if white light passes through a prism: the result will be a rainbow of colors. As its physiological effect, it replenishes our body, gives a light and airy feeling, and meanwhile it decreases stress. There are mainly positive thoughts assigned to it in symbolism. It means, inter alia, innocence, purity, perfection, faithfulness, salvation and peace. In religions, it represents generally gods and their attendants (e.g.: the dove of Holy Spirit, the elephant signaling Buddha’s birth, the dress and wings of angels). In China and Japan, white is obituary color.
White has cold and warm hues, but generally it is considered as a cold color. At home decoration, it can be used practically everywhere. In the bathroom and kitchen, it provides sterility and cleanness. This color reflects light the most, making the interior shiny and light and spacious. As flooring, we use it carefully, as it cannot give a stabile base resulting a feeling of floating. If we are uncertain about the style, let’s leave the walls and ceiling white, this will provide the proper background for everything. Adding different materials and textures, white spaces can be real exciting. Of course, white furniture is fastidious, there cannot be a mess and the cleaning should be excellent. White can be combined with practically any colors. It soften warm colors and strengthen cold ones. It fits perfectly to e.g.: French country, coastal and Scandinavian styles also.
Feng shui connects white color to metal element. This is the color of the Jang, the male side, associated to the 7. chakra (crown).
In business life, all organization can use it, where cleanness is important, such as hospitals, food processing factories, laboratories, charity organizations, cosmetics firms.
White interior can turn to rigid, “hospital style” easily. To create a cozy and showy white living space, ask a color advisor.

Fence

Nov24

The nice and secure fence stops the intrusion, at least partly transparent and tones in with the building

Lofted room

Nov23

A well thought-out and choosy implemented loft doesn’t diminish the sense of space

Animals in our home

Nov22

Having an animal means great responsibility, therefore we have to think, how will we get along with it before getting one! From the aspect of interior design, primarily cats and dogs are considered, since they can move freely in our home.
In a typical city apartment without garden connection, pets usually use all the territory. After walking, we can clean the paws of our dog, in case of wet weather we can even wash them, to prevent the floor being muddy. This is important if we want to use carpets or floor mats. Only the period of fur shedding can cause a trouble, mostly at longhair cat and dog breeds. Even this could be eliminated by frequent vacuuming the carpets and furniture upholstering and by training the pet to use its own lying place.
Having a garden connection lets our pets walking in and out freely – this makes the problem really tough. Wooden and stone flooring are easy to clean from muddy footprints and hair. Practically these should be applied in every room pets can visit. In case dogs that like to dig, or larger dogs, a smaller part of the garden should be separated, where they can play and run without harming the plants or vegetables. To protect the vegetation, we have to clean up after our pets frequently.
Important to provide an own place for pets (mostly for dogs) where they feel comfortable if we are not at home. Let’s train them to accept and use it. Their laying place should be comfortably soft, large enough and having a look not disturbing the haromony of the interior. Nowdays a lot of „design” cat and dog accessories can be purchased in pet shops, from toys to laying baskets. If we want real special, we can order built-in or tailored, classic style solution from a carpenter.
It’s recommended to keep the feeding and watering bowls and cat litter in a separate place, where guests cannot see them, e.g. in loundry room, pantry or any other hidden corner. In case of a bigger house, they can be placed in the garage or basement. It’s a question of individual approach, in which rooms can be visited by our pets, what is allowed for them in the apartment and what not, but it’s practical to train our pets in an elegant interior not to cause any damage, which is very time-consuming or costly to repair.
If you would like to modify your apartment or house to provide optimal place for your pets, or just considering having a cat or dog, ask for help from an interior designer.