Santa Claus anno

Dec5

The clothes of Santa Claus is not always red on antique portrayals. This color came to stay since 1931, thanks to the adverts of Coca Cola.

Faux snow

Dec3

The winter decoration will be complete if snow covers everything outside. Unfortunately, the weather can’t be affected, snowing might frequently missing. There are more possibilities for faux snow decoration in our home. It’s true, this will be inside but it creates perfect mood for the festive decor.
Faux snow is available in shops. It looks like a pile of small plastic splinters. It is shiny, reflects light almost as a prism. Instant faux snow is a much better version than this. This is a dry material which rises hundredfold connecting with water but it isn’t wet to feel. Sometimes water has to be sprinkled on it keeping the faux snowy look. At the end of the season it just has to be dried and can be stored for the next year.
More natural materials can be used for the proper sight also. The simplest solution is the large grain salt and granulated sugar. Although it is not practical to disperse them on the floor but they look good in varied storages with decorations. They shouldn’t be connected with water.
The 1:1 mix of shaving foam and baking soda produces a well-formable and cool-to-touch material from which even a mini snowman can be built. It can be a great fun for kids.
Cotton wool and wad are frequently used as faux snow. If the weather is dry, they can be placed outdoor also. The patio can be covered with it, potted plants can be put around or „snowballs” can be formed from it as well.
Let’s put some torn white textile coffee filters or paper hand towels in the blender and cut them up. The result will be a medium long fibred, light and spreadable material. Maybe it’s a bit harder to clean it up after the feasts but it’s worth the look.
Real snow can be replaced with many more materials (e.g. bath salt, faux snow spray, tiny polystyrene balls, soap gratings). All of them look different, will have different effect on the decoration, but the winter mood can be achieved this way also.
Ask for help of an interior designer for seasonal decoration of your home.

Ancient Egypt

Nov30

Ancient Egyptian seats

Range hood

Nov28

What should be the exhaust hood’s cover made of: copper, wood, stone?

Varnish

Nov26

Varnished surfaces are common on antique furniture. This is a high-gloss and hard coating which is transparent enough to show the nervure of the wood. It was applied from the end of the 17th century to the 1920-30s, until the appearance of artificial lacquers.
Shellac is an animal-origin resin, the phlegm of the lice called Laccifer lacca, living on trees. Varnish is the alcoholic solution of this. Its color range is from yellow to brown.
The surface of the furniture has to be prepared properly for varnishing. The wood is grinded in several steps with more and more fine grinding paper. The surface is burnished for reaching the desired color then the next step is immersing with vegetable oil. The latter highlights the nervure of the wood. The pores of the wood are sealed during priming. A completely flat surface is created by using pumice-dust and 7% varnish. The first polish is done after drying with a so-called varnish ball and 7% varnish. The second polish is done after grinding, with 5% varnish. The final polish is done with 2% varnish and polishing ball (e.g. linen, industrial cotton wool, raw wool). The polishing is actually the removal of the oil from the layers. This gives the final shine of the furniture.
Varnish is a very durable and noble but expensive and sensitive surface. The direct sunshine and heat (for example near the radiator) can harm it. It needs proper care: only alcohol and solvent free detergent can be used and avoid wax and silicone-containing products. It mustn’t be cleaned with wet rag. Remove dust it with a soft cloth. Repairing of the injured varnish is a time-consuming task, leave it to a professional.
Ask for help of an interior designer for placing your antique furniture properly, even in modern surroundings.

Black Friday

Nov23

Some black for Black Friday

Wall protector

Nov21

Put padded wall protector near kids bed against cold and for keeping the wall clean

Biedermeier

Nov19

Biedermeier style was popular in Middle-Europe between 1815 and 1850, first of all in Germany and in the Monarchy. The meaning of the word is a bit pejorative, the „good Mr. Meier”. It was typical in bourgeois interiors.
Main points of view were saving, expediency and comfort in furnishing a biedermeier interior. Homes were light, wide and bright, the walls were painted commonly white or covered by floral/striped wallpapers. Clean room was its attribute which was separated from common life, it served the representation – also for sparing. One of the main furniture could be found here was the display cabinet. It could have one or two-doors. It wasn’t the invention of that time but was very popular then. Family heritage and valuable decoration objects were kept in it.
Carpentry had a boom. Lines of furniture became simpler compared to styles before, less, but more accented decoration elements were used. Curves have appeared instead of straight lines. The legs of chairs commonly had a rectangular intersection, their backs were inwrought. The seat was padded with horsehair. Upholstery was striped or floral which was matched with fabrics of curtains and draperies. Combined furniture, that had more functions, was also popular. For example: chair convertible to library ladder, turnover/wind-wing table, hidden drawers. Only the outer (visible) sides of furniture were veneered, the inner part remained the base-wood, commonly pine. The material of the veneer was a lighter wood: cherry, maple, pear, ash etc. Settee was present in various types as the synonym of comfort.
Many original furniture has remained from this era. Most of the inherited furniture are biedermeier. It’s hard to place them for many people in today’s (modern) interior because of not only their design but their color also, although they still look good. Ask for help of an interior designer for worthy safekeeping of your heritage.