Seaside colors

Oct15

Although summer is over, seaside style is popular independently from seasons. It means travelling, mental and physical freedom, serenity and calmness for most people. However, the question arises in interior design: which beach is desired to be evoked at home? Although the accessories specific to the style(s) (seashells, cord, objects connected to sailing, driftwood etc.) are the same, there is a significant difference in color usage among beaches of various places.
In the case of Mediterranean countries commonly white is the basic color but very light sand and hues of beige can be used for the base also. The leading colors paired to this are turquoise blue and green, cobalt blue and sky blue – all of them are bright shades.
It reflects well the cooler weather of the North-European sea-sides that mostly the primary colors are chosen besides the white or off-white base: navy blue, red, bright yellow, probably supplemented with dark orange and grass green.
Light grey is the basic color in Canada and in the northern counties of USA, following the austere weather. It can be both warm and cold hue. The colors paired with this are much more moderated: steel-blue, storm-grey, greyish brown, dark red, navy blue and less often blue water.
Really warm seaside of Florida and California are favorite holiday destinations also. The base can be white but some kind of light beige too. The colors used are quite subdued: blue water, mint green, coral, light yellow, light turquoise, maybe pink.
Warm weather and rich vegetation of Indian Ocean’s archipelago is reflected in that the basic color is frequently among the warm but dark browns of tropical woods. White accompanies to this as contrast and freshening element. Bright greens, pink, turquoise and canary yellow are the pop of colors (exotic flowers).
Of course, listing could be continued. The mentioned above shows well that seaside style has many faces, so it is important to make it clear before implementing, what this style really means to us. Mostly a nice memory is the basis which indicates the place also. Ask for help of an interior designer for reaching the desired result.

Paint palette 15.

Oct12

Purple color palettes of three seasons

Renaissance houses

Oct10

Representative renaissance houses (French, English, Italian)

Art Deco

Oct8

Art Deco was the determinative style of the 1920-30s. It was named after the abbreviation of Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes exhibition in 1925.
The style included almost all innovations of the age (e.g. aviation, electricity) but willingly used ancient cultures’ symbols as a source (e.g. rising sun, pyramid). These appeared as stylized geometrical figures. The human bodies on statues and relieves were a bit angular, masculine (even the women!) and dynamic. In architecture, skyscrapers were the breakthrough (e.g. Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building).
Chrome and bakelite – the new materials – specified the interiors. Extra shiny surfaces could be created by both. At the same time, they were combined with very expensive materials: ivory and silver on furniture, diamonds and platinum on jewelry. Black, white and yellow were dominant colors of the strong and high contrast palette. The style itself embodied luxury and elegance. Both mass production and unique manual production had a role.
Renowned artists were requested for furnishing not only private houses and public buildings, but for example the interiors of ocean liners and luxury trains. The style became simpler after the world-wide economic crisis, but still remained extravagant.
Art Deco is popular again. Accessories, wallpapers, furniture in the style can be bought in several shops. Take care not to overdose the used patterns. Ask for help of an interior designer for this.

Degenfeld Castle Hotel

Oct5

Degenfeld Castle Hotel Tarcal through the eyes of the guest (2018)

Mustard yellow

Oct3

Mustard yellow is a dull, darker and warm hue with a tint of brown

The European Grand Tour

Oct1

Grand Tour was a part of the education of noble youth in the 17th and 18th century. This meant a couple of months, even 1-2 years European round tour to the cradle of western culture, Italy. Firstly it was important to the English and Scandinavian nobility to directly meet the ancient culture. This was almost compulsory for those who learnt arts (architecture, painter, sculptor etc.) in those days.
They visited several other countries during the tour where they spent weeks or months and studied the ancient monuments and artifacts there. Commonly Paris was the first stop, from there they went further through Switzerland to Italy. Naturally Rome was the final goal, after Florence, Pisa, Torino, Padua, Bologna, Venice and Genova. On the way back, these was followed by the universities of Germany, then cultural heritage of Flanders and Holland, they went home only after these. It is important fact that these tours weren’t led by religion, so this didn’t affect on destinations.
Commonly departure took place in reaching adult age, so when they became about 21 years old. Although servants didn’t go with them (commonly a valet and a cook), the young nobles were escorted by a male family member or a male friend (e.g. their teacher or doctor). At first the tour was taken by a kittereen, then the railway came to the fore after its appearance. Many of them visited also Greece, Austria or even Turkey.
The studied knowledge and artistic learning were taken home not only in their heads. It was a general custom to shop during the tour. Original ancient artifacts, marble statues, coin collections, frequently books for a whole library, paintings etc. were collected there. Naturally they didn’t take them all at once but from time to time they sent them (mail service) home. Commonly a whole room was furnished for the collection in a noble man’s home who did the Grand Tour, but some of them were placed in the representative rooms of the house. It was very fashionable to be painted with a famous ancient ruin or a renaissance building in the background. This wasn’t for flaunting their wealth but spreading this knowledge at home and giving proper reports for those who couldn’t go there (women, less wealthy etc.). But they focused not only on the arts of men but the beauty of the nature and wildlife also. Science went for an elite thing, so it was the aim to acquire proper skills in every discipline of it, so they could minimum talk about it. The more talented of them even wrote a book of their own tours.
Collections of nowadays can be arranged also to give the effect of the Grand Tour. Ask for help of an interior designer for this.

Classic Interiors on facebook

Sep28

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Fireplace inserts

Sep26

Marvelous antique tiled fireplace inserts

Different autumn colors

Sep24

The typical warm colors of autumn are orange, burgundy red, rust-brown, sunny yellow and the like. Usually these are preferred as decorations. Many people think that these colors don’t fit for their home or their personality and search for another solution instead for autumn decoration. In addition, there are many other possibilities.
Pumpkin is a typical decoration element. There are white, dark green and greyish green species besides the orange and yellow varieties. These colors can be much better fit in an interior where white is the dominating color for example, or the colors of accessories are quite different from the warm palette (turquoise, powder pink, lavender etc.). Pumpkins are easily paintable, this way they can have almost all of the colors in our home.
For natural colored, more rustic interiors, choose a close-to-nature decoration in similar colors not to break the unity. For example, this can be a bouquet of wheatears in a vase, a bunch of brown branches tied with linen band, crops (acorn, walnut, pinecone etc.) in a bowl or balls made of bast.
If crops are in the center of the decoration, we can find fruits and berries of which colors fit more to our home: Granny Smith apple (green), yellowish green pear, Bodinier’s beautyberry (purple), Chinese privet (dark blue berries). Many species of chrysanthemum and asters can be purchased in Hungary, the white flowered of these can be perfectly neutral but impressive decorations.
As the days are more and more short, mood lightings get role again. The warm white light garlands can make any interior cozy. They can be placed for example in a glass vase or among the garlands on the fireplace or they can even frame a mirror. There are many color and shape variations of candles, these can be easily harmonized with the colors of the interior. Their warm lights give the mood.
Ask for help of an interior designer for seasonal decoration of your home.