Reusing maps

Jun20

Almost every summer holiday began with buying the paper map of the destination, before the appearance of GPS and navigation apps. They became a bit worn during the trip, especially if they were used on more trips. Then they ended at the bottom of a drawer and were forgotten. However, they shouldn’t be necessarily thrown to the recycling bin. Let’s see some examples for using them.
Let’s wallpaper the room with them! They can be pasted up, just like the common wallpapers. A perfect focal point can be created with covering a center wall with maps. More colorful pieces can be used in children’s room, but choose the yellowed, few-color printed versions for a more subdued effect. Putting them behind a backsplash glass in the kitchen gives a really unique effect. The wall of the staircase or the mantel can be highlighted this way also.
Furniture made of wood or MDF can be popped up with them. Just stick the maps on the back of a chair, on the drawers of a commode or even on top of a table, for example. The surface will be more durable with several coats of lacquer. If a few umber is added to the lacquer, the surface will have antique effect.
Smaller household objects can be also decorated with maps by decoupage technique. The boring cork coasters can be popped up with the colorful lines of a town’s transport network. The simple cardboard lampshade will not only be more spectacular, but it will color the light a bit. The terracotta pots of herbs lining on the kitchen windowsill will look much better this way also.
Putting the maps in frames and hanging them on the wall is a cheap decoration. They can be grouped not only by colors but by geography also. More classic and more united effect can be reached with similar frames.
Ask for help of an interior designer for re-using your thought-to-be unwanted objects.

For Fathers’ Day

Jun17

DIY decoration ideas for Fathers’ Day

Mini gardens 2.

Jun15

Mini potted vegetable gardens on the patio – fresh, own grew ingredients

Paints

Jun13

Several base materials were used throughout the history for making different paints. There are two main groups of them: artificial and natural based. In the latter case we discern mineral, floral, animal and fungus origin paints. They were used equally for paintings, fabric dying, wall painting, ceramics, and even make up.
Prussian blue is an artificial color also. It was first created about 1705, with mixing potash, ferric sulfate and grease. Mountbatten pink was named after the famous general about 1940 who used this as camouflage color to hide the destroyers for the enemy at twilight and dawn. It was mixed from mauve, light pink and grey. For example, white lead, cadmium yellow and Tiffany blue are artificial colors also.
In ancient Egypt copper carbonate was ground, mixed with grease or resin for making malachite green and used as eye shadow make up, around b.c. 2500. Verdigris was also a paint material in Greece since b.c. 300. The green patina was scraped from copper and used as a pigment. It can be created by soaking copper in vinegar or vine also. For example, galena (greyish black) and raddle are mineral colors too.
Turmeric is a floral based paint which is created from the root of the plant. It was used since about b.c. 3000 in India, the dresses of Hindu brides were colored with it. Julius Caesar mentioned the blue paint made of woad in his description of his campaign in Britain, where the enemy used it as a deterrent war make up. For example, the red of mudder is a floral paint also.
There are less animal based paints. Purple was made of a species of lice, they were dried and ground. Montezuma I. got this material as tax. The red coat of British uniform was dyed with this paint until the 20th century. For example, Tyre purple is an animal color also.
Litmus lilac was made of a species of lichen by drying and grinding. It was very popular about 1300 in Florence. Several species of fungi are used for making paint with ammonia or vinegar, which encompass the range of colors from pastel yellow, through rust red and brown to deep dark green.
Nowadays more paint factory keeps on producing paints based on natural pigments, just as several textile factories work only with these kinds of dyes – since they don’t emit pollutants. Ask for help of an interior designer for choosing one.

Table centerpiece 5.

Jun10

Summer table centerpiece ideas

Toilette

Jun8

Let’s decorate the toilette because it’s a part of our home too

Double height room

Jun6

Double height rooms are more and more frequent in newly built houses. Mostly one can look down from the upper level which can give a new and exciting perspective for the owners. Typically, the living room, the kitchen or the entrance hall is created this way.
Furnishing of these rooms can be a challenge. Not necessarily the oversized furniture is the solution. The huge space can be filled with creating a focal point to eliminate the feeling of unusually emptiness and rigidity.
Covering the fireplace up to the ceiling is a perfect answer to the problem. Don’t be upset if there is no chimney: bioethanol fireplaces can be placed anywhere. Additional color and texture can be brought in the space with natural stone or wooden paneling.
There are similar window-heights in a double height room, or maybe they are ordinary sized but in two rows. Spectacular curtaining of these works well as a focal point. Hanging fabrics from ceiling to floor has to be left to professionals. It can be complemented with electric blinds; in this case the curtain will serve as just a decoration indeed.
Proper lighting is always a basic task. In this case, a really big and beautiful chandelier can be hung. Pay attention to not only the size filling the room but giving enough light also. If everything else is neutral, it will attract the eye.
If it is a living room, plus stairs can be built here, this way one hasn’t return to the main stairs for going up. A nicely carved metal or wooden spiral staircase is a perfect eye candy. Let’s put the library here, so the bookshelves can reach to the ceiling, they will be easily accessible also.
It’s an extreme case, but a motor-cycle or a smaller boat can be stored by hanging from the ceiling. Pay attention to fit in the style of the flat and don’t transform the living room to a depot. In this case, planning and creating the hanging system must be always done by a professional!
Of course, there are many other possibilities besides those above. Ask for help of an interior designer for esthetically highlighting the double room height.

Furniture as flower beds

Jun3

Reuse old furniture in the garden

Color pairs 15.

Jun1

Color pairs: blue-yellow

Empire

May30

Empire style was developed in France under the reign of Napoleon. The emperor wittingly created a style which marks his reign and contains the main features of ancient world-powers, referring to his own glory. It was spread all over Europe by his conquests.
Empire style is based on monumentality and luxury. It alloys ancient Greek and Roman architectural features with ancient Egyptian motifs, favors the more ornate ones from all of them. Corinthian columns dominate in the buildings. Big amount of gilding makes the sight imposing in the interiors, which is pared commonly with black (ebony, varnishing, marble), claret and bright dark blue. Furniture are covered with ormolu, the frame of seats is fully gilded, moreover the upholstery has yellow or gold color also. Out of fabrics, silk and damask became conspicuous.
Bays, olive-branch, N (Napoleon) and J (Josephine) letters, flower garlands, pitcher are repeated motifs. Frequently caryatides or winged animal figures hold the top of tables instead of legs. These decorations are common on dressers also. Mahogany was the most frequently used wooden material.
Walls were covered with heavy fabrics which were even pleated for a thicker effect. Their colors were commonly dark green, claret or dark blue. Beloved solution were the painted walls and the gilding of plastered ceiling. The edges and patterns of paneling was highlighted by gilding too. The base color of these was typically cream or off-white. The bottom of curtains reached the floor, they were made of heavy but lighter colored fabrics, richly pleated and decorated with golden fringes, tassels and trimmings.
You can also implement the feeling of luxury provided by Empire style in your home with the help of an interior designer.