Home and Garden Chat » Home Decor

Bring the excitement and beauty of fall inside.

Jenny Bailey — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:19:16 +0000

I feel the fresh coolness of Autumn descending upon us. The grasses have turned golden and flowers are drying in the fields. Take a walk in the woods and fields and really enjoy nature. I like to bring nature into my home by collecting interesting items I might happen upon on my walk. I pick up pine cones, rocks, old knotted wood, fungus, dried plant material of all kinds, like cattails, Joe Pye Weed, seed pods, money plant, grasses with plumes, shells, snake skin, bark, and so much more. With these you can make all kinds of craft items and also decorate your home with them. A dried flower wreath is a great way decorate for fall.

After your walk you think, What am I going to do with all these treasures? Started a big pot of soup on the stove and figure out what you are going to do with all this stuff? Consider setting out simple ceramic or wooden bowls lined with a pretty cloth napkin or scrap, and fill with some of your goods. Texture abounds with natural elements, and will warm up a table scape, a coffee table, a fireplace hearth. Try getting out the hot glue gun and affixing your items to the candles you packed away at last spring. Small glass jars make great votive holders when dressed up with a few pressed leaves and acorns. Fill a bowl or plate with goodies around large pillar candles and use as a centerpiece. If you can’t find enough natural material near your home, check out the bulk grain section at your supermarket. Fall is about harvest, so any grain can be used to add that element to your home. Even cracked corn meant for the bird feeder can look great in a jar as a base for a candle.

When I think of fall, I think of New England in September and remember the beautiful colors of the Sugar Maples. The colors are so intense and pure, especially when the sky is brillant blue and the sun is shining on them. Can you smell the evening fires burning to keep homes warm and the homemade apple pie cooked fresh for dinner? It is a time to get energized and accomplish lifes’ tasks at hand. At night is a nice to relax in the comfort and warmth of your home and enjoy your family. Bring the excitement and beauty of this wonderful season into your home and make it the retreat that you love!

Choose nature as a clue for your color pattern to use throughout the house for fall decorations. Incorporate the elemental colors from Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Nature inspires the most beautiful colors! Colors reflecting Air will make your home breathe and fell clean. Earth inspired colors will ground and peaceful a room. Colors pulling from Water inspire playful fun and yet calming at the same time. Those reflecting Fire will say bold confidence and create excitement. Using a nature inspired decor will create a cohesive theme for the house and make finding and purchasing items simpler and less expensive. Finding a color theme that works through an entire house can be a challenge, but there are a number of basic autumn colors that work in most rooms of your home.

Work with red, orange, yellow and dark greens as the basic color palette for any autumn decorating. These colors can be mixed and matched, altered and paired with many shades and hues to create a beautiful interior decorating scheme. Using colored candles, picture frames, lampshades, towels and other accent items to tie the colors together makes a house feel put together and reflecting your ideas.

To avoid spending a fortune on fall decorations, choose a few basic pieces to use year after year. Make some pillow covers in fall colors that can be put on couch pillows each year, and use a tablecloth and place mats just for the fall season. Choosing home accents that bring the colors into a home without redoing the wall paint and other decorations can save money while making the house look great. Place a few candles around the house to bring the warm and aroma of cinnamon, pumpkin and apple scented to each room.

One of the simplest ways to update a decoration scheme is to choose some good autumn artwork to display along with family photographs and pictures. Hanging art prints is an inexpensive way to decorate a home while keeping it stylish, and prints can be exchanged throughout the year to keep the design fresh and unique. Choose art prints that match the color scheme used throughout your home. Artwork can be hung in bathrooms, along hallways and in guest bedrooms.

Display fall flowers, pumpkins and gourds throughout the house, as well. These seasonal touches of wildlife and agriculture will add a beautiful touch of the outdoors to the inside of any house. Additionally, autumn flowers can be dried and displayed well into the fall season as a potpourri. Fall is full of rich colors, aromas, and textures. You will not have to look very far to come up with your own unique ideas, but here are a few to get you started. Of course, we always think of pumpkins when fall arrives, but there are also a plethora of gourds and squash abounding as well. Some strategically placed gourds can bring those autumn tones into your home with very little effort. Another idea is to make a pretty centerpiece arrangement using hay, dried corn cobs, and colorful fall leaves. Keep these items looking fresh by spraying them with a clear coat of shellac and they will last all season.

Fall decorating doesn’t have to be a major decorating project for homeowners. Instead, choosing a few basic principles to work with, such as a color scheme and fresh artwork, can make autumn decorating a breeze. Cranberries are a terrific fruit to use in fall decorating. Place them in clear glass vases or bowls and then place tea lights around the outside to create a warm glow.

For a unique fall display, fill a glass vase or a collection of vases with layers of colorful dried legumes, nuts and/or dried fruits. Choose different shapes, sizes, and textures for a unique arrangement. After pouring in the first layers of beans and lentils, place a pillar candle in the middle of the vase so that the wick is at just about the same height as the rim of the vase. This simple display is reminiscent of traditional cornucopias, but it’s a bit more modern and will last an entire season.
For the ultimate in simplicity, fill a tall glass cylinder vase about one third of the way with pine cones. Place a simple white pillar candle in the middle. That’s it. A simple display with a sophisticated touch. Spray-paint nuts, acorns, and/or pine cones all the same color and place them in glass vases or hurricanes. Paint them to match the décor of the room for an elegant, yet still seasonal display. Another easy fall decorating idea is to take a simple pillar candle and glue cinnamon sticks all the way around. It’s simple and it smells great. Use a collection of different height candles to enhance the effect.

A pumpkin vase is a great idea for a fall centerpiece. Cut and hollow out a small pumpkin or gourd. Once the insides of the pumpkin are clean, place a square of floral foam in the bottom of the pumpkin. Create an arrangement using flowers and seasonal foliage. A large pumpkin is fine, but try using a collection of smaller pumpkins of varying sizes for a bit more visual interest. A variation would be to put a small pot of Mums in each pumpkin. Choose the colors to suit your decor.

Use mini pumpkins as candle holders. Using a sharp knife, cut off the pumpkin stems so the tops are flat. Hold a taper candle to the top of the pumpkin and trace around the base with a pencil. Trace the circle and cut out a hole that is half an inch or so deep (deep enough so that the candle will be steady). Place the candle into the hole and it should be kept in place. Run a few them down the length of a table. For an elegant take on this look try spray-painting the pumpkins all one color. (Always use caution when decorating with lit candles.)

A bowl of bobbing apples with tea lights set in them makes for a warm, glowing fall centerpiece. To make them, find apples that are relatively flat. Place the tea light on top of the apple and trace it with a pencil. Carve out a hole that is the same depth as the tea light and place the tea light in the hole. Put a few of them in a bowl of water and light the candles. Since this display works best in a large bowl it makes a great centerpiece for a coffee table.

Be sure to shop in our wonderful Fall Shop for all of your decorating needs and the best prices around.

Incorporate Feng Shui into your interior design.

Jenny Bailey — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:37:22 +0000

In order to incorporate Feng Shui into you interior design you need to have a clear understanding of what Feng Shui is. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice. It is the art of placing and arranging matter and space so that harmony with the environment is achieved. This harmony can refer to the harmony in the home, in relationships, in wealth and many other aspects in our lives. The practice has been around for several thousands of years and is still practiced in China and many parts of the world today teaching us how to create harmony and balance around us.

Feng Shui design cannot be of much help without looking inward. Doing a self-evaluation is the best place to start before trying to incorporate Feng Shui design. The self-evaluation is nothing more than taking a long, hard look at how you feel and how you live on a daily basis. Taking stock of your emotions, your relationships, your finances, and everything in your home that affects you throughout an ordinary day is crucial for trying out Feng Shui design changes.

Cleaning out the clutter and get rid of everything you do not love in your house. Clutter clearing is a time and energy consuming process that will feel like therapy, but it will help you lighten up the load metaphorically speaking.

Feng Shui is all about energy, and light is the strongest manifestation of energy. In fact, the light in your home both natural and artificial lighting greatly influences the quality of your home’s energy. Smart lighting and good quality air are the very basics of good feng shui, and should always be on top of your feng shui priorities for any space. These two elements are essential for good feng shui energy in your home, called Chi. Open the windows often, introduce feng shui air-purifying plants or use an air-purifier. Allow as much natural light as possible into your home, and consider using full-spectrum lights.

Your body reacts to everything around you, and you either get nourished or drained by the energy that surrounds you. I strongly encourage you to become aware of the quality of light in your home or office and its influence on your health and well-being. Light is our # 1 nutrient and has been called the medicine of the future. Make a habit of paying attention to how much good quality light you actually enjoy throughout the day, as well as the quality and number of the indoor light sources in your home. It is interesting to note that the use of cool white fluorescent lights has been legally banned in Germany at a Federal level. There are numerous studies on the negative effects of fluorescent lighting, as well as the benefits of full-spectrum lighting.

Knowing that color is light, how many colors are you actually enjoying in your space? Yes, you might not want to create an absolute rainbow of colors in your home, but the truth is that many homes are starving for beautiful, pure colors, starving for more light energy. Think of the happiest humans out there, the little kids; their energy is constantly nourished by an abundance of colors. Allow yourself to tap into a source of better energy, bring beauty into your home, bring more color, have good lighting. Educate yourself on how to light a home, and go for at least three sources of light in any room. Most young children are vibrant, creative, happy because they allow themselves to absorb different frequencies of light. Can you imagine a little child clinging to a beige decor scheme? It just can’t happen, as children are intuitively drawn to good energy.

Every Feng Shui design change that you make is important, even when the change is in a form of a furniture placement or positioning of other inanimate objects. As has already been discussed, elements have their own yin and yang energies. Wood represents life force and spirit—the wood grain rings indicate how many years that the tree has lived. Since wood represents growth, too much wood in a home can cause the energy to become too vigorous, too aggressive. Feng Shui design uses all elements in moderation for creating the balance in a space as shown in the pictures.

Try to keep your Feng Shui design ideas focused on areas that deserve your utmost attention, and don’t spread your energy too thin. Instead of addressing five power spots or problem areas at once, for example, start by addressing one, then move on to the next.

The following Feng Shui design idea can help you to understand the concept of Feng Shui design in a clearer manner:
A long room or hallway is often incorporated into an architectural home design and is a problem area that Feng Shui seeks to deal with because a long, narrow hallway or room carries Chi directly in a straight line. This allows Chi to gather force and become “rushing” or “raging” Chi. That’s not ideal. Aggressive energy can be harmful, leading to imbalances, and the room at the end of the hallway where the rushing Chi collects is probably suffering because of it. Having the bathroom at the end of the hall way is even worse. Since plumbing is symbolic of a house’s finances, losing Chi this way is literally “flushing money down the toilet”! This type of problem area can be fixed using Feng Shui design tips like keeping plants in the area as seen in the kitchen above, placing big pictures in the hall, or placement of the objects and furniture in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui elements. Enhancing the room or hallway in these ways can help the Chi to stay back in space rather than just rush in straight line. A Feng Shui bathroom, on the other hand, can help you to have money flowing in.

Corners are another major problem area as they are often overlooked place in the home where Chi is incorrectly channeled or missing all together. With Feng Shui design though, you can prevent Chi from missing corners. A suitable object placed in the corner can attract beneficial energy–a plant perhaps. Lamps, such as a floor spotlight placed behind a palm plant, are excellent for this purpose. Using different Feng Shui design ideas one can transform a dark, dreary corner to a well-lit corner that is full of life and vitality. Shining a light up through a palm plant makes the light dance on the walls and ceiling making wonderful designs.

Study the elements Feng Shui theory to help you balance the feng shui five elements in your home, as well as strengthen specific elements in specific feng shui areas. For example, if you are working on attracting more prosperity, you will introduce the feng shui elements of Wood and Water in the Southeast area of your home.

Know Your Feng Shui birth element and create a home to support your personal feng shui element. For example, if your own element is Fire, you need to introduce the expressions of Fire, such as the Fire element colors(red, orange, purple, magenta, pink, yellow), and triangular shapes. You will also need a strong Wood element in your home, as Wood feeds the Fire in the relationship of five feng shui elements.

Always be mindful of the state of your home and how the energy in your home influences your well-being. Make a habit of paying close attention to the so-called feng shui “triangle” that is deeply connected to your health – your bedroom, your bathroom and your kitchen. Nothing is static in the world of energy, so be wise and keep your home healthy and happy.

After you have mastered the home feng shui steps, you can explore the deeper levels of feng shui, such as, for example, the flying star school of feng shui. Be sure to start with the basic steps, though, before applying complex feng shui formulas.

According to Feng Shui, power spots are unique to each person, family and home and some of these are determined not only by the things that are going on in your life right now but also by the design and architecture of your particular living space.

If you are planning to build a new house, you are in fact in a position to draw the maximum benefit from the Feng Shui design. You can consult a Feng Shui consultant who can offer you a number of Feng Shui design ideas that can be easily implemented in your home. The most ideal situation according to the Feng Shui design would be to define the power areas first and ask the architect to design the whole house around them. It would be in your best interests to apply Feng Shui tool ‘Bagua’ to have the best Feng Shui design in your house.

By exploring Feng Shui design ideas, you can take the most beneficial and effective actions in every part of your house or the problem areas to encourage the optimal flow of Chi. While experimenting with the Feng Shui design ideas, as stated above, instead of using the Feng Shui design in the whole house , it is best to target particular problem areas first and then move systematically from room to room as a means of improving Chi flow in all parts of your living space.

The key to making the Feng Shui design ideas work for you in your home lies in accurately honing in on your most important problem areas and taking care of them first. To help you determine which parts of your living space are most in need of your attention. You can determine a problem area in your house by relating it to the problem you are facing presently in your day-to-day life. For example, if you are facing financial problems you can find out the areas that correspond to finance using the bagua and then use Feng Shui design to enhance the Chi flow in that area to bring about the desired change.

The areas where you are likely to spend most of your time are the best power areas. These areas can reside in the center and then you can have the whole house designed around it. For instance, the bedrooms can be located in the area that corresponds to a section of bagua which represents love, marriage and health. Since it is important for you to have proper sleep for 8 hours to allow the body to rejuvenate and energize itself. Feng Shui bedroom design also provides you tips for deciding the direction of your bed. The home office can be situated in a direction that supports financial and career achievements. The entrances to the house can be designed in a way that they receive the Chi, or life force energy, from the most favorable directions for the building. As there are power areas in the house there can also be problem areas, that can affect your health, relationships and finances in a negative ways. Feng Shuialso provides guidelines for knowing these problem areas and provides Feng Shui design ideas for improving these.

A power spot is an area of the home which can be as big as a room or as small as a tiny little nook, but this particular area has strong associations with your life (or parts of your life) that mean a great deal to you at a particular point in a given time frame. Feng Shui power spots are unique to each person, family and home. They are determined not only by the things that are going on in a person’s life presently but also by the design and architecture of their particular living space.

Josef Frank; The father of modern Scandinavian art

Jenny Bailey — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:57:24 +0000

Josef Frank was born July 15, 1885 in Baden, Austria, and he spent a good period of his life in Sweden. As an architect he was considered one of the fathers of modern Swedish design and is remembered for his prominent work in architecture and design for which he received prestigious awards during his lifetime as the State of Austria Grand Prix two years before his death. In fact, Josef Frank had left Vienna in 1934 for Sweden, since most of his work was rather misunderstood in his homeland. Frank’s work has been described as always in motion, bringing life to a room. Josef Frank was recognized internationally for his great work, this contributed to art which evolved into more modern techniques. Apart from his famous textiles, his designs range from furniture, lighting, glassware and architecture. His work plays with imagination and colour. During his lifetime Frank created a range of products, leaving over 200 patterns after his death in 1967. Some of his most famous textiles are Elephants and Manhattan.

Josef Frank was a renowned and prominent Austrian-Swedish architect and designer. Because of Swedens architecture and design, the artist stood out as the father of modern art in Scandinavia. It was in the Swedish soil where Josef was able to excel in the art world while working for Svenskt Tenn, the textile company that has created many designs that made him win the title of father of modern art.

His work is closely identified with the Swedish Modern aesthetic that emerged in 1930s and was widely admired in the decades following World War II. Before World War I, he worked on architecture and interiors including the interior of the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne in 1910. After the war he entered academic life, becoming Professor of Building Design at the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule in 1919, a post he held until 1925. From 1921 to 1924 he worked alongside Peter Behrens, Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Straad, and Oskar Wlach on the design of Viennese apartment buildings and, in the following year,he founded the Haus und Garten interior design firm. Most of his work in the later 1920s and early 1930s was centered on private and public housing, the most notable of these projects being the design of a two-family home for the celebrated Deutscher Werkbund housing exhibition at Stuttgart in 1927.

Architect, designer, and theorist, his work is closely identified with the Swedish Modern aesthetic that emerged in 1930s and was widely admired in the decades following the Second World War. Educated in Vienna he worked on architecture and interiors and after the war he entered academic life, becoming Professor of Building Design at the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule in 1919, a post he held until 1925. From 1921 to 1924 he worked alongside Peter Behrens, Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Straad, and Oskar Wlach on the design of Viennese apartment buildings and, in the following year, founded the Haus und Garten interior design firm.But Frank fell from grace when he emerged as a forceful critic of the extremes of modern architecture and design during the early 1930s. Dismissing the demands for a unified modern style, Frank insisted that it was pluralism, not uniformity, that most characterized life in the new machine age. He called instead for a more humane modernism, one that responded to people’s everyday needs and left room for sentimentality and historical influences.In 1932 he made contact with Estrid Ericson, the founder of Stockholm furnishings firm Svenskt Tenn, and two years later emigrated to Sweden where he would work as a chief designer for the company until his death 33 years later. His work came to define Swedish (or Scandinavian) modern design, producing colorful, cozy, and eclectic designs that provided a refreshing alternative to the architectural mainstream of the day and presaged the coming revolt against modernism in the 1960s. A celebratory exhibition of Josef Franks work is held at Svenskt Tenn in Stockholm, Sweden, where he lived for many years. Josef Frank died in Stockholm January 8, 1967. After 125 years his designs are still desired and celebrated. Long live creativity!

Frans Hals: Portraitist of the Dutch bourgeoisie

Jenny Bailey — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:39:32 +0000

Frans Hals was the great 17th-century portraitist of the Dutch bourgeoisie of Haarlem, where he spent practically all his life. Hals was born either in 1580 or 1581, in AntwerpBeligum. Like many, Hals’ family fled during the Fall of Antwerp (1584-1585)to Haarlem, Netherlands, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Frans Hals left no written evidence about his life or his works, and only a brief outline of his biography is known. He was the son of a clothworker from Mechelen and of a local girl, and the family moved from Spanish-held Flanders to Haarlem in the free Netherlands by 1591 and except for a brief visit to Antwerp in 1616, Hals lived all his life in Haarlem.

What he did for the first 25 or 30 years of his life is not known. The earliest indication of his activity as an artist was that about 1610 he joined the Guild of St Luke of Haarlem, a group who’s purpose is to register artists as masters. Shortly afterward he married his first wife, Annetje Harmensdochter Abeel. She bore him two children before her death in 1615from child birth. Two years later, Hals married Lysbeth Reyniers, who was to survive her husband by some nine years. In all, Hals had 10 children, and 5 of his 8 sons became painters. None, however, rose to fame.

Hals studied under the Flemish-artist, Karel van Mander whose Mannerist influence, however, is not noticeably visible in his work. At the age of 27, he became a member of the city’s painter’s corporation, the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke, and he started to earn money as an art restorer for the city council. The most notable of these were the works of Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Jan van Scorel and Jan Mostaert, that hung in de St. Jans kerk in Haarlem.

Hals evolved a technique that was close to impressionism in its looseness, and he painted with increasing freedom as he grew older. The jovial spirit of his early work is typified by the Shrovetide Revellers. In middle age his portraits grew increasingly sad, revealing sometimes a sense of foreboding, as depicted by Nicolaes Hasselaer, 1630-33; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The paintings of his old age show best his genius for portraying character as seen in the Man in a Slouch Hat,1660-66; Staatliche Museen, Kassel.

Frans Hals seems to have begun his career with sober portraits and with group portraits of members of the local guilds and military societies. The best of these early works – which already shows complete competence in portraiture – is a monumental painting entitled Banquet of Officers of the Civic Guard of St. George at Haarlem(1616; Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem), painted with a loose brushstroke technique that is unlike anything else in Dutch art of the time. It already has a sense of life and of relationship between the figures that was then unknown in this type of subject matter. By about 1620, however, Hals had begun to introduce into his paintings the jovial spirit that characterized his early works and that portrays with accuracy and enthusiasm one important aspect traditionally ascribed to Dutch character. Many of his portraits are simply pictures of merrymakers. The portrait of Hans Wurst in The Merry Companyshows the sitter in a tall, wide-brimmed hat, wearing a necklace made of pig’s feet, herrings, and eggs. The portrait of Mr. Verdonck (c. 1627) shows the subject joyfully brandishing the jawbone of a horse. Similar in spirit are the portrait of Peeckelhaering (c. 1628-30) clenching his beer mug, The Merry Drinker, and two later portraits, a picture entitled Malle Babbe(1633-35; Staatliche Museen, Berlin), which portrays an old madwoman laughing, with an owl perched on her shoulder, and a joyful picture in the Louvre Museum of a laughing, carelessly dressed Gypsy Girl(1628-30). In Hals’s group portraits this jovial spirit is evident and it revolutionizes the hitherto austere genre. One such painting is his second Banquet of Officers of the Civic Guard of St George at Haarlem(1627; Frans Halsmuseum), in which the figures take up postures normally employed for the expression of mystical religious rapture to celebrate their well-nourished contentment. In this painting, Hals displays his unmistakable genius for mise-en-scène; the dramatic effects he achieves here set him apart from most other painters. His militiamen are linked in a harmonious composition that makes the viewer aware of the cohesion of their group as a whole. Each conducts a dialogue with his neighbour, and here and there one figure is made purposely to disrupt the scheme with a gesture or a glance in the viewer’s direction. Nothing is happening except a meal shared by typical members of the Dutch middle class and their conversations. Yet there is a majesty to this scene that is equal to any depiction of an incident from the life of a king.

By the 1620s Hals had definitively evolved a technique that was close to impressionism in its looseness. Like the contemporary Spanish painter Diego Velázquez,he used colour to structure forms; and this use of colour is what sets the two artists apart from their contemporaries. Unique to Hals, however, is his use of quick, loose strokes of bright colour that suggest rather than enclose form and are highly expressive of movement and of the subjects’ vitality. Most painters of the 17th century approached their paintings slowly, with preparatory drawings, a certain amount of underpainting, and an elaborate finish. Although there is no certain evidence of his method, Hals seems to have started directly on the canvas and painted quickly, leaving his first spontaneous expression, which is almost an oil sketch, as the finished work. Hals continued to use this technique, which gave a striking immediacy to his perceptive portrayals of character, all his life, painting with increasing freedom as he grew older. Man with Arms Crossed (1622). Others follow that contain the same theme: The Laughing Cavalier (1624; Wallace Collection, London), Portrait of Isaac Abrahamszoon Massa (1626; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto), Pieter van den Broecke (1633).René Descartes. Still, although some continued to value his subtle perceptions, the public had generally begun to favour a more elegant style made popular by the portrait painter Anthony Van Dyck in England. What commissions he did receive were not enough to support him, and, like his two great compatriots Rembrandt and Vermeer,he saw his possessions sold at auction for debt in 1654. It was not until 1662 that his right to public assistance was recognized, and he was accorded a yearly pension by the city. In spite of this adversity the portraits of Hals’ last 16 years are his masterpieces. At this point, a view of the world is revealed in his painting in which the human comedy takes a tragic turn, and something breaks in the order that had kept the reasonable man and the madman separated. His portraits, no longer tempered by laughter, seem to express a realization that simply being is enough, after a certain age, for life to impress its tragic seal. group of old men and the other of old women, his men seem overcome with drunkenness and his women entranced by the obsession of death. Here he presents us with the most extraordinary reunion of senile decay ever assembled in the history of the pictorial arts; he shows us the quavering flame of dying life. It is not known whether these portraits were comprehensible to his models.

The joviality began to disappear from the paintings of Hals’s middle age. In the portraits painted after he reached the age of 40, the subjects seem to eye the world knowingly, with a shade of sadness in their faces. The period from 1630 to 1650 was Hals’s most productive. He was very popular among the staid citizens of Haarlem’s middle class, and during this time he painted more than 100 single portraits and 6 group and family portraits.

Frans Hals lived to be very old, and it is in the paintings of his old age that his genius for portraying human character is fully revealed. The last years of his life were difficult materially, and he was harassed by discouraging family problems. Although he continued to work steadily, he received markedly fewer commissions after 1650. He had, during his long career, achieved an impressive reputation; he had been honoured by many important commissions, had become in 1644 an officer of the Guild of St Luke, and in 1649 had painted the philosopher

Henceforth, Hals drew gradually closer to traditional subjects and stored away his drinking glasses and his tableware. At the same time he diminished the intensity, the vividness of his themes, a greater simplicity appeared in his compositions, and he took more and more liberty with his painting. His palette lost a good deal of its lustre. But through decades of work he had evolved a remarkably broad range of blacks and whites to choose from, and these colours were sufficient for what he wanted to show.

Old age fostered self-denial and a strict discipline in Hals, along with a new freedom in his painting. It most certainly was a painful time for the great painter. But the years had also sharpened his vision. There is no sign of religion in the evolution of his art; and it may be assumed that to Frans Hals, painting was a secular concern. Nevertheless, the loving compassion that permeated his art becomes, in his last years, something spiritual.

Like many artists whose style is unique in their own time, he left few direct followers. Hals was for a long time regarded as a competent but limited painter whose consistent neglect of any subjects other than portraits gave him no place in the history of significant art. It was not until the 19th century that interest in his work was revived. He influenced Édouard Manet with his free style and Vincent van Gogh with his subtle range of colours. In modern times he has been appreciated for the serious and excellent realist painter that he was.

Franciscan pottery rose into the limelight of fame!

Jenny Bailey — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 16:35:57 +0000

Franciscan Pottery started as an American firm, and in 1875 exceptional clay deposits were found in Lincoln, California. Three businessmen staked a claim, bought the land and began plans to use the clay for a new business venture. They promptly established the Gladding McBean Company and began making money by the production of sewer pipes. This part of their history is amazingly similar to the English firm, Royal Doulton, with whom they were to become linked to in history 125 years later as both firms were bought out by Wedgewood.

In 1928 an innovative ceramic material was patented as “Malinite” and was to be use in the ceramic body of tile. By 1932, experimental work had started at the Lincoln plant aimed at producing a pottery line using the “Malinite” body. The dinnerware and art ware were to be made in solid colored glazes. Originally, the dinnerware line was sold as Franciscan Pottery and included solidly colored, bright earthenware in the casual style of Mexican folk pottery. The name was altered to Franciscan Ware in the late 1930’s to allow for a more upscale and broader image. Shortly thereafter, the company introduced raised relief, hand painted patterns that proved hugely successful. Two of these, Franciscan Apple and Franciscan Desert Rose are the only continuously produced Franciscan patterns, and remain in production today. Franciscan Desert Rose has become the most sold American dinnerware of all time. Other hand painted patterns such as Ivy, October and Fresh Fruit became quite popular during this time. One of the most desirable and difficult to find Franciscan patterns for collectors is Wildflower, a hand painted and many colored tribute to the flora of the American west. It was produced for no more than three years.The entry of Gladding, McBean & Co into the dinnerware market was made possible in part by the arrival of Frederic and Mary Grant. Frederic was a ceramics engineer and previously had been president of the Weller pottery in Ohio. Mary was a successful stylist whose designs drove the first two decades of production at Franciscan. A number of other artists created designs and modeled shapes but the Grants worked together in their successful control of Franciscan products.In 1954 designer George James created an art ware line for Franciscan called Contours. It used fine china forms, two tone colors and fluid, graceful shapes to create bowls, covered dishes, trays, candlesticks and more. The contours line was very “new” for Franciscan in the 1950’s quest for modernism.

Franciscan introduced their Fine China line in 1942. This was marketed as Franciscan Masterpiece China after 1958 and production continued in the United States until 1978. The Franciscan name appeared on fine china from around the world after that time, but will bear a back stamp indicating the country in which it was produced.

The 1950s marked the departure of the Grants and the arrival of other design influences for Franciscan. The Eclipse “American Modern” shaped patterns of 1954 included Starburst. Starburst would prove a radical departure from prior tradition and used an irregular shape and abstract radiant stars resulting in a very modern earthenware pattern. Today it is collected as some of the best design work from the Modern 1950’s.

Some of the best of the Grants influences can be seen in their Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s Thirteenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Industrial Art in 1934. Two objects designed by the Grants appeared in this exhibition as Gladding, McBean products: a large satin gray bowl and a lemon yellow vase. In the same exhibition of 1940 “a bowl and platter designed by Mary K. Grant: made by Gladding, McBean & Co.” was again honored. This acclaim for Mary’s work continued in 1951 when an exhibition called Good Design by the Museum of Modern Art, New York selected the Encanto shape for exhibition. Encanto shapes went into production as fine china and sold with great success throughout the 1950’s. Extensive advertising and numerous new patterns on the shape kept the classic shapes alive and vital in the market place.

Franciscan pottery rose into the limelight of fame when in 1961 order by Jacqueline Kennedy for Masterpieces China to be used on Air Force One and the 1969 selection by the Richard Nixons of Franciscan Masterpieces China for service aboard the Presidential yacht. Other orders for special services for royalty from around the world were also filled.

By the 1960’s and 1970’s “casual dinnerware” made of earthenware was very popular and surpassed the sales of fine china of all types. Franciscan followed this trend, successfully marketing various patterns on their Hacienda shape in ’60’s colors of harvest gold and avocado green. In the ’70’s informal earthenware lines such as Franciscan Madeira and Picnic rose to popularity.

Franciscan survived the competitive ceramics market and the entry of plastic onto Americans dinner tables by having production of china made in Japan beginning in 1960. The Japanese Cosmopolitan fine china and earthenware Whitestone lines were marked changes for this historically California based producer.

In April, of 1935, the first catalog containing photographs of Franciscan Pottery was published. By the end of the year, the Glendale plant pottery department had 283 different shapes in regular production. By 1939, the prolific Glendale plant had produced at least fifteen patterns of dinnerware and nine lines of art ware. Marketing indications suggested a new dimension in dinnerware. The company moved quickly to design, produce and market a totally new line of embossed, hand painted, dinnerware. This concept was a complete departure from anything previously produced by GMcB Co. pottery department at the Glendale Plant. Complete lines of art pottery, colored tableware and kitchenware were to be produced. The trade name of Franciscan Pottery was chosen for the line in order to honor the padres who helped to settle California.

In 1976, Interpace sold the former Gladding, McBean & Company’s Lincoln plant to Pacific Coast Building Products and in 1979 sold the Franciscan Ceramics division in Los Angeles to Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Ltd. In 1984, the Franciscan Ceramics division in Los Angeles was closed down and production moved to England. In the Johnson Brothers division of Wedgwood. Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Ltd. would merge with Waterford becoming Waterford Wedgwood. Today, the Franciscan trademark is still in use, however collectors prefer to collect the “Made in USA” Franciscan Ware. Gladding, McBean is still in business in Lincoln, California producing sewer tile, terra cotta for architectural projects, and terra cotta garden ware.

Be sure to visit our Franciscan Pottery Shop where you will find a large selection of Desert Rose and Apple pottery.

Spode: A Great Legacy of British Pottery

Jenny Bailey — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:16:18 +0000

The Spode company was founded by Josiah Spode, who earned renown in the ceramic business for perfecting the blue underglaze printing process in 1784 and for co-developing the formula for fine bone china. He opened a factory in Stoke-on-Trent in 1767 and in 1776 developed the current Spode factory. His business in creamwear (a fine cream-coloured earthenware) and in pearlware (a fine white-glazed earthenware) was very successful. He began a career in the pottery industry at the age of 16, and later married a haberdasher, Ellen Findley, in 1754 and had eight children, Josiah II, Samuel, Mary, Ellen, Sarah, William, Anne and Elizabeth. His inherent skills and sheer dedication to his business lead to two major achievements that would redefine the pottery industry. The first was the development of a winning formula for fine bone china, and the second was the perfection of blue under-glaze printing. After successfully working for many of the best potters in the Stoke-on-Trent area, including Thomas Whieldon, which is still working today, Josiah I set up his own small pottery factory in 1760 and in 1770 established the Spode pottery company. He bought up land that adjoined the factory enabling him to make use of the intricate canal system that served the potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, allowing raw materials to be brought in and finished ware shipped out.

Spode was able to out-compete his rivals due to his two key innovations: the technique of blue underglaze printing and the perfected formula for bone china. During the 18th century many English potters were striving and competing to discover the industrial secret of the production of fine translucent porcelain. The Plymouth and Bristol factories, and (from 1782-1810) the New Hall (Staffordshire) factory under Champion’s patent, were producing hard paste or true porcelain similar to Oriental china. In the artificial or soft paste porcelain, imitating French production like Sevres, silica or ground up flint was used in the clay to give it strength and translucency. The technique was developed by adding calcined bone to this glassy frit, as examplifed in the production of Bone China.

The bone porcelains, especially those of Spode, Minton, Davenport and Coalport, eventually established the standards for soft-paste porcelain which were maintained widely after 1800. Although many of the factories had, before Spode, established a proportion of about 40-45 per cent calcined bone in the formula as standard, it was Spode who first abandoned the practice of calcining or fritting the bone-ash with some of the other ingredients, and used the simple mixture of bone-ash, petuntse (china stone) and china clay, which since this time has formed the technical makeup of English porcelain. A standard English paste may be taken as 6 parts bone-ash, 4 parts petuntse and 3.5 parts kaolin, all finely ground together. This is essentially the same as true porcelain but with the addition of a larger proportion of bone-ash.

Josiah Spode I, as mentioned above, is credited with the introduction of underglaze blue transfer printing into Staffordshire, in 1781-84. Spode introduced the blue underglaze transfer to Staffordshire ‘in a bid for supremacy in utilitarian ware. Worcester and Bow had commenced transfer printing in 1756, and Wedgwood introduced a similar process to Staffordshire in blacks and reds using

This method involved the engraving of a design on a copper plate, which was then printed onto gummed tissue. The colour paste was worked into the cut areas of the copper plate and wiped from the uncut surfaces, and then printed by passing through rollers. These designs, including edge-patterns which had to be manipulated in sections,were then cut out using scissors and applied to the biscuit-fired ware using a white fabric, itself prepared with a gum solution. The tissue was then floated off in water, leaving the glaze pattern adhering to the plate. This was then dipped in the overglaze and returned to the kiln for the last firing. Blue underglaze transfer became a standard feature of Staffordshire pottery. Spode also used on-glaze transfers for other wares. The well-known Spode blue-and-white dinner services with engraved sporting scenes and Italian views were developed under Josiah Spode II, but continued to be reproduced.

After some early trials Spode perfected a stoneware that came closer to porcelain than any previously, and introduced his “Stone-China” in 1813. It was light in body, grayish-white and gritty where it was not glazed and approached translucence in the early wares; later Stone-Ware became opaque. Spode pattern books, it is recorded that about 75000 Spode still survive from around 1800’s.

In Spode’s similar “Felspar porcelain”, introduced on the market in 1821, feldspar was an ingredient, substituted for the Cornish stone in his standard bone china body, giving rise to what is in fact an extremely refined stoneware comparable to the rival “Mason’s ironstone”, produced by Josiah II’s nephew, Charles James Mason, and patented in 1813 as Spode’s “Felspar porcelain” and was continued into the Copeland & Garrett phase of the company (1833-1847). Some of the ware employed underglaze blue and iron red with touches of gilding in imitation of “Imari porcelain” that had been introduced on Spode’s bone china in the first decade of the century: the most familiar “Tobacco-leaf pattern” continued to be made by Spode’s successors, William Taylor Copeland, and then “W.T. Copeland & Sons, late Spode”.

In 1778 Josiah I sent his son, Josiah II, to London to open a showroom and shop. This shrewd decision meant that Spode had direct information from their valued and wealthy customer base in London. Spode was able to design and manufacture ware that customers actually wanted leading the company to great success.

In 1779, Josiah William Copeland became his partner and the combination was a good one. Spode was the potter and Copeland the salesman. After much experimentation, Josiah I and his son Josiah II also perfected the recipe for fine bone china – an invention that redefined the pottery industry. This fine bone china was brilliant white and translucent. It inspired new designs and finishes and required new skills. It was of superior quality and strong while also having the look of being delicate. It was this formula that made the Spode name famous across the globe. When Spode died, his son, Josiah Spode II, took over the business with Copeland, and began to make porcelain also. In the late 1700s, Chinese porcelain decorated in blue and white was increasingly difficult to obtain as the imports slowed due to an auction ring that was lowering the profits of the Chinese exporters. People began looking increasingly to domestic producers, creating a wonderful opportunity for Spode and his competitors. In response to this, The older Josiah used a transfer printing technique on copper plates to reproduce the Chinese blue and white pottery which contribued enormously to the success of the factory. In this period, Chinese porcelain, particularly blue and white willow pattern, had become popular and fashionable. However, by 1784 imports from China were reduced and it became harder for people to buy. Alongside the “Willow Pattern” perhaps the most famous design today is Spode’s “Blue Italian,” which was introduced in 1816. This represented the peak of the technology of engraving and underglaze printing, with a range of subtle tones which were previously impossible to achieve. The pattern seems to have been based on a 17th Century watercolour painting of an Italian landscape. It presents a laid-back, yet mysterious scene, enticing the user to ponder the purpose of the buildings and preoccupations of the people represented. At first they produced just the original Chinese designs but later added to these , their own patterns like Blue Italian, Tower Blue and Willow, still produced by Spode today.

At his death in 1797, The Times obituary for Josiah Spode I said, “He possessed many amiable and endearing virtues, which rendered him an ornament to society and a service to mankind; in domestic attachments he was tender, generous and affectionate; in friendship faithful and sincere; nor was he less distinguished for charity and liberality to the poor. In short he lived universally respected and died not less generally lamented”.

After his father’s death, Josiah II (1757-1827) returned from London to run the Spode business in Stoke-on-Trent. Dedicated to the local community, Josiah II built cottage homes for his factory workers in Penkhull, a village next to Stoke where he also built his home which he named The Mount. He also donated money towards the rebuilding of a church in Stoke where he was senior churchwarden. During this time, ceramic slabs were laid at the cornerstones of the church which were inscribed “transmit to generations far remote invaluable memorials of the perfection to which the Potter’s Art in the neighbourhood had arrived in the early 19th century”.

Josiah II died in 1827 and was buried with his father at St Peter’s Church in Stoke.
The second son of Josiah II, Josiah III (1777-1829), had been initiated into the pottery business by his grandfather and founder of Spode, Josiah I. When Josiah III married Mary Williamson at the age of 38, he retired from the business but returned 12 years later to run the business after his father’s death in 1827. The business was carried on through his sons at Stoke until April 1833. In 1833, the company was sold to W. T. Copeland and Garrett. William Taylor Copeland, Lord Mayor of London 1835-1836, who was the son of William Copeland who had worked with Josiah II in London in the late 1700s. It remained in the Copeland family until 1966.

Today, The Portmeirion Group, who owns the Spode company, is committed to the development of the Spode brand producing the highest quality that is expected from Spode’s ware. The manufacture has been brought back many items to our factory in Stoke-on-Trent which has been producing high quality ware for the Portmeirion brand for 50 years. With Spode’s Blue Italian, Woodland, Christmas Tree and Baking Days collections as well as Portmeirion, Royal Worcester and Pimpernel, The Portmeirion Group is extremely happy to be associated with and producing ware for this great British brand.

Be sure to check out our Spode Pottery Store at terrific prices and no sales tax.

Decorate with antiques: connect with history!

Jenny Bailey — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:34:55 +0000

Decorating with antiques will give your home a sophisticated touch. Whether you add antiques to every room, or to just a small area such as a your living room or kitchen, the vintage items will enhance the space. If you have an assortment of potentially functional antiques, be open and creative about possible new uses for them. If they are beautiful items, and objects d’art, consider new and unusual places to display them. Mix antiques with modern items to create a fresh look. If you can’t find the original items, buy replicas of antique items, such as furniture and kitchen items. Antiques and collectibles will add beauty and individuality to any one’s interiors.

It’s no secret that old furniture appreciates in value, while contemporary pieces tend to decline. But most importantly, buy quality pieces. When you buy pieces to decorate your home, make sure they are made of good quality. Pieces that are not of will show, they will look cheap and lack detail. Quality pieces, however, will stand out as show pieces. They can be true works of art. Even though they may be more expensive, these quality pieces will appreciate more in time. The most important aspect of having antiques for me is their connection with history. It is fascinating to think about others who used it and what their lives were like.

So how does one decorate with antiques and collectibles? Here are some things that I have learned from looking inside my mother’s home, as well as other homes that use antiques in decorating. My mother’s house looked like an antique store. It was so over crowded with her antiques and collectibles that you were so overwhelmed you couldn’t really see anything. My mother had a lot of very unique pieces too.

If you are decorating with collectibles, make sure that they will work with the overall theme of the room you are designing. If you are designing with period pieces from the Victorian era, make sure that everything else in the room speaks Victorian. I am not saying avoid mixing and matching, for you can do so beautifully. Just make sure that majority of the pieces will speak of your overall design theme

What you collect most, is very likely what you’d like to see in your home. If you collect antique blue and white China and other oriental or Asian pieces, make sure that they fit the theme of your room. Mixing Asian collectibles in a French country style room could be tricky, so be careful. A contemporary home with minimalist style is a great backdrop for an Asian inspired design. Valuable items that have been handed down through the family for generations are often the first things that spark collections. These furnishings can be given the place of pride in your home, or seamlessly integrated into more contemporary design schemes.

Make sure to group like items together. Grouping the items in threes or odd numbers creates interest without the cluttered look. Grouping like objects together make your collections stand out more too. Also don’t overcrowd one area with collectibles and avoid scattering each kind all over the room. When you group them they will have more impact. To give your room a more balanced look, make sure to scatter your groups evenly.

Using a display cabinet such as curio or china cabinet is a safe and space saving way to enjoy your collectibles, be they antiques or treasures. You can also place the smaller items in shadow boxes or display cases which can be hung on the wall. One solution is to rotate collections so that some pieces are in storage while others are enjoyed. This is more relevant if the art and colors of the collection match seasonal themes.

Display architectural salvage or wall-mount an old textile for it’s beautiful texture. I hung some very old Persian rugs on a large wall. Display an oil lamp collection on a side-board or light tapers in antique silver or brass candlesticks. Consider converting a treasured object into a table or floor lamp and using it as part of your decor. Place sculptures and vases on a stand, making sure that they are sturdy and placed away from the flow of traffic flow. Use gallery putty or sticky clay to hold the pieces in place. For those rare pieces you can place Lucite glass dome over it, like those used in art museums.

A crystal chandelier can add drama to your collections. Highlight your antiques and collectible with proper lighting. If your collectible is a painting, put a picture light on top to highlight the work of art. Use a spotlight at the bottom of the display stand to highlight your sculpture. Use track lighting to highlight a row of shadow boxes on the wall. Turn on the China cabinet and curio lights to show your antique china and figurines.

A painted accent wall is a very dramatic backdrop for a plate collection.

Add paint to accent and highlight your collectible. If you have a collection of antique wall art or iron grills, you can paint an accent wall with a dark color such as burgundy or midnight blue, which will make your collections look even more impressive, especially if it is spotlighted. Or you can use a light bright color on the walls and that will make your dark art pieces pop.

Small scale pieces are best displayed in multiples. For example, a collection of vintage kitchen utensils hung from a peg board or a set of blue and yellow china propped in a row on open shelving. Another option is to arrange them in a vignette with objects that share something in common with them. The common element could be colour, texture or even theme. The connection can be as loose as a painting in burnt umber tones pared with antique books whose weathered covers show the same soft colors.

Vintage textiles such as scarves, tiles and door handles can add a quaint touch to your home. Use antique crochet doilies as place mats for candles and plant pots, or hang old lace curtains in your bedroom. Retro scarves featuring sweet embroidery details such as hearts and flowers add a romantic flair to the tops of dressers and night stands. Throw a warm vintage quilt on your bed, and replace modern doorknobs with opulent crystal antique versions. Replace boring vinyl bathroom flooring with old-fashioned porcelain tiles. Antique replicas of bathroom fixtures and hardware can be found on line at the Victorian Shoppe, where you will find a large selection a vintage items for your home at terrific prices and no sales tax. Many companies ship free. Don’t forget about using pressed tin ceilings and Franklin stoves to complete your authentic vintage look.

Furniture and art are larger items and directly contribute to the decor and functionality of a room. These bigger pieces often work best as focal points or key accents in a room. Think, for example, of how lovely and unexpected a large scale print framed in antique gold and hung in an otherwise minimalist bathroom could be! A small living room done in neutral colours with slip-covered sofa and chairs could benefit from the warmth of an antique chest of drawers. Using antique pieces can provide ingenious storage options as well. An architectural piece of salvage, or a framed antique map could make a unique work of art in the hallway.

Place a hook or two in a minimal decor scheme. Choose a stunning antique dress or kimono and hang it as a work of art. Create simple curtains or cushions from vintage floral fabric for a romantic, shabby chic feel. Fasten antique jewelry to a lampshade, affix to a fabric covered board or frame in a shadow box. Install shelving over door frames, around the perimeter of a room at ceiling height or under stairs. Create an artistic stack and use as a side table. Consider arranging shelves according to the size or colour of books.

A second consideration when displaying antiques and collectibles is the style of your space. A formal interior in a more traditional style can benefit from symmetrical arrangements. In this case, for example, a mantel-scape with two candelabras on either side of a turn-of-the-century clock could work comfortably. A pairing of more then one piece from the same time period works best in a formal environment. For example, a hall table, chair & mirror from the art deco period.

In a casual environment, single, unusual pieces used in unexpected ways can be lovely. For example, an old mill wheel used as a coffee table. Consider re-finishing or re-furbishing old pieces and putting them to new uses. An old washstand could house a new sink and make a character-filled addition to a bathroom.

At the other extreme, a maximality casual environment chock-full and overflowing with collections can be striking. For example, a license plate collection covering an accent wall or a floor strewn with colourful rag rugs. The key here is that the objects must relate to each other in some major way.

The shapes could be similar, the colours could repeat, textures and materials could be similar (smooth or rough) or a clear theme, such as hand-made or pop-art could unite them. Even in a stripped-down condo environment, a collection displayed in mass, for example, a colourful assortment of road-signs, could be just the ticket to a unique and beautiful space.

In the kitchen use a mix of open and closed shelving. Art in the kitchen, especially images depicting domestic chores, people enjoying food or the outdoors, can make this room fun. Install an old shelf or place a chimney cupboard in the corner to add interest to a standard kitchen.

Smaller collectibles can be displayed in vignettes or groupings on bedside, vanity or dresser. Perfumes bottles look great on a mirrored tray. Painted furniture in wood, wicker or metal can add charm and work especially well with a country style. In the bedroom, a large piece, such as a wardrobe or four-poster bed, can make a grand impression.

As you can see there is no limit to decorating with antiques. We are only limited by our imaginations. Have fun, happy collecting and decorating.

The bachelor pad ; A modern approach

Jenny Bailey — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:50:21 +0000

The freedom that you get from designing, decorating and living in your own space is terrific. I went to a married friend’s house and found him living in a house full of potpourri and flower-printed doilies. Every room except for the basement and garage was decorated by the wife who freely expressed her likes and personality. I saw his old college beer signs, sports team memorabilia and bikini posters rolled up and thrown in the corner of the garage. Another friend’s wife had given their master bathroom a duck theme with duck bathroom mats, toothbrush holders, soap dispensers and shower curtains. It’s your choice, you can have that or you can have a bathroom with “dogs drinking beer, smoking cigars and playing poker” theme.

Unlike married friends, you have the ability to decorate your apartment the way you want. But be careful, don’t make the same mistakes that others have. In a bachelor friend’s apartment, I found it full of tacky stuff. He wanted so bad to make his apartment look presentable to women that he bought boring art prints that meant nothing to him and plastered them all over his walls. He spent hundreds of dollars on vases and generic nick knacks to put on the bookshelves and coffee table that had no story or history to them other than being shipped from China to his local home decor store in a large shipping crate. There is nothing wrong with buying something new, just make sure that you really like it and that it makes sense with it’s surroundings.

Look for meaningful things at your parents’ house and ask for items that mean something to you. Get out your old favorite movie posters and framed them to use in your casual living space. Dig out personalized autographed picture or put that Dr. Seuss book collection that you loved so much as a kid in your bookcase. Framed pictures of you and your friends make it your space. When each item means something to you, this will invoke an interesting conversation. Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on worthless over priced items just to impress women who come to your apartment. Instead take items that you already own and care about and decorated your apartment with them. Add in new items to make your space feel updated and new, yet still personal. Women will be quite receptive to you when you reveal the real you.

The bachelor pad that features a clean modern design makes use of space in a unique way with space saving and multitasking design ideas. This space shows how modern design can be both high in style and big in personality. Although the bachelor pad space is undeniably masculine, elements of warmth and comfort can be consciously integrated by reflecting the owner’s personality and interests onto the design. A dramatic palette of chocolate brown and warm grays renders the space and the complementing textures of wood and leather contrasted with stainless steel and other metallic accents, creating a cozy environment for relaxing while, at the same time, being a chic space for entertaining friends.
If you have a lot of books, instead of storing the them inside closed cabinets, showcase them as an integral part of the interior design. Different types of built-in open shelves can be added throughout the unit to keep the books organized while making them a part of the interesting composition of the interiors.

The most important element of design is to make the space your own. Think about what you like as far as color, texture, and shape goes. Once you have honed in on these details, then think about function. Make sure that your space works for your needs and comforts. Buy furniture carefully so as not to overcrowd but to keep a cohesive look.
There can be shelves fitted above the windows, with a customized step ladder, to maximize the space. Drawers built under the ledges further improve the functionality of the space. A dramatic palette renders the space warm and cosy, yet exciting. Add complementing textures of wood and leather contrasted with stainless steel and other metallic accents to create a cozy environment for relaxing while, at the same time, being a chic space for entertaining friends. Make use of the space in a unique way with space saving and multitasking design ideas. The use of ottomans and coffee tables with storage is a good example. consider built in book shelves.This space shows how modern design can be both high in style, big in personality and extremely functional.
A bachelor pad is not what it used to be. The ‘ultimate bachelor’s pad’ is the idealized living space for the ultra-modern, trendy man. It is the supreme fantasy home; a fortress of comfortable solitude stylized by the latest in luxury living and top-of-the-line gadgets. Of course every man’s pad will be different to illustrate his unique tastes and character but there are some essentials that are universal in defining the ‘ultimate bachelor pad.’

A view is pivotal in defining the ultimate pad. An awe-inspiring view can leave visitors breathless and instill a sense of power or control over destiny. The view could be scenic nature with roaming hills and grand-esque mountains or perhaps it may be of an urban skyline, over looking the city. The point is that the view should be both powerful and inspiring, this often means that the view is more important in terms of luxury, than the actual location of the home.

A clean place is a must. It is hard to respect any place, no matter how well designed it may be, if it is dirty. Hiring help to clean is often a good idea. When hiring a maid you need to make the choice on whether you will hire an individual or a service? There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. With an individual, you can get referrals and can ensure that only one person will be in your home. However, hiring an individual means there is no replacement when your maid gets sick.

Some fancy gadgets will help give your space a customize feel. A wine cooler is a good example of this. Custom made is always the way to go, but if you are looking for something pre-built then a refrigerated wine cabinet from Marvel Industries may just be the way to go. A Proper wink rack should balance bottles of bubbly at just the right angle to keep corks moist and should have a slide-out wine rack which can hold at least five bottles in the compartment. Any decent refrigerated model should have room for around 60 12-ounce cans.

The furnishings give the space it’s ultimate personality. A luxury no guy should be without is a shag rug. A Contemporary Shag rug is more than just an style icon of the seventies but when properly picked it can add a luxurious and organic quality to the flooring. We recommend you shop in our Rug Store for some beautiful unique rugs, some with the 3 inch-high pile option. These are some of the most comfortable and stylish shag rugs we have come across. Make sure that you place the rug where it will give you the most impact, like the living room or master bedroom.

Rising property prices are not deterring a whole new breed of design-conscious single men from getting a place of their own. When it comes to living, these men expect only the best. A nice car is no longer enough and a designer apartment equivalent of a Ferrari. Owning a bachelor pad offers a higher social status to the owner. It is no wonder why the thought appeals even more to the highly social conscious male today.

Sophisticated apartments are springing up to meet the demands of these males who want their pad in the shortest time possible. These men are affluent and independent, individual, self assertive and fashionable and they look for the best in life that is available.

Gone were the days of old food and dirty dishes sitting in the sink and clothing strewn about the furniture and floors. Goodbye to the dirty and beaten down couch picked up on the road side, the television set that works some of the time, the refrigerator that doubles as a beer keg, down to the bikini posters on the walls. You can put those in the walk in closet. The 21st century Man has evolved into sophistication and it shows in his living space. It is unique. It is different. It is you.

It is unique. It is different. It is you.

Bright and Breezy Summer Decor

Jenny Bailey — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:11:49 +0000

When I think of summer I think of water, sand and sun. These are great inspirations for summer decorations. Are you looking for cool breezes when the summer days have been hot and muggy? Isn’t that the feeling you want in your home this summer? Here are some cool ideas that will give your home for a lovely summer feel.

Put cotton or linen slipcovers over your sofa and toss pillows. I stash my cashmere and chenille throws and bring out lightweight cotton throws. Not only do these fabrics feel cooler, they look cooler as well. Choose lighter colors for slipcovers than you would choose in winter. Light blues, greens, and yellows are perfect for Summer. Remove those heavy area rugs and bare the floors for the summer. If you must have rugs or if you have carpet, try a natural sisal for a lighter touch. Pack away all of those heavy and dark accessories for the season. Replace them with baskets, white or neutral candles, and lacy linens. Along with the dark accessories, pack away artwork that is dark and “heavy.” It’s time to bring out artwork in lighter tones and themes, if practical. Get the picture? Bring in the light and pack away those dark and warm winter accessories. You can bring them back out in the fall. Meanwhile, enjoy your new fresh decor for the summer. You can easily and inexpensively update your décor to reflect the new colors for summer throughout your home with items you already have or by picking up a few affordable new things that have the simple touch of summer.

If your existing palette is dark green, consider incorporating a light sage green into your room to create a fresh, summery feel. My first suggestion is to comb your house for items that match your room’s palette. Can any of these items work as accents with your existing style? For instance, a sage vase hiding under the kitchen sink might look great on the table next to your dark green couch.

Soft, pale blues offer a soothing look for any room. It’s a color that works well with white, cream, tan, black, and brown, as well as sparkling accents of silver, glass, and white ironstone. Straight from fashion runways to your home, pink continues to be popular in shades of lightest sunrise to brightest watermelon. A secondary hue in deep brown gives pink new sophistication and sets it off with style. Wake yourself up in a bathroom or kitchen done in a sunny golden yellow liberally matched with loads of white. A few darker accents in aged bronze, dark wood, or even a bit of black add a note of elegance. Neutral colors are a complimentary background for trendy black furnishings. Lighten things up with creamy ivory trim and lots of gleaming accents in ivory, silver or gold. Soft blues can range from dusty to violet based to a bit on the blue-green side. Choose your favorite and pair it with furnishings in deep walnut brown. Crisp white walls and accents of a soft blue will be all you need to create a restful retreat.

Classically nautical, blue and white schemes can work with nearly any theme or style of furniture. Try the color pair with red on a porch, with zesty orange in a contemporary living room, with yellow in a kitchen, or with soft green in a bedroom. Punch up your interiors with shots of summer color: kiwi green, ocean aqua, hot pink, and fresh-squeezed orange. Homes in warm climes may want to use these colors all over the house, though you’ll need to love the excitement such hot colors will arouse. Start with your favorite pastel (light pink, peach, butter, blue, or green) and accent with doses of light camel tan and whites. This scheme can be a good compromise when she wants color and he wants neutrals. Do you long for warm, welcoming color in your home? This may be the scheme for you. Pretty yellow walls bring sunshine to any room, while reds contribute a strong punch of color in fabrics, rugs, and furnishings. Keep the fresh look by painting trim a bright white.

Any color is elevated to new radiance when done in a tone-on-tone scheme. It could be wall stripes in identical colors but in 2 paint finishes (matte vs. satin), or a fabric or wallpaper that shows off a damask pattern over a similarly-colored background. The effect is soothing, elegant, and versatile.
Do you long for warm, welcoming color in your home? This may be the scheme for you. Pretty yellow walls bring sunshine to any room, while reds contribute a strong punch of color in fabrics, rugs, and furnishings. Keep the fresh look by painting trim a bright white.
Start with your favorite pastel (light pink, peach, butter, blue, or green) and accent with doses of light camel tan and whites. This scheme can be a good compromise when you want color and neutrals.
Cover accent tables with ivory linen tablecloths and put blue hydrangeas in white porcelain vases in the center of each table. I like the clean aromatic scent of garden tomatoes in the kitchen. Pick a portion of the vine and place it in a simple white bowl on the kitchen counter. The deep cardinal red of the tomato against the fern green vines adds an amazing contrast in the white bowl. It not only smells fragrant but looks divine and then you can eat it. Plant fragrant things near your door like lavender, gardenias, jasmine, so the scent comes in the open doors and windows. Plants fill my window boxes with bright flowers and fragrant herbs . When the breeze blows over them, the house is filled with scent. I also load up bowls on my kitchen counter with fresh produce from the farmer’s market, so I can just grab something fresh to eat and it looks wonderful, too.

The fresh air, so I leave the windows open and put screens on the doors. Then I rearrange the furniture so when summer comes, we look out onto a brick terrace with a fountain where I set four iron lounge chairs. I look forward to seeing them every summer after they’ve been hibernating in storage.

I always have more flowers in the summer. Make sure you cut some fresh flowers regularly to bring in. They have an impact that can’t be beat for a real summer flare. Bring out different linens for entertaining, and stock the wine fridge with your favorite white wines and rose champagnes. Even the music you play can be a little more up beat. Summer is a playful season, and it’s fun for a home to reflect that spirit. Sweep out the fireplace, and store the fireplace screen, and stack driftwood in a fan shape on the grate inside the firebox along with large sea shells. It has a subtle, sculptural look and brings a little bit of the beach inside. For casual entertaining on the patio, bring out the large tumblers, the rattan furniture and lacquered trays, grandmother’s glass iced tea dispenser, and lemon yellow linen napkins. And when it’s really hot and the air conditioning is in full force, spray the sheets with lilac-scented linen spray. It’s refreshing and keeps that vital connection to the outdoors that’s such a big part of summer.

Be sure to visit our Summer Shop where you will find a unique selection of great summer items.

Swedish decorating style is fresh and airy!

Jenny Bailey — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:27:01 +0000

Please visit our Swedish store for a wide selection of beautiful Swedish products. Happy Shopping!

The simplicity of decorating a home Swedish country style, combined with the warm look that it imparts to a house, is what’s generating people’s interest. Open spaces, minimal adornments and avoidance of unnecessary items, this is what Swedish style is all about. There’s no question that Swedish style is popular for decorating homes. The refined elegance and casual aged appearance seems to have universal appeal. Carl Larsson (1853-1919), Swedish artist, is generally credited with popularizing the Swedish style of decorating.

This style was heavily influenced by the light and weather of Scandinavia. Long dreary winters with early dusk and a lack of natural light necessitated the need to bring the lightness indoors. The Swedish decor features light, lustrous and pale colors and furnishings as well as reflective surfaces and minimal clutter. Anything pale, light, airy, and lustrous is popular with Swedish style decors. Since pale walls, floors, and furnishings reflect the natural light, interiors decorated with this style are cheerful, calm, and warm even on the darkest winter days.

Walls, floors, accessories, and furniture are painted or stained in pale tones of white, cream, soft yellow, pale pink, soft green, and dove gray. These surfaces are accented with gold and red. After white, blue is the color most often used in Swedish style interiors. The tone reflects or emits the feeling of a clear, fresh day and coordinates easily with the other colors of the Swedish color palette. Against the clean white ground, accents of red look fun and bold in Swedish interiors. The color is found in wallpaper, fabrics, stripes, and floral prints.

Straight lines and gentle curves combine in Swedish style furniture. Legs on case goods are delicate and tapered at the floor. Simple light-stained wood or padded headboards are common on beds in Swedish style interiors. Canopy beds are popular and use yards of white fabric mounted on a coronet or hanging from poles or rings on the ceiling. The Swedish look is often achieved by using nooks, trundle and daybeds rather then a large piece which would not have fit in smaller country Swedes homes. Extra seating is provided by benches of simple, delicate design. Padded cushions and bolsters soften the look. Wooden frames and delicate, carved legs are found on a typical Swedish style sofa. Upholstery is simple on seat cushions and back pillows. Birch, white pine, beech, and alder are readily available and common. Woods are often bleached or painted or stained with white or pale paints. Most wooden furniture is painted in white, cream, soft gray and other delicate, light colors. Stencils are added for color. Simple carved accents are used on some pieces of furniture, especially on fluted legs,and beaded edging are common, mirror frames and leaded glass windows, high ceilings, wall moldings and reflective mirrors and sconces are often placed on walls to increase and reflect existing light which is typically a mix of simple hanging fixtures, wall sconces and lamps.

Simple woven, textured white fabrics of linen or cotton are common. Textures, stripes, checks, and plaids add more color. Patterns used in Swedish decorating are usually color on a white ground. Small floral prints have lots of white ground, too. Stripes, checks, and plaids are almost always white and one other color. As far as furnishings go, floral patterns, stripes and checks work the best. Wallpaper, with ribbon, wreath or heart motifs, or abstract shapes like diamond, circle and oval may be used as well. For the floor, make use of striped rag rugs that give a warm and homely look. You can also use ‘woolen-looking’ blankets on sofas, so that the house looks more inviting. Try to bring nature into your home. Adorn your house with fresh flowers and natural objects like pebbles, shells, etc.

The Swedes and their nearby neighbors in Norway have long been known for a rather unique style known as ‘Scandinavian’ or Swedish and characterized by its heavy use of unfinished woods and simple but elegant lines. There are variants such as ‘Country,’ ‘Nordic,’ and ‘American’ Swedish design as well as true Scandinavian design which should really be classified as its own unique style – but all hark back to the roots of Sweden, the dark and long winters there and the ancient Viking past.