Furniture historians trace the banquette, derived from the Germanic word for bench, all the way back to France in the 1600s. Royalty used banquettes as window seating in formal rooms, with cushions covered in lush upholstery and carpeting. Rumor has it that many castles and palaces had concealed entries to secret passages located underneath banquettes.
Fast [...]
Mirrors have been used for centuries to accentuate decor. The shape, style and construction of a mirror (carefully chosen and placed) can be as much an art piece as any fine painting. Mirrors can be found in almost any conceivable shape, from round to square, to free-form. The materials used to construct mirror frames, including [...]
Color Meaning of Pink
Cotton Candy and Little Girls: Pink is a softer, less violent red. Pink is the sweet side of red. It’s cotton candy and bubble gum and babies, especially little girls.
Nature of Pink: While red stirs up passion and action, studies have shown that large amounts of pink can create physical weakness in [...]
Elle Decor
Blue brings to mind a beautiful sky in summer and the calmness of a still turquoise sea.
Its coolness helps people relax and take life at a more leisurely pace.
Blue is one of the easiest colors to decorate with. Blue will appeal to a wide range of people because it is a calm and [...]
The folding Screen has been a classic piece in interior design for centuries for several good reasons. First and foremost, they’re beautiful and they are part of an elegant yet unpretentious approach to the design of comfortable living spaces. And if Asian, they add an exotic Eastern flavor to any room.
The look is dramatic, and can serve [...]
The color green is timeless. Green is life. It is a color that most people don’t mind, which makes sense, because green is a very dominant color in nature. Green is a refreshing color. It signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment.
Most people associate spring and the refreshing optimistic feelings they have when thinking about spring, with [...]
Beautiful wallpaper accent wall via House to Home
Creating an accent wall–that is, using color to treat one wall differently from the others in a room–is like adding an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. It adds excitement and importance to a space. In many rooms you don’t have a sense of architecture or [...]
The daybed is an extraordinary piece of furniture with multi-purposes that has a long history dating back to the medieval times. This means that some form of the daybed frame has been around for centuries. However, they have gone through many changes throughout the years.
The designs created by the ancient Greek, Roman and the Egyptian [...]
“Visual balance is the key to a classical interior design style.”
With a nod to the architecture and imagery of the Greek and Roman empires, classical interior design is based on order, symmetry and balance.
A primary element in classical style is the use of a focal point around which visual balance is achieved. A grand, marble [...]
Mirrors bring light into a room, especially when placed opposite an existing window, and can even mimic windows when hung like panels and decorated with window treatments. A large wall mirror becomes a focal point, reflecting back the entire room resulting in a depth of space that makes a living room or bedroom feel expansive.
This [...]
“Arts and Crafts Style brings together clean lines and fine craftsmanship.”
Arts and crafts style interior design revolves around finely crafted furniture and interior features – usually of wood.
In the United States, a variation of this style that became popular through the years is called Mission Style.
Arts and Crafts interior elements feature prominent straight lines and [...]
Kelly Hoppen
A white-on-white scheme creates an airy, restful master bedroom. There is nothing more serene and peaceful than a white bedroom.
A great way to create a whole white bedroom is to layer different shades of white and use lots of different textures and shapes. Just imagine… walking in your new bedroom… a clean line white dresser, [...]
Kelly Weastler Design
Elemental colors like gold are popular in decorating for many reasons.
Gold is timeless!
Gold is rich!
Gold is adventurous!
Gold is priceless!
If you’re decorating with gold in mind, then you’re also in very good company. Many celebrities and members of royalty have used this precious metal in their decorating schemes.
From ancient greek [...]
“Tuscan interior design recalls the good life of a golden age.”
Tuscan interior design evokes the sun-kissed fields and vineyards of Italy. It’s a warm, old world look that makes you feel instantly at home.
Maybe that’s why it’s a favorite of so many people who choose it as their dominant interior style. The good news is [...]
Sandrini Scale
It may not lead to heaven but if you design your staircase with some creative thought it can look the part!
A custom built staircase is only limited by the designer’s imagination, and can make use of a wide variety of materials to produce what are often strikingly original forms.
Most of us probably take our [...]
A little bit of Silver adds some sparkle and life to almost any room in your home. Dressers, light fixtures, accessories and mirrors all fit the bill; and this is not a passing fancy. Silver furnishings have been featured prominently in well-designed interiors for many years. Original antiques can can be pricy but there are [...]
Striped walls is by no means a new trend. Striped wallpapers have been around for over a century. However, updated stripe styles are making a resurgance in today’s modern interiors. Here I have created a gallery of various striped walls with descriptions.
My belief is that if you are going to stripe it up, you might [...]
“Create retro sizzle with an Art Deco interior design style.”
Art Deco interior design has a very unique look. Some might call it “classic retro style”. Whatever the case, you can use
elements of this style to define a living space with distinct personality that stands out from the crowd.
The Art Deco movement was prominent in the [...]
“Gustavian inspired, Swedish interior design is light and sophisticated.”
A bit of history….
Sweedish Interior Design style is characterized by a look that is light,airy and elegant. Whether classic in emphasis, country or contemporary in direction, this style underscores an elegant and refreshing atmosphere.
Despite originating centuries ago, the Swedish Gustavian style is a look that is still [...]
“Tropical interior design emphasizes natural, exotic elements.”
Surrounding yourself with a tropical interior design scheme is one way to indulge your taste for exotic lands.
Feel the essence of old Bombay or the breezy majesty of Martinique as you spend time with family and friends.
A tropical interior design scheme can be developed through the purposeful mix [...]
Design by Katie Leavy
“Peace and vitality are the hallmarks of Asian interior design style.”
Though various decorative styles originate on the world’s largest continent, the Asian interior design style has largely been influenced by Chinese and Japanese culture. If your life is hectic and you’ve been wishing for an interior style that promotes serenity, this Oriental [...]
“ Less is more to create modern design lines”
Modern style is a clean, streamlined furniture and architecture style from the 1930s with roots in the German Bauhaus School of Design and Scandinavian modern design. It’s characterized by polished surfaces, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry. Expansive, unadorned windows marry the interior with the exterior landscape.
Colors – [...]
photo “Traditional Home”
“Traditional interior design brings the warmth and elegance of the past into the present.”
Traditional interior design is perhaps the most popular style in America today. It has roots in earlier generations but still manages to embrace the present with style and comfort.
The shapes in this style setting are typically very graceful. Curving lines [...]
“Create modern simplicity with a contemporary interior design style.”
Clean-lined is often how contemporary interior design is described, and for good reason. This modern approach focuses first and foremost on function and avoids the excessive ornamentation evident in many other styles.
Some people shy away from the contemporary design approach because they believe it to be too [...]
When choosing a color scheme for your home, a variety of factors must be considered; is this a home with young children where use of bold colours would stimulate the senses or are you after a contemporary look and a harmonious colour palette.
Where to Start
A first step when choosing a color scheme is to determine what [...]
French native Marie Burgos founded her interior design firm in 2007 with an emphasis on residential spaces which rapidly expanded to commercial design. Marie’s ultimate talent is understanding her clients needs and creating home, office and commercial interiors that are balanced, sophisticated, and highly functional.
