Vintage interior design is a really popular look -- and rightly so -- it is a really relaxed, traditional style -- warm and comfortable in feel, and very easy to achieve -- and to live with!
In the loosest sense, a vintage interior design scheme is just a look that is old - traditional, classic styling.
In a stricter sense, 'vintage' refers to the 1940's and 1950's - an era of hope and new beginnings!
In many ways, the 1940's and 1950's were a safer, simpler time - a slower, more relaxed pace of life ... you could leave your back door unlocked, while you popped down to the shops! Family and the home were a very important focus to life - and this led to a very comforting and welcoming feel to vintage home decor and interior design.
The vintage era is a period that most people can actually remember - either from their own childhood (or even adult life) or at least from the home of their grandparents. This is a very nostalgic look and feel. It will recreate comforting memories and emotions from childhood - feelings of comfort and safety.
This is an easy, relaxed feel - there are no strict rules to getting your vintage interior design look - only a few simple guidelines to follow:
After the War, people did have to 'make-do and mend'. They used old furniture, from all different eras - fine antiques and family heirlooms, handed down through the generations, and simpler pieces, that were made over and repaired. So, feel free to mix and match all kinds of traditional furniture pieces in your vintage decorating scheme.
Look out for loads of hand-made goodies too - such as patchwork quilts, made from pretty scraps and fabric remnants.
A vintage interior design style is definitely not an expensive look to try in your home. Scour antique stalls and flea markets for solid, quality items - the slightly worn look will enhance the 'pre-loved' charm of the unique pieces.
If you find furniture in different styles and different types of wood, why not try painting all your furniture pieces in white, or a colored paint. Try going for a deliberately distressed look, by applying wax to edges and corners that would wear naturally. Paint over the top, then rub down these areas, and create your own 'genuine,' distressed and worn look.
Choose muted and pastel tones for walls and fabric - any color will go, so long as you don't choose something that is too fresh, modern and bright. Add a little interest with accents of patterned wallpaper, and pretty fabrics for upholstery, slip-covers, throws, cushions and curtains. Look out for pretty, floral designs - particularly those typical 1940's and 1950's attractive rose patterns.
Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns and fabrics - and pile on all the pretty layers - slip-covers, throws, patchwork quilts, crochets and lace will all give you that really warm and comforting, nostalgic feel.
Display period accessories and collections on open shelves, or in glass-fronted display cabinets - look out for pretty ornaments, porcelain figurines, and all types of pretty ceramics and pottery.
This is a really good style for anyone who loves knick-knacks and collections - indulge and display your hobby collection - or start one right now...!
I am sure that you will find vintage interior design really comforting and comfortable look - as well as really easy to live with, and really easy to achieve. Don't worry about any rules, and just include all your favourite bits and pieces and styles - regardless of era...
Create a home and style that is uniquely yours - stamp your personality on your space, and relax into a comforting, safe space - that makes you feel really good!
Do you want to see some Pictures, and further information to help you get the right look?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Glass For Interior Designs
Every person wants to be recognized as an individual with special skills, values and talents. These attributes are often displayed in the way we dress, the way we act, the friends we choose and yes, the way we decorate our homes.
For instance, interior designers believe that choosing glass as a means of interior decorating speaks about attributes such as inner beauty, fragility, tenderness and luxury. It's in romantic natures to opt for tiffany lamps or crystal chandeliers. Yet, these are expensive products. Wouldn't it be better to try a little interior decoration of our own?
A personal design mirrors our very essence, hidden feelings and traits we often disregard. Is it safe to expose them? Is it safe to let people know who we really are? Yes, because that's what it takes to make out of interior decorations a real art: to give something to the world, to create.
Creating our own interior design means taking a personal risk. It's not fear, it's just the emotional stress: whether the design we have in mind will come to fruition as we picture it or not, whether people will see it as we do and accept it as a work of art, as a statement of personality or they will just reject it, thus rejecting us.
No matter what, as long as it comes from the heart, this interior design, as any artwork, will be rewarding. Are you willing to take the risk? It would be safe to follow trends, to imitate what you see in magazines. You will not fail: those are professionals; they do interior design for a living. Follow their advice; even hire one if you want, but then, where is your real reward? You'll hear from your friends: "Wow! This is great!" But is this really for you? To do so is to ruin your own talent.
So look inside yourself, think what really matters to you. Let's say you have a thing for dream catchers. So create a design where the dream catcher will fit: ambiguous shapes and shades, obscure lights, fantastic pictures on the walls. If the world you imagine doesn't exist, create your own world! Let your passion drive your mind: don't be afraid to use unusual materials. Anything will do: from broken glass and marbles to tree branches, from dried plants and feathers to paper folds, from broken pieces of a mirror to wood chips or metal accents, from sea shells you color with acrylics to unexpected artworks on canvas.
It's sometimes hard, but don't give up. Great works of art need time and you have time on your side. There's no rush. Your home is your temple, so make it holy for you!
Don't be afraid of what people think. They cannot see the world as you do. They do not feel the same, nor think the same. But when your work is done, astonishing in its beauty, they do not need to understand its meaning but to know it's unique: as unique as its creator - YOU.
Michael Russell
For instance, interior designers believe that choosing glass as a means of interior decorating speaks about attributes such as inner beauty, fragility, tenderness and luxury. It's in romantic natures to opt for tiffany lamps or crystal chandeliers. Yet, these are expensive products. Wouldn't it be better to try a little interior decoration of our own?
A personal design mirrors our very essence, hidden feelings and traits we often disregard. Is it safe to expose them? Is it safe to let people know who we really are? Yes, because that's what it takes to make out of interior decorations a real art: to give something to the world, to create.
Creating our own interior design means taking a personal risk. It's not fear, it's just the emotional stress: whether the design we have in mind will come to fruition as we picture it or not, whether people will see it as we do and accept it as a work of art, as a statement of personality or they will just reject it, thus rejecting us.
No matter what, as long as it comes from the heart, this interior design, as any artwork, will be rewarding. Are you willing to take the risk? It would be safe to follow trends, to imitate what you see in magazines. You will not fail: those are professionals; they do interior design for a living. Follow their advice; even hire one if you want, but then, where is your real reward? You'll hear from your friends: "Wow! This is great!" But is this really for you? To do so is to ruin your own talent.
So look inside yourself, think what really matters to you. Let's say you have a thing for dream catchers. So create a design where the dream catcher will fit: ambiguous shapes and shades, obscure lights, fantastic pictures on the walls. If the world you imagine doesn't exist, create your own world! Let your passion drive your mind: don't be afraid to use unusual materials. Anything will do: from broken glass and marbles to tree branches, from dried plants and feathers to paper folds, from broken pieces of a mirror to wood chips or metal accents, from sea shells you color with acrylics to unexpected artworks on canvas.
It's sometimes hard, but don't give up. Great works of art need time and you have time on your side. There's no rush. Your home is your temple, so make it holy for you!
Don't be afraid of what people think. They cannot see the world as you do. They do not feel the same, nor think the same. But when your work is done, astonishing in its beauty, they do not need to understand its meaning but to know it's unique: as unique as its creator - YOU.
Michael Russell
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)