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British Colonial Style for the Dining Room

Friday, February 18th, 2011

The Brits, especially during the height of Queen Victoria’s 63-year reign when her vast empire was spread over several continents, were ardent travelers and explorers. This is richly evident in the British Colonial style dining room where eclectic, exciting and inviting elements work together, resulting in furniture that is diversely sophisticated. Since British Colonial style celebrates tropical influences and travel to exotic places, this décor style is sure to add a little spice to the room where you spend time with your family and friends.

Color and Texture

Because of the many cultural influences that affected life in the British Colonies, colors were rich and vibrant. But they are usually reserved for the fabrics of upholstered dining room furniture, curtains, area rugs and accessories. Using a variety of bold animal prints and brightly colored fabrics is what makes this style so visually textured and exciting.

When decorating a British Colonial style dining room, color palettes for the walls are quieter and more subtle. Select muted shades of berry, forest, sky or sea. Cool-hued pale yellows and soft reds are also ideal. Should you choose to go the neutral route, use deeper shades as opposed to lighter ones to avoid a “washed out” look.

British Colonial Style Dining Furniture

When British subjects were sent on behalf of Queen Victoria to conduct business, govern territories or protect the empire’s interests in colonial regions like the West Indies, India and East Africa, they of course entertained royals, heads of state and prominent military leaders. Though the dining room or banquet area was dressed to impress, British Colonial dining furniture displayed more relaxed, regional influences while still retaining the formal beauty and dignity of Victorian furnishings.

British Colonial style dining room furniture, usually made from tropical woods like ebony, mahogany and teak is distinguished by rich finishes, either polished or distressed. Typical features of British Colonial style dining tables and dining chairs are curvaceous profiles, sweeping curved lines and relaxed decorative detail. Chair backs, tabletops or tables often had cane, rattan or bamboo insets. Decorative detail could include tropical motifs like shells, botanicals and animal prints. These features would also apply to other dining furniture pieces like buffets and sideboards.

Accessorizing British Colonial Style

It might seem counter-intuitive, but heavier fabrics were used for curtains, essentially to keep out the tropical heat. Swag curtains with ornate valances were commonly used for window treatments while fabrics used for the curtains often included gold thread while tie-backs were made of braided and/or tasseled cords. Another option is to select shutters – they were also a popular way in British Colonies to keep out the heat and the damaging effects of the sun.

British Colonial style dining room accessories could include heavy candlesticks made of wood or brass placed on the dining table or the buffet; a sisal area rug underneath the dining set; hurricane lamps or hurricane style sconces; one or two potted plants in oversized Oriental ceramic planters, or tall case goods like a china cabinet or a curio cabinet.

Come back next Friday when I start a new 3-part style series called Contemporary Loft Furniture Ideas.

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British Colonial Style for the Living Room

Friday, February 11th, 2011

A British Colonial style living room has an appeal and allure that comes from exploring and spending time in exotic lands. While still retaining some of the flamboyance and opulence of the Victorian style, British Colonial living room furniture is noticeably smaller in scale, especially furnishings like the sofa, an armoire or a curio cabinet. The secret to a successful British Colonial living room décor is to mix polished woods with cool, light colored fabrics.

Color and Texture

Start with a cool color palette of green or blue or cooler toned yellows or reds; ones that are pastel or muted – you don’t want anything too bright. Deeper shades of earth toned colors are also good choices.

Plan to add texture wherever you can, but keep it balanced and sophisticated. Simple ways to give a décor a textured appearance is to pile the sofa with accent pillows in different fabrics and patterns; select a window treatment that uses two or more types of material; and place a botanical patterned, animal skin print or sisal area rug on the floor.

British Colonial Style Living Room Furniture

Living room furniture made of woods like mahogany, teak and tropical wood veneers is right at home in a British Colonial style living room. End tables, the coffee table, a console table and an accent chest often include exotic influences like shell motifs, cane accents or animal print insets or tabletops. For finishes you can choose shiny (polished) or “dull” (matte or distressed); if you want to include both, select mostly polished furnishings but add one or two distressed accent pieces to create visual interest (or vice versa).

Accessorizing British Colonial Style

Accessorizing British Colonial style is relatively easy; simply layer textures upon textures. Place a bamboo framed accent chair next to a traditional neutral fabric sofa with plenty of accent cushions in different materials. Include handmade wood candlesticks; a table lamp with a brocade shade in bold colors; an upholstered chair or ottoman in woven fabrics of natural materials.

Come back next Friday for British Colonial Style part 3 when I will be discussing how to create a traditional dining room with those little exotic touches that are visually stunning.

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British Colonial Style for the Bedroom

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Like many interior design styles, British Colonial style has its regional distinctions. Largely due to the fact that it evolved over a period of roughly a century and touches most continents, this style, while firmly rooted in traditional design principles and certain, distinct traditions, has many faces. The look we often readily associate with British Colonial is the eclectic appearance of bedroom furniture that arose from the active colonization period of the some of the islands in the Caribbean during Queen Victoria’s reign. But we mustn’t underestimate the influences other exotic locales like India, China and East Africa brought to bear on British Colonial style. No matter; whatever regional emphasis you choose, British Colonial style is ideal for the bedroom because of its lavish, exotic nature.

Color and Texture

In the Old Country where Victorian style held sway, colors were heavy and rich. But once in the Caribbean or in the Orient, walls were typically painted lighter colors. Softly hued walls made the perfect backdrop for the richly embroidered fabrics of India or China; the floral patterns of the Caribbean islands or exotic organic elements like wicker, rattan, antlers, zebra prints, coral and shell. When painting a British Colonial style bedroom, select gentle shades of the sea, the forest, the sun and the desert.

British Colonial Style Bedroom Furniture

The occasional bedroom furniture piece made of metal or one that has metalwork accents is perfectly acceptable. However to get the look, British Colonial style furniture, especially the bed, is made of wood. Since they were so far from home, local woods were used instead. British Colonial bedroom furniture is typically made of tropical woods such as mahogany and teak with dark, rich finishes. Because the expatriates were often moved from posting to posting, furniture pieces were smaller in scale and tended to be lighter in weight than their Victorian counterparts. British Colonial style furniture might have been scaled down, but decorative detail was still lush and ornate, while profiles consisted of sweeping and curvy lines. Case goods like armoires, dressers and nightstands often included cane insets, louvered doors or panels or bamboo accents.

Accessorizing British Colonial Style

Use botanical prints for fabrics for bed benches, curtains, bedding sets and upholstered occasional chairs. Accessories for a British Colonial style bedroom are sophisticated and can incorporate travel-related items such as trunks, suitcases or sepia photographs in burnished metal or cast iron frames. You can also incorporate objets de arte that reflect the flavor and customs of the region like drums, pottery pieces or brass hurricane lamps. Table lamps often have tropical motifs like pineapples, palm leaves and sea shells.

A British Colonial style bedroom is the ultimate in luxury, with its hint of adventure and the trace of tropical sea breezes. Come back next Friday for British Colonial Style part 2.

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Lavish Traditional Style for your Bedroom

Friday, January 28th, 2011

The bedroom is the one room of your home that should be as luxurious and indulgent as you want it to be. Those little flourishes typical to traditional bedroom furniture such as bun feet, cabriole legs, scrollwork, pilasters and ornate brass or carved pulls are right at home in a bedroom environment designed to pamper and renew you. While grand, formal or stately (or all of the above), opulent traditional style layered for function as well as for show can be comfortable and comforting in its lavishness.

Set the Stage

This is the bedroom we’re talking about! Any type of traditional style bedroom furniture that you choose will provide enough “drama” in the space. Keep the walls neutral, earth-toned or tranquilly pastel hues of heritage shades such as damask, rose, jade or delft blue.

Traditional Style Bedroom Furniture

Traditional style bedroom furniture has a timeless, comforting appeal because it is typically crafted from woods that have rich finishes,  either polished (shiny) or distressed (matte). There is something about a traditional style armoire, poster bed, lingerie chest or storage blanket chest that is sumptuous in a charming Old World sort of way. It is the elaborate detail – a shell motif, an inset medallion, carved pilasters, fluid decorative molding – that inspires one to hand these bedroom furniture pieces down through the generations because they possess the look and feel of heirlooms. Some traditional sub styles such as Queen Anne, Chippendale, Sheraton and Victorian have an undeniably romantic sensibility which is ideal for a lavish traditional style bedroom design.

Accessorizing Lavish Traditional Style

Go with as many extras as will fit the space. A well-placed accent chair will add functionality (a place to sit when putting on shoes) and luxury (a place to sit and read or meditate).

Anywhere there is fabric involved, it should be as lavish as you can afford. Select bedding sets with a high thread count for a soft, luxurious place to sleep.

Pile on those pillows – using accent pillows not only will make the bed more comfortable, it also adds texture to the room’s focal point (the bed), especially when they are made from different types of material.

Make your window treatments stand out with fabrics such as silks or brocades that include gold thread.

Come back next Friday when I start a new 3-part style series called British Colonial Style.

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Lavish Traditional Style for your Living Room

Friday, January 21st, 2011

A lavish, opulent and imposing traditional style living room is an attractive and timeless place you and your family will want to spend time. Since a living room should be a place to relax, watch TV or enjoy an evening entertaining friends, it might seem counter-intuitive to use a traditional interior design to decorate this type of living space. But there is some about traditional living room furniture that reflects Old World design principles that are classic and enduring.

Set the Stage

The bolder the color palette of the walls and accessories the more lavish your traditional style living room will feel. Select a wall color or wallpaper pattern that will provide a dramatic backdrop to richly-toned wood accent tables, end tables and sofas. If you prefer softer shades, choose richer hues of classic neutrals such as beige, cream or silver paired with a bold colored accent wall. Another option is to paint the living room a neutral color, but wallpaper one wall as an accent point in the living room.

Traditional Style Living Room Furniture

Traditional style living room furniture should, of course, be made of woods such as walnut, teak, mahogany and palissander. Finishes are typically medium to dark in color and can be highly polished, distressed or anywhere in between. When selecting traditional style living room furniture with a lavish look and feel, focus on traditional sub styles such as Queen Anne, Sheraton, Chippendale or French Provencal. If you don’t want to stick to just one traditional sub style, simply pick furniture pieces like end tables, a coffee table or a console table that is typically opulent and elaborately decorated with detailed carvings, motifs and intricate scrollwork. For a truly luxurious look, choose a leather sofa with overstuffed rolled arms and tufted upholstery.

Lavish Traditional Style Accessorizing

To create a lavish traditional style atmosphere, when accessorizing you will want to add enough “layers” for visual effect or texture while still keeping the living room sophisticated yet “uncluttered.”

Window treatments that possess the formal look created by heavy panel curtains paired with sheers and a valance would not be out of place in a traditional style living room. For that extra luxurious feel choose materials like brocades, velvets or silks.

Another automatic place to pile on the luxury is the sofa (or any other kind of seating including accent chairs or club chairs) by selecting accent pillows in different materials. To really mix it up, throw some cushions made from nubby materials or with a “raised” pattern.

Select accessories like candlesticks, vases and decorative bowls with gold trim and/or detailing.

 Come back next Friday for Lavish Traditional Style part 3 when I will be discussing how to create a luxuriously indulgent bedroom environment.

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Lavish Traditional Style for your Dining Room

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Over the years, the formal dining room has been replaced by more casual style eating areas like breakfast bars, breakfast nooks and opening design multipurpose living spaces. But some of us like the idea of entertaining friends or spending time with family around a dining table. Lavish traditional style creates a dramatic dining room setting that possesses a formal yet timeless elegance. It is all about rich woods, sophisticated profiles and ornate decoration that textures the room in layers of Old World charm. When you design a traditional style dining room for your home and select traditional dining furniture, you are embracing a European flair will cherish today and want to pass along to future generations.

Set the Stage

To create a lavish traditional style dining room, start with the walls. Colors should be bold, deeper shades of red, pink, blue and green like burgundy, rose, royal blue and emerald green. If your formal dining room is part of an open design floor plan or you are not a fan of bold colors, choose richer hues of neutrals such as grey, silver, white and taupe.

If you really want to go all out formal, opt for an elegantly patterned wallpaper design. Should wallpapering all four walls not appeal to you, consider using it on one accent wall.

Window treatments are made from brocades, velvets or silks. For even more “drama” pair a set of curtains with a valance and sheers for a luxuriously formal look.

Traditional Style Dining Furniture

Traditional style furniture for your lavish dining room should be suitably impressive and typically crafted from wood or wood veneers. If you are a traditional style aficionado, select a sub style that is know for its elaborate decoration such as Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance or Victorian. If you wouldn’t know Queen Anne from Jacobean, you don’t really have to – simply pick traditional style furniture that is pleasing to you while including plenty of curvy lines and decorative details.

There’s formal, and then there’s formal. Choose the shape of your dining table to create the lavish atmosphere that best suits your personality. A rectangular dining table will have a stylized formal appeal while a round dining table projects a casual sophistication while still being classically traditional.

When you purchase dining chairs separately for your traditional dining table, make sure that they match the table’s decorative detail and the color and texture of the finish (matte finished chairs for a matte finish table or highly polished chairs with a table that has a high sheen).

A lavish, opulent and imposing traditional style dining room is attractive and timeless place you and your family will want to spend time. Come back next Friday for Lavish Traditional Style part 2.

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Another Take on the Rustic Themed Living Room

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

The great thing about a rustic themed living room is that it can be as casual or formal as you would like it to be in a way that will perfectly capture your lifestyle. Blend Arts and Crafts with cottage country for transitional style furniture that might best be described as formal country or mix Arts and Crafts and with Mission for a more casual yet sophisticated look. The choice is yours. But whatever rustic themed focus you select, remember that lines are clean and profiles are simplified for living room furniture that is calm, tranquil and inviting.

The Arts and Crafts design style emerged out of Great Britain around the turn of the twentieth century as a reaction to the mass produced furniture of the Victorian era that essentially made cottage industries virtually disappear, putting many crafts people out of work. The Arts and Crafts movement emphasized traditional woodworking and metalwork skills, resulting in handcrafted furniture made of natural materials such as wood, including tables and other furnishings that incorporated metal decorative elements.

While of course today living room furniture is more mass-produced than handcrafted, Arts and Crafts furniture design principles are still popular because of their clean lines and simple profiles. The emphasis is on simplicity and the appearance or spirit of handcrafted furnishings. The Arts Crafts style can be especially welcome in a living room or family room where a casual yet inviting atmosphere is conducive to enhancing the quality time spent with family or entertaining friends.

The Arts and Crafts style furniture looks handcrafted. It typically has little ornamentation; when decorative elements are included, furnishings like coffee tables, end tables and accent chairs should appear as though they are handmade. For your rustic themed living room, Arts and Crafts furniture should have a straightforward design, an “organic” appearance and be functional as well as esthetically pleasing.

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The Great Escape – Decorating a Transitional Style Bedroom

Friday, November 12th, 2010

In terms of style, a transitional bedroom offers you the best of both worlds. With its blend of contemporary and traditional décor styles, transitional furniture has just enough decorative detail to remind you of its more formal roots, while possessing a relaxed, present-day sophistication. Transitional style bedroom furnishings merge angular and tapered lines with softly curving profiles. Transitional style is also known for its neutral palette, equally applicable to wood finishes like espresso, tan and vanilla as it is to wall color. The versatility of transitional style makes it a good choice for a great escape after a long day because it has an inherent chicness that is rejuvenating yet tranquil.

 Look Around

In order for a transitional style bedroom to provide a great escape, color palettes for the walls should be light hues of neutrals like white, beige and gray or earth tones that range from light tans to deep browns. Don’t forget that yellows like sand or the gold of autumn leaves can also considered earth tones.

 

Look Up

Transitional style lighting blends the romantic fluidity of formal, traditional chandeliers with contemporary functionality. Transitional light fixtures contrast clean, austere lines with gentle curves and polished metal finishes. While a transitional chandelier or table lamp has the appearance and elegance of traditional style, decorative accents are not as ornate.

Transitional Style Bedroom Furniture

At first glance, transitional style is frequently mistaken for more formal styles of furniture, but the real “tell” is the use of motifs; while they abound in traditional furniture pieces, decorative motifs are used sparingly in a transitional context. Transitional bedroom furniture borrows the best of the classic elements of traditional and contemporary styles, merging them for a more formal look while keeping contemporary simplicity and comfort in mind. Profiles and lines are less curvaceous.

Transitional bedroom furniture, especially focal pieces like the bed or dresser, is scaled for contemporary living spaces like apartments and condominiums. Typical upholstered accent pieces like armchairs or bed benches are often overstuffed fro dramatic effect. Since the emphasis is on uncluttered detail and restrained decorative accents, transitional furniture is a great way to create a relaxing bedroom that will be a great escape.

Come back next Friday for the third part of the Great Escape, where we’ll explore contemporary style for a bedroom sanctuary.

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The Great Escape – Decorating a Traditional Style Bedroom

Friday, November 5th, 2010

There is something about a traditional style bedroom that is lushly dramatic, grandiose and regal. But there is also something very comforting and soothingly luxurious about a bedroom with traditional furnishings. Lines are richly curved and scrolled; decorative detail displays flourishes and motifs; and designs incorporate shapes and forms to create textures. A traditional style bedroom that is romantically reminiscent of a bedroom that belonged to a queen or king in the1700s or 1800s gives the room a sense of historical tradition and timelessness that will provide a great escape from hectic, everyday life.

Look Around

When choosing what to do with the walls in your traditional style bedroom, don’t summarily write-off wallpaper. Wallpaper is making a comeback, and especially for a traditional bedroom with a royal feel, it will lend the room a palpable texture that is visually rich.

Whether you opt to wallpaper or paint, colors should be muted. Avoid bright oranges and reds, including saturated hues, as they will give the room a modern rather than traditional vibe. Soft or less intense shades of jewel or berry tones such as jade or strawberry are ideal choices for a traditional Victorian style bedroom.

Look Up

In order for your traditional bedroom to be a great escape from your busy day, choose lighting that will give you options to shed a soft glow or to shine bright. A chandelier on a dimmer switch would be ideal. In keeping with the grand royal statement that traditional style makes, choose one that has elegantly shaped teardrop crystals or strings of crystal beads. For bedside table lamps, select bases that are ornately detailed with richly textured shades.

Look Down

Since wood plays an important role in traditional design, hardwood flooring in a medium to dark finish is a perfectly acceptable choice. To add texture and visual interest, as well as a little more comfort, select a reproduction oriental rug or one that has an intricate traditional style pattern like damask or paisley. Small floral patterned area rugs would also work in a traditional style bedroom.

Traditional Style Bedroom Furniture

Traditional style furniture can be stately, formal and impressive. But grandiose becomes comfortable and inviting when the color of the wood is warm. Selecting traditional bedroom furniture with a distressed finish will lend the décor a more lived in look while furnishings with a high polish will possess a more sophisticated appeal.

Woods commonly used to make traditional bedroom furniture are walnut, mahogany, teak and cherry. Case goods like the dresser, nightstands and armoire should include intricately designed hardware; shell, scroll and flora motifs and/or carved accents or inlays.

Traditional style bedding has a luxurious appearance that is guaranteed to guard against a winter chill.

Come back next Friday for the second part of the Great Escape, where we’ll explore transitional style for a bedroom sanctuary.

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Bare Bones: Making your Living Room Feel More Lived In

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Your place is neat, tidy and clean, but it doesn’t have any personality. Maybe you’re reluctant to add those finishing touches because you don’t quite know how to go about it. Perhaps you haven’t accessorized because having things lying around or items on permanent display feels a little like clutter to you. To successfully accessorize your living space so that it has a professional interior designer cohesive look, there are some simple things you can do.

 Windows and Walls

Window treatments should match the overall style of the furniture pieces in the room. For example, brocade curtains with a valance and sheers would be too formal for a casual contemporary sofa set.

When choosing pictures, be selective. As a focal point on a main wall, use only one framed print or picture. Don’t group more than five pictures together in one place unless it’s a “picture” wall, as it tends to make the living space look busy. Hang pictures at eye level – this will usually place them lower down on the wall, visually connecting them to the furniture.

 Floors

Even if you have wall-to-wall carpet, adding an area rug in front of the sofa or to a pair of chairs on either side of an electric fireplace defines the area and makes it stand out.

 Furniture

 Wherever there is seating, you will want to ensure that the area is well-lit, either by a table lamp or a floor lamp.

Vases and flower arrangements on tables such as a coffee table or and end table should not be high enough to block the view of the television, a person sitting opposite, etc.

Unless the bookcase of bookshelf is in a den or library, add ornaments or a few select knickknacks to on or two shelves or compartments to give the eye something else to look at in addition to a continuous line of tomes.

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