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Friday, March 10th, 2017
Universal Furniture Dining Room Round Table 409657-C
Why wouldn’t you want an Italian inspired home? Italian style is quite popular and for a good reason. It is gorgeous, ornate, elegant and it presents the loveliest quality furnishings. Say Italian and you actually mean luxury.
Based on history, Renaissance architecture and interior design dates all the way back to the 15th century. This started in Florence, Italy and was dominated by baroque style furnishings and stone columns. These days, Italian interiors show the most amazing craftsmanship.
Italians definitely know how to design a home with elements that never fail to amaze. Their homes are simply luxurious and they have layers from ceiling down to the floor. Have you noticed how every corner has layers to offer? That’s just the way Italians work.
Italian interiors feature lacquered kitchens, unique chandeliers, glass crystals, and streamlined furniture. While other pieces may be modernized or have a minimalist look to them, you could still not deny the elegance of Italian style. The refined taste of the master artisans and architects show just this.
Italian Also Means Gold
Italian is always described as luxurious or elegant because it is a style that is often gilded with gold. The gilt trim is quite popular in both traditional and modern Italian designs. It can show up practically anywhere such as mahogany furnishings, mirror frames, even on inlaid tiles. Marble stone veining could also reflect a little glamorous gold from time to time.
Italian Stone, Marble and Tiles
From terra cotta to marble, and stoneware of every kind, Italians have everything to do with these. Ancient Italians worked with these rustic stones and created beauties out of them. Italian flooring even reached a point when it became the decorative standard for many homes throughout the world.
These stones also exhibit the loveliest geometric designs, inlaid art and designs. These make them a must-have part of many homes. Today’s elegant homes cover their floors and walls with the gleaming beauty of marble while others simply take shiny stones as an added glamour in a minimalist setting.
If you want to showcase the Italian design in your home, then you must be ready to use some marble tiling at the entryway, most especially in the bathroom. If rustic is the design that makes your heart beat, though, then you can always use some terra cotta on your floors and walls.
Universal Furniture Dining Room Buffet 409680-C
Modern Italian
If you want to embrace the modern Italian look, then this is also a unique way to stand out. Most of the furnishings that have been described as Italian are traditional. Some interiors these days, though, show modern designs that are still attributed to this ornate style.
The furnishings might be sleeker to look at but their level of luxury and comfort are, nonetheless, supreme in quality. The modern Italian look offers a lot of black and white with some unexpected chandeliers from time to time.
Modern enthusiasts are sure to find a glamorous piece or two with the latest Italian pieces. These also have high quality materials that add elegance in any room in your home. Or you could choose to go all Italian and embrace the concept in every room of your home.
From the 15th century design of Florence, Italy, to today, Italian style remains to be an exquisite look for homes. It makes good use of ornate, quality furnishings, tiles, artistic stones, and gilt that remain popular for many, many years. The final look that these design elements achieve is truly elegant so there’s no way to question your style.
So, whether you’re a modernist or a traditionalist, you are sure to find joy in Italian design. Now it’s time to decide if you’re altering the look of your home soon.
Tags: Italian design, Italian interior design, Italian interiors, Italian style, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, modern Italian, traditional Italian
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Themes | Comments Off on Italian Interiors: Layering in Luxury and Elegance
Tuesday, April 26th, 2016
FFDM’s Summer Collection features these lovely wicker seats complete with white cushion.
Italians are people who are known for their flamboyance. They are also one of the most stylish folks in the entire world. The Italian way of life is a dream for a lot of people. It means driving posh cars, wearing stylish clothing, and speaking the fancy accent. And what is Italian lifestyle without the tomato-based cuisine? If you want to bring in this way of life into your interior design, then you’re one of the few who has impeccable taste.
Italian Spells Beauty
Back in the 1950s, a group of businessmen and daring designers invested in design. Their group’s mission was to make objects that are not just functional but also beautiful. Of course, beauty takes different forms but the Italians thought that jewels can be hidden in most Italian designs.
A simple corkscrew, for instance, can serve as a decorative element inside an Italian kitchen. Even when it is made of plastic and metal, this thing can be the perfect companion to a baroque chandelier made of blown glass.
The Heart of Your Home
This saying means more among Italians as the kitchen is the place where they gather and socialize. Italian life happens inside the kitchen where people also cook, talk and basically just relax in the company of friends and relatives. The kitchen is also the place to be when you are feeling ill and would want to sip a warm bowl of chicken broth. This is also the place where you could sip coffee every morning as everyone else is busy prepping for their early meal.
Since most socialization happen inside the kitchen or an adjacent dining area, then you have to carefully choose the dining table and chairs.
Put more emphasis in finding the correct set of chairs. In Italy, people do not focus too much in buying expensive chairs. What they just want to accomplish is that – at the end of the day – the entire family sits together around the table while enjoying a marvelous meal.
A simple wicker chair that was handcrafted by master artisans would surely look great inside an Italian-inspired home.
Universal Furniture Dining Room China 409680C-C is perfect in housing your china collection.
Highlighting the Coffee Break
Having a shot of espresso is also an Italian way of life. Since this is so, make sure that you invest in a decent coffeemaker so you can enjoy a cup of this arousing drink in the morning. Your morning coffee-drinking ritual becomes more stylish as you place an espresso maker in the dining or kitchen area.
The coffee machine had its first prototype in the year 1933 though it became renowned after the Second World War.
Celebrate Life
The Italian way of life is also about celebrations. See if you can still find the white-and-gold plate that is reminiscent of the 1930s festive living. It was an elegant piece that distinguishes the festive days from the everyday meals. This plate is no longer being produced but see if you can hunt some in flea markets or if you can have them customized.
Get some stylish dishware but be sure to stay within the boundaries of relaxed chic.
Italian Means Family-Centeredness
You know how the saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child, right? Well in an Italian home, all it takes is just one large, closely-knit family. These people also believe that the family is the very pillar that anchors the beauty of their designs. The design – whether it be architectural or fashion in nature – tells a story about families.
The Italians are also known for their warm smile. This is something that they share with every family member and people in their community. The Italian smile should also reflect in the furniture and accessories placed inside a home. Fascination is a huge part of Italian interior design. So go ahead and place a mixture of the familiar and strange inside your home. Experiment while staying grounded. Put in surprise elements such as placing a fishing rod in the middle of the kitchen!
The possibilities are endless.
Tags: Italian design, Italian interior design, Italian interiors, Italian style, McCreery's Furnishings, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Interior Design Themes | No Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2016
This lovely Hooker Furniture Living Room Melange Gianna Chest 638-50066 fuses the Old World and the New in a seamless manner.
The Tudor monarchs, according to history, were able to bring comparative peace and prosperity throughout England, Ireland and Wales. The wealth of many landowners was invested in buildings. Theirs was a moment of cultural bursts and classical architecture revival for Italian style. The Tudor style is a class of its own.
Europeans had a moment when gothic was at the center of their style. The perpendicular style has broken away from all this. The Tudors were the ones who developed fan vaulting (evident in the Gloucester Cathedral cloisters).
Now let’s go to a dating feature known as the Tudor Rose. This is a red rose badge with a white rose badge within. This signified the union of Henry VII to Edward IV’s daughter. This is now a decorative piece that is used to signify posh and sophistication to the highest levels.
Renaissance features can also be seen inside Tudor dwellings. These features are confined to the wealthy and the elite members of society then. Henry enthusiastically built Italianate motifs.
Then came Elizabethan homes where old homes were torn down only to be built anew. Most homeowners were then yearning for improvement as that was the great period of building. If you have ever seen those narrow yet all townhouses complete with borough walls, then these are the homes of artisans and merchants who built their homes slowly through the years.
Homes of the wealthiest members of the society are often built with huge windows and decorative chimneys. Glass was then used in Elizabethan homes with glittering glazing designs. The most elaborate fireplaces are set up and ceilings were slowly decorated with strapwork.
Hooker Furniture Living Room Melange Gianna Chest 638-50066 comes with a feminine pair of cabriole legs but with a masculine Old World design.
Tudor Is Symmetry
Symmetrical plans will always be favored in Tudor settings. Otherwise, Renaissance in classical details appears so then you can find fireplace, doors, and columns. Round-headed arches and niches together with all the other features of Tudor style were revived during the Victorian period.
Tudor may be an old fashioned style but it can become a part of modern living, too. The styles come originally from the UK during the 15th to the 16th centuries and are now a huge part of tourist attractions.
Genuine Tudor design can now be recreated but your place doesn’t have to look like a tourist spot, though. Only a few are lucky to live inside a genuine Tudor dwelling so for the rest of the world, repros are the answers.
Mock Tudor generally refers to black and white semi timbering on the facade of buildings. Interior design, however, is much more distinct. If you are careful enough in making your design decisions, then you can even recreate the Medieval era of trade, arts, crafts and intellectual awakening right inside your home.
There is no architectural detail that is more recognizable under the Tudor style than the iconic half timber structures. The exterior of homes can be laden with stucco, wood or stone. Imitate this same style by exposing the very structure of your home.
Hooker Furniture Bedroom Rhapsody Urn Pedestal Nightstand 5070-90015 comes with classic designs and a rustic finish.
Gable roofs are also common which give the homes their gingerbread appeal. Modern-day Tudor replicates the genuine Tudor Dynasty through architecture and interior design revivals. If you haven’t yet, you should install tall, narrow windows with small panes. Modern day cladding is acceptable such as flagstone, brick and stucco.
As for the outdoor landscaping, be sure to have manicured hedges, brick walkways, fencing and pool houses. These amenities should set you apart from the neighbors but in a nice way.
The Old World style can also be brought inside the kitchen through wrought iron and wood combinations in furniture pieces. Custom islands and wrought-iron lighting fixtures are also a huge part of Tudor interiors.
Are you ready to take on Tudor design, a unique style right inside your home?
Tags: 16th century, classic, classic design, classic home, classic interior design, classic interiors, classic style, classical design, designing based on culture, designing with glass, European interior design, European interiors, European style, fireplace, glamour, glass, glazing, Italian style, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, old home, old homes, revival, symmetry, traditional, traditional interior design, traditional interiors, traditional style, traditional theme, Tudor, Tudor architecture, Tudor design, Tudor furniture, Tudor interior design, Tudor interiors, vaulted ceiling, Victorian, Victorian interiors, Victorian style
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