Friday, October 31, 2014

Decorate Your Home Radiators With Style



Radiant heat is the most efficient heat, but it's unlikely you will find a homeowner who chooses to install one in a new home because most people don’t like the look of radiators. The majority of radiator enclosures are purchased when a homeowner remodels an older home. I certainly prefer steam heat to forced air, which I find so dehydrating and bad for the skin. However,  if you have old unsightly radiator covers you are probably looking for a way to dress them up a bit. There is certainly no reason now to let exposed radiators spoil the charm of your rooms will all the beautiful, practical covers you can purchase or craft yourself. 
I have gathered some images that I hope will help you alleviate the problem if you have an older home and want to make your radiators disappear.





Enjoy "Steam Heat" by the Pointer Sisters.



If you have beautiful antique radiators like this,YOU don't have a problem. Most of us aren't that lucky so we have to search out ways to disguise our ugly ducklings


One great way to make an old cast iron radiator not be something you want to hide anymore - painted with a metallic paint - now looks amazing!


My old radiators have a metal shelf over them that I can put things on. I have always wanted to do something different but as you can see from these two pictures I already have something always covering them. 


Chanel and Sophie 

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If your radiators are just fixed to plain walls you might turn them into stylish sideboards. This homeowner has chosen to use a lattice type cover.

via pinterest

Dress up any radiator cover you choose with a marble or granite top.


Radiators take up valuable square footage in a home but you can successfully reclaim that lost space. A custom cover can be designed to fit your space, disguising the radiator as a piece of furniture.



Make it blend in! The idea was to make the ugly cast iron piece totally disappear and painting the radiator and covering the same color as the wall will do just that.


Many times under the windows is where you will find radiators. One of the best way to hide them and at the same time give you extra seating and storage is with a built in window seat.


A wonderful mix of patterns makes this radiator cover a cozy place for relaxing and staying warm.


There are so many lovely designs to choose from or create yourself. Either way a window seat will provide a beautiful, practical cover for your radiators 

via pinterest

This radiator cover is such a pretty addition to this room. Try and imagine this space with just the old radiator in view.


Radiator covers can also help with those unpleasant noises associated with he classic radiator. You know, the pop and hisses.


Rather than remove a room's original cast-iron radiator, cover it with a decorative wooden ledge, creating a wide shelf for plants, displaying books and more. The top shouldn't get too warm, so feel free to place lamps, stacks of books and other decor right on top.


Besides improving the look, a cover can make a room feel warmer by projecting the heat out rather than up toward the ceiling.With their intricately patterned grills, metal radiator covers with the right paint job can fit in handsomely with any design scheme.


This enclosed radiator becomes a fabulous piece of furniture.


Inventive  interior designers and creative homeowners are becoming increasingly adept at concealing radiators with covers that even add character to the room.



This is a gorgeous antique style radiator cover that would definite enhance any older home.


This radiator cover works wonders in this space........ actually tying the whole look together. I love the depth of the top and how there is room for a lovely vignette


The reason many people hate radiators is that they take up valuable square footage in a home. Between all the windows, doors and fireplaces there can be few places to put furniture. Here is the answer.....just put the furniture over the radiator and you will have space for display.


Paint your radiator the same color as the wall so it will blend in and cover it with a great table and treasures.


Radiators can be very unsightly in a small room like the bath. This radiator cover can add shelf space as well as be aesthetically pleasing.


Perfect for a kitchen, the flat surface on top of this radiator cover is a great place to sun plants and herbs.


Besides dressing up a room a radiator cover can protect little hands from getting burned.

Amy Vermillion Interiors

If you're more ambitious and have more to spend, radiators can also be cleverly concealed by built-in shelves.


Also consider an extension of a bookcase or hutch to hide your radiators. If you have the older floor type radiator you can still do the same thing by not having it set on legs or adding an apron between legs.


Adding a radiator cover does slow the movement of heat out of the radiator and into the room so heat loss through the building's exterior wall is likely to be increased. InspectAPedia's Guide to Heating with radiator covers suggests adding insulation or a heat reflector behind a covered radiator, as one way to prevent heat loss.


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Traditional radiator covers with intricate metal grates can be quite beautiful, but they can feel out of place when your style leans more transitional or contemporary. Here is an example of a more modern style of enclosure.

via pinterest

 This wooden radiator cover would also be a good choice for a modern home.

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While this room may not be my cup of tea, I do like the use of old shutters as radiator covers. (Lose the pulls and use less noticeable hinges). Imagine distressed shutters in a French interior. This would be a great DIY project.


Many people decide to just paint their radiators instead of covering them. You can choose a contrasting color like this to make your radiators stand out.


This pink radiator is softer and actually pretty in this particular space.


Or you can get really artistic and creative. This couple have decided that when it comes to radiators if you can't hide it, flaunt it!






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This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer











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Friday, October 24, 2014

Decorate With A Display Of Antique Porcelain Perfume Bottles



The allure of applying scent has been capturing attention since the world’s earliest days. Ancient writings found in Persia, Iraq (Mesopotamia), Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Rome, as well as the Far East and India, mention perfume industries that once thrived in these areas. Along with the perfumes came the need for scent containers. Egyptian tombs yield beautiful examples of these bottles for holding scent.

One of the nicest things about collecting antique perfume bottles is that the choices presented are nearly infinite. Perfume bottles can easily be found in cut glass, pressed glass, art glass, silver, metal, enamel, porcelain and believe it or not plastic. In collecting perfume bottles there is a price for everyone. They can range in price from a few dollars to thousands depending on their medium and condition. 

This blog post is about my favorite antique perfume bottles, the porcelain ones manufactured in the 18th century.The frivolity and luxury of scent were reflected in eighteenth-century charming "toys", made at the Chelsea factory. These popular perfume bottles were produced in the shapes of various figures, animals, fruits, and other objects. Its early soft-paste porcelain products were aimed at the aristocratic market. Just like trends today the craze for these charming items flourished. They did not come with perfume inside. Liquid fragrance was purchased separately and then decanted into one’s favorite bottles.

Even though these antique porcelain perfume bottles are pricey, other styles are more reasonable and still fun to collect. Despite the way the collector begins, people should never forget the main reason for collecting in the first place - The sheer enjoyment. If you are looking for something to collect these tiny treasures may just be the ticket.



Enjoy the 18th century!!



Perfume bottle and stopper from the Chelsea Porcelain factory.

The Chelsea porcelain manufacturer was the first important porcelain manufacturer in England. The factory produced decorative pieces for the luxury market,often copying designs from factories at Meissen in Germany or from Vincennes and Sèvres in France. These included miniature items, called 'toys' at the time, such as these perfume bottles, as well as seals, thimble cases, snuff boxes and other expensive trifles. Many have amorous or flirtatious inscriptions on them and were often bought as gifts.


Jacob Petit Porcelain figural perfume bottles.

Antique perfume bottles are often miniature works of art in themselves. Perfume bottles have captured the attention of the public every bit as much as the perfumes did due to their unusual beauty.

metmuseum.org

Beautiful porcelain perfume bottles were meant for display, and these bottles would have stood proudly on a lady’s dressing table.


The perfume bottles are made of soft-paste porcelain, painted in overglaze colours and gilt, with gold mounts.


Perfume bottle and stopper from the Charles Gouyns factory.1749-1754, London, England. The bottle and stopper of porcelain, painted with enamels, in the form of figure of a lady dancing, and mounted in gold.


Exquisite harp perfume bottle. Probably enamel instead of porcelain but I had to share it anyway!

Perfume Bottle circa 1760 English (South Staffordshire) Enamel on copper.

These small compact vessels are easy to love due to their size, and the multitude of interesting mediums and attractive shapes they display.

clevelandart.org

Perfume Bottle, 1800s - Chelsea Porcelain Factory, made of porcelain with gilt metal mounts.The Chelsea Porcelain factory put most of its energy into porcelain perfume bottles.


via pinterest

Stunning circa 1860 French perfume bottle.

thecanterburyauctiongalleries.c

Porcelain perfume bottles ruled through the 18th Century. Their delicate refinement is hard to equal.


Perfume Bottle, late 1700s manufacturer Staffordshire Factory (British) enamel on copper with gilt metal mounts.

The aristocratic lady had a wide choice of scent bottles, including dual-purpose bottles which also held smelling salts.

antiqueporcelainco.com

Some porcelain perfume bottles possessed intriguing stoppers that were sculptures of a woman's head, a flower, or a bird; many were artist-designed and one-of-a-kind.


A collection of perfume bottles can be put to charming use on a contemporary dressing table or displayed in a group on a table in any room.


A Palais Royal Perfume Bottle.

Untill about 100 years ago decorative bottles were sold empty so the lady could 
bring her own perfume bottles to the apothecary to be filled.
with her favorite scent.


A 19th century French porcelain perfume bottle.


via Pinterest
Chelsea Porcelain Perfume bottle: The Three Graces

In the 18th century porcelain was used to make perfume bottles, but glass is used exclusively to make perfume bottles today.

metmuseum.org

Fountain Shaped Porcelain Scent Bottle, Chelsea Porcelain Factory English

The number of different kinds of antique perfume bottles available for collection is astounding. Beginners who wish to specialize can choose from a wide range of bottles.


Perfume Bottle by Jacob Petit France Circa 1835

Though perfume bottles have been around for centuries, most people just collect those from the last 200 years or so. They are more readily available, interesting and affordable. Remember not just one company produced these lovelies but multitudes produced them, so it makes for quite a number on the market.





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This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer


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