If you wish to incorporate an old world classic feel to your home's interiors here is one thing you need to remember. Yes, it is nice to have beautiful antique furniture. However, your space will truly be transformed by the vintage accessories you collect and display. It is these smaller scale objects that bring a sense of age and give patina to any interior. To bring classical personality to any room you will need to draw from Greek architecture through the use of neo-classical style columns, busts, urns, statues, and any other architectural salvage you might find. If your space won't allow for large pieces such as statues and sculptures, the bust is just the answer.
In this blog post we are going to concentrate on the classical bust. A classically inspired bust automatically elevates a space and, as you will see from the images I have gathered, that space can be anything from Contemporary to Gustavian. Busts just seem to work well in all kinds of interiors.
via Pinterest
If your room is as grand as Versailles .........there is room for a bust.
Or if your room is elegant and faded......there is room for a bust.
Or maybe you prefer the look somewhere in between like I do........and yes there is ALWAYS room for a bust.
There was a time when wealthy citizens incorporated features of imperial portraiture into statues of themselves and classical busts of admired friends or distinguished ancestors were displayed throughout a home.
The busts were usually displayed on plinths or in deep recesses in the wall predominately in rooms such as halls, libraries, stairways, or reception rooms.
Henri Samuel
There is more of a casual formality in most homes now and you will find classical busts on tables, credenzas, consoles, and chests.
Mixing classical busts with other architectural pieces vignette style is more the popular trend today.
It is not surprising to find classical busts looking up at you from the floor........
or down at you from tops of cupboards, armoires, and bookcases. No place is really off limits to classical busts in today's interiors.
A classical bust is an unexpected and strong design element that can be used in many styles of interiors.
As a three dimensional art object in a space, it can break up the monotony of two dimensional art.
Paolo Moschino
A classical bust can bring interest, color, and texture to a space. You can find them in shades of cream, gray, terra cotta, and even black.
Some like to use their classical busts in pairs as designer Timothy Corrigan has here in this space. Classicism is all about symmetry so this placement is widely accepted.
Others prefer a single bust used like this with other classical elements. The paintings on the console echo the neo-classical style as does the urn motif at the top of the fabulous mirror.
via Pinterest
I love this beautiful bust of a young French boy classically placed on a marble mantle or console...... I can't tell which.
Lisa Farmer - Eye For Design
This picture is of a bust I have in a corner of my living room. I have used it in so many ways throughout the years.
Lisa Farmer-Eye For Design
This is another classical style vignette in our bedroom. I like mixing busts with other architectural fragments like the relief above the picture.
Jacque Garcia recreated the original neoclassical style of Château de Champ de Bataille, his own 17th-century estate in Normandy by adding elements such as this antique Roman bust.
A classical bust looks fabulous as a sole performer at center stage on your favorite piece of furniture.
Or if need be, multiple busts can share the spotlight with other interesting objets d'art and still steal the show.
via Pinterest
thesixthduke.tumblr.com
Bust in multiples are trendy today. Still classical, but with a bit of edge. This look is especially trendy in more contemporary style homes.
Yet today, when it comes to classical busts, anything goes even in period interiors.
Another interior style that beautifully puts the spotlight on classical bust and other forms of architectural salvage is the Swedish/Gustavian interior.
A Swedish interior with classical bust by Lars Sjoberg, considered the restorer of the Gustavian style.
And it doesn't matter if you like oversized statement pieces like this large classical bust......
Susan Ferrier
or prefer to accent with a small bust. You simply can't go wrong when you add them to your vignettes. Those sconces!!!!!
Whether strategically set on a cluttered ..............
or uncluttered credenza, side table or pedestal, a bust is a must for instant classical flair.
Also a classical bust will look surprisingly contemporary in your modern home.
source unknown
A devotion to classical design in modern interiors featuring pieces like columns and busts will certainly blend to create a beautiful, stylish space.
Nicholas Kilner via architecturaldigest.com
A classical bust used in a more contemporary setting. This subtle nod to the past is sure to bring refinement to your space.
photo by Jose VIlla
Don't forget outdoors!!! Cast stone busts are suitable for gardens, lawns, terraces, and courtyards, as well as for interior design.
A circa-1700 neoclassical bust graces the front lawn at designer Timothy Corrigan's Los Angeles home.
via Pinterest
Inspired by ancient sculptures, the busts complement other landscape ornaments. There might be an upcoming post all about classical elements in the garden. Keep watching!!
Just thought I would add this since we are talking about classical busts. This man's work is incredible.....you will be amazed!!!
From an inch away, the sculptures of Li Hongbo look like plaster. They are not. These large reproductions of classical busts are 100% paper. And I’m not talking about papier-mâché, or cast paper pulp, or painted paper – just a stack of raw white paper, impossibly carved by hand.
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This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer