Thursday, October 17, 2013

Decorating Your Interiors With Lanterns

Someone asked me the other day if lanterns were passe' to which I replied "no, never"!! There are some design classics that never go extinct. Lantern lighting just happens to be one of those perennials. Lanterns have been welcoming guest for centuries, whether they adorn the sides of our front door or light the way  through our foyers and  entrances. Many times this was the only place people thought to use them. We all know that has changed. The wonderful thing about lanterns today is that you can find them gracing any room in the house. Plus there are so many designs to choose from and many different ways to use them. 

I have gathered some images to show you just how lovely rooms lighted by lanterns can be, and after you view them I dare you to say that lanterns could ever become passe'.


Jacques Garcia

Whether your entrance shouts grandeur.....

parisapartmentsforrent.org

or whispers a quite,comfortable elegance, lanterns are the perfect light source.


Metal lanterns are warm and inviting.

veranda.com

Brass is always more formal, but there are some simpler designs like this that tone it down a bit.


Hang them high......


or low, they are lovely either way.

Matthew White

Lanterns work well with a variety of decorating styles.

veranda.com

We all love our chandeliers and they are especially beautiful in a dining room, but so are lanterns.


This room is proof that a lantern can add as much elegance to a dining room as a chandelier.



They also make nice sconces.


blog.french-quarters.com



Don't limit yourself to the ceiling....standing lanterns are fabulous!!

Anouska Hempel


I think lanterns are especially pretty in creamy rooms.

Matthew White


Love the patina!

Windsor Smith


The ornate lanterns chosen by designer Charlotte Moss are perfect for this Chinoiserie style dining room.

source unknown

You can't beat a tin chandelier and this ornate one is just the accent this simple dining room needs.

Cote de Texas

Here you have the best of both worlds, crystal chandelier and fabulous lanterns. They are perfection on this sideboard.

William Eubanks

Don't forget the more exotic styles!!




The kitchen is the perfect place for lantern lighting. Take a look at this one......need I say more?



homebunch.com

A lantern is a good choice for decorating in the Safari Style or the British Colonial Style.


Painting them is another option. I would like to finish one in faux verdigris.


Don't forget to use them liberally in your exterior design.

Douglas Newby

I couldn't resist showing you this crystal one. Talk about "wow factor"!





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Friday, October 11, 2013

Decorating Your Home With The Black/Red Combination

If you have a flair for the dramatic, a black and red color scheme offers a bold palette with the ability to create a variety of different styles. This decor is very trendy. For a modern, sophisticated look, black and red will be the correct choice. If done correctly this combination will also offer you elegant, refined traditional and classic interiors. Plus everyone knows that it is also ideal for an Asian interior design if you like.

This is a color combination that really needs the trained eye of a professional. However if you exercise caution and give it alot of thought you too can be successful if you keep in mind some of the tips below. Remember that red can feel aggressive and restless, and black is very dramatic, glamorous, mysterious and sophisticated..... so they can be overpowering and even depressing if you don't treat them carefully

In spite of these obvious precautions, if these colors work for you and your home, you can really achieve some very stunning results, with great impact and 'wow' factor.


Tartan plaid works well with black and red interiors. Black or red walls are the best base for this look

Red, white and black together make a striking and stunning combination, and therefore it is best steer clear of other colors with the exception of green.

The first task is to choose a balance in the colors, which should be tactful choice. Having all colors in the same proportion will do nothing but making things clumsy, so it is best to stick to one base color which in this room is red and add the other two, green and black, in balance.

Gold is another color that complements the red/black combination.

Using white as the main color, and red and black only as accents can give a lighter, brighter feel to your space.

Black and red are bold colors, so just using these colors together will bring a modern mood to the room without having to add any other colors. The walls of red and black rooms look great in lacquer.




Silver and mirrored surfaces are wonderful compliments to the black and red room.



White really lifts the color scheme, gives it life, and makes it much more accessible to use as a practical decorating color scheme in your own home

Even though gray, silver, and gold are colors that works well with red and black, they too have to be used in the right proportion.

Mary McDonald

If you choose white walls, the accented colors of red and black can be in individual items or you can simply choose a mixture of the three in prints. Stripes are excellent options. So are other  prints on small things like cushions and fabrics.

Even with a pop of bright red, mirrors and sparkling chandeliers help to lighten up the heaviness of a black room.

visi.co.za

A well balanced charcoal grey room using red as the focal point and  black as the accessory. The white softens the look.


yourdecoratinghotline.com

Black and white harlequin floors are always beautiful with red. This homeowner has successfully brought the black and white up to eye level by adding the antique plates on the wall.

lindsayhair.blogspot.co.uk

You can't go wrong with a bit of leopard in a red and black space.


Black painted or ebony stained wood pieces like dining tables,chairs, and dressers are good choices that blend seamlessly into the color scheme. Zebra rugs are always a good choice.

Red essentially adds a lot of brightness, so how you use red matters a lot. This is mainly because too much of red can overshadow white and black. If you already have a white themed interior, it is best to check for some amazing smaller elements in red. This can be the small things of the interior, an elegant sofa or arm chair, one single wall, or a just a few fabrics and curtains.



A well placed rug can tie in the black, white and red elements of a room.

This room uses small doses of red as it's accent.

This color combination works well for a masculine room.
lushome.com

Using these colors on walls of a large room will make the room look smaller. So instead of painting the walls all red or all black, choose a wall  to accent with these colors. It can serve as the focal point of the room, while you place items using the other colors against the accent wall.



For more black and red interiors go to my blog archives on the right side and click on 2012 then go to October and  click on Classic Black Interiors Also while you are in 2012, check out More Reasons To Decorate With Black posted in December. Red Interiors Are Fabulous was posted in November.  Also in July of 2013 I posted Decorating With Red.



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