Saturday, August 9, 2014

Decorating With Fretwork



To some, fretwork is the latest trend. However, this design element of open geometric patterns has been used to adorn furniture and architectural designs for over 3,000 years. The art of fretwork began with fretted inlays on furniture in Egypt. It has been popular in North America and Europe from the mid 1800's until today. Fretwork is a perennial favorite that is still providing homeowners an opportunity to enhance their interior design with elegance as well as adding global character. 

With the current love affair we have with anything geometric, fretwork is a perfect fit. You can see it popping up everywhere including wallpaper and fabric. Using these fretwork patterns is a great way to refresh your interior without breaking the bank or embarking on a major remodeling endeavor. Since these patterns can become the focal point of a room the statement they make can be huge. Also fretwork is not limited to any particular design style because it works so well with other patterns. With so much to offer, why not incorporate fretwork into the design of your home!
Jerry Jacobs Design, In

Beautiful dining room by Stephen Falcke. Love the fretwork on the built in bookcases. See how this simple touch can add so much interest.

Folding screens are an invaluable decorating tool and this fretwork one in a quatrefoil pattern is perfection when teamed with the trendy brass base of this great table.

atlantahomesmag.com

The cut-out areas created by the fretwork pattern stand out against a neutral wall. However, they are equally as attractive when mounted on a wall of like color.

These fabulous fretwork panels and the crystal chandelier bring the glamour into this contemporary space.

Fretwork panels are popular because of their versatile roles which can include room dividers, headboards, screens, furniture.

artisphereonline.com

Fretwork makes stunning ceilings!!!!

Valerian Ryba

This lovely rooms features a fabulous fretwork screen. The fretwork pattern also carries over onto the bed and the sofa.

via pinterest

via Pinterest

Dramatic black fretwork surrounds this colorful bed.

thebeneblog.com

Fretwork can also be used for a stunning headboard.

Gardiner and Larson Homes, CT.

Some times fretwork can add the finishing touch to a room.


I love this colorful room and it's soft coral fretwork cupboard.


This fun space features a whole wall of multi-patterned fretwork squares. Add the bamboo chairs with their cut out pattern and you have perfection.


Wallpaper and textiles designer, Neisha Crossland’s master bathroom in her London home. Spectacular details like the fretwork screens leading from her master bedroom into her bathroom.

via pinterest

The fretwork inspired carpet and wallpaper work together to support the real star of the show, the gorgeous brass and wood panels.


This room is definitely on trend as pagodas and fretwork are currently very popular interior design elements.

This screen  features the Moorish fretwork that is much desired in homes today.


Geoffrey Bradfield's Moroccan designed interior with beautiful fretwork panels.

Carolyne Roehm


Hill House Interiors

via pinterest

Fretwork might be an old concept but it has a new, fresh feeling.

Fretwork detail is very fashionable, especially when used on pieces such as cupboards or bookshelves.

There are so many wonderful uses for fretwork panels....just use you imagination to come up with way you can use them in your home.

Homeowners can add this delicate detail to almost any of their existing furnishings and have a geometric look

atlantahomesmagazine.com

I love fretwork on mirrors!!

chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com

This pretty lavender room has a touch of fretwork and Chinoiserie in that perfect pagoda topped etagere. The shelves are also great additions that help carry the theme.

www.myoverlays.com

O’verlays is a decorative project created by Cheryle Rhuda and Danika Herrick and designed especially for those looking for a new way of revamping their IKEA or generic furniture, but also mirrors, windows or walls. Some of them come in special sizes that were created for those plain but popular IKEA furniture items. The lightweight overlays can be painted in any color you need to match your interiors, but they can also adorn your furniture in a combination of vivid colors or pastels.

This image pays homage to classic Chinese fretwork, which is ideal for an Oriental scheme amongst traditional or contemporary furniture.


Mirrored wall with fretwork---always interesting.

instyle-decor.com

Another beautiful fretwork screen.....in brass which has made a huge comeback!



Fretwork shouldn't be limited to the indoors. It is a great design element for your outside entertainment areas.

via pinterest

Chippendale fretwork railing on balcony above and lattice trellis on covered patio below.


Use it in your gardens! I love the fretwork attached to this pergola.



You might also enjoy


Decorate Your Interiors With Lattice

Decorating With The Quatrefoil Motif



Click here to see the previous post

http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2014/07/decorating-colonialprimitive-bedrooms.html
This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer


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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Decorating Colonial/Primitive Bedrooms



When you have a desire to get down to the basics before everything became complicated, and bring old fashioned values of home and family into your interior design style, Colonial/Primitive is a design style to be considered. And one of the best places to start is the Master Bedroom. Adding colonial character to the bedroom will give you the sense of simple elegance and a remembrance of a time in which technology hadn’t taken over the world yet. 

 The Colonial/Primitive bedroom will create a quite, comfortable haven away from the fast paced present. I know this because I once decorated in this style for myself. In fact I still have many pieces of my colonial furniture including my pencil post bed, now dressed with a French flair and still adored. Even though my taste is more European now, I love this warm, elegant style and am always drawn to it. This blog post features the Colonial/Primitive bedroom and will hopefully help you if you are inspired by this wonderful period style.



Enjoy this lovely song as you visit!!



architecturaldigest.com

One of the statement pieces of the Colonial/Primitive bedroom is the pencil post bed with it's delicately tapered octagonal posts, capped with finials.  You can use it with or without a canopy. However the canopy brings the drama and there are many lovely styles to choose from. Checks are a mainstay of the Colonial interior so you can never go wrong by choosing them as window treatments, upholstery or canopies, like this one.

oldhousedreams.com

Cover your hardwood floors with rag and braided rugs.These rugs give a nostalgic, homey  feel to a bedroom and are usually easy to find at a good price.



Oriental rugs are also a good choice for the Colonial/Primitive bedroom.Opt for neutral walls like white or cream to expose folk art or stenciling. Stencils were used often to take the place of borders and wallpaper on the walls.

Via Brian Vanden Brink

oldhouseonline.com

the13thcolony.net

Beds with arched canopies were called field beds and are simply beautiful additions to the Colonial/Primitive bedroom.

architecturaldigest.com

When it comes to furnishing your Colonial/Primitive bedroom, don't get matching sets. Instead pick pieces that are different but look good when assembled together. Antiques are a very good place to start for your Colonial style if you want an authentic look. 



Where possible, settlers did bring their own furniture with them – so fine antiques were quite common. The Colonial/Primitive bedroom doesn't have to be completely filled with primitive furnishings.

Thinking About Home

source unknown

Remember that accessories in colonial days were practical. For instance here you see a blanket chest, sconces and candle holders, a powder horn and the much needed bed warmer. Also pineapples were considered the symbol of hospitality so they were incorporated in the design of many rooms in the house including the Colonial/Primitive bedroom.


Wall sconces are a great way of getting that old-fashioned colonial decorating look. A few well placed candles in brass or wrought iron candle holders and a few lanterns or oil lamps will complete the Colonial/Primitive bedroom.


You can't go wrong with stacked trunks at the foot of the bed.

Thinking About Home

A sitting area is another good idea for the foot of the bed. Use Windsor chairs and  add some other handmade items preferably in the form of quilts and samplers, but don't go overboard with the handmade items or you will end up more country and less colonial.

via pinterest

Handmade pencil post canopy beds and other antique pieces were constructed from poplar, pine, cherry, birch, walnut or tiger maple. Many people decorate with oak, but it is actually not considered a colonial wood. Blue, red , mustard yellow and sage green are the usual colors used in decorating a Colonial/Primitive bedroom.


 Install simple lamps made of wrought iron and designed to carry candles instead of light bulbs. 
Pencil post beds were sometimes painted. Also the hand tied canopy (called a fishnet canopy) is a perennial favorite of the Colonial/Primitive bedroom.

Norma Roupe

Old coverlets on beds and fishnet canopies.


 The comb back Windsor chair and the upholstered Wingback chair were staples of Colonial times and were often found in Colonial/Primitive bedrooms.

pic70.picturetrail.com

If possible, convert your floors to hardwood, with wider planks if possible. Nothing sets the stage for a Colonial/Primitive  bedroom quite like them. Pine flooring was pretty much the standard.


Always be on the search for painted folk art pieces like this chest. And primitive painting of "ancestors" are perfection for your Colonial/Primitive bedroom. Aren't these wide plank floors fabulous?

google search

via pinterest

Not all Colonial bedrooms have four poster beds. There are many wonderful beds that are equally colonial in style. This bedroom features a lively red and white quilt and primitive decorations. Even more quilts in the cupboard and in the nightstand. Most colonial beds are higher off the ground so add some steps!

Another type of bed you would find in Colonial/Primitive bedrooms is the rope bed. American Colonialists wove ropes into a kind of lattice or net on a bed frame. The result is a kind of rectangular hammock that they covered with a mattress and blankets. The wooden instrument on the trunk called a straining wrench would be used to tighten the ropes to keep the lattice from sagging. This is where the phrase "sleep tight" originated.

source unknown

via pinterest

Add an antique blanket chest at the foot of the bed and a wooden stand with an old pitcher by the side of the bed and you have a classic Colonial/Primitive style for your bedroom. Some silhouettes and swags and jabots on the windows will complete the look.


You might also enjoy  Decorating With Samplers.....Hand Stitched Heirlooms  http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2013/05/decorating-with-samplershandstitched.html

Decorating In The Primitive Colonial Style   http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2013/02/decorating-in-primitive-colonial-style.html

Click here to see the previous post

http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2014/07/decorating-with-porters-chairs.html
This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer
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