Monday, October 12, 2015

Stylish Ways To Incorporate TVs Into Your Interiors



I am currently helping a client that is in the process of restoring a historic home built in 1785. One of their requests is to find ways to keep modern technology from conflicting with the period integrity of this home. We have decided to only use antique pieces with the televisions tucked inside, but there are other lovely ways to solve this common decorating dilemma.

Much to my son's chagrin, I am not one who likes to see technology dominating a room. Luckily for both of us he has a loft on the top floor that is a gamer's dream with his flat screen TVs proudly displayed and enjoyed immensely. I, on the other hand, refuse to let electronics take over the design of my interiors and am devoted to hiding, concealing, camouflaging or stylishly integrating our TVs into our decor. I am presently on the hunt for an antique easel to display a TV on in my French style bedroom.


In this post I hope you will find inspirational decorating ideas on how to incorporate the television into your existing decorating scheme in a unique, sleek and stylish way.



I can remember when my parents bought their "console TV" a bulky piece that was their attempt to make the TV more appealing in their interiors. Now I like to incorporate TVs into pieces of unique antique furniture (not entertainment centers) and closing the doors when not in use. It's my favorite way to hide them.

Kara Childress via cotedetexas.blogspot.com

If you appreciate quality TV and also love art why should you have to choose? I don't think I've ever seen a TV that looks great in a room so why not tuck it away behind something you enjoy such as an antique tapestry, quilt, or masterpiece.


Or a screen will do nicely!

source unknown

This TV is inside the wall behind an automated painting. The painting is lifted up and down by a remotely controlled  actuator. Push a button and the painting is lifted up by the actuator and the TV is revealed. Push it again and the TV disappears behind the painting and you'd never know it was there! The same thing can be done with mirrors.


Big black flat screens aren't the most attractive of objects so while they wish to incorporate them into their interiors many home owners wish to conceal them while not in use. Sliding barn doors are a popular trend at present so what better way to conceal a flat screen TV than behind carriage style sliding doors. They will enhance your interiors with a rustic elegance.


Every household has at least one obstacle and how to incorporate the flat screen TV in a stylish and unique way is top of the list. There is alot you can do with salvage elements so consider using old doors or shutters to conceal your TV. It will create a perfect vintage or rustic look.



Just mounting a flat screen TV to your wall has become a bit passé, especially in some upscale dwellings. People look for ways to artfully incorporate TVs so they can have their cake and eat it too.


Pictures mounted so that they swing open on side hinges to reveal the screen behind it is a wonderful way to incorporate your TV into your decor. Make sure you remember to recess the TV so that the artwork can be mounted on the wall surface.


With the addition of hinged artwork to conceal it, your television becomes a minor player in the room.

TVs are problematic to decorating. We enjoy them but even so, sometimes we just want them out of sight. Old cupboard doors can be mounted to cover your screen as a way to incorporate your TV into a room that has been decorated in a vintage style. These look like the pierced tin doors of an old pie safe.


TVs are being tucked into fireplaces and concealed with screens or mirrors.

Julia Blailock

Many want to incorporate a TV into their more formal spaces. Here the right cupboard doors mounted over the fireplace to hide the screen only enhances and already elegant living room.



For more modern interiors try building a feature wall with sliding panels. This will help you incorporate a TV into your space so that it totally disappears and becomes an accent wall when not in use.



I love the white sliding wall space. This is truly a lovely way to hide your TV.


There are many ways to customize your interiors so that a TV can be incorporated with ease and style. This has been built so that the TV just slides back into the wall when not in use and leaves you with a lovely window seat instead.

Crisp Architects

Also at the touch of a button your big screen television will disappear from sight into a beautiful system of furniture or in this case counter top.


If you don't want to hide your TV but would like it to work better with your decor style, consider putting small collections of artwork, paintings, and photographs in gallery style around your TV. The eye is drawn to the grouping of items and not just a lone black screen. Much more appealing!


You can also keep the look consistent with picture frames in black, the same color as the TV.


See how the collection of objects draw the eye away from the screen. It's a great way to incorporate your TV into your decorating style whether vintage.....


......or more modern. Whichever your design preference, the trick is to get the television to compliment the space. Remember to vary the sizes of artwork for a more interesting visual display.


Your television can blend or it can be the focal point. I prefer blending but I can understand that they are costly and many people like to use them as focal points so people can see them. If this is your choice just please see that your room is decorated well. Nothing looks worse than a big ole TV and no form of cohesive decor in the room. You might have a big TV but you won't be impressing anybody.



There are plenty of personal details in this room which prevent the large TV from taking over the design. The size of the artwork on the left wall balances the room so that the TV wall doesn't overwhelm. many people are proud of that high definition flat screen TV, however it doesn't have to be the centerpiece of the living room.


If you are one that would like to incorporate your a television into your room but wish it to blend, consider built in shelves to give character to the space. You can store your collectibles thus adding personality to a room and minimizing your TV's presence. Also dark walls (especially black) make your TV blend almost to the point of disappearing.

Lucy Interior Design

Black wallpaper will also minimize the look of your TV.


If you do your homework you will see that there are ways to incorporate a modern flat screen TV into your interiors and still make the rest of your room look beautiful and stylish.





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This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer




Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Decorating With The Duchess Brisée



Pronounced due SHESS bree ZAY , the Duchess Brisée is a wonderful three piece French chaise lounge consisting of a set of hand carved armchairs or bergéres (one generally smaller than the other) and a bout-de-pied, or foot rest that fit together in a way as to make a single seating unit. 

A form of the Duchess, which was a one piece chaise, the Duchess Brisée (which means broken Duchess) is very versatile in that it can be a seat for one or can be broken apart and used however necessary if company comes and extra seating is needed.

The Duchess Brisée is a beautiful piece of French furniture of a feminized style known as Louis XVI that became extremely popular in 18th and 19th centuries as a seat most often used by women for private reading. It is an enviable piece that will certainly take center stage in your home if you are fortunate enough to acquire one.



Antique Louis XVI Painted Duchesse Brisee Chaise

The Duchess Brisée is a convenient seating arrangement, allowing pieces to easily be moved around a room or adjusted to the sitter's preference. It is also an aesthetically pleasing piece.


The French invented the Duchesse Brisee around 1740 and it was designed in three parts with two gondola type chairs and a footstool between them.This picture and the one below of the same room demonstrate how versatile the Duchess Brisée is.


The Duchesse Brisée was strictly a European chair, not making its way over the Atlantic to America. Although French, a Duchess Brisée can be seen in Coughton Court, a beautiful Tudor house set in 25 acres of landscaped gardens in Alcester, Warwickshire.


The Duchess Brisée broken apart for use as chairs.

anticstore.com

The Duchess Brisée was a clever and versatile way to adapt the popular armchair to the art of reclining. The pieces were usually connected with a metal clamp to keep them from separating.


Even though it was created in the 1700's, the the Duchesse brisée made a comeback with the advent of Rococo Revival style in the 1840's.


The Duchess Brisée was often seen in the bedroom. 


An especially pretty gilded Duchess Brisée.


This beautiful cane and wood Duchess Brisée is perfect for those who want to bring the rustic warmth, beauty and history of fine antiques into their homes and interiors.


A Duchesse Brisée tucked into an alcove in Rundale Palace, Latvia.

via pinterest

The concept for the Duchess Brisée is originally from Egypt with examples of this type lounger found in 1st Dynasty tombs.


The Duchess Brisée can also be a 2 piece lounger consisting of a chair and a one piece combination footboard/footstool.


The arrival of the Duchess Brisée on the domestic scene in post-Renaissance France marked a new relaxation in manners and social behavior.

via Pinterest


A 19th century Duchess Brisée upholstered in tan and white buffalo plaid for a more rustic French Country look.


Very grand 19th century 2 piece French Duchesse Brisee

source unknown

This space is proof that a Duchess Brisée can still be quite chic in more current interiors.

via photographer Fabien Lemaire


You can count on a Duchess Brisée to add instant French flair and elegance to any interior.

thursdaysantiques.com

sothebys.com






Click here to see the previous post


This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer




Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Decorating Bedrooms In A Pale Color Palette


Nothing beats a pale color palette for making rooms feel pretty, soft edged, and inviting. And these soft and soothing hues make any bedroom look timeless and sophisticated. Since color not only reflects your personality, but also the function of the room you are decorating, a pale color palette will certainly set the stage for a bedroom that is perfect for relaxing, cuddling, and disconnecting from the world's hectic pace. 

Natural hues are today's hottest pale options for modern bedroom walls with names like gardenia, quartz white, ancient marble, opaline,veiled violet. However, the pale color palette is still very popular for Romantic Old World and Shabby Chic style bedrooms. The trick is to not make your space feel so sweet that you lose the sophisticated edge.

I have gathered some images of pale bedrooms that I think reflect elegance and refinement as well as the invitation to snuggle up and unwind. Remember it's not only about the paint, it's about textiles, patterns, and beautiful accessories.



Of course ivory walls provide the opportunity to experiment with pale colors on the bed and accessories. This room features bedding with delicate touches of pale pink. For a perfectly cohesive look add flowers, upholstered pieces or other accents in the same color family.


A pale palette bedroom can easily appear too flat if you are not careful to mix pattern and texture. The faux painting technique on the walls give depth. Try and imagine this room with just a plain painted wall. It wouldn't be near as lovely. A pale, subtle wallpaper is another great option to bring interest to pale walls.

admagazine.fr

I adore old world bedrooms like this where a pale color palette is pure perfection!

via Pinterest

A pale color palette doesn't mean you can't have a punch of color. Just make it small and don't use a bright color. Stay more in the muted tones.


In fact a pale color palette can act as the perfect backdrop for bringing in other tones, giving you room to experiment with contrasting colors. Even though this is a strong color, it still is a soft shade and the room still maintains a soft feel.


A pale blue color palette, enhanced by ivory accessories, make this bedroom more complex and sophisticated.

John Jacob


The new opulence.......bedrooms with a hushed, pale color palette.


Trying a pale color palette in your bedroom will give you a chance to work with brighter and darker shades within the same family.

via Pinterest

We instinctively seem to gravitate towards a paler color palette that remind us of the softer calmer life when we want to create a bedroom haven for rest in a stressful world. 


Bedrooms that have been decorated with a pale, muted, aqua color palette always seem to have an inviting fresh feel.


Even though there is a hearty mix and match of pattern, the pale color palette keeps this bedroom on the soft side.

via Pinterest

Just because you choose a pale color palette doesn't mean your bedroom can't have a rich, regal appearance.


Beiges, aged whites, and grays are wonderful canvases that allow you to play with color. Ivory, pale aqua and lilac is a wonderful pale color palette to try.


Ralph Lauren

This bedroom's pale color palette features several beautiful colors in soft muted shades.


A pale color palette softens this bedroom's eclectic mix of home accessories.

Tiffany Eastman

The pale palette of barely there colors makes this bedroom appear romantic and luminous even with the bold zebra rug.


This pale pink, gray, and ivory color palette is not sugary sweet but has more of an old world feel. When using pink in a pale bedroom I recommend leaning towards a shade that would be considered nude.

via Pinterest


A pale color palette makes this bedroom a slumber-worthy space.


source unknown....would love to give credit to the designer if anyone knows it is.

Today's cottage style decorating is about soft colors, vintage furnishings, feminine florals and a pale color palette is especially desirable.

via Pinterest

Pale pink accessories upstage the bedrooms beige walls with just a whisper.


A sophisticated vintage look can be achieved by combining a pale color palette with faux plastered walls.

southernpiphi.tumblr.com




Click here to see the previous post


This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer

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