Making Visual Sense of It

When moving house or going for a total make-over, starting again with a blank canvas can be really exciting and is your opportunity to bring together your relationship with you, your family, how you wish to live and your belongings.

Which way to Go and What to Do ???

Which – Why – How ???

                        

Most homes are basically living rooms downstairs and bedrooms upstairs.  Although the ground floor living rooms are adjacent to each other, they have clearly defined functions and can be decorated to create the relevant atmosphere and to reflect the purpose of the room.

Dedicating a room to a specific task such as a dining room that is only ever going to be a dining room is a luxury most modern homes can ill afford, but if you enjoy entertaining or indeed cooking and prefer the family to sit down together, spend quality time together and appreciate your efforts, then a separate dining room is well worth the sacrifice of space.

The Stunning Bay Window is Fitted with a Roman Blind in Keeping With The Black and White Furniture and Accessories.

The colouring of more a modern looking dining room can be cool, chic and understated – and for a more traditional look, the warm colours are better suited.

Open Plan Interiors Need Not Be Restricted to Modern Homes – This Traditional Setting Looks Every Bit the Part

For a greater feeling of space which nowadays is what most people strive for in their living areas, a very large hammer will be required to knock down a few walls. I can remember as a child pre the “internet sensation”, the first thing my father did as did many others when moving house was to knock down the wall between the lounge and dining room. A great success unless it was the weekend when everyone was at home and he hogged the television with wall to wall sport and there was no getting away from it – no retreating with a lap top to a remote corner of the house.

That trend quickly passed as everyone realised that individuals needed their own space. It is back again however with a vengeance as you can now immerse yourself with your smart phone or computer if the main television has been commandeered by the alpha whoever.

This Fabulous Open Plan Area is Sectioned with a Double Sided Feature Fire Panel

Space should be enjoyed for what it is, so if you are a hoarder, then this look is not for you unless you can bring yourself to have plenty of storage then store it and do not overload every available surface with your treasures.

Tidiness is Also a Bit of a Requisite for this Style of Interior – the Stylish Minimalism of this Modern Living Room is Somewhat Overshadowed by Piles of Magazines and Old Coffee Cups

In order to create a unified scheme you will need to make sure that continuity of decoration and atmosphere flows through the various areas. They will however need some kind of minimal demarcation even if it is just a large piece of furniture or a screen to section off the various areas or acoustically and psychologically one large undefined area may be a little harsh.

For a really successful open-plan scheme you will need to balance the two contrasting elements in the space, horizontal lines which are more relaxing and vertical lines which are more formal – they both are equally important but need to work in harmony. The horizontal lines of the venetian blinds of the scheme above flow with the top of the room dividing screen and the straight backs for the furniture, whereas the vertical lines are bought into play by the upward lines of the spiral stairs and edges of the room divider. This screen incidentally is a wonderful asset to the room as it can be moved to create more room when the dining area is in use, or likewise more space when the living room is the main area.

Different wallpaper or paint is a great way to create a divide between the areas, the space will still flow if you get the colours of the paint or wallpaper to co-ordinate.

This Beautifully Polished Wood Floor Unites the Separate Areas and Also Brings Into Play the Vertical and Horizontal Elements in the Room According to Where You Are in the Room

The wallpaper used for the feature wall of the dining area is strongly vertical picking up the flow of the lines of the wooden floor boards – had the floor boards run in the other direction, then to maintain harmony a wallpaper or window treatment favouring the horizontall line would have been a better choice.

This Stunning Decor Suits All Aspects of the Room

Wherever you stand in this open-plan space, the aspect ratio is correct. The flow of the lines of the wooden flooring looking towards the window covering is vertical as is the design detail of the curtains, whereas looking towards the dining area, the wallpaper is horizontal to mirror the direction of the floor boards.

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It’s Just an Illusion

Although the phrase trompe-l’œil has its origin in the Baroque period, when perspective illusionism was at its height –

It’s Just an Illusion

a fabulous this example of this being painted by Andrea Pozzo in 1703 on a low vaulted church ceiling to give it the impression of an awe inspiring domed ceiling, the use of trompe-l’œil dates back much further. It was and still is often used in murals with fine examples of this being found in ruins from Greek and Roman times such as in Pompeii.

A typical trompe-l’œil mural might depict a window, door, or hallway, intended to suggest a larger room. This art form is still used today particularly by stage set designers and requires a keen eye for perspective as well as a large helping of imagination.

In our own small way in our home decor, the clever use of colours even if it is just the window treatment, will alter the dimensions of a room, light cool colours such as blues and greens make an area feel light and spacious whereas dark warm colours such as browns and reds make a room feel cosy and intimate.

The horizontal slats of a venetian blind will give width to a window

Venetian Blinds Look Stunning Looking Out as Well as Looking In

and the vertical slats of a vertical blind will give height to a window.

A Vertical Blind Can Fit both in a Bay Window or a Straight Window.

The same principal applies to curtain fabrics, wallpapers, upholstery and rugs, so check the overall design of the pattern to ensure that the detail is influenced in the same direction or in the direction you are trying to emphasize or it will become a muddle.

Designs at Opposite Ends of the Spectrum Attract as long as they have the Same Directional Overtones.

Colours are highly personal so while you may wish to steer away conventional colours, they have been time honoured and tested – a dab of colour from a pot of tester paint is a completely different story to a whole room. If in doubt just paint a feature wall in your chosen colour and see what the reaction from the rest of the household is like before you steam ahead with the whole room.

We are more inclined to be happy on a sunny day and more likely to be sad on a dull day, so bear this in mind also when you are choosing the colours for your scheme and this is every bit as important when choosing new blinds or curtains as it is for a complete redesign of a room.

Sunny Warm Colours Lift the Mood of a Room

If you are decorating a whole house from scratch, then use the hallways and landing as a transitional buffer zone, leading you from one colour to the next. Keeping the same colour flooring throughout will also help to allow a free flowing feeling throughout the house.

Windows with a special view will also need careful consideration.  Views of the sea for instance will be stunning on a bright summer’s day and can take the visual impact of a modern decor based perhaps on silver and steel, but the windows will definitely need a touch of warmth for the winter or on a dismal dreary summer’s day as the sea and sky can also quickly also become cold and uninviting.

A Bold Highlight Colour on a Grey Background Looks Absolutely Stunning

There are plenty of colours that are adaptable and can go “cool” or “warm” just by being punctuated by a cool or warm colour.

One of the most successful combinations in my opinion and is one that I often use is silver and steel. It is basically a grey decor where a strong red or blue for example, used with extreme care with just perhaps a splash of the feature colour in a blind and accessorised with a few relevant coloured cushions scattered about and a piece of artwork with a highlight of the main colouring.

Grey colours or indeed non colours are the current stand-in for creams and will give a spacious feel with a touch of interest to even the smallest of interiors.

In this digital era it is so easy to “capture the moment” and have it framed professionally by your local picture framing shop for what is usually the same price as a standard picture in a retail shop.

When dressing a show home, I usually visit the local framing shop and ask if they can recommend a local photographer who may have some images that can be mounted to add some relevance to the decor. My current favourite is in a show home I have just finished which has fabulous views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight which is where this photo was taken by Sally Armstrong.

Framed in a Modern Chrome Frame – How Fabulous

Even the most avid couch potato could not help but be inspired by images such as this decorating their living room walls.

Trompe-l’œil

There are many Trompe-l’œil ideas and indeed items available for the modern home as it is a great means of providing decorative impact. This French term is used for imagery, imitation and the use of colours or paintings to trick the eye into seeing an optical illusion to create often more depth or height to a room or just to blatantly copy the real thing if the real thing is not suitable for the purpose, prohibitively expensive or socially unacceptable, a great example of this being the use of faux suede and leather for furniture and blinds.

Today you can buy anything from a wallpaper depicting floor to ceiling bookshelves full of books, to  stunning murals of the Manhattan skyline or a palm lined beach in the Caribbean and the quality of faux fur, leather and suede makes it virtually impossible to tell the difference from the real thing. The use of contrasting light and dark colours in your decor will certainly visually increase the dimensions of a room, but will need careful planning as colour has the ability to induce feeling of joy or gloom, making you feel “at home” or feel like bolting for the door.

Why not take the leap and change the entire look and feel of your home, it makes a great alternative to moving. There are so many possibilities available to you especially if you use modern innovative materials such as the special finishes which will enable you to use concrete to imitate stone, not only for the floors but also for the walls, or sections of wood paneling to mirror your wooden flooring. Take care though, too much can be an overkill and you could end up feeling like you are living in a log cabin, or worse still a cave.

Stone has been around for millions of years so enjoy it –the smooth surface and varied colour tones are restful on the eye making it a highly desirable finish for many kinds of surfaces, really having been built to last – and what a decorative detail it makes. Modern methods of mining make real stone, slate and granite within many peoples budgets, but watch out for wee foreign beasties lurking such as the lady the other day who captured one of the worlds deadliest snakes with her salad tongs that had been stowed away on the ship that had imported the slates from India.

A State-of-the Art Entertainment System.

A statement wall or even just a fireplace makes the perfect spot to embrace modern technology with style. A state of the art entertainment system is now so often the main focal point of the room, so embrace it but try to ensure it tastefully blends with other details in the room such as with this fabulous concrete feature chimney. I thoroughly recommend the involvement of a specialist fireplace company for this kind of project before installing your new HD smart flat screen in case all is not well and you cook the tv.

Keep this type of on trend decor to the minimum with bearly there window treatments such as a neutral coloured venetian blind

A Vertical Blind Creates an Appealing Mellow Hue of Light when used during the day and Complete Privacy at night

A Modern Metallic Venetian Blind Blends the Right Control of Light with the Right Innovative Look for a Modern Home

The Natural Wood Finish of this Venetian Blind makes a perfect backdrop for a Modern Minimal Decor

Thankfully in the modern world we have moved on from particularly the Victorian passion for killing animals for display. I cannot think of anything more unsettling when settling down for a relaxing evening in front of the telly than to have a dead tiger complete with its head flattened out on the floor snarling at you.

I can remember as a very small child visiting an ancient Uncle who proudly showed me his prize possessions which were an ashtray made from a Gorillas hand and an umbrella stand made from the foot and leg of an elephant – can you imagine the horrific impression it made on me and I definitely avoid buying anything furry from China.

Contact Poles and Blinds – For all your curtain, curtain poles and window blinds.

Tel: 0845 4650101 International Calls: 00441243 586660

Email: info@polesandblinds.com

Customise Your Home

Purity and simple styling is often associated with an Asian decor and as the windows of a room usually take up a substantial part of the wall or walls, then curtains or blinds made from an Oriental themed fabric design will quickly infuse the room with this style of decor.

A Cool, Calm and Collected Bedroom Decor

Neutrals are very well suited to this look and can be dressed up or down accordingly.

Vintage romanticism or the Country cottage look is completely at opposite ends of the design spectrum to the chic minimalism of this style of decor.

Curtains and Roman Blinds in Matching Fabrics.

Black and/or red fabrics are always popular, the warmth of the red mixing well with the mystique of the black, but if you are going for a floral fabric, then make sure it is relevant to the look, a garland of roses tied up with ribbons for example would be a definite no.

Our roman blinds will be available this autumn in a range of matching curtains, either with pencil pleat, pinch pleat or eyelet headings. This will open a whole new gambit of inspirational ideas for your windows, being especially significant in rooms that have windows of varying sizes or perhaps a window with a south facing aspect that could benefit from having a layered window treatment to help with controlling the heat and light levels in the room.

The crisp formality of a pencil pleat heading will be best suited for an Asian style of decor, the eyelet heading, although very chic, is better suited to a modern western style of home and the pinch pleat heading again is too formal and indeed too western.

A Large Circular Mirror On A Feature Wall is very Synonymous with an Asain Style of Decor

Various other colours are making their way into this decorative style, but usually they are bold colours working away from light coloured wall finishes with of course black being introduced wherever applicable.

Modern Living room with a Free Flow of Movement

Wooden venetian or bamboo blinds are great for spa styled bathrooms, but are perhaps only suitable for small windows in a bedroom or living room – a large window will call for something a bit more impressive.

Sheer Panels for the Looks used with Various Types of Window Blinds for the Mechanics

A spa inspired bathroom is bliss to the senses but to benefit fully from this style of bathroom in your home, you will need almost guaranteed seclusion – there is no point wafting away with flickering candle light and luxury bath oils only to be brought back to life by a raucous yell from the kids in the kitchen.

A Spa Styled Bathroom will Relax the Senses

A few well chosen items such as lava stones or some bamboo canes in a bathroom will add character and a bit of mystique to the natural look which this style of decor is renowned for, but in a living room you can afford to make more of a statement with a large piece of artwork or ornaments. Keep any floral decorations to twiggy or bamboo types of arrangements, orchids for example are great and they are readily available in very realistic looking artificial versions.

Asian Decor

Fabulous Silks are the Epitome of Asian Decor – Ideal for Curtains, Blinds and Bedding

This style can be achieved very easily, maybe with just a woodweave blind and an orchid in the bedroom or a wooden venetian blind, an ornament of Buddha and an arrangement of bamboo plants in the bathroom; it’s just a question of degrees.

Asian Decor-Simplicity by Design

I think personally that in the West a hint of Asia, perhaps with your furniture placed in a feng shui arrangement with Zen spaces, related decorative art and modern furniture with the merest suggestion of the Orient is stunning in a modern home, but sometimes people can get carried away with the theme and it becomes a total jumble of collectables which is not at all in keeping with the minimal theme which is so important with this style of decor.

Characteristic Simplicity With a Few Well Chosen Accessories Will Tastefully Complement The Look

Neutral coloured walls, but definitely not white, will set your decor off to perfection, particularly if you accompany it with dark wood flooring and patterned rugs.

Japanese, Chinese and Thai influences traditionally paved the way for our attraction for this style of decor, but now it is also being influenced by many Eastern cultures, the whole look mainly drawing inspiration from history and nature. Dark woods, red, brown and of course black are the dominant colours, with minimal simplicity being the ultimate goal.

This Fabulous Minimal Look is Ideal for a Modern Home

Solid black or dark brown furniture is the epitome of Asian decor, but as this style of decor is so well suited to the contemporary minimal look, it has evolved a trendy chic style of its own, modern but with an exotic Asian feel about it.

A Stunning Mix of Classical Oriental with Modern Formality

Wood or bamboo blinds were the usual choice for window decorations so if you wish to try to emulate the look, then there are plenty of types and colours of blinds to choose from, especially in the rich hard wood colourings of the tropics. Textured and silk curtain fabrics were also widely used and the same still applies.

An All White Decor Instantly Gains Humanity with a Simple Orchid and a Touch of Contrast – No Matter How Small

Curtain tracks work well with curtains made from wafty sheers and muslins as well as more conventional curtaining,  creating a perfect balance of unencumbered elegance.

Curtain Tracks Give a More Informal Look to Your Curtain Arrangement.

Swathes of light muslin or silk fabric draped around a modern four poster bed or a curtain pole will capture the exotic theme, but keep the pole simple so the fabric and its drapes will be the main feature of the window dressing.

Although being  more widespread nearer the tropics, it  is a testament to when it would have been unthinkable to go to bed without the protection of a mosquito net. This brings to mind a friend who stayed in a luxury garden style hotel in Thailand who sensibly called reception when an unfamiliar bulge appeared in the roof canopy of the bed – it turned out to be a Cobra which had also settled down for the night.

Small rooms such as a home office or bathroom lend themselves well to this elegant yet minimal style of decor.  Dark wood furniture will overpower a small room, so open shelves and furniture in glass, metal and light wood will be perfectly acceptable, it’s just a question of maintaining the relevent styling.

White Window Blinds Increases the Sense of Space and the Flow of Natural Light

Contact Poles and Blinds – For all your curtain poles and window blinds.

Tel: 0845 4650101 International Calls: 00441243 586660

Email: info@polesandblinds.com

The Scandinavian Style Opened the Door

A modern decor seems to exude a sense of calm even in the busiest of city apartments with the use of light both natural and artificial being the key to success by helping to create a feeling of openness and therefore space. This style of decor is based predominantly on blinds for the windows and chalky white or soft grey palettes for the walls and furnishings. This style of decor blends beautifully with classic surroundings as well as a modern town or rural home.

Bring In the Modernist Materials – Glass, Metal, Stone and Tiled Floors

It all began with the arrival of Ikea  to the U.K.in 1987 which started the march into modernism,  but it wasn’t until the mid-90s that the company really started to make an impression on the look of our home interiors. In the early days Ikea apparently ran a very high-profile advertising campaign called “Chuck out your chintz” which opened the way for the contemporary look with the key note being immaculate and minimal (tidy) with everything having its place and that means out of sight so plenty of drawers and cupboards were and still are essential.

Bright Blues and Greens are a popular Scandinavian colour as they will brighten the short winter days.

Out went the polished mahogany and yew furniture, reproduction or otherwise and in came fibreboard (MDF), metal and glass. Fibreboard furniture is easy to keep clean and comes in various shades of natural wood colouring, white and black, but the jury is still out as to whether it is carcinogen to humans.  MDF furniture is however very environmentally friendly as it is mostly made from recycled wood and also from sustainable forests. Manufacturers have now begun to eliminate the use of formaldehyde which is the toxic binding agent which was one of the main toxic worries.

MDF Furniture is Relatively Cheap yet Can Achieve Very Striking Effects

Certain types of homes and loft apartments in particular really look good with this style of decor as the exposed rafters or beams can be left exposed and stained in a light pine colour so synonymous with the Scandinavian look. Simple vertical blinds may well be the answer to dressing odd shaped windows especially if they are large and south facing as the modern materials used for making blinds often have special properties that include heat and light resistance.

Scandinavian Influences such as the Light Pine Wood Finish ensures the Effect is Light and Gives a Clean Lined Finish Coupled with the Vertical Blind

Individual rooms such as a teenager’s bedroom will absorb this style very well particularly as their rooms are usually full of computers, games consols, games etc., that will need a place to be stored in the unlikely event of a “tidy up”

There are all sorts of subtle ways you can add interest to an otherwise bland decor such as in a kitchen or bathroom that has plain white or neutral coloured tiles, by introducing grey or brown grout as this will really make the tiles stand out adding a tab of interest without spoiling the chic minimalism by making it fussy and overpowering.

A Combination of White and Metal will instantly Create a Sense of Order

Roller blinds particularly suit the slick streamlined finish of the Scandinavian look.

A Well Balanced Scheme flows through the elements with a vibrant colour being only used for Accessories or Art

This style of decor looks great punctuated with a few punchy Asian accessories – more about that in the next blog, but always be aware of the wise old saying “the devil is in the detail”.

Worth mentioning is the fact that in spite of obviously achieving great wealth, the Swedish founder of Ikea is apparently notoriously thrifty, still using public transport complete with his pensioners discount card and flying economy class. The company motto incidentally is “Happiness is not reaching your goal. Happiness is being on the way”  which is quite inspirational and I personally think that if you are as happy as you can be with your home, then happiness in the rest of your life will not be far behind.

French Decor Does Not Always Mean the Louis Look

White on white is always a firm favourite for a French Style decor, a statement of graceful sophistication. If you want to use colour especially if it is bright, then the unwritten but generally accepted ratio is 70% of the main detail such as the floor and walls should be one colour, 20% should be in a different colour and used for the curtains, blinds and other soft furnishings such as cushions or bedding and then 10% can be a complete vibrant contrast, but restricted to ornaments and pictures.

Crisp White Cotton Bedding always makes a Stunning Statement

Personally I always prefer to start with neutral walls, think of an art gallery, the walls are nearly always white, ready to add the works of art which will stand out to their best advantage and the same will apply to your window treatments, furniture and furnishings.

If you favour the ultimate in neutral decor and have a suitably sized wallet you might like to base your decor around a pot of the world’s most expensive paint. It costs a mere 4,500 Euros a square metre owing to the fact that it has about half a million Swarovski Crystals to one square metre of paint – the effect must be truly breathtaking as the light catches the crystals.

There are plenty of other stunning effects you can create, you just need lots of time and a good imagination.

Embrace The Television – Dont Try to Hide It

This attractive kitchen is very Provence, the large dresser being the main focal point. White colour washed wooden floors and furniture will give a feeling a space, ideal for a multi-functional family kitchen and when the odd disaster happens a quick lick of paint and all is well. State of the art wooden veneer or high gloss finished units look the part until the dog jumps up them looking for his lunch and then they are bug….d.

White Wooden Curtain Poles Unite the Window Treatment with the Rest of the Furnishings

Feu de Forge furniture is very French and still very popular. The traditional hand crafted wrought iron furniture can be given a modern twist but I think works well as an amalgamation of contemporary and traditional. French furniture and decor is usually very feminine and will often appeal to the emerging teenage girl.

This Pretty Teenagers Bedroom pays homage to the Charm of French Furniture

Sheer curtains and blinds fit well with this look, especially if they are draped from a slender wrought iron curtain pole, but will need frequent re-dressing or they will look an unruly mess – like this !!!!!

Voile Curtains need lots of attention to avoid looking like rags

French Connection

Modern French decor is often a combination of tradition elegance and modern minimalism.

French decor can take a mix of types and periods of furniture without looking disjointed

Grey and white walls and minimal curtains or blinds and Cabriole legged Louis XV style furniture for me is the epitome of a French decor and the great attraction of this type of design is that it will add a touch of glamour to modern efficiency making even the most ugly computer recede into relative obscurity.

There are many ways to give a French flavour without having to change too much and the quickest and easiest way is to introduce a Toile fabric into the room, but take care that depending on the degree of toile print used that there is not too many other design details in the room. It is very much a standalone type of fabric due to the intricate detailing, but definitely does not need to be confined to the windows.

The Toile design is the most easily recognisable of all French designs and therefore most associated with the “French Look”

Toile fabric design is available in everything from a pair of oven gloves to a complete bedroom but whatever colour toile you go for, traditionally it needs to remain the same colour throughout the scheme, combined with plains either in a matching primary colour or a complimentary neutral colouring.

As for the walls, brightly coloured curtains, bedding and blinds are more easily integrated into a neutral background, but in the case of a Toile, one feature wall is acceptable in a matching wallpaper, with stunning results.

The liberal use of Chunky Cushions and Large Statement Ornaments make very much a Continental Statement.

Comfortable chunky traditional seating is a must with lots of large yet simple ornaments grouped in a table or mantel scape. Perhaps a trip across the channel to a French flea market could be a good source for your accessories as us Brits are often a little more conservative with our ornamental displays.

This delightful furniture Says it All

A large armoire wardrobe or cupboard and an oversized decorative mirror will also give a French feel – but shop carefully as the French style of furniture is making a comeback, being reproduced, often rather badly which can cheapen the look, moving the room from having a sophisticated elegance to having a gaudy overdone feel. 

A Sizeable Room with a High Ceiling can take a Large Statement Light

  

Choose what is to be the main detail and in this case, it is clearly the intricate detailing of the light, so keep the curtains simple, perhaps complimenting the metal finish of the light with a similarly coloured metal or wooden curtain pole.

Cameron Fuller Curtain Pole

Box pleat headings on curtains will give an informal feel especially if the fabric is a natural linen or a softly textured neutral fabric and there are plenty of metal or wooden curtain poles that can be decorative in their own right such as the Cameron Fuller curtain pole, without stealing the limelight. 

Blinds are relatively popular in France, but of course it is very common to have shutters at the windows which are shut fast often quite early in the evening giving the feeling as you drive through a French village that everyone has gone to Mars.

 

Contact Poles and Blinds – For all your curtain poles and window blinds.

 

Tel: 0845 4650101 International Calls: 00441243 586660

 

Email: info@polesandblinds.com

 

Embrace your Dented Walls and Scruffy Furniture

One very obvious look for a Mediterranean house is the use of lots of wrought iron both inside and out, but unless you live in California or indeed the Mediterranean, fancy wrought iron bars at the windows, whilst they may seem appealing in the current era of household theft and are ideal for keeping unwanted intruders out, will look ridiculous in the U.K.

Swags and Tails offer a Timeless Elegance Anywhere

Curtains on this type of window are often rather decorative to draw the eye away from the metal bars, which can give the feeling to the overseas visitor that you are being “detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure”. Swags and Tails are still used quite extensively for a more formal look, but usually dressed from a wooden curtain pole.

Plain wooden curtain poles can be jazzed up a bit still using a simple curtain treatment such as a skirted heading, but with the use of a matching fringe edging the skirt and possibly matching curtain holdbacks.

The Art of Interior Design is to Carry a Theme or Colour Effortlessly

Wrought iron or black painted curtain poles are a great way to introduce this kind of look and will compliment the Moorish lights and accessories.

And with todays innovative design ideas, you will not be restricted to a Shepards Crook or Fleur de Lys finial.

There is sure to be a Finial Shape to Tempt the Most Discerning

Arches, alcoves and niches also feature highly in this style of home and can make a useful space or feature design detail out of the smallest of areas. This often rather fanciful decor can be used to make a fun feature out of perhaps the cupboard under the stairs that used to house the vacuum cleaner, paint tins and cleaning “stuff”. Painted in a contrasting colour to the hallway, a small wash basin, perhaps a loo where the slope of the stairs makes standing impossible and an exotic Moorish ceiling light will make an invaluable addition to the house, with not too much expense.

Work around the natural light levels of the room. If it is dark, then warm it up with a lovely yellow stucco effect wall finish and if the room is already light and bright, then embrace it and go for white. This could be a great look for your home if your walls are badly plastered, chipped or dented – the distressed look. Special paint effects such as sponging or dragging with a colour wash will turn a disastrous wall into one with a rather aged attractive finish, the play of light over the different surfaces offering an appropriately textured finish. A miss-match of old furniture is also perfectly acceptable, but unify them with some common feature such as matching cushions or throws.

As with all decor decisions, more is not necessarily better.

Careful Thought to What Matches

And What Looks a Jumbled Mess Is Important

Don’t despair, if your heart is set on this type of decor but the finances are a little stretched at the moment, then simply changing your window treatments perhaps to a pair of curtains or a new roller blind will inject a little sunshine into the room – the rest can come later !!!!

Light and Bright Colours are Ideal – Avoid Muddy Clouded Colours

There are many Spanish-style chandeliers and secondary lighting readily available and in most home furnishing departments and shops there is always an absolute abundance of Moorish style lanterns and candle holders featuring quatrefoil cut outs which will always be guaranteed to add a sense of romance – particularly relevant in dining rooms and bedrooms.

Moorish Themed Lights and Accessories Can Cross the Bounderies between Modern and Traditional

Choose your accessories wisely and a theme can be set merely by your choice of artwork and ornaments – lighting also of course plays a large part in setting the scene.

Themed Artwork can Take you There

Contact Poles and Blinds – For all your curtain poles and window blinds.

Tel: 0845 4650101 International Calls: 00441243 586660

Email: info@polesandblinds.com

Keep it Simple

Wooden curtain poles and plain wooden blinds are the obvious choice for a rustic type of Mediterranean decor and the simpler the better.

Dark Wooden Curtain Poles Look Particularly Outstanding in a Room with Beamed Ceilings

Dark wood colours will also look more authentic, the light pine coloured poles being more akin to an English Country Cottage look and they can also be used to create a more original type of headboard, just a couple of cushion pads with tab tops posted on the pole is all it takes – fancy upholstered headboards would have been a definate no in this style of decor.

An ideal pole for this situation is the Rolls Woodline Curtain Pole

Rolls Woodline Curtain Pole

Some windows have a decorative finish painted around outer edge, so clearly curtains would not be appropriate.

Decorative Window Surrounds

Apart from this sandy colour which is still widely used, the original paint colour being made from the sandy pigment in the soil, a deep blue is also a very traditional colour to paint around the window surround, the colour said to deter flies and mosquitoes – personally I would rather not take any chances and fit a fly screen.

A wooden blind, ideally in a similar colour to the window frame can be used as fitting wooden shutters to a house in the U.K. would be totally out of place.

A wooden venetian blind such as the Redwood  blind is ideal

Metal or Wooden Venetian Blinds

but if the window dimensions are rather tight, you may prefer to fit a Metal Venetian Blind as the slats of these blinds are finer so the blind will pleat up tighter than a wooden blind, leaving more of the window opening exposed.

They Come in Any Colour You Like – But Go Natural Wood Finish for an Authentic Look

Metal Venetian blinds are available in a huge selection of colours, but to keep with the theme, go for a natural wood finish.

In sunny climes with all this happening outside the window, its also clearly on view from the inside.

An Explosion of Colour at the Windows All Summer Long

but you could be forgiven with our weather for introducing a similar effect from the inside looking out with brightly coloured floral curtains or blinds.

Introduce a Sunny Summer Feel to the Room No Matter What the Weather Outside

Brightly Coloured Blinds will Quickly and Easily Introduce a Relaxed Summer Ambience

This look is also attractive for bedrooms where you can afford to go floral with a total disregard for the rest of the decor in the house.

Matching Floral Curtains, Cushions and Accessories are Perfectly Acceptable in a Bedroom without being considered OTT (over the top)

Contact Poles and Blinds – For all your curtain poles and window blinds.

Tel: 0845 4650101 International Calls: 00441243 586660

Email: info@polesandblinds.com