Posts Tagged ‘home decor’

Learning About Victorian And Vintage Glass Lamp Shades

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

The canonical Victorian lamp shade consists of a metal wire frame that serves as a scaffold for tautly stretched fabric and a fringe or beaded skirt that hangs from the bottom of the shade. This style emerged only after the late 1800s when distribution systems for electricity became common in cities. Prior to this age, home lighting, if any, ran off utility gas. As gas-lighting involves the production of a flame, a fabric shade was out of the question.

Instead, glass lamp shades were used to surround and protect the interior flame from drafts that may otherwise extinguish or displace the flame in a dangerous way. But with the advent of electrical lighting, there was no longer any need for glass shades, and many homes took on the Victorian fabric and beaded shades instead. However, glass lamp shades remained in use for their peculiar aesthetic qualities.

The naming of Victorian lamp shades maybe somewhat misleading and historically inaccurate. The period of the Victorian age started when Queen Victorian ascended the throne in 1837 and ended in 1901. Because electricity was invented only about 20 years before this, it is somewhat puzzling to the average laymen that Victorian shades came to be called that.

The Victorian lamp shade may have a simple construction, but the varieties in the wire frame scaffold as well as the varieties in the design of the fabric in terms of its patterning, color and adornments vary greatly. The traditional fringe also had a large number of presentations, including beading or other types of fringe adornments. Often people compare the Victorian shade with other glass lamp shades.

For example, the type of glass light shades that is widely known as Tiffany is closely connected to the illustrious jewelry store that is famed all over the world. The creator, Louis Comfort Tiffany, lived in the early 1900s, forging novel art and innovating in the industry of home decorating. There are two main reasons why Tiffany indulged in lamp shades. The first is that he had classical training in the arts and understood the construction of stained glass windows in churches. The second is that he was by trade also an interior designer who thought up novel home decor ideas. The Tiffany lamp shades are made up of panes of stained glass framed in metal, the construction of which mirrors church windows. When lit, they became brilliant scenes drawn from natural scenes such as animals, insects and landscapes.

Shades can be found in a plethora of sizes and shapes. The shapes have interesting names, such as hurricane glass shades and gas lamp shades. The hurricane shade is exemplified by a curvy pear design that bulges in the waist before tapering up into a pinched-off neck. Simply by its distinctive profile it is an extremely stylish piece of lighting. The classical gas light shade comes to us from the Victorian age of the United Kingdom. When utility gas lighting first became widespread, it helped fuel commerce-related revolution to the European continent.

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Old World Style With Tuscan Dcor

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Are you craving a new look for your home beyond the cold starkness of modern designs? Do you want a room where you can relax and put your feet up while surrounded by warm comfort? Do you desire a room filled with casual, but elegant accents? If this sounds like you, bring comfortable old world style to your home with Tuscan decor.

The ease and grace of the Italian countryside is represented in the Tuscan decorating style. Warm and weathered walls and floors of beautiful marble and stone, soft romantic lighting, and rich wood furniture are hallmarks of the Tuscan style. This decorating theme welcomes you to relax for long periods. This is a style that is easy to copy in any room thanks to its aged beauty and forgiving design.

Wall Paint: Tuscan wall colors are perfect if you have children and pets! Tuscan homes feature walls in warm tones of beige, brown, or yellow. They are usually textured, a look that can be obtained through faux painting techniques or special paints that give the look of Venetian plaster. The idea is to give your walls a subtle weathered look with warm colors, this is perfect for hiding dirt, smudges, and wall blemishes!

Tuscan Floors: The common flooring in Tuscan decorating is made of marble and stone. This is why it’s the perfect design choice for bathrooms and kitchens. If you are implementing this style in a living room, a floor of rich wood would be seen. This type of flooring gives the hint of luxury that is common in Tuscan decorating.

Furniture: Solid wood in rich warm tones is the furniture used in Tuscan designs. Re-use traditional pieces that are already in your home. Don’t worry if the pieces don’t match. Tuscan decorating is a more relaxed style that bends traditional decorating rules. If you are using this design in your bathroom or kitchen, keep in mind that Tuscan kitchens and baths normally have open cupboards that reveal colorful towels or brightly colored dishes. To copy that idea, replace some of your cabinet or vanity doors with ones made of glass.

Lighting: A warm romantic glow is the lighting choice for Tuscan interiors. This is where another common element of Tuscan style is used, wrought iron. To copy this look, select chandeliers of iron, use table lamps with iron accents, or a ceiling light with touches of iron or aged bronze. To add to the effect, the globes and shades should be in beige or tan color to soften the light.

Tuscan Accents: A few carefully selected pieces can complete your new Tuscan room. The accessories used in Tuscan decorating are usually colorful and bright. Vases of brilliant blue and bright yellow often appear on tables and mantles. The throws and accent pillows are usually in floral patterns or vivid stripes. The wall dcor for Tuscan style blend many elements including candle sconces of metal and framed prints of the Italian countryside are common choices.

The relaxed luxury of Tuscan style makes this an easy design choice for any home. Follow these simple ideas to bring a touch of old world elegance to your home with Tuscan home decor. Best of luck to you on your Tuscan decorating project.

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Inside Scoop To Enhance Your Home With Exquisite Moroccan Lanterns And Imports.

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Moroccan lanterns and Moroccan imports have made it so easy to recreate the atmosphere of Arabian Nights in your home. Suppliers are all around where you can purchase these artifacts. Transform your home with lanterns that cast soft shadows on both the interior and exterior of your home.

Patios are big in the Moroccan lifestyle and creating a Moroccan atmosphere on your patio will transport you to another world when you relax in your garden. Jasmine, basil, mint, figs and lemon and orange trees planted around the courtyard leave a seductively lingering scent. Wrought iron garden furniture, traditional lanterns, tea glasses and crockery will carry the Moroccan theme to the table as well, creating an earthier feel.

Businesses have caught onto the trend of Moroccan furnishing and this is why they are all starting to import decor and furniture from Morocco. Boutiques stock imported and unique goods in beautiful textures and colors and these will allow you to design an authentic Moroccan design for your home.

Most popular are the Moroccan lanterns, the result being intricate patterns around your garden. There a variety of different ways in which these lanterns can be displayed in your garden and in your home. Find places where the atmosphere and lighting will be optimized for your convenience.

Setting the lantern on a table or cabinet for display is the simplest way to display it. Lamps as accent pieces can be arranged in several areas around the home in this way. Use them along with bold colors and textures, wood, cast iron and brass.

Lanterns hung from the ceiling create a romantic atmosphere, which is very attractive. Hang the lamps above a table or from different areas in a room. This is particularly nice in the corner of a room above a table with antique or traditional photo frames with pictures of the family.

You should not use Moroccan lanterns in areas where you need a lot of light. Moroccan lanterns offer a more muted, subtle lighting option. Many of the lamps have colored panels that shed soft colored lighting to compliment the room’s decor.

Whilst versatility is a feature of these lanterns, they may not always match all decor and themes. If this is how your home is then perhaps you should work on decorating only certain rooms in your house thereby giving options in your home.

You will only need a handful of lanterns to give the look of edge style in your home with these Moroccan lanterns. Have in mind what look your are going for with these lanterns in particular the light you hope to create. Creativity will go a long way towards giving your home the Moroccan feel that you are looking to create.

Moroccan lanterns and Moroccan imports are available both on and offline to give lighting to your home and to give a new look to your home. Whichever site you order from, the product will be shipped to you for your convenience. Travel TV and travel magazines are where you will get inspiration for some unique ideas that are used in lodges, hotels and homes.

Moroccan lanterns are an exotic and unique way of adding a touch of the Middle East to your rooms. Other Moroccan imports bring interesting whispers of desert breezes in their color and warmth.


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