Tag Archives: contemporary

How to Decorate Using Stylish Doorsets

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Changing the look of the doors both in and outside of your house might be as simple as changing worn brass knobs for brand new door handles. However before you decide on the appropriate style of door knob you need to know what kind of hardware best fits your door.

The most common doorset is called the Conversion Doorset. These fit any type of door – vintage or modern. This is the doorknob we are most familiar with, the one with a round knob and lock set into a squarish metal plate. This type of door handle set comes in brass, nickel, pewter, chrome and aluminum l. This is not the most elegant choice but it certainly may be the cheapest options for redecorators on a budget and also for those who tend to be very concerned about security between rooms.

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The next most common type of doorset is called the Mortise Doorset. These compliment the look of vintage doors. These usually fit a brass or crystal doorknob and the faceplate is vertically rectangular with an old fashion keyhole below. Of course this type of doorset comes in all kinds of filigreed and decorative versions as well depending on the era it is trying to imitate. A Mortise Doorset could boast an Arts and Crafts Design, a Victorian design and even a Gothic style.

Rim doorsets consist of a lock that slides inside the door. All that is exposed is a metal faceplate shaped like a ring and the doorknob itself. This type of door handle looks best for contemporary homes. One way to give a door a more elegant and crisp feel is to combine a rim lockset with a crystal glass doorknob. Many companies now sell this type of door handle and lock combination.

If you live in a really old house, you might be faced with the problem of enhancing the look of heavy sliding wood doors that have locks that don’t work or that are rusty looking. The good news is that many companies sell lock and latch sets that can help freshen up the look of these beautiful old doors. This type of latch and lock combination is called a Pocket Doorset.

Once you have determined the type of door handle set that is likely to fit your door you can then go ahead and explore the infinite choice of designs that are offered by both contemporary and antique reproduction manufacters of door handles and locks.

Decorating With a Supermarket Bouquet

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Flowers can be very expensive if you order them from a real florist. That is why so many of us buy our flowers from supermarkets. They are often half the price even though they are also grown en-masse in a hot house.

These bouquets come in some pretty standard looking bundles, such as four roses with a strand of baby’s breath or a mix of mums with a couple of green spiky leaves. For more variety buy a mixed bouquet because these can sometimes give you more opportunities to be creative. For instance you can separate daisies from the lilies and make two separate bouquets from a mixed bouquet.

How a bouquet looks depends a lot on the pot you put it in as well. It is all in the presentation. Let’s just say you have brought home a cheap bouquet of a dozen bright red mini-roses. Try putting these roses in something less orthodox than the usual vase. You can bundle them with raffia and ribbon and set them upright in a tight glass vase. You can also place a bowl with water inside an interesting gift box of some kind with just the tops of the flowers peeking out. Yet another nice touch is to put them in old tea cans or copper molds. The idea is that you want to create a hedge using the roses.
The more roses the better.
You can also make stunning combinations by playing with rose colors. Go for an unorthodox combination like pink and red together for a bit of a contemporary touch.
If you want to make an incredible display buy an antique birdcage and cultivate a supermarket bouquet inside. You can make chains of flowers to decorate the sides or have chains of flowers hanging from this type of display as well. Orchids look lovely in this type of presentation.

Another nice and easy presentation is to spray paint a vintage looking wine, medicine or food bottle in celadon, dark blue or bright orange and then stick single peonies or a triplet of carnations in the top.

One of the nicest of presentations is to take mums and citrus fruit and make a pyramid. Pile the fruit first and then stick the mum stems in between the fruit. Limes look great with orange or green mums and you can make a gorgeous display with blood oranges and brilliant pink mums.

The next time you buy supermarket flowers keep in mind that it is not enough to just plunk them in a vase. They also offer you boundless opportunities for creativity.