Tag Archives: style

How to Decorate In the Paris Style

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Decorating in the Parisian style simply entails making as many references as you can to Paris, France as you can in a room. A dimple way to accomplish this is to use France’s most iconic and well-known landmark, the Eiffel Tower , as a decorating themed. You can find this symbol on fabric, on throw pillows and also in statuary, posters and paintings. Displaying a collection of mini replicas or Eiffel Towers in snow shakers alludes immediately to “The City of Lights” in your décor.

It helps to paint your place in Parisian colors such as grey, white, black, chocolate and soft orange. Touches of red, aqua and gold also complete the look. This gives the home that cheerful French feel.

You should also search online and in flea markets for vintage furniture from Fence. Typical items that speak of the city are wrought iron and brass headboards, tall armoires with mirrored doors and pictures with elaborate gilded frames. Dress forms are also a French touch as they allude to Parisian Fashion legend Coco Chanel. You can hang scarves and necklaces from the dress form and pin brooches to it to make a lovely but unconventional free-standing jewel box.

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Brass and bronze lamps with heavy ornate bases are also very Parisian in look. For that touch of the “French Brothel” choose a lamp with a shade that has a fringe on it. Throwing fringed shawls over regular lamp shades have a similar effect. Just be careful that you do not light any fabric on fire as you drape it over the bulb.

Yet another hallmark of this look is vases of roses everywhere. Tuck dried roses in your picture frames, your mirrors and on top of door frames for a unique Parisian shabby chic look.

In the bathroom you should place white bowls of roses and make sure that the floors are bare and white and that the towel rack is stuffed with fluffy white towels. Soap should be gold or pink in color and be in a charming dish. Shell shaped soap dishes are quite common in France.

A charming antique bookshelf should display the French classics of literature whether they are in English or French.

Displaying French postcards, menus and signage also gives your apartment or home that Parisian flair. Of course nothing says Paris as much as a wine rack filled top to bottom with the best wines from Southern France that you can afford to buy.

Decorating for Christmas in the New Retro Style

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The new retro style is an updated version of the traditional retro styles from the fifties through the seventies only the result is less corny and kitschy. AS a color scheme for linens, wreathes and glass globes for your tree you should use colors such as bright pink, china blue, chartreuse, cream and gold with glitter. Style wise you should thing of using simple Scandinavian designs. Decorate your tree with animal cookies and garlands made of cranberries and popcorn.

Instead of a nativity scene, holiday village scenes should also be a part of your decor. Instead of heavy Christmas cakes Christmas puddings are the way to go. Dried blueberries and cherries, gingerbread cookies and homemade cranberry chutney are also contemporary but have a vintage style feel.

Christmas trees are not artificial any more. I try to get a real spruce or balsam that looks a bit like a bottle brush tree and then decorate it with clumps of think silver mirrored tinsels. Vintage glass ornament and tiny clear white lights that do not blink are also part of this new retro look. White wooden Christmas decoration and white porcelain decorations also add a unique touch to both the tree and mantelpiece. Any type of stylized white porcelain Christmas tree piece is considered to be very hip for Christmas 2011.

Instead of eggnog contemporary retro enthusiasts are serving Gingertinis and Crantinis at their Christmas cocktail parties. Flower centerpieces are created from Rannunculus and berries rather than poinsettias. White fake apples look nice on a tree or as a centerpiece. Hang large gold acorns and gold deer antlers on the mantelpiece or near your front door.

Presents are wrapped in recycled wrapping papers and card tags are made from recycled cards. Pom poms and shiny trims and ribbons look eco-savvy under the trees. Eco bags are also the latest trend when it comes to packaging Christmas gifts as is wrapping gifts in bows made from strands of cheap fake pearls. You can also dress up your gifts with white and gold ornaments. Some vintage loving hosts go as far to decorate their serving plates and cocktail glasses with small white Christmas decorations.

Another retro fad is for Kleenex boxes with vintage reindeer or snowman patterns on them. It is also nice to make bouquets of white roses and pine cones and set them around the room. These are not only pleasing décor accents they are nice too look at.