Tag Archives: style

How to Decorate A Room for Christmas in Mid-Century Scandinavian Style

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Decorating a room in mid-century Scandivian style is one of the cheapest ways to go if you want a look that is unique for Christmas. Basically it entails buying almost everything that you need from Ikea and the color scheme is very simple: black and white with touches of red. It is a simple Scandinavian take on the “Tuxedo look.”

Start with a completely white room. Paint everything white including the floor, fixtures and add a faux white fireplace frame to the room. Put a black and white striped carpet on the floor and accent it with black and white vases, freestanding plastic tables and bit black utilitarian look chairs in either black or Christmas red. Lamps can be made of paper and freestanding or pendant style. White candle holders can be set on the mantelpiece for a chic yet cheap effect.

As long as they are all identical little glass tea light olders in black and white lined up along the mantel greatly compliment this look. You can alternate black and white holders or get striped candles.

At Ikea you can get the landmark white pedestal tables designed by Finnish designer Eero Saarinen. His pedestal has a base of cast-aluminum .Originally designed in 1956 it is still fashionable today and gives your room a bit of a space age effect.

Pendant lamps in plastic can also make amazing looking fashion statements. Look for lamps designed by Paul Henningsen. His many layered Snowball pendant swinging lamp has been around since 1924 and is much imitated by many designers. It looks like e a large white pine cone. He also designed another model that looks more like a round artichoke that has had it’s leaves open. Both are very festive in spirit and landmark objects of art that are also very functional.

To complete the look be sure to place big wool Christmas stockings in black and white along the edge of the fake fire mantel. Inside the fireplace feature presents wrapped in all white tissue paper wrapped with red and black ribbons. Above the mantelpiece you can put a giant minimimilast wreath. This can be unnatural or fake but the idea is that it must look as trim and compact as possible to compliment the mid-century Scandinavian look. A company called Fresh Florals makes an all black wreath that is wrapped in black ribbon that is made out of twigs. Make sure that the twig wreath that you choose is quite thick and well twined or it may not suit this style.

Decorating a Small Powder Room in the Sumptuous Style

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Many old houses have very small powder rooms in them that can be decorated so that they look very luxurious. Bold colors, busy patterns and sparkling accents can make even the smallest of rooms look very luxurious.

One key is to paint the walls a dark color such as chocolate, midnight blue or a dark cherry. The darker the room the more regal it seems. Flocked wallpaper, especially if it is a pattern flocked with gold or silver is also very rich looking. Just make sure that it does not look too old fashioned as sometimes this sort of effect can make a room look quite old. Black and white flocked wallpaper can also look great if the designer has a flair for the contemporary; Vivienne Westwood makes a few nice wall paper patterns that look great in a bathroom.

Lavish wall sconces dripping with large crystals gives powder rooms a very opulent feel.

Go for shiny nickel and gold plated mirrors and side tables. Silver wastebaskets also give the powder room a more glamorous feel. Pounded metal also looks quite luxuriant. The idea is to mix gold and silver accents. Use bowls and perfume flacons filled with soaps and pot pours with silver bottles and other touches for a very rich effect.

Towels that are white look much more luxuriant than ones that are patterned. Get the thickest nicest hand towels you can find; the large the pile the better. Ones lined or striped with gold or silver detail can also be quite impressive.

The most elegant of bathrooms do not have much clutter. Look for bowls or cups made out of old sea glass or metal. White china also works in this type of bathroom but it is not as chic. Blue glass or red glass accessories make this type of room look impressive as well.

If you do have a bit of clutter then look for antique style jars with copper tops as are found at anthropologie. Anthropolgie also makes a great soapdish that is silver and shaped like a serving tray. For the ultimate in luxury you can creatie nstant ambience by adding a chest in a dark cherry wood.

One way to add instant ambience to a powder room is to put dimmer switches on the lights to change the mood. Nice smelling candles in black or white glass jars, such as the ones made by Diptyqe Paris, are also a fashionable way to add glamor to a guest powder room.