Tag Archives: tile

How to Decorate a French Country Kitchen

Posted on by

One of the most fashionable ways to decorate a kitchen is in the French Country style. This is a very rustic look that is reminiscent of the charm found in homes in the South of France.

To accomplish this look you will have to decorate with toile. Toile is a fabric that has pictures of the countryside of France on it. It might depict landscapes, bottles of wine, cheese and the produce of France on it as well. These motifs are a great choice for the curtains, tablecloth, chair seats and dining ware in your kitchen.

Ladder back chairs are also characteristic of this look. Make sure the table is large and rustic and that the chairs have seats made out of rush (twined water reeds.)

The colors of the French Countryside are rusts, greens, blues and golds. Keep the walls, ceiling and floors in earthy brown, creams and red colors. If you have beams running across your ceiling you are lucky because it means you would have accomplished the look. If you don’t have beams in your ceiling you can also install them.

A stone floor also compliments this look. You can get faux tile in stone like colors that can help achieve this affect. Another charachteristic of this kitchen style is roughly plastered walls. Cast iron wall sconces also look nice on a plastered wall.

Yet another characteristic of rustic French kitchens is rusted metal. Rusted metal could be found in kitchen cabinet hardware, lighting fixtures and baker racks.

French motifs in the form of scultprues, clocks and other items can be roosters, olives, sunflowers and lavender. Decorate with handmade pottery to bring the element of the French countryside to your kitchen.

It is also characteristic to hang baskets in a kitchen. These woven baskets should be large and natural looking. You can put fruit and vegetables in these baskets and use them to store cooking implements.

Copper pots and iron pots also look gorgeous in this type of kitchen. Be sure to hang them from the ceiling and on the walls to augment the look.

When planning your space, remember that the French Country is a very warm, relaxed, and informal decorating style. Stay away from anything too fussy or formal.

How to Decorate With Mirrors

Posted on by

One of the easiest ways to fill a room with light and make sure a space is larger with mirrors. Reflective surfaces will help bounce light around a room, so they’re great for making spaces seem brighter and more full of light. Because they reflect light and color, mirrors are also a great way to make smaller rooms seem larger. So make your home brilliant and bright by adding some reflective surfaces.

You can think of mirrors as art. Try to hang them like you would paintings. For large walls, hang several matching mirrors side by side. Or opt for several different sizes and shapes-a collection of different vintage mirrors hung from ribbons can look quite nifty clustered together on a wall.

If you can’t find mirrors in the shape or size that you want, you can also make your own by framing pieces of mirrored glass. Most framing stores can make these for you quite easily.

Don’t forget that mirrors aren’t just for walls; mirrored furniture can be very chic, and very practical, because it works with so many different decorating styles. Try a mirrored bedside table, chest of drawers or coffee table. You can also apply a mirror to the top of a coffee table using mirrored tiles.

To pick up on the reflective look of your mirrored furniture , add shine with other reflective accessories, like mirrored trays and candlestick holders. If you do use tiled mirrors make sure that they are glued securely to the surface, especially in humid rooms like steamy bathrooms.

Remember, mirrors double the effect of whatever they are opposite-hang them opposite a window to double the view and the light in the room. If you have a colorful accent wall, you can hang a mirror on the opposite wall and the accent will be complimentary and reflect the color combination in a decorative way again.

Remember too that mirrors come in different tints and colors. Rows of pink mirrors give a rich yet girly look to a room. Rows of green mirrors have a post-modern or forties retro feel to them. Rows of gold tinted mirrors make you look wealthy. Perhaps the most flattering color of mirror is pink as it makes the skin look younger! Photography experts say reflected light from a pink mirror can help you look rosy and erase wrinkles. Perhaps that is why pink mirrors are perfect for the bedroom.