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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.

You can finds tons of furniture for your new look at Cymax. If you end up ordering from this site make sure you pick up a Cymax coupon code from CouponDisco.com and save some money off your purchase.

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.

How to Decorate a Room With French Finery for Christmas

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There are a lot of festive trends for 2011 that are worth noting if you want your home to look festive and contemporary but one of the most popular this year is going to be the “decorating in French Finery” trend. This is a very formal and opulent look that is a bit retro but also very classic.

Technically it is a shabby chic look. Most things are painted white but walls should be a pea green or a very light yellow. Second hand crystal chandeliers are part of the look as are tall mirrors with window pains. Lace, white chenille and curtains with tiny fringes or prints are also part of the look.

Objects are also showcased on tall Greek columns, that are also painted white and interspersed through the room. Faded chintz chairs and tall painted cabinets help this look come for life. Candles, in white metal lantern cases, also complete this vintage look as do gilded framed portraits of deceased members of the family and pillar candles surrounded by boughs of greenery.

It is also very traditional with this look to place plaster or ceramic busts about the place. To make these busts look more in tune with the holidays try wrapping green and red velvet Christmas ribbons around the subject’s necks.

Rooms done up in French Finery very often feature a Fainting Couch. This is as chaise lounge with a floral print that has a side table that is also covered in the same floral print. A crocheted throw and a few Christmas cushions in green and red complete the look. Usually a framed mirror is hung over the fainting couch and augmented with a big Christmas leaf.

The best Christmas tree for this look is the spiniest and most skeletal spruce you can find that is then gently flocked with fake white now. Decorate it with many yards of thick sheer gold ribbon that are intertwined with very tiny white Christmas lights. You can h harmonize the entire effect with a natural cedar garland that has been spray painted gold. This tree does not have the usual ornaments on it. The idea is that the tree looks wrapped in gold ribbon.

This type of room should have its own formal wrapping dining table. This can be a table that is rate and old and shabby chic in style but painted all in white with touches of gold.