A small garden? Enlarge it in 8 steps...

1)  A few well known tricks worth remembering will work not only in small apartments but also in outdoor spaces.  Warm colors tend to make things, furniture, walls closer...while cold colors tend to visually enlarge the space and make things, furniture, walls appear...far...so in a small gardenremember to use plants and flowers in cold and lighter colors specially along the perimeter and the perception will be of a langer, longer space.









2) You can create optical illusions in a long and narrow garden just positioning pots, small bushes, garden furniture on each of the longer sides alternating them every few meters so the eye can travel in a non linear way.
3) If possible hide the end of the garden creating different areas, even a small garden can be part terrace, part vegetable garden, part flower bed and of course always put small plants in the foreground, taller ones in the background with many interesting layers.

4) I love the use of mirrors in any garden, they can look like windows, or even doors opening to other enchanting secret gardens.  A mirror well positioned reflects light (but it should never be put directly toward the sun…) and the garden will expand. Try to use  mirrors with an antique patina effect to avoid poor birds flying into it…

5) A Trompe-l'oeil is a great way of expanding "the horizon" and so are pergolas and trellis, climbing plants and flowers which brings the eyes up and create verticality.

 

6) In a small garden we need to preserve the space to walk around, so a few well chosen pieces of furniture, easily moved and stacked when necessary, will do the trick.  As for small rooms again the same rules: use outdoor furniture with thin legs and in light colors, to see everything above, under, maybe even through.

 7) And never underestimate the power of appropriate lighting.

8) Lastly remember that leaving a "negative space" is always a good way of giving more attention to the main attractive features.

©2016 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".
If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.  We love your comments! 
 
If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send us an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, because a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

Six Years of Blogging

Let’s celebrate together, you my faithful readers and I:

the sixth anniversary of my Blog.

On October 15th, 2008 my first attempt to write a post resulted in a short description of my intent…six years later I still love to talk about Italy, books, art, old and new design, food, lifestyle.

Classical eye, contemporary flair: you can see them in some of my posts on different subjects. Clicking on the links below each image will bring you to my posts and from there to other posts and from there…well you know…

 

Unusual houses

 

Art

 

Music (enjoy the concert)

 

Designers' houses

 

Artists' houses

 

Books

 

Old houses and new design

 

Travel

 

Milano

 

Venice

 

Food

 

How to...

 

Lifestyle

It has been a wonderful journey, through my Blog I connected with many people, I made friends, I received awards and recognition in the design world, I wrote articles for magazines, I discovered new paths, I learned every day something new and …most important…I had FUN.

A big thank you to all my followers.

 

©2014 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".

If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.  We love your comments!

If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send us an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, because a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

The ceiling is the limit

 
Ceilings are often just an empty white space in a house, where furniture, accessories, lighting will never be able to fill that void.  Especially in historic or heritage houses the ceiling decoration is as important as the choice of a precious floor but in any house always remember the ceiling when decorating…in fact many times, especially in modern houses the ceilings are totally ignored.

So let’s remember to look up every time we enter an ancient church, a museum, a castle…or more simply when we decorate our house. There are many ways to improve any room starting from its sky, without recurring to Mantegna (as in the title image representing the “Camera degli sposi” in Mantua or the image above where Tiepolo decorated the magnificent Villa Pisani  near Venice)…here are a few inspiring ideas on how great designers created stunning rooms:

 

Exquisite Moroccan decoration on the ceiling and deep red for the walls

create drama in this dining room, the out of scale candelabra in this small room also set the tone.

SMW Design defined the ceiling of this San Francisco house with a graphic millwork.

This treatment can drop your ceilings down, so it needs height to be effective,

but it adds instant classic elegance.

Same idea here with a coffered ceiling and wood paneled walls

for this  living room.(House and Home)

Near Siena, Italy, a farmhouse with an amazing large bathroom, an old enameled tub, vivid blue antique rug and a collection of art on the walls. The ceiling  was painted with a lavender blue between the original old beams (From the book “Case d’artista” image by Mario Ciampi).

A delicate Liberty style flower garland enhances the entrance

in this beautiful but otherwise minimalist apartment in Milan.

 

Antique tin tiles ceiling by The Adeeni Design Group,

another beautiful feature in this stunning room.

Kelly Wearstler project in Bel-Air with a mirrored ceiling

reflecting light and the exquisite marble floor.

Look how beautifully the light plays with this high gloss ceiling.

 

Old beams can be a perfect juxtaposition for antique furniture as in this dramatic setting.

“Thousands of sheets of silver leaf were hand applied to the recessed ceiling, reflecting the crystal chandelier, sunlight through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the water of False Creek”. Project by Patricia Gray at The Erickson, in Vancouver.

A simple bedroom with a rich Islamic artwork on the ceiling.


We don’t need to go to the extent of the above images but with a simple ceiling medallion, white or colored,  a new dimension will be added to any room, I can especially see a medallion in a bedroom to create more atmosphere and a focal point, personally I even often dream of having framed paintings on the ceiling, as I have on the walls…I did not have the courage so far but maybe soon?

If  a medallion is not your choice, why not paint the ceiling the same color as the walls to create a more intimate feeling as Sarah Richardson effectively succeeded to achieve in this bedroom. (House & Home)

Or choose a contrasting color to draw eyes up as in this

high gloss Jupiter Glow by Benjamin Moore (Elle Decor).

Using wallpaper is also an effective treatment to create interest

as in this delightful home office designed by Annsley Interiors.

Pendant lights and chandeliers of course contribute to decorate

a room like in this stairways and landing by Muriel Brandolini. 

"Don't dismiss your ceiling with a coat or two of white paint. The least you can do is tint it with a dollop or two of your wall color. Or paper it with pattern. Or make a sky of golden stars with rubber stamps and a metallic ink pad." -Lee Melahn. 

And there are many more ways but now I leave it to your imagination on how to create some interest in an otherwise blank space.
Remember… after all ceilings are the fifth wall so now please share your ideas on how to enhance them.


©2012 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".


Brillante Interiors now offers also online consultations so please send an email and we can start the process. It will be an investment in happiness at home, a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

Busted!…how to use sculptures at home

From Belgian Pearls blog

From Velvet & Linen blog: Giannetti's Studio

Sculpture has been an art since prehistoric times, in fact all ancient cultures  produced an enormous number of masterworks, Egypt and Mesopotamia, pre-Columbian Americas, ancient Asia and of course ancient Greece and Rome. Today we can admire centuries and centuries of art but we also have access to modern and contemporary sculpture.

Since I'm always looking for unique accessories when decorating a room, I often use sculptures, large or small depending on the project, expensive or flea market finds depending on the budget or the style we want to achieve in that particular home. I am also always attracted of how designers  use  sculptures, in particular busts, in their projects. In fact the use of sculptures in marble, stone, precious metals, wood and any kind of material  can add a focal point to a room, it can just create a vignette or it can set the whole interior decoration’s mood.

Let’s examine some examples together:

Doug Wright designed a stunning living room with seagrass carpet, white linen slipcovers, antique tapestry and he also placed a classic marble head on the coffee table. 

Try to imagine the room without that sculpture…don’t you think it will miss something?

A dramatic light hits the Roman bust in the library of a classic interior in Rome.

Caldwell-Flake uses a weathered simple bust as juxtaposition to the rich warm veneer,

 the marble top and the lavish metallic wallpaper.

Art collector Claudia Gianferrari’s  house in Milan, full of books, art and sculptures,

in one image we can see four already.

Designer Paolo Moschino’s dining room in London features

a classic bust on a pedestal, overlooking the elegant, formal dining table.

A whimsical bathroom featured in Elle Decor,

with a stern bust in an otherwise vibrant space.

Jacques Grange’s eclectic apartment in Paris, classic, traditional, contemporary, edgy.

The Roman sculpture on the column gives verticality as does the graphic ceiling light.

Some of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ superb collection of Greek and Roman sculptures,

 in a very elegant and traditional Manhattan penthouse.

A beautiful bronze boy’s head, as seen on my previous post A house of books (HERE).

An oil paint leaning on the antique chest, an old wood container with patina

and an ornate silver bowl compliment the sculpture.

 Gianni Versace villa, Lake Como, from my previous post The end of an era of excess (HERE).

Not a minimalist…he loved collecting antiques, everything is “real” here.

Arturo Martini’s superb sculpture on an antique “angoliera” of rich veneer.

 See more on my previous post The art's lady (HERE).

Kelly Wearstler classic: here she used a Greek bust, an antique chair and bright mosaic tiles.

Kelly Wearstler contemporary: here we have a sculpture totally different from the one above,

with a unique table and geometric paneling.

Shapes, straight lines, curves, they all work well together.

Barry Dixon design, what not to love…proportions, scale,

monochromatic palette with just a hint of fresh, pale green.

And now a few of my own images:

A green beryl head I bought in Brazil, I was told that in a million years it would become emerald!

I’ll wait… and in the meantime it sits on my fireplace mantle
on top of books and in front of an oil painting!

A client’s apartment in Venice with a signed and dated 1769 bust

sitting below a delicate 18th century oil painting.

While visiting Rubelli textiles in Venice I took a picture of this fireplace with a bust of a Doge. I was told that the Rubelli family tried to find the name of this important person, but without success, after much research they could not figure out who this Doge was… from my previous post Rubelli in Venice (HERE).

A client’s classic apartment in Milan with a terracotta bust of a young girl

and a 19th century delicate portrait.

A client’s sleek apartment in Milan with a classic sculpture above the hidden China cabinet,

white books, essential lines (and poor photography…).

And finally…a lovely bust seen at The Cross Decor & Design in Vancouver.

So…busted or not?

Do you have a bust in your home? How did you display it?

Let’s talk!

©2012 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".

If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send me an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!


If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.  I love to hear your thoughts.