Inspiring Images - Budapest

Last week I left Denver to visit a dear friend that now lives in Budapest, Hungary.  The city contains beautiful and unique architecture that can be a great source of inspiration for your own interior design and decoration projects. I hope you’ll be as inspired by the beauty of the city as I was. Enjoy!

There are several copper and bronze statues in the castle hill area on the Buda side of the city. I love the way the metal has aged and gained patina into the beautiful turquoise shade.  It’s great inspiration for using metals in your outdoor spaces and leaving them exposed to the elements. Or perhaps you could use this particular patina turquoise as an interior paint or accessory color.

These beautiful gates and the Chain Bridge could be another great point of inspiration for your interior design plan. I find inspiration in both the combination of metal and stone and the detailed pattern of the iron work. It could be inspiration for interior or exterior railings or perhaps a fabric or wallpaper pattern loosely based on the scrolling iron work.

 

Finally, I would have to say that my favorite point of inspiration came from the cathedral roof tops in Budapest.  I have traveled a lot throughout Europe and have noticed that each culture puts their own flair on the cathedrals. The Hungarians have added a charming and unique touch with colorful glazed roof tiles. The obvious inspiration here is in using glazed tiles to create interesting patterns. Other uses could be in using glazed tiles in an unexpected application, perhaps a design on a table top. Or creating similar patterns in fabric or paint.

 

And a  look at the Buda side from the Pest side of the Danube. Look at those beautiful roof tiles. 

Have these images inspired you? What can Budapest bring to your interior design project?

Want more Inspiring Images? Check out these Inspiring Images posts.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Inspiring Images - Egypt

It's been a while since I've had an Inspiring Images post. In case you haven't seen one before, they stem from my belief that inspiration for your home can be found anywhere. If you love a place, a culture, a food, a plant, a book or movie, piece of art, piece of music, a sport or hobby, etc - you can find creative ways to incorporate it into your interior spaces, without being a "theme".  For previous posts:  Beautiful Habitat: Inspiring Images

Given the recent headlines, I've had Egypt on my mind. I was very fortunate to have visited Egypt in 2007 and found plenty of sources of inspiration. I certainly hope that the Egyptian people can find a peaceful resolution to the recent unrest. When they do, I highly recommend a visit!

**Note: I've left in a few touristy shots, mostly so you can grasp the colossal scale of the ancient temples and monuments.

In Cairo: the bazaar

 The architecture

The Nile

 

 

The Sunsets

And, of course, the many temples of Ancient Egypt

** See the guard in the doorway above? Gives you an idea of the scale.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Interiors of The Kings Speech

Have you seen The Kings Speech? It lives up to the hype and more. The story is inspiring, the acting is brilliant and it absolutely deserves the numerous awards and nominations.
While I love the movie for it's story and acting, the sets were also beautiful and gave us a flavor of decades of British Interior Design. We see everything from Victorian to Art Deco and Art Nouvea and even a little Regency.I hope you'll find  inspiration in this beautiful mash up of period interior design.

The office and speech therapy room of Lionel Louge. This room features a beautifully patina-ed  wall finish, a huge carved wood fireplace, amazing leaded windows and vaulted leaded-glass ceiling, late Victorian lighting and a gold-gilt settee. What's not to love?

 

 

The home of Lionel Louge is equally stunning, combining both Art Deco and Art Nouveau elements. The wallpapers were the first thing to catch my eye, with a definite Deco flavor.

Nothing says Art Nouveau quite like flowing forms in leaded glass. The doors in this scene fit the bill perfectly.

 

And, of course, the various interiors of the Royal family are mean to be awe-inspiring.

Here, Westminster Abbey in preparation for the King's coronation.

 

 A young Duke and Duchess in one of the palaces.

Buckingham Palace with it's Regency period decor of bold colors, white painted wood and gilded gold.

King George IV after his 1944 broadcast

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

French Antiques, Anyone?

As I mentioned in a previous post, Shopping the French Riviera , I was very blessed to start my summer with a trip to France. One of my favorite adventures of the trip was stumbling upon an Antique sale in Nice. Now, I know nothing about Antiques - NOTHING. I do know French design periods (as well as British and US styles and periods). However, I could not spot an original from a reproduction to an all out fake. The whole thing intimidates me. Now, if you do have any expertise with Antiques in any capacity, let's chat. I'd love to invite you to be a guest blogger and share this wonderful knowledge with us, laymen.
Despite my lack of antiquing knowledge, the sights at this market were wonderful. I have a special place in my heart for both Art Deco and Art Nouveau, both periods in which the French absolutely excelled. There were beautiful finds in both periods, as well as many others. Enjoy!

There were great lights from all periods. Here is a collection of Art Deco Lights. If only getting them home were easier, some of these would now be in my possession.

Provincial Pottery - yum!

Beautiful Sconces

I love this light. I would love to have this in my dining room. Granted, that would require a whole dining room makeover, but that's another blog post.

Old street lanterns - would look beautiful restored or as is and indoors or out. 

Art Nouveau Ceramics

And the shop dog - he's adorable.

I mean it, if you have some knowledge about Antiquing that you'd like to share, please email me. I'd love to learn from you and share with my readers.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Inspiring Images - Shopping the French Riviera

In May I had the wonderful pleasure of traveling the the Cote d'Azur for a sunny getaway. I found loads of inspiration and beauty to share with you. Today I'd like to focus on the beautiful images and vibrant colors I found while shopping. The French are truly gifted at window dressing, even in the smallest shops and sans windows. I found myself pulled into so many boutiques simultaneously wanting to buy the gorgeous items, yet not wanting to disrupt the artfully arranged display. If only photos could really do it justice... Enjoy!

This is my Cote d-Azur teaser. Look for more Inspiring Images coming your way very soon - including Cannes Film Festival, beaches, yachts, antique markets, and Art Deco.
Happy Weekend!

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com