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

Lighting Inspiration

I recently found myself inspired by lighting shown in the Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue of House Beautiful magazine. It's wasn't a lighting issue, but the homes featured had some unique lighting and unique uses of standard fixtures. Here are my favorites from the issue. Enjoy!

From Designer Thomas Hamel and a home in Florida, the kitchen and dining room below have fabulous lighting options. They certainly inspired me to think out-of-the-box.

 The use of different pendants at varying heights over this kitchen island is nothing short of stunning!  The individual pendants become one unified feature and make such a statement in the room. Brilliant!

This globally-inspired dining room is just a beautiful room. Period. My favorite feature is the custom laser-cut screens. However, I am also intrigued by the use of the modern chandeliers in the setting. It's a perfect eclectic balance.

From a Georgian Utopia, Serenbe Community, this home has used traditional chandeliers in some not-so-traditional locations.

First, the large chandelier over the kitchen island. It's an unusual place for this fixture, but it works perfectly for the size and style of the room.

Secondly, a crystal chandelier in the hallway. If your ceilings are tall enough for a chandelier - it's a great way to make a statement.

Oh, and they also have a banquette!! JOY!

If you missed my obsession with banquettes, please read: An Ode the Banquettes.

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

Favorite Things - Porcelain Wood

Like most people, I love the look of wood floors. But the reality is that I live with 2 large and active dogs, whose nails are brutal. I also do not particularly love "patina". While somethings look better with time and age, I just don't like scratched wood - on flooring, furniture, or cabinetry. It's the perfectionist in me...

So Porcelain "wood" is a wonderful solution if you're like me and love the warmth and beauty of wood flooring, but crave more durability. It is  a porcelain tile made to look like wood and manufactured into planks to mimic wood. It's the look of wood with the scratch, stain and moisture resistance of tile!
These products are popping up with different manufacturers, but Porcelanosa is one of my favorites. A selection of their WoodTec Products are highlighted below. Enjoy!

 Would you have known those are tile if I hadn't told you?  A beautiful replication, don't you think? Would you use these in your home?

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

An Ode to Banquettes

ban-quette, noun
\baŋ-ˈket, ban-, 1b is also ˈbaŋ-kət\
a. a long upholstered bench
b. a sofa having one roll-over arm
c. a built-in usually upholstered bench along a wall 


I love banquettes. They provide a function seating area, with more interest than your typical sofa or chairs. While often built-in, they can also be an armless sofa at the dining table or simple window seat. Enjoy this collection of a few of my favorite banquettes.

 A New Orleans home, by designer Melissa Rufty, cleverly uses the space under the staircase with a custom built-in banquette. So much more inviting than a sofa! House Beautiful Magazine.

 This breakfast nook by Mary McDonald,features a bench/window seat style banquette. As she says, "It brings a nice feeling to any place where you're going to want to sit and get cozy"  Veranda Magazine.

Not a built-in, but definitely qualifies as a banquette and an interesting seating arrangement. Celerie Kimble, House Beautiful Magazine. 

Banquette at Old Charm Bed & Breakfast in PA. Read about it at Michael, the Innkeepers blog, Inspired by Charm.

 

 Above and below: this tiny apartment has brilliantly adapted the banquette to maximize use and space. It serves as a sofa (above) and a dining area (below). Read more about this little purple gem at House Beautiful.

 

Above and below - the Colorado Home of the Year 2010, by Andrea Schumacher at O Interior Design, features 2 banquettes in the dining room (above) and nook (below).  Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Magazine. 

 Above and below: the Banquette that inspired this whole blog post. Designer Tobi Fairly added this very dramatic tufted banquette as comfortable alternative seating in this dining room. I'd say that is as interesting as any art piece, and more functional. House Beautiful Magazine.

Do you notice anything else wonderful about these banquettes? How about those mixed up pillows? 


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

Mix up Those Pillows - Texture & Pattern

My last post was all about mixing up the color, texture and pattern in your throw pillows for a bigger impact. Mix up Those Pillows.One way to create an impact, in what some may call a more "sophisticated" or formal way is to stay within a similar color scheme, but really play up texture and pattern.

This beautiful blue room by Tobi Fairley creates interest with faux fur pillows. House Beautiful 

Two above photos are by Hallberg & Wisley from Veranda.Both are great examples of pattern and texture adding interest in a neutral palette.

Great textural pillows from David Lawrence in House Beautiful.

 An energetic monochromatic scheme, using a variety of pattern by Frances Schultz, House Beautiful

For more tips on using pattern in fabrics and upholstery, see the post Making a Statement with Upholstery

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

Mix up Those Pillows

Multiple throw pillows in contrasting colors, patterns and texture add more interest than just one matched set of pillows. Mix it up!

Very often people order a beautiful sofa and it arrives like this. It's a lovely shape and nice color on the upholstery, maybe even an interesting texture or pattern, but boring with the matching pillows. Even option 2, with contrasting pillows, lacks a wow factor.

So mix it up with pillows in different colors, textures and patterns. Here are rooms of beautifully mixed up pillows to inspire you!

 Room by Melissa Warner in House Beautiful

Above and below (2) rooms by Andrea Schumacher, O Interior Design and featured in Colorado Homes & Lifestyle.

One of my favorite designers, Mary McDonald mixes up pillows in room with a strict color palette, from Veranda.

And some mixed up pillows from Beautiful Habitat.

Find more tips on fabric and upholstery.



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

Wishing you a Happy New Year

 I wish you happiness, health and prosperity in 2011.

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

Make a Statement with Upholstery

Customizing your upholstery is a great way to add personality to your home, whether you are ordering a new piece or reupholstering an existing item.  Too often people play it safe and select an overall neutral for their upholstery. This is "smart" in that the piece will be timeless. However, you can still have a timeless piece, while taking your upholstery out-of-the-box. Here are some tips for just that.

Tip 1: Use two fabrics on the same piece

This photo is from House & Garden UK magazine and features dining chairs with 2 fabrics - a timeless look, but more interest than one overall fabric.

Below is a Before & After of an antique fainting couch from a Beautiful Habitat project in Louisville, Colorado.

Before:

After:

We used both a solid black and a contemporary print from Kravet to customize the piece.

 

Tip 2: Use a Small Pattern
Small patterns can look like solids from a distance. This can be a "safer" alternative if you aren't ready to go bold. You'll still have interest and uniqueness in the piece, but it will not be too trendy.

This project is a home I worked on in Broomfield, Colorado. Here, the sofa fabric is actually a gray-on-charcoal dot pattern. It adds fun to this contemporary decor, but reads as a solid from a distance so it doesn't complete with the artwork and other fabrics.

Tip 3: Use a Big Pattern
A large and bold pattern can still be timeless. Here, elegant dining chairs have again been upholstered in two different fabrics. This  time a large embroidered pattern has been centered on the chair backs of each chair. The result is truly stunning.

This is from House & Garden, UK magazine May 2007.

So think out-of-the-box with your upholstery and have fun!

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