Posts Tagged ‘interiors’

Mid-Century Iconic Chairs: The Eames’ Wire Chair

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

After the huge success obtained with the Molded Fiberglass and Plywood chairs, in the early 50s Charles and Ray Eames designed a chair that will become a Mid-Century design classic: the Eames Wire Chair.

The main characteristic of the Wire chair is its transparency that combined with its sculptural quality made it a rare object for the postwar furniture design. Even though Charles and Ray always considered the influence of fine art as secondary to the industrial processes, in this case the artistic value of the object is amazingly combined with its industrial process to achieve iconic status. The combination between the artistic side of Ray and the engineering sensibility of Charles is probably the secret behind this object.

The Wire chair can be compared to previous fiberglass side-chairs like the DAR(1948) and the DSR (1950), and even though its shape is quite similar to them it is based on a completely different technology. Charles and Ray Eames loved to experiment new industrial processes and that’s why the Wire is a symbol of their design philosophy.

As the Molded Fiberglass and Plywood Chairs, also the Wire Chairs were designed to be comfortable without any upholstery, however they also designed ‘special’ pads. The first pads were, in fact, too ‘movable’ on the seat wired web and that’s why Charles and Ray Eames developed a special pad that was more ‘stable’ avoiding the original issue. The pads were originally made of fabric and afterwards of leather; especially the so called ‘bikini’ pad creates an amazing motif.

Beyond the previous Eameses chairs series, the Wire’s design also remembers the Harry Bertoia’s Diamond chair for Knoll. Although there’s still some debate about it, the first American mechanical patent was assigned to the Eameses design.

The importance of Charles and Ray Eames in the postwar American design history, comes from their philosophy and effort to industrially produce furniture and seats at the lowest price possible. They applied postwar technologies to the furniture industry to create mass-producible, unique and original designs. Thanks to their vision, Herman Miller become the world leader in the production of home and office furniture. The Wire chair showed to be an instant success during the mid-century as today.

Mid-Century has been one of the most creative age for design that influenced the interior decors of the last decades. To discover everything about it, check Mid Century Home now!

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Coasters, Clocks, and Home Decor in the Living Room

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

The living room is a peculiar place. It is the most social room in the house. It the first place you brings guests when they arrive, it’s where you have conversations, and is basically made for entertaining. However when it’s just you, the living room is more of an indulgence. It is the place to play, a room where you can keep your favorite media, literature, or toys. This dichotomy leads to some decorating dilemmas, the resolution of which will depend on who you are as a person.

Seating is generally one of the main elements of a living room. You want to have places to put people. Couches, love seats, and arm chairs are all common seating elements. If you are a frequent entertainer you may also want to consider having additional folding chairs that you can store elsewhere for when you have a few extra guests over. If you have a dining room set up, the chairs set around that table can also be used for this purpose.

A coffee table is another common unifying element in the living room. It acts as a central location, drawing together the focus of a room. However it is also often a blockage to the flow of the space, diverting foot traffic to either side of it. Deciding to have a coffee table is a decision of flow versus function that has to be made on an individual basis.

Accessories in the space can be assorted. Many people use the living room as a media center, with a TV, sound system, and the occasional game console. Others prefer to personalize with works of art or decorative accessories. Still others prefer a functional approach, with coasters, ash trays, and coat racks ruling the day.

If you entertain guests often, you will want to make this room as accommodating as possible. Put out magazines for people to read when left alone, and make sure that there is plenty of seating, and room to move around.

The living room is a dichotomy of purposes. It is social, and self indulgent, entertaining, yet attractive. The task of making these many roles flow seamlessly will result in a space that adds to the attractive style of your entire home.

This article was provided courtesy of http://PebbleZ.com where you can find exotic marble decor, onyx stone accessories, slate coffee tables, sandstone coasters and many other natural products that other dealers just don’t have

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Living Room Coasters

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Stone coasters can play an active part in your homes decor. They primarily serve as the protective materials that sit between hot liquids and furniture surfaces, and protect the former from heat but they can also add glamour to your tables.

The long term effect of hot objects such as a cup of hot coffee on unprotected furniture surface can be profound. Over time, heat can cause discoloration on furniture surfaces. It can also cause warping. Leather surfaces can have scratches or cracks if they are not protected from the hard bases of glasses or cups. Sofas can be stained or damaged with heat from hot cups or dripping water from condensing lemon juice glasses. So stone coasters serve fundamentally protective functions for the home. But they need to be bought with care because the color, design and shape can impact on the decor of the room.

Every home has a fixed decor. The furniture, the color of the walls, the color of the ceiling and the type of rug used need to be matched with complementary colors or materials. Anything odd will diminish the beauty of the already existing furnishings.

Stone coasters are small objects but they are very conspicuous. They are placed on tables so they easily add to the decor of the room. One cannot easily dismiss the design or shape of the stone coaster in a living room. For these reasons, it is essential that you take particular note of the type of coaster you are buying.

Try to buy stone coasters that match the decor of your living room. Look at complementary colors so that the room furniture or the coaster fits right. Again, take note of the material from which the coaster is made. For an elegantly decorated room, single colored stone coasters will be suitable. A room with fanciful or casual theme will require colorful stone coasters to complement the furnishing.

Jim Slate is a decorative artist, who has created a line of natural stone drink coasters for use in the home and office. These beautiful natural accessories are the perfect compliment to any space, because of the unique features found naturally within the surface of the stone.

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Decorating Secrets and Inspirations

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Home decorating is an easy task but it requires careful planning. You need to consider a lot of factors so that the furnishings you put together will complement your room size, wall color, and shape. Here are few tips to enable you to get the most form your decorating efforts.

The first task is to determine your focal point. This place is considered the center of your decoration. It is the principal piece of furniture, object, or furnishing around which your decoration will revolve. Examples of focal points include fireplaces, room dividers and book shelves.

Once this point is located, the rest of the furnishings can come as you will now know what attracts the attention most in your room. The next activity is to choose a theme. What impression do you want your guests to have as they enter your living room? Do you want them to feel like they are in the countryside, in the home of a pop music celebrity, or that of a retro lover? The answer to this question will enable you select traditional, elegant, classic decor. You will accordingly choose rugs, lamps, colors and furniture that match your intended impression. You must note that the theme must be kept consistently throughout the room.

Flowers add special effects to the home. Live plants freshen up the atmosphere and artificial ones can make the place look lively. Choose tall vases with decorations at the base to make an elegant decor when placed at corners. Single sleek petalled flowers on the fireplace or bookshelf exude a fantastic appearance.

Rugs can add special glamour to rooms. You should choose the shape of your rug according to the shape of the room. Oval, circular or rectangular rugs will help in this way. Again, look at the pattern in the rug. If they are located at one point, then that part should be close to your focal point. If they are evenly distributed, then they can be spread across the room in any way. Also select your rug according to colors that will match your existing wall tones.

These decorating tips will enable you keep your home furnishings looking trendy and elegant. You can combine all or some of the suggestions in this guide depending on the effects you would like to create.

This article was written by Jim Slate on behalf of PebbleZ.com – your source for rustic stone home decorating tips, tricks, and trendy new products. PebbleZ is the worlds leading source of marble and gemstone dcor, and is also the leader in rustic slate information and products.

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Home Decorating With Clocks

Friday, March 19th, 2010

The clock is a peculiar piece in a homes dcor. When working, they are constantly shifting, changing, and moving in concurrence with the flow of time. In fact they are reminders in and of themselves, of the passage of time as our lives move forward minute by minute. At the same time it is also part of our decorative reality, and as such needs to flow naturally with the other choices you have made in the space.

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a clock for a room is how it will be used. It is a functional piece, and as such it needs to be positioned in such a way that it can be effectively used.

Wall clocks are probably the most visual timepieces. Hanging high on a wall, they overlook the room, displaying the time to anyone who cares to glance up briefly. Hanging from such a prominent position, they tend to look out over the room, and can actually be quite a dominant piece of the dcor. This effect can be offset to some extent by choosing clocks which are smaller in size.

Mantel clocks are also a relatively prominent piece of a room’s style. They rest on the mantel above the fireplace, and this makes them a natural centerpiece and focal point for the room. However they don’t quite have the height of their hanging companions.

Novelty clocks are another option. The word novelty clock can refer to any of a number of unique and whimsical timepieces. Cuckoo clocks can theoretically fall into this category, although the description is often more aptly applied to plastic pieces with strange colors, messages, flashing lights, or moving parts.

There are a wide variety of clocks that you can choose for your home. The important thing is that you find a piece which matches the dcor, and blends in with the other decorative choices that you have made.

This article was written by Jim Slate on behalf of http://PebbleZ.com – makers of a fine line of rustic wall clocks which are crafted entirely from real pieces of natural, mountain born stone including slate, travertine, onyx, and marble.

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