Tag: Decorative

Deco Mirror: Art Deco Mirrors for Interior Design
by David Burgess on 0

Deco Mirror: Art Deco Mirrors for Interior Design

Interior Design with Art Deco Mirrors

Art Deco mirrors are eminently suited to modern living. In general these designs emphasize strong lines and offer an elegance from a by-gone age. Art Deco, also called “Deco,” refers to a style of art, architecture and design consisting of of sleek, stylized forms and bold geometric designs. The Art Deco Era began in Paris in the 1920s and spread internationally. Mirrors were widely used and became an important component in architecture and interior design. Currently this style is enjoying a huge revival. This page showcases some fine examples of Deco mirrors. There is something here to suit every taste and budget.

Art Deco Style

The Deco Mirror Originally called the “modernistic style” or “Style Moderne,” the Art Deco Era lasted well into the 1930s. The style was decorative, functional and cutting edge. Mass production of mirrors led to a great popularity in their use, both for function and decoration. Along with handheld mirrors and Cheval freestanding full-length dressing mirrors, mirrors were incorporated into furniture and sideboards. They also were used in decorative interiors for public buildings. These Deco mirrors featured geometric shapes and were often beveled and etched. This modern and decorative style experienced a huge resurgence in the late 1960s. Because of its international influence which began with the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the name “Art Deco” was coined as an abbreviation of this famous exhibition.

Why Use Mirrors for Your Decor?

Mirrors are functional, and they create a feeling of light and space Mirrors are functional in that their intended purpose is to check you and your appearance. However, they should also be considered vital in interior design. In general, mirrors enlarge a room. Well placed, a mirror will make your room look bigger and more spacious. For example, a mirror placed in the hall will enhance the space. In addition, mirrors can be used to direct light into a room or space. Utilize natural or artificial light to create the effect you want. Art Deco mirrors are usually pieces of art in their own right and deserve to be displayed prominently. One is sure to add a touch of glamour to your living space or indeed any room in your home.

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Art Deco Design: Deco Rugs and Carpets
by David Burgess on 0

Art Deco Design: Deco Rugs and Carpets

Art Deco Rugs

Art deco rugs were introduced to the world at the Paris Exposition of Modern and Decorative Art (Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes) in 1925. For that historic world’s fair, the buildings were decorated in art deco rugs and the style took hold.

Art deco designs featured bold geometric shapes, stylized floral patterns and other natural forms, often with juxtapositions of dark and light. Artists from around the world started to design rugs and textiles. Some of the most creative rug designs were created by Jean Michel Frank and Emile Jacques Ruhlmann of France.

These rugs continue to be popular with interior designers today, and you can create your own Art Deco look with these stylish Art Deco rugs. This page showcases some of the best deco rugs available to buy online and at reasonable prices. So if you are looking to create a new style for your home, think about using rugs as decor highlights. Although antique rugs from this era can be quite expensive, you can buy new Art Deco style rugs from $80 to $600. Scroll down to enjoy some easy online shopping.

Art Deco Style

Deco Design Characteristics

The Art Deco Style was influenced by the formalized lines of ancient Egyptian and ancient Aztec art, and it borrowed from neoclassical, modernism, art nouveau, cubism and constructivism.

This time period, just after the First World War, was also known as the Machine Age. For the first time, rugs began to be made my machine, and because they were not expensive like the traditional hand-knotted oriental rugs, they were seen as rugs of the people i.e. stylish designs that the common man could afford. A new market was started and art deco rugs gained increasing popularity in Europe and America.

Not all art deco rugs were machine made, but this was an option, and the world was ready for it.

Art Deco Rug

Deco Rug Design

 

Art Deco Rugs & Deco Carpets

Designs of the 1920s and 1930s

When it comes to rugs and floor coverings, Art Deco rugs encompass an infinite range of design possibilities. Other applied art movements defined one over-arching theme, while Art Deco embraced influences for all ages and from all over the world. These modernists designs were highly sought after and are still relevant and in demand today.

Rugs and carpets designed in the Art Deco era of the 1920s and 30s represent the best and most beautiful side of industrial design and globalization. By the late 1920s, the rugs and carpets that were produced were colorful and derived their influence from many areas, highly decorative Persian rugs being only one. Designers in rugs, as much as anywhere else where the style was being copied, rated the latest innovations in construction, design and color theory.

The people who designed and wove Art Deco rugs were innovators who paved the way for mid-century and modern designers, abstract artists and many contemporary design movements. At a time when commercial air travel was new and novel, designers, importers and carpet traders provided a vital link between east and west. The cultural diffusion that occurred in the early 20th century is ever-present in Art Deco rugs, even today. The creative atmosphere and historic design conditions of the era resulted in a colorful melting pot that combined influences from all parts of the globe.

Deco Rugs

In Summary

Art Deco rugs and carpets run the breadth of the spectrum in design from stoic masculine rugs with sharp geometric shapes to feminine floral weaves with contrasting colors and pastels. In China, the vibrant jewel-tone carpets manufactured for the explorer and entrepreneur Walter Nichols, are in a league of their own while rugs produced in the same era in England, Europe and Scandinavia were all pieces that led to the designation of the Art Deco or Art Decoratif term in the mid 1960s. British colonial influence in India led to the creation of many phenomenal Art Deco rugs there and they continue to present a combination of modernity and glamour.

In recent years, Art Deco rugs, along with other modernist design, have seen a resurgence. In many places, people are falling back on the reliable, often simplistic, forms to decorate their homes and with good reason: Modernist design fuses form and function into a single beautiful piece that is a work of art in its own right.

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Top Gifts for the Artist
by David Burgess on 0

Top Gifts for the Artist

Need a Gift for an Artist? Find One Here.

Photos of artwork by Gayle Dowell

What gift does someone get the artist friend or relative? I’ve listed a few ideas here. As an artist, I’ve always enjoyed getting gifts on holidays that I can use in my creative work. I’ve been a watercolor artist for 15 years. I’ve painted in oil, acrylic, and have created collage work. I’m now working with metal and creating jewelry. I find that a new book or new art medium can give me inspiration in work that I’m currently working on. On this page, I’ve listed the top gifts for artists of all mediums. You can vote or add your ideas as well. Leave your gift ideas in the comments section at the end of this page.

Sketchbooks

The Gift that Bridges All Mediums
No matter what medium your gift recipient works in, they can use a sketchbook to draw out their ideas, whether it be for planning a painting, a jewelry piece, or a sculpture, or to journal. My most cherished sketchbooks are those with quality paper that will hold up to both pencil and paint. They also have spiral binding so that I can bend back the cover when I’m outside which makes it easier to sketch without a table or drawing surface. It must also have a hard cover to withstand abuse. Here is my favorite sketchbook.

A Gift that Gives Year Round

A subscription to a great inspirational magazine that came to the recipients mailbox throughout the year, would be a great gift for an artist. I know of no other inspirational magazine that could top, “Cloth, Paper, Scissors”. I keep my back copies to look at whenever I need an art idea or to get me motivated to create.

A Camera?

A good camera may not come to mind as a great gift for an artist. But I use mine all the time. I’m constantly taking pictures of possible scenes to paint, textures to use in my designs or color combinations I want to remember. I love a good digital camera so that I can download pictures of my work to my blog or my online shopping site.

A Collection of Decorative Paper

I collect decorative paper. I use paper all the time in my design work. I do collage, scrap booking, greeting cards, experiments in watercolor painting…all requiring different types of decorative paper. When inspiration strikes, an artist needs different papers on hand.

A Book on Creative Living

This book by author Julia Cameron is the one I turn to first whenever I need to be reminded of how to live creatively. It is easy for an artist to live day to day and miss opportunities to keep their minds thinking creatively. This is a must have for those wanting to live a creative life.

Wacom Bamboo Create Tablet Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8CfxqIj4iQ

Wacom Bamboo Create Tablet review by Melonie Mac

Adobe Photoshop Elements 12

With Photoshop Elements I can do more than just enhance my photos, I can manipulate them to make digital artwork. Photoshop Elements also gives me tools to edit and combine my videos clips to produce a finished movie. My daughter recently used this software to create a how-to video using digital video clips she took and combined them with music. I edit my artwork and handmade jewelry photos before I upload the photos online. Great tools for the price.

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ool Floating Coolers To Keep Drinks Cool-Playing or Swimming
by David Burgess on 0

ool Floating Coolers To Keep Drinks Cool-Playing or Swimming

Pool Floating Coolers for Cold Drinks

Pool floating coolers have become very popular over the last few years. I know we love ours and use it every time we go for a swim. I put cold drinks and snack in it to keep the chilled while I swim or float around on my chair. I also take it out with me when we swim in the river by our summer camp. Every one enjoys a cold drink while we play in the hot sun.

Since the cooler floats it can be easily attached to your inflatable chair while float in your pool and relax. I sometimes use mine when we are having a party as an extra cooler on the table. It keep everything cold and is also very decorative. The kids like to take it with them while they swim and play games. I like it when they do because they don’t have to come back into the house with wet feet every time the want something cold.

My husband and I like to have the neighbor over up at the cottage and we use the floating cooler when we swim. He likes to keep it filled with adult beverage to share with his buddies. Some days they play beach volleyball and keep the cooler in the water near where they play. I am planning to buy another one to give as a gift to my cousin. She was so excited when she saw our I knew it would be a great gift for her. An inflatable cooler allows you to keep you drinks nearby when you are in the water. Since my cousin is a swimmer and lives in her pool I am sure that a beer cooler will make the perfect gift. The coolers floats in the water and beverages are served in the pool.

It floats

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