Patio Dining Elegance

OK, so you aren't in Paris, or maybe you are......as you can see even the simplest touches can create the same outdoor dining experience. It will make you feel like you are in Paris visiting the palaces of Versailles and Fontainbleu, the gardens of Giverney and the cathedral at Chartres, so why not?

Add champagne, the perfect french menu, and music.....Enjoy Paris....or at least the feeling!!!

My son has been on a seven country business trip and one was France, at this link he gives a ride through the Eiffel Tower, short segments but keep viewing, http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisnoessel/2614532384/in/set-72157605838166288/, you can also view all of the photos he took in Paris and the other countries and cities which included... Munich, Moscow, London, Tokyo, Mumbai, Shanghai, Seoul, Beijing

http://www.fineliving.com/

Color Palettes

Selecting a color palette can be confusing, these samples show if you stay within the same color tones you can add interest by mixing and matching fabrics designs, color and scale.. Furnishings with simple lines invite fabrics that are more complex in color or texture. Most people use two fabrics when decorating a room -- a print and a solid. Add interest and variety by using three or more fabrics in a room with a pleasing mix of color, pattern, scale and texture. First, begin by choosing your focal or main fabric. Be sure it is a pattern that you LOVE!!!!!, it is the main pattern which guides you to choose the coordinating fabrics. Choose a pattern with a minimum of three colors. Choose two more fabrics, each having one or two of the focal fabric colors in their pattern. Vary the three fabrics in contrast. One fabric should be light, one medium and one dark. Change the scale or size of the patterns by choosing one fabric with a large pattern, one medium and one small. Solids fall into the small-pattern category. Using all the same size patterns will cause each one to overpower the other. Of course, fabric decisions will depend upon your room’s ‘design styles’. This means that a particular style will require a specific material pattern.
Be sure to bring home a sample and view it in your home lighting, colors appear different in sunlight or showroom lighting .

Today, fabric companies are offering coordinated fabric sets; which mean choosing matching fabrics is easier and the decision is less confusing.

http://www.housefabric.com/defaultproduct.asp

Photos to Canvas

My oldest son Chris took this photo during a recent business trip to China...this was on the tour while walking the Great Wall of China.
You can't hang a digital picture up on your wall like a museum painting. Or can you? It is now possible to take cherished images and put these on canvas. The canvas is the same type of high quality material used for oil paintings. This process will be able to preserve your photograph for up to a hundred years. Once the process of putting the digital photos on canvas is complete, the picture can be hung with or without a frame. I prefer the canvas with no frame. Frames are difficult to match it is also a much less cluttered look.
Why is it worthwhile to put these images on canvas? While digital photos are easy to share with people outside your home, these images are not an ideal median for sharing and displaying photos within your home. What is a person to do when he has guests over and his entire photograph collection is stored on his portable hard drive? It is clear that in situations like these, having your files stored digitally is not beneficial at all. By putting your pictures on canvas you can create your own art gallery in your own home. Except the art wasn't made by a famous artists and the subjects aren't foreign. Instead, you are the artists, and the subjects of your "paintings" are whatever you've taken pictures of: friends, family, vacation spots, etc.
The median of photos on canvas offers an elegance of display that simply cannot be matched by viewing them on a computer screen. While the process can be a little pricey (especially when compared with the fact that sharing digital images is practically free), it is important to remember that the canvas photos are constructed by hand to the most exacting standards, using the highest quality material. And these canvases, when kept in museum conditions, are expected to last over one hundred years.

Creative Photography

I published a post titled, "Hanging Garden", by one of my favorite photography artist. Here is more of her work, I have provided a link to her blog where you can view her gallery of lovely photographs, she is on vacation in France and I'm sure she will return with more beautiful photographs. Talk about a wall collage!!!!!!!

These are nothing less than spectacular!!!!!!!!!

http://is-theblog.blogspot.com/

Create a Wall Collage

Gather all your framed photos, art collection, deco accent pieces and pictures. Stick to a color pallet to avoid visual chaos. If you are doing all black and white art, maybe paint the frames in different colors. If your art is in different colors, stick to one color frames. Measure out the wall area that you are planning to use for your collage. Measure out the same size on the floor and start laying out your pictures within that area. Play around with different configurations to get a feel for what you like best. You can also make templates of the frames out of Newspapers and tape it to the wall. Be careful leaving to much space between the frames or even putting to close together. I find that leaving about 2” between the frames tends to work best. You want the collage to feel like one art piece, not look like a wallpaper.
If you are brave and want to make the collage look even more interesting mix in 3 dimensional objects to add visual interest. You can also incorporate a clock or a mirror. Start with larger pieces in the center and work your way out. It looks great to mix in one round item with all the frames just to brake up the shapes.
Use a level if you aren't comfortable with your natural visual abilities.

http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/control/search-art?prod=ART

Dramatics for your staircase

Decorating Rooms with High Ceilings/Tall Walls Iron wall decor and woven wall tapestry offer a myriad of choices and solutions for casual home decorating. When decorating expansive walls in rooms with high ceilings, iron wall decor is an excellent choice to fill spaces above wall tapestry, mirrors and framed art. Doors and windows are also complimented by scrolled iron. It's all about texture, color and theme when you update a room. When decorating for a casual look, consider using wall tapestry to decorate important rooms in your home. Update your casual home decor with wall tapestry in colors that compliment your color theme.
http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/control/prod/~pid=1463114-P