What’s more fun than finding a great piece of furniture and incorporating into our home’s decor? An old-fashioned wood cook-stove, or a timeless dresser can be the piece that spurs a new look or theme to update the home’s look and feel. Perhaps a re-purposed item, […]
White, the color of purity… we go to great lengths to keep linens and towels as white as can be. White is also associated with trust, as in nurse uniforms and bandages… It is also a cool, crisp, elegant color, a la James Bond in a white tux. “She has skin like alabaster, or porcelain,” descriptive words used […]
The mannequin as a design element is very popular. We’ve seen them draped in vintage clothing, adorned with jewelry; even used as a canvas of sorts for whimsical and unique art work. Once only used for creating garments and displaying fashion, dress forms have donned a […]
The swallow, which always returns to its birthplace to rebuild its nest, is now most famous for the celebration of its return to the mission in San Juan Capistrano, CA. But it has another and much more romantic history… The poignant love story and theme of the movie Cold Mountain was the harrowing return journey […]
Adorning ourselves with jewelry is as old as mankind, with every variety of style, method and material. In ancient times jewelry production was spread across all of Mesopotamia – from Assyria to the Babylonian cities of Nineveh, Ur and Sumer. Materials not common to the area; jasper, onyx, lapis lazuli, sardonyx, agate and silver, were imported […]
Red is traditionally the color of Love and Passion. Red can stimulate one’s appetite, which is why it’s often used in restaurants. In some Eastern cultures such as China red is the color for good luck. Although many Chinese brides now wear white, it is the traditional color for weddings. In Indian culture it symbolizes purity […]
There was a day when the only source of light was the sun, and artificial light was provided by fire, burning oil, or wax. We don’t use those sources much anymore, and yet, they are a favorite when we are trying to set a romantic mood. We love the softer, muted light of candles and […]
The early history of ironing is recorded in Chinese drawings dating back a thousand years. They filled pans with hot coals, while in Northern Europe people were using stones, glass or wood to smooth or press fabric. It was Western blacksmiths that began forging flat irons during the Middle Ages, which were heated over fires or […]
From the French word “chandelle,” chandelier literally means “candle holder,” and when they first appeared, that was about it. The first known chandeliers date back several centuries and were of simple design: crossed wood beams with a spike at the end of each to hold a candle. The chandelier evolved from candles to gas and eventually electricity […]