Industrial Thoughts

Although I live in an old fashioned house, my heart palpitates with the thought of Industrial spaces that have been turned into homes (or, at the very least, spaces that mimic this idea). I think it is my love of opposites that fuels this fascination with hard, factory pieces juxtaposed with warm, organic life.

I still stop the car when I see abandoned factories; their sad history, and complex use of man-made components, makes me wonder about how they were made, and why they are now left alone. Metal, in various forms, has been around for many years, but wasn't used in mass production until the 19th century, when inventors found ways to harness the complicated elements and make them into various materials of strength. I can't pretend to understand the science that goes on behind it, but I did just look it up (am being honest), and, really, it is pretty amazing to know that something so natural can be manipulated into being such a powerful part of our infrastructure.

Once, so expensive, the process is now simple, and most metals are available for everyone to buy. Which makes me wonder about homes that embrace an Industrial influence. Too much metal, and the home will appear to be cold, but, with just a hint, the space will automatically become more interesting. Traditional iron pieces, like birdcages and hooks, are easily added to a home, but what if you want to go a little further?

Designers have fully embraced this trend, and have provided us with many options to bring into our homes. Here are just a few of them to help you bring a little bit of the Industrial look into your life (without feeling as if you need a blow torch or an extra large sewing machine).



Many old factories are being explored, their contents repurposed for household
 use; perfect for books, gloves, or even pantry items in the kitchen (coat in polyurethene, just in case).





Storage and a surface at the same time; this small table, made of a wire basket
 and an old cupboard door, is useful in any room!











Stainless Steel is a practical choice for any style of home. However,
 it is not for the faint-hearted, its beauty grows more with every scratch!




An old file cabinet can become your new file cabinet...





A trough, with a wooden top and a sink added, becomes a
great focal point.

The perfect combination of simplicity - glass, metal and light!



Wallpaper Art

I remember wallpaper, growing up, to be either anaglypta (a thick, embossed wallpaper) large brown and green squares or, sometimes, a very flowery concoction that reminded me of prairie dresses and things that were overly cute. Their role (roll? :-) was to decorate the walls and cover imperfections.

After many years of this, wallpaper was exiled; people were tired of the busyness of it all, they wanted cleaner, more neutral spaces. Thoughts of scraping someone elses glue and paper off the wall sent home owners searching for simpler ways to decorate. Paint became the de rigueur.

Now, like any good fashion trend, wallpaper is back again; gracing the covers of magazines, with the designer elite singing its praises as a beautiful and bold way to accessorize our homes.
It has now become Art.

I am glad; anything that makes decorating easier, and can be put on a wall, makes me very happy. Now, the wallpapers are easier to apply, and, more importantly, easier to remove. As a statement on a wall, or a backdrop for another piece, designs are made to be graphic, but tasteful - adding to what you already have, with just a little bit of star power, rather than stealing the entire spotlight.

Bringing modern freshness to all styles of homes, this old idea may just become your new, favorite piece of paper!

Photograph from http://www.elledecor.com/

A Moment in Time...



The "after"

 Last week I hated my Living Room. Truly hated it. When I looked at it, all I saw was a sea of brown, surrounded by some brightly colored artwork that just seemed to show up the dull "brown-ness". I had become my own worst client, I couldn't see past the ugly.

My Living Room has a big window at the front. Most things fade quite quickly; I have the curtains drawn, widely, and I like to have as much light as possible in my home. As a result, everything fades and the fabrics erode quite quickly from the sun (rather odd when you remember that I live in New Jersey, not exactly the sunshine capital of the world).

The furniture had faded over the last year, and as I re-decorated the room for Spring, I took out most of the plants and colorful blankets that had been the accessories for the last few months. I guess, in my haste to remove the Winter, the room was left feeling colorless and boring, lacking in life. The life and color now being outside, instead of inside.

In my head, it became the worst Living Room that anyone had ever seen. A vintage (old?) golden, brown sofa, an old (vintage?) brown chair, an old, collapsible oak table and a vintage (genuinely old), standing radio sitting alongside a nicely rusted, generously sized, wrought iron chair from outside. The entire combination had morphed into a 1940's sitcom, with all the good bits taken out.

As I panicked in my brown-ness, I mentally scanned my house for replacement pieces of furniture. There were none I could use. There was no hope, I decided I MUST drive to the store right that very second before I was swallowed up by the awfulness of it all.

I drove to the store, really fast (but not over the speed limit) and I found a purple sofa and a lovely, oversized slipper chair with an exaggerated pattern of zinnias bursting with orange and dark green....perfect (!?) I looked at the furniture as I took out my credit card, and I walked out of the store.

A cafe mocha, no whipped cream, and a half hour later reality hit. I was calm as I made the list of what I wanted, needed and didn't want in my Living Room. With list in hand, I went home and began to empty the room. The old, brown chair was the first to go....

Pic-nic (pik-nik) – an outing that is shared, outside, with food…

 

What is nicer than a picnic on a Summer’s day? I imagine sitting in an unmown field filled with daisies, the manicured lawn of a historic castle or a ragged, cliff-top overlooking the Aegean sea. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of; lovingly described in the well-worn pages of my old storybooks.

Picnic's happened a lot when I was little. Mum and Dad would pack sandwiches and drinks, along with old blankets and a few sweet treats for afterwards. We would head to the seaside, a public park or sometimes just to a nearby hill (!) for the afternoon. It always felt like a Holiday – a day off where my sister and I we were playing hookey, allowed to run as far away as we wanted to; coming back when we were tired, for soggy tomato sandwiches and warm fizzy drinks in a shared cup. It was bliss!

Now, as old-fashioned as it may seem, a picnic is still a wonderful way to spend the day together. Go to a local park or beach, and spend the day doing as little as possible! Bring along books, magazines, games and bubbles (leave the technology at home).

Check out the latest picnic accessories that will make your day more comfortable (fully equipped picnic baskets with cutlery, napkins and plates, water-proof blankets to keep your bottoms dry, and even metal spikes to hold your wine glass in between sips!). Pack food that will hold up well and won’t get too soggy – ham, cold fried chicken, cheese, bread, chips and fruit are all easy to pack. Prepare it beforehand, so that you don’t have to worry about knives and forks when you get there – finger food is always best!

Bring lots of napkins,and have fun!

Lovely image from http://www.bluebellsandseashells.co.uk/news/view/2011/05/Picnic_Northamptonshire