I dedicate this article to people who are looking to redecorate their rooms with some new pieces of furniture like a new and stylish coffee table including some uniquely designed seating furniture items (from upholstered armchairs and sofa beds to different styles of wooden chairs), a contemporary TV unit and many other small yet eye-catching details plus I want them to be able to distinguish the difference between the superior and shoddy furniture items. My suggestion is: get yourself well informed and pay attention to where your money is going, because, after all, you want to purchase something that you are going to use for many years from now. That's why, stick to the following tips and you won't get disappointed, I promise you.
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” - Coco Chanel I couldn't agree more! Whether designing your living room, dining room, bedroom or even the hallway, you must think like a designer. This means that if you want your home to be elegant you must make a balance. For most families, the entertainment unit is the focal point of the living room. And since living room is the place where they gather with friends and family on movie nights, it needs to be comfortable. And just like anything else, choosing the right entertainment unit can be quite difficult, as there are many types and materials on the market to choose from. But when it comes to this, there is no doubt that oak entertainment units are the best. If you are wondering why, the answer is pretty simple – because they are extremely durable.
My love for the Japanese culture comes from my teen and adolescent years. I have read so many mangas and watched so many anime that felt like I was literary living in Japan. I love their food, their romantic spring settings, their tea ceremonies, especially when watching anime. I was holding a cup in my hand, and my mind started to flow like a waterfall over my soul. Like universes going throw my hand, intoxicated with an appreciation of life, this divine energy connects everything and makes my mind grow exponentially.
Sado or Chado is Japanese tea ceremony that has been around more than a millennium. To perform this tea ceremony, you need the 4 basic things: tea, Japanese tea bowl, Chashaku scoop & whisk and sweets. One of the main elements that have an important role and meaning in the Japanese culture and architecture are the window screens. What is a Japanese screen? You have maybe never heard about this term before, so you're probably asking this. Simply said, in Japanese architecture Japanese screen is a term that refers to window cover made from translucent rice paper. In the past it wast used for separating bigger spaces in the home. Today, it is a home décor element that apart from serving a unique decorative purpose has several practical usages. In fact, making a window treatment using a Japanese screen is the best way to increase the privacy of your outdoor and indoor spaces as well as to add sophistication and warm glow into your living space. Simply put, screens add a Japanese flair into your home décor into a practical manner. To achieve the best antithetical appeal and ensure optimum functionality when adding Japanese screens to your home décor, there are several factors that you should take into account. In brief, here's what you need to consider before you enhance your living space with such Japanese decorative elements. Style – Needless to say, a Japanese screen window treatment with motifs from the Japanese culture best fits in Japanese-inspired home design. However this isn't a rule since there are screens in neutral colours and design that can match any decor. When it comes to style, what you need to know is that you can choose between plain screens and screens with special paints. It is up to your personal preferences and overall home décor to choose the most suitable Japanese screen for your windows.
Size – One of the most important factors that come into play when choosing such type of window covers is the size. In general, Japanese screens come in size of 1x2 meter, which means that if your windows are smaller it may be a challenge for you to find screens. However, this shouldn't discourage you because there are options for custom-made screens. Customization – You don't have to stick to the traditional plain white design of these rice-paper screens, nor do you have to choose among the painted screens available in the stores. You can make your own Japanese screen window treatment, by choosing the colours and colour patterns that you prefer to add in your inner or outdoor spaces. There are plenty of Japanese screen colour patterns you can choose from to create a custom solution relying on your creativity and imagination. Everyone wants to have its dreamy place, to be surrounded by statement things and unique elements that will make them feel more comfy and cozy. But, what about the garden? The garden is the second most important place where we spend a lot of our free time, so it needs to be designed according to our taste and needs. The garden is a vital part of any home as it reflects the nuances of a homeowner's personality, so one should make an effort decorating it, just like it is their home. And, because I am in love with the new and modern way of looking gardens, today I will introduce you to the amazingly decorated Japanese garden. Come and enter the Japanese garden world and enjoy in its simplicity and nature elements. Explore some of the things you can incorporate into your garden right away.
A Chinese altar table is one of most elegant features that you can include in any of your rooms at your home. Aside from being a beautiful feature alone, it is very functional and can work as other regular dining tables. This elegant piece will attract the attention of any of your guests, because it is an eye-appealing piece. The Chinese altar tables were mainly used as decorative items, but today, some models are made for functionality.
Bookcases are so much more than just holders for your favourite books. They are a way to express your personal design style and can greatly contribute to the atmosphere in the room. There is no better way to hold your favourite pieces of literature while keeping them organized, than using contemporary bookcases. They are pieces of furniture that are both functional and stylish at the same time. If you have no idea which type and style would fit your interior, then you can easily go online and browse the products of online furniture retailers and find many interesting ideas. There is a really wide array of contemporary and trendy bookcases, so it is completely up to you which ones you choose to purchase to fit in your room design and budget. Not many people are aware that bookcases can be used as a fun decorating detail. Contemporary bookcases are simple pieces of furniture which can store not only books but other decorative items as well. Here are a few ideas on how to incorporate and use them:
We live in a world defined by a contemporary design and mass production. Simple modern furniture items have become an important part of our home décor. As a result to this growing trend, more and more people decide to break the rules, and get out of the conventional by implementing one or more antique furniture pieces. As opposed to the mass-manufactured contemporary furniture pieces, an antique chest for example, can provide a number of design and functionality benefits to your room. A complementary flavour, longevity and personality are the three main benefits that the antique chest bears with it. The question you might ask now probably is: How am I supposed to choose an antique chest? Truth be told, buying antique furniture is not as easy as buying modern furniture, there are much more factors that need to be considered. The main purpose of buying antique furniture items is finding authentic pieces that are real antiques, not very good copies. In order to help you to make the right choice and get the most for your money when selecting an antique chest, we provide to you some simple buying steps and trick. The Ultimate Buyer's Guide for an Antique Chest
When it comes to buying antique furniture, a good buying guide should not be comprised of a list of simple cliché considerations. On the contrary, the ideal buyer's guide for an antique furniture item, is in fact a sum of several wise inspecting steps that should take place at the antique store, just before you make the decision, not when you are at home. In simpler terms, here's what you need to do to make the best deal on buying nothing but genuine antique chest. Step #1: Determine The Age Of The Chest By Considering The Material From Which It Is Made Of Generally speaking, if the chest is made of walnut wood it probably dates back to the 18th Century. On the other side, a chest made out of mahogany indicates an origin from the Georgian period or later. Step #2: Does The Antique Chest Features Secondary Or Superior Quality? Have A Look At The Drawer Linings If the chest you are inspecting has drawer linings made in pine, you are probably dealing with a chest with lower quality, whereas if you get to know that the drawer linings are made of mahogany or oak, the item in front of you features superior quality. Step #3: Do Not Forget To Check Whether The Handles Are Original The originality of the handles is a fact that speaks a lot for the authenticity of the antique chest. Any holes in the back of the drawer front can be indicators that something is wrong. Replaced handles are not a good sign for the originality of the item you are about to buy. Step #4: Consider The Drawer Moldings As Another Indicator For The Chest's Age Simply put:
Step #5: Check The Feet To Learn About The Period In Which the Antique Chest Was Fashionable If the chest has bun feet this probably indicates that that furniture item was a real hit in the 18th Century. In the Sheraton period the same feet were reshapes into a more elegant form, which is a representative of the elegance of the furniture design in this historic period. Chinese porcelain vases can be easily identified by their unique refined sculpture, subtle texture and vibrant colours. The unique recognizable features of the Chinese vases went through many changes of the techniques which were used for manufacturing them. In fact, the main distinction between the vases can be made based on the dynasty they origin from. Therefrom we can say that the vase that origins from certain dynasty bears the main advancements in the firing techniques, clays and glazes.
The shape of the Chinese vases is another characteristic that reflects their time of origin. You can learn to distinguish the vases by their shape. We've made a simple beginner's guide where the vases are categorized by the dynasty they come from. The main aim of our guide is to help you understand the basic features of the vases and with that to be able to distinguish them. Song Dynasty (960–1271 AD)
These vases were called “plum vases” due to the fact that their shape was considered as the most suitable for holding a plum branch. The main features for which this vase can be distinguished are narrow mouth, broad shoulders, small neck and tall body.
The Yuhuchunping features slightly flared rim, short foot ring, bottom-heavy body and straight neck. This type of Chinese vases were mainly used for holding holy water. Also, in the later period people started using this vase as a wine vessel. Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 AD)
This vase is well known representative of the Yuan Dynasty. The origins of this shape date back to the early Bronze Age. The main characteristics of these Chinese vases include: flaring mouth, splayed foot, a slender, and stem-like body. Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD)
The tianqiuping 'globular' vase is representative of the Ming Dynasty since it was the period when people first began to make this shape. What characterizes these porcelain vases is: straight neck, small mouth, globular body and concave bottom base. Qing Dynasty (1644–1911 AD)
One of the main representative of Chinese vase shapes of the Qing Dynasty is the Bangchuiping; 'Rouleau' Vase, this vase shape features specific cylindrical body, high neck, flat shoulders. The term Bangchuiping means 'wooden club'. Yongzheng (1723–1735 AD)
These Chinese vases were named after the Begonia flower, a pattern that is often present in many aspects of the Chinese decorative art. Concave neck, low flaring foot, floral rim standing are the main features of this vase shape Qianlong (1736–1795 AD
The Bailuzan vases were accessible only to the people from rich class. These vases were made of fine porcelain. Vases that had the Bailuzan shape were also described by the term “Hundred Deer” vase, which was describing the picture painted on the surface of the porcelain vase. We have represented the most important Chinese vases that represent each dynasty. We hope that we've helped you to understand the main characteristic of the vases coming from certain period. If you are antique lover and if you are on the look for porcelain Chinese vases, you can take into account the aforementioned features to make the best choice for you. Made out of thin, brightly colored paper, a bamboo frame and a candle inside, paper lanterns's primary role has been to protect the Chinese people from the evil. They represent celebration, joy, eternity and fortune. There is a myth that says that there was a great Chinese emperor who had a special dream and he ordered Hindu scriptures to be brought to him. Then, he built a special temple for these Hindu scriptures, which he ordered to be decorated with thousands of paper lanterns in order to symbolize the power of Buddha. And this is how the history of paper lanterns began in China. Today, they are a must-have feature on Chinese festivals, particularly during the Lantern Festival, when people bring paper lanterns with them in order to celebrate the first full moon of the year. But, how paper lanterns came to the Japanese culture? It is all due to a Korean Buddhist monk who implemented the idea of using paper lanterns from China, as a symbol of honor towards Buddha. So, let's see how and why Japenese people started using lanterns as part of their culture:
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