We celebrate patriotic colors of blue, red and white at home this week. We talked about blue yesterday. If you haven’t read it, you can click here to learn more . So, today we are going to talk about color of red at home. Red is one of our favorite colors—it can be romantic, feminine, warm, energetic, cheerful, happy, fashion-forward. When used in kitchens and dining rooms, color of red can sure enhance our asperities. Red has the longest wavelength of any color. It’s the first color babies can see and it’s the very first color to vanish as the sun sets.
Alessandra Branca is one of our favorite designers who master using color of red in their work. We love her classical and whimsical way to decorate her clients’ home with color of red. Read on to take some inspiration from her gorgeous projects.
Red textured wall-covering often gives a room a sumptuous and sophisticated classical vibe.
This is the week we celebrate patriotic colors of red, blue and white at home. Today we are going to focus on blue. Blue is probably the most favorite color by people globally. There’s a reason we think of blue as relaxing: it actually tends to lower our heart rates, blood pressure, and even our body temperature. Studies of memory have demonstrated that memory is enhanced by blue light and blue light can even kill some bacteria. Blue often represents :trustworthy, dependable, tranquil,peaceful, calming. Here are 3 of our favorite blue paint colors this year:
Sherwin-Williams color of the year 2020 —Naval (SW6244)
Naval is a rich navy that creates a calm and grounding environment infused with quiet confidence. And it is bold and fresh at the same time.
Two years ago, Quintessence visited Lulu Power’s home in Los Angeles. The house is full of color, pattern, books, greenery and fresh flowers. And we totally fell in love with her outdoor bar—small, neat, layered with full of charm. If you haven’t heard about Lulu Power, here is a little info about her on her instagram: The Entertainologist. Cooker,Creator,Cocktail maker. Food Editor for House Beautiful. She is a well-known entertainer and we were very lucky to go to many events entertained by her before COVID-19. With approaching of 4th of July, we probably will have to stay at home again and spend quite some in our backyard for celebration. So we all need some inspiration to make sure we will have some fun time. We kicked off our great out series last Friday. If you haven’t read it, you can click here to learn more. Today is our series 2. And yes we will talk about Lulu’s outdoor bar by sharing Quintessence’s youtube video below. Before we share the video, here are several things we think that really make her outdoor bar so cool:
The first impression when we came across this 1920 estate in Palm Beach is that we really love its classical details in both its architecture structure and interior furnishings yet the house is quite clean and modern at the same time. Here are our favorite highlights for this home.
The weather was nice on Saturday. Since we usually don’t have a long workout on Saturdays. We often plan to visit some places locally during this pandemic crisis. After all, we have being stayed at home too long. It is good to just scroll around local towns and get some inspiration, So far, we have visited DTLA China Town and Little Tokyo, so we decided to visit Pasadena this Saturday.
A little bit information about Pasadena here. Pasadena is a city in California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. In the center, Old Pasadena is a shopping and dining district known for its Victorian and art deco buildings. The strikingly modern Norton Simon Museum houses notable European and Asian art, plus a sculpture garden. The Rose Bowl is a sports stadium known for hosting the Rose Bowl Game, an annual college football clash usually held on January 1. Read on to enjoy the local journey with us.
We had a scenic drive around Arroyo Seco area. The Arroyo Seco Bridge is pretty amazing. With its majestic arches rising 150 feet above the deeply cut Arroyo Seco, the Bridge was proclaimed the highest concrete bridge in the world upon completion in 1913. The bridge impressed travelers from the day it opened. Until then, the crossing of the Arroyo Seco required horses and wagons to descend the steep eastern slope, cross a small bridge over the stream, and then climb the west bank through Eagle Rock Pass. Given this harsh topography, the Colorado Street Bridge proved a challenge to design and build. Solid footing eluded engineers in the seasonally wet arroyo bed. Hopefully, we are able to get a better video when we drive through again. In case, you want to take a “country-in-the-city walk, check out this article from LA Times.
Then we stopped by ArtCenter of College Design to take a photo with its famous Mural wall outside of the campus.
With approaching of the 4th July next weekend, it is that time again to wear the festive patriotic theme of red, white, blue, stars , stripes and sparkles with some fun. Life is about celebrating each moment to make them memorable. Today, we are going to share 5 ways to dress up for 4th July in style without being too cheesy and overboard. Read on to find out how.
Red: Pair washed-up blue jeans with a red feminine ruffled top, finish the look with a on-trend woven handbag to create a chic, organic and festive summer vibe. This out will look great when you stroll around the city.
Think about your 4th July celebration? We know that we will continue to stay at home and enjoy our backyard life besides earlier morning hiking. Just in case you have a similar plan, we will kick off our 4th July outdoor series from today. Why not? It’s summer time. New design styles and ideas for outdoor living is blooming like no time particularly under the current pandemic crisis. Read on for our thoughts on sprucing up your outdoor living game.
Many years ago, when we did a remodeling project for our client, we were planning to create a curb-less shower for the client thanks to her love and passion for the sleek modern design. We used large-format tiles for their bathrooms from the floors to the walls. And we wanted to continue that seamless large-format tile into the shower floor by building a curb-less shower. Back then, because of the situation of the client original shower, local codes and limit of available products , we had to changed that plan. Nowadays, with more innovative products available in the market, more trained skilled labors, thriving of universal design, and manufacturers’ willing to work with local municipalities for any code issues,a curb-less shower looks like much easier to achieve than ever before.
“Spring Fever Exquisite botanical illustrations by 16th century Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel inspire the playful and decorative motif of Spring Fever. The interpretation of Hoefnagel’s drawings provide the foundation for the repeated design, which transforms the wallcovering from a delicate pattern to a powerful visual experience.” Timothy said that his Spring Fever collection has spirit of chinoiserie. We couldn’t agree with him more.
The beautiful China Porcelain vintage blue, the graceful and intricate details of hand-painted botanical blooms and butterflies are rather fascinating. The term chinoiserie, which comes from the French word chinois, or “Chinese,” denotes that chinoiserie did not, in fact, come directly from Asia but is instead a European interpretation of Asian culture and decorative arts. The style originated in the 17th century, in tandem with Europe’s flourishing trade with China and other countries of East Asia. As a style, chinoiserie is related to the Rococo style. Both styles are characterized by exuberant decoration, asymmetry, a focus on materials, and stylized nature and subject matter that focuses on leisure and pleasure.
From traditional to modern, chinoiserie goes well with every look and adds a sense of timelessness and sophistication to any space.
We love how this classical chinoiserie wallpaper nicely contrasts with modern furnishings in the house.
We love the more modern approach for Chinoisseire wallpaper design in the past several years. It feels so fresh and chic in terms of color, scale and motif applications.
The Major Motifs in chinoserie include Foo dogs, pagodas, nature scenes and dragon.
Foo Dog: These date back thousands of years to Imperial China. And despite their name, foo dogs are actually lions, made to stand guard outside palaces and temples. Foo dogs typically come in pairs—one male and one female—to represent the balance of yin and yang.
Pagodas:While an integral part of East Asian architecture, pagodas actually originated as sacred sites in India. The spread of Buddhism brought them to China, where they were assimilated into the regional style.
Nature scenes: As wallpapers became popular in European homes, the upper class turned to chinoiserie designs, many of which were handmade and often very costly. Lighthearted nature scenes were all the rage, including lush garden vignettes and sprawling floral motifs.
Dragons: Symbolizing strength and good luck, dragons hold a prominent place in Chinese mythology and folklore. Historical emperors favored dragon motifs in clothing and interiors; today, they surface on all manner of ceramics, silk screens, and works of art.
Ready to add a touch of chinoserie chic at your home for this summer? Shop chinosserie furnishings and objects We handpicked for you(click each image for details):
One of the trends in home furnishing industry in 2020 has continued going strong is acrylic furnishings. They are just like glass, crystal clear, light and airy, injecting a very chic, versatility vibes to any room without adding too much visual weight. If you are looking forward to update your home this summer in a clean, modern and glamorous fashion, do consider acrylic furnishings–it can be a bench next to your king bed, a coffee table in your living room, a desk or chair in your study, a chandelier or a tray, etc… We feel excited every time when we incorporate acrylic pieces to our design projects.
So what exactly is acrylic material? Acrylic material is often referred to as Acrylic glass but it does not contain silicates like more common glass products. Acrylic is a chemical polymer and we often refer to it by the brand names: Lucite ( DuPont ) and Plexiglas (Rohm and Haas). The more clear and polished they look, the better quality they are. Polishing is the key process which enhances clarity and luster. Most large pieces and structural furniture components will be polished on a wheel by hand while smaller items may be flame polished. Now you know that hand-polishing always has the finest result. The material was developed in 1928 in several different laboratories by many chemists, such as William Chalmers, Otto Röhm, and Walter Bauer, and was first brought to market in 1933 by German Röhm & Haas AG (as of January 2019 part of Evonik Industries) and its partner and former U.S. affiliate Rohm and Haas Company under the trademark Plexiglas. The earlier application of acrylic material was in aviation. The acrylic bubble canopy was used on aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire and Westland Whirlwind, which gave better all-round visibility and reduced weight. We now know how durable acrylic material is!
There are 9 benefits of acrylic furnishings:
Acrylic has been classified as non-hazardous under OSHA regulations since it doesn’t outgas or release toxins when used as directed:—-Don’t expose to flame and don’t expos to acids.
It is very durable and has much higher impact strength than glass. Under high impact, it will not shatter and if it does break, it fractures into large, dull-edged pieces .
Acrylic can be used over a broad temperature range and has superior weather resistance compared to glass and other forms of plastic.
Acrylic can be formed in a number of ways and create all shapes of beautiful design.
Acrylic is lightweight and approximately half of the weight of glass.
Acrylic takes little or no visual weight of any spaces.
Acrylic furnishings will help update your home with a modern and sleek look.
Acrylic furnishings will not inhibit lighting and this allows more daylight in the home and help promote wellness at home.
Acrylic will help showcase other design elements in the space such as pops of color, patterns, textures.
Care of Acrylic Furnishings?
Direct sunlight in a climate controlled environment will not discolor high quality acrylic. But it is always recommended to consult manufacturers recommendations for performance.
Cleaning
—Carefully dust surface with a fine duster
—-Use a clean soft cloth dampened with water
—Do not use the same cloth for other surfaces
—Avoid glass cleaners and solvents. Use ammonia free cleaner all the time.
Scratch prevention and restoration
—-Use anti-scratch pads on objects placed directly on acrylic surface.
— Novus 1/2/3 is highly effect product to get rid of scratches.
Shop Quality Acrylic Furnishings We Handpicked for You(Click Each Image for Details)
