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Choosing up the hardwood floor or the home decorating plan or idea that better fits in with Empire furniture can be a little bit difficult. There are some very good books of designs to base your decor idea. You can then get from them interesting complements and ornaments for all the corners of your house, of course based on the colonial style. One the most famous books at the date was the - Illustrated history of furniture, by Frederick Litchfield. You can read some tips from that book along the following paragraphs. We want to encourage the readers to follow its ideas because they can help you to find your own style.

Materials And Ornaments For Careful Finishes

On secretaries and tables, a common ornament of this description of furniture, is a column of mahogany, with a capital and base of bronze (either gilt, part gilt, or green), in the form of the head of a sphinx with the foot of an animal; console tables are supported by sphinxes and griffins; and candelabra and wall brackets for candles have winged figures of females, stiff in modeling and constrained in attitude, but almost invariably of good material with careful finish.

The bas-reliefs in metal which ornament the panels of the friezes of cabinets, or the marble bases of clocks, are either reproductions of mythological subjects from old Italian gems and seals, or represent the battles of the Emperor, in which Napoleon is portrayed as a Roman general. There was plenty of room to replace so much that had disappeared during the Revolution, and a vast quantity of decorative furniture was made during the few years which elapsed before the disaster of Waterloo caused the disappearance of a power which had been almost meteoric in its career.

What Books To Read

The best authority on Empire Furniture is the book of designs, published in 1809 by the architects Percier and Fontaine, which is the more valuable as a work of reference, from the fact that every design represented was actually carried out, and is not a mere exercise of fancy, as is the case with many such books. In the preface the authors modestly state that they are entirely indebted to the antique for the reproduction of the different ornaments; and the originals, from which some of the designs were taken, are still preserved in a fragmentary form in the Museum of the Vatican.

Classic Designs And Ideas

An arm chair and a stool, together with that of the tripod table which are favorable examples of the richly-mounted and more decorative furniture of this style. While they are not free from the stiffness and constraint which are inseparable from classic designs as applied to furniture, the rich color of the mahogany, the high finish and good gilding of the bronze mounts, and the costly silk with which they are covered, render them attractive and give them a value of their own. By reading the books proposed above you definitely can break the look of the interior design of your house, and will learn how to include empire furniture into home decorating ideas and plans.

Andrew Caxton contributes adding articles to an online home decorating and interior design magazine. Your guide on home decorating and how to choose from hundreds of decorating ideas and tips. Andrew will inspire you to capture the look you wish. Find further information on decorating and design at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com

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Hannah Storm is one of the warm, contemporary, personable faces that comes into our home every weekday morning on CBS’ The Early Show. Ms. Storm’s home offers her a relaxing environment that is filled with a transitional style, interior design wise. Transitional is the blending of contemporary and traditional decor in her vintage clapboard Connecticut home, filled with avant-garde art work and furniture from pre-war Europe. The real focus in her home though, is her need for functional style based on being a busy mother of three, partner to sportscaster Dan Hicks, and up-at-the-crack-of-dawn coanchor.

Buttery, color and texture leather chairs, warm light-hued fabrics paired with dark brown and black stained wood tables lend an timeless Paris style back-dropped by classic built-in bookcases, plaster mantels and wrought-iron banisters. Bold black and gold stripes fabrics add zip to draperies and sofas. Deep-stained hardwood floors are left basically bare to streamline rooms and focus on minimalist art and accessories. Don’t be fooled that Ms. Storm’s home is designer-right, every room has a whimsical touch that states she’s still in charge of her home, style-wise.

Enjoy more Celebrity Homestyles featuring: Hannah Storm, Princess Marie-Chantel of Greece, Sofia Coppola, Meredith Viera, Pamela Anderson, Anjelica Houston and more. Do you have a celebrity that would like to be featured in an upcomming Celebrity HomeStyles article? Send a query via link in resource box below. Include the celebrities name, home location, along with photos of the exterior, gardens, living spaces and master bedroom.

© Copyright 2006 Mark Nash

Mark Nash, is a residential real estate author, broker, columnist and writer based in Chicago. His fourth book 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home received eighteen five star reviews on Amazon.com. His latest book; Real Estate A-Z for Buying & Selling a Home will be published in December 2006. Mark publishes a free monthly ezine for real estate professionals. Agent to Agent features ten articles that offer free reprints for agents, home buyers and sellers through EzineArticles.com . Real estate news and book reviews, Celebrity Homestyles, Home selling and buying tips and advice, Joke-of-the-Month, Help this Agent, and agent marketing tips. Over 5000 subscribers in the U.S. & Canada. Subscribe at: http://www.1001realestatetips.com/forrealestateagents.html

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Most of us like to keep photographs of family, friends, and fun sitting around to remember those we love and the great times we’ve had. Although photo albums make a convenient place for storing the most special pictures that we want to preserve, our homes offer many alternative ways of displaying drawings, poems, decorations, and photos in attractive frame settings.

Determining where to place your framed pictures is one of the challenges involved with home decorating. On one hand, you don’t want to put up so many family pictures that guests get bored or feel that the host is self-centered. But on the other hand, family photos in individual or group shots can add a warm feeling to any room. The key is to strike a balance. Some families make a “wall of fame” display of loved ones’ photos in the family room, staircase wall, or another living space. Framed photos remind viewers that loved ones are special, and if they won’t be with us always, their images will remain for many years to come.

Another type of framed art that adds to a home’s beauty comes in a range of artistic wall hangings that are framed by coordinating frames of wood, acrylic, or metal. Typically, the frames will match household fixtures or furniture, or provide interest accent points for the rooms in which they appear. Delicate dried flowers, a child’s handprint, someone’s personal poem, or a favorite Bible verse make wonderful framed feature pieces for your home’s walls.

However, you need not restrict all your framed art for the walls only. You can set table framed pieces on the bedroom dresser, atop corner shelves, and even on the bathroom vanity. Coffee tables or end tables invite these special objects of interest, as do bookshelves, plant stands, and window sills. Kitchen counter space and dining room tables, when not in use, also provide great spots for cute curios. If you have collected several items over the years, you can get a lighted collector’s cabinet to keep the most attractive or recent on display for guests and family members alike.

If you are an arts-and-crafts kind of person, you can take a class on framing and learn to do it yourself. Then you can buy the materials on sale and put up any special wall piece that you want to preserve, whether it is a diploma, a watercolor, or a collage. You may even be able to sell your work at craft fairs. But if this isn’t your cup of tea, you can always pay to have certain pieces framed by professionals who work with these materials all the time. You can get a simple picture frame, with backing, of course, for wall or table use. Or you can request a matte finish to add dimension and perspective to your art piece.

Don’t overlook this exciting way of putting your family’s heirlooms to work as home decorator pieces. Start shopping for attractive, functional frames.

Get some great new ideas for picture frames in the home or at the office when you visit The Frame Cart

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