Dear Leanne: I am recovering an antique chaise longue and would love to use a leopard print. I don't want to recover this piece any time soon and I was wondering how long animal patterns would still be in style.
ANSWER: Typically, the home-decor business follows closely on the heels of the fashion world, which is influenced by the Color Marketing Group and the global market. We have seen a strong representation of animal prints over the last several years, and by the looks of the latest offerings by top fashion designers, animal prints will be around for a long time.
Animal prints have become extremely popular as a visual sign of a global creed: Enjoy the beauty of animals, but don't harm them. For this reason I believe animal prints will remain a fundamentally stable pattern in our home decor world. What may waver is the use of fun prints over the natural coloration. Purple leopard print may have a shorter lifespan than the natural black and gold print, for example.
Using an animal print on an antique chaise longue would be a classic covering for this style of furniture. Both the art deco and art nouveau periods used animal prints successfully on chaises longues. When you borrow design elements from historical time periods, you are incorporating timeless pieces.
However, how you use the items in a room can be the difference between a stunning masterpiece and a tacky re-enactment of history. Remember you are dealing with design, pattern, scale and colour -- all on one piece of furniture. You must work this into the rest of the ensemble.
Use only one animal print at a time in your room. Due to this piece of furniture's scale and design, it will naturally become the focal point. Covering it in an animal print will solidify its position in the room. The remaining furniture should not compete with this item, but serve as visual support.
Depending on the design style of your space, you can go a number of ways. Pairing a gold and black leopard printed chaise and a glossy black grand piano would play an elegant lead in a room that also provides a solid tan sectional. Adding black, faux-fur pillows to the sectional will balance the use of black in the space. Using a solid-coloured faux fur will not compete with the leopard print and will complement it.
If you wanted to provide a playful and energetic ambience to your space, you may wish to use a fun-fur print. If you are going to go this way, do not hold back. Imagine a purple and black leopard chaise (with the same glossy black piano. Now cover the sectional with a bright fuchsia fabric, surrounded by soft grey walls with a hint of mauve. Either look would be stunning. Let the animal print guide your design and hold it true throughout the room.
Dear Leanne: My dining room is fairly small: nine by 10 feet (2.7 by three metres). I was thinking of putting a mirrored wall on one side, but I am not sure if that will make a big difference. I have two walls that could be used for the mirror, as the third and fourth walls provide the entrance to the room and a bank of windows. The window across from the entrance has a buffet on it and the one across from the windows had a china cabinet. The table is in the middle of the room. What do you suggest?
ANSWER: Mirrors can definitely offer the illusion of more space, but remember it is only an illusion. If your space is tight, you may need to let go of either the china cabinet or the buffet. However, if you are happy with the furnishings you can use mirrors in a number of ways to visually increase the room's size.
You may wish to mirror an entire wall or the upper portion of the wall. If you cover the upper portion, include a decorative wainscotting as a transition between the mirror and the lower wall. This could work on the wall that has the buffet, as the buffet would cover a major portion of the lower wall.
In a similar manner, you could mirror two wall portions on each side of the china cabinet, from floor to ceiling. This would work best if your china cabinet is centred on the wall. If it is not, you may need to cover the entire wall.
One question that needs to be asked: What will the mirror be reflecting? You always want to make sure that whatever the mirror is reflecting back, is worthy of being viewed for a second time. Look at you walls that house the entrance and the windows -- are there any natural choices from these options. One advantage to seeing your windows twice is that you increase the natural light from its reflection. You will want to make sure you can control any annoying glares with window coverings.
Although smaller framed mirrors can also provide a sense of space, the larger plate mirrors will provide the biggest impact. I have seen rooms that have covered all four walls in mirrors, but the effect can be off-putting (particularly when dining) as the mirrors reflect the images into eternity. One wall would be ample.
Leanne Brownoff is an Edmonton interior design consultant who welcomes your questions at www.leannebrownoff.com. Answers will be featured in her column as high volumes prevent individual email responses.
-- Postmedia News
