Florals this Spring Summer – Interior Trends

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Flower Power is back this Spring Summer with flowers blooming all around even on the catwalks and design shows in Milan!

Anna Molinari showed a very creative view of the floral trend this S/S reinventing it and taking on a contemporary twist to what is an all time nature classic.

The floral trend is so easy to master and combine into your already decorated home.

Pick flower arrangements that will match the palette of your room. Buy some new floral cushion covers, or curtains.

Use your exterior as an interior space, fill it with fresh spring colours like this porch covered in green spring blooms – welcoming a new lease of life for your home.

Source: bhg.com via Alexander on Pinterest

 

Add some still life into your decor with fresh flowers placed into a bright jug next to your favourite accessories or keepsakes. Here are some examples of still lives from Elle Decor consisting of the colour green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos from Elle Decoration Magazine, Green Still Life Competition (from left to right) via Tone Throndsen, Monica Furu, Timea Toth, Silje Aune Eriksen, Ellen Reitan and Karina Johnsen

 

Source: trendey.com via Anne on Pinterest

Use a fresh colour palette to bring that Summer feeling into your home, here is a clean interior that is taking inspiration from the Vanity Palette.

 

Try to co-ordinate palettes but mix your patterns, let the contrasting motifs fill the room against large blocks of colour.

 

From catwalk to interiors, florals are everywhere – so start blooming!

 

Spring/Summer Interiors Nautical Trend 2012

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All the latest interior decor this Spring/Summer’s has been focused around the nautical theme. With it’s simple but bold colours, stripes and natural worn effect it is a favourite amongst home owners and interior designers.

You can take this trend on by adding some small nautical moments to your home decorating.

Start with some beach effect wood and curtain free windows with perhaps some sheer blinds that allow plenty of light through.

A striped tablecloth is a small addition that can make all the difference to your room, include white chairs and tableware and add some bold colour with red scatter cushions for the sofa. Or even a hanging industrial red pendant light.

 

Add some rope to your home to add that seaside spirit; like this brilliant idea by Craig Kettles of C Design who adapted a literal take on the nautical look with dock cleats and rope. You could even add rope to your coffee table or to the bottom of your lamp as a simple DIY project.

Worn wooden boxes and shells collected from the beach add enough to create stylish nautical decor.

 

This lovely retreat featured in Elle Decor has taken on the nautical theme in small measures by adding a knot-tying manual tea towel to their kitchen.

 

How to create the perfect moodboard

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When deciding to redecorate or give a new lease of life to your home, it is always a good idea to create a moodboard. This can consist of anything from colour schemes and flooring to furniture and lighting.

You can add samples of your favourite material for those curtains you’ve got your eye on, or for your desired furniture set. Any supplier should be able to send you samples if you ask for them. So start collecting!

1. The Perfect Spot  Choose the perfect setting for your moodboard. A place that you walk past every day, so that you can begin to visualise your new home more and more every time you walk past your board.

2. Be Creative   Don’t worry about refining your thoughts to begin with, just add everything that you love and slowly you will start to take things away and keep the things that work best.

3. Sample Proportions  When choosing your favourite samples try and keep the size of them relative to how important they are within your space.

4. Photo Gallery  Take a picture of the room you wish to revamp and pin that up as well as any photos of existing  furniture that you either have or that you are wanting to purchase.

5. Time of Day  Make sure you consider how light your room is and what colours would suit this. Walk past your mood board at different times of the day and think ‘Does it  work?’

6. Trends  Don’t forget if you are following a trend, how long will this stay around for? Will you still love it in a year’s time?

7. Visualise   Imagine how you want your space to look, and keep imagining. Walk into the space and see your new enhanced room.

At Alexander Francis we love mood boards and always create one when designing a new piece of furniture. We also now have some of our inspiration and moodboards on pinterest. So if you need some help, do take a look at some of our own inspiration.

Be brave – Turn your dream home into a reality for Summer 2012

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Be brave, change your home.

Change does not have to be something you are afraid of. Change can bring you a world of happiness, of joy, comfort and pleasure. Change is what we need. So be brave, be positive, and make that change!

Why do we commit ourselves to a place we are not comfortable with? We become more and more affected by this stagnant situation, we let ourselves dwell on the change but don’t make it a reality. Well now is the time to stand up, leave your house and be brave! The time for it to BE real.

How to be brave in trying something new:

  1. Create a mood board with everything you love – the colours, the furniture, the accessories. You can even use pinterest for this – a virtual pin board!
  2. Feel comfortable about new experiences, braving vibrant colour schemes or getting rid of that old furniture.
  3.  Decide what you want and act on that decision.
  4. Make the decision, believe and trust that it is the right one and it will be beautiful.

 

 

 

 

If it’s the not knowing that is stopping you, have a read through the latest trends, do any of them fit into what you want? Would you like a contemporary finish or an art deco style? Is it your garden or your home that needs a revamp? Or both?!

Maybe you’re sick of the colour scheme in your living room, or the old and uncomfortable conservatory furniture that had been stored in the garage for years before it was moved to the conservatory. Or maybe you want to convert that old storage room into a gorgeous living space.

 

If this is you, then it is time to splash out and make a change for Summer 2012.

Spring into Summer with Alexander Francis. We’re always here to help you.

 

Garden Inspirations – Your Natural Home

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Our gardens have been a source of inspiration for many years and for many artists and designers. Bringing the natural world into the interiors of our homes, creating a new source of life that is entangled and that spirals into an indoor secret garden.

A book that has caught our eye in honouring gardens is The Garden in Art 370 pages of pure visual delight.

The book revels on the ideas behind the symbolism of gardens and the meaning of them. These also reveal cultural facts about the different eras and people, such as:

 

The circular garden was created in the Medieval era as a reflection of the universe.

“Gardens of the dead” arose after an 18th-century ban on cemeteries. The concept of the secret garden originated in the Renaissance derived from the Medieval courtly love tradition.

The Versailles garden became a nonpareil “outdoor stage” for theatrical productions, its ever-changing “sets” suggesting infinite dreams and illusions.

The number of exotic plan species in 19th-century England increased considerably after the invention of the Wardian case, a kind of portable greenhouse that made the long sea voyage transport possible.

In the 18th century, it was permissible for high society to strut and “pose” in public gardens.

Sharawaggi, the term for a popular 17th-century asymmetrical garden, which emulated Chinese examples, was a Dutch corruption of a Japanese word.

 

Edward John Poynter, In a Garden, 1891.

We have always enjoyed the luxuries of the outdoors, lounging in beautiful settings with plants and nature surrounding us. And now, we have grown to understand the importance of nature and the effects it has on us. We inspire to take hold of it and allow it into our abodes from arranging plants and foliage to paintings and books.

For those without a garden or roof terrace you can still enjoy the colours and life of nature. Try growing your own veg indoors and pot chard and fresh herbs for tasty ingredients for all those summery salads you will be enjoying. For the containers you can use anything really as long as it has some holes in the bottom. Try turning used tins into a little herb garden by washing them and then painting pretty colours or using coloured string and fabric to cover the sides.  Then just place them at the sunniest windowsill in the house. Here’s a How To.

You can even sprout a jar of goodness by soaking a few tablespoons of seeds, in a muslin-covered glass jar. Just drain the water and refill the jar twice daily and shoots will emerge within a few days.

How do your bring your home to life? Welcome nature into your home, or bring your home out to nature.

Interior Trends for 2012 – Nordic Homes

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The nice Nordic, Scandinavian inspired design is back in the spotlight this year. Comprising of light, minimal  interiors and beautiful wooden floors, the Nordic design is very much encompassing the Eco-hedonism trend we spoke of earlier this year.

Even French Connection have grasped the Nordic trend and are featuring it within their new homes collection.

Grey, whites, acid yellow, grass green and bright reds – don’t be afraid to add snippets of bright colour into a minimal setting.

Think washed out natural colours and wood textures – think contemporary chic.

 

 

 

Natural materials sit next to found objects, white is balanced with greys and greens.Turn your home into a white, natural haven forming a contemporary twist to the traditional Scandinavian homes. Our black rattan furniture is the perfect match for this trend, whether indoors or out you can bring together the old and the new, the natural and the man made and encapsulate the Nordic design in one single notion. This black rattan day bed from our Sicilia collection would suit the patio area, or your indoor conservatory, keeping it minimal but contemporary and stylish at the same time.

Elle Décor

Use white with black and natural browns for the perfect Scandinavian country home feel.

 

Inspiration from Milan – Our Milano Collection

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Have you ever been to Milan? Or seen our Milano collection? If not, then perhaps you’re missing out!

Modern Milan, the fashion capital, is the influence for our Milano collection specifically designed for large family fiestas and that al fresco dining.

Comfortable, stylish and contemporary, a homage to what Milan is renowned for. By turning your abode into a fashionable metropolitan creation you can invite all your family and friends over to enjoy it with you.

Lets explore this Italian capital and witness what inspired our designers to create this beautiful collection.

So, shall we take a little trip to Milan now?

We arrive at the labyrinth Castello Sforzesco, with its 12 mini-museums and vast archives running all the way through the Palaeolithis history to 1950s furniture design. We go into the Museo d’Arte e Scienza and are entranced by the displays on Da Vinci’s life, then to the Pinacoteca di Castello, a gallery of luminous early Renaissance with works by Bellini and Mantegna.

 

Leonardo Da Vinci spent most of his painting career in Milan, and thus left a lasting impression on this cultural city. So next we feast our eyes on the ‘Last Supper’, in the church of Santa Maria della Grazie, perhaps the most impressive painting of the Renaissance.The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci

Next, the Duomo of Milan, the third largest church in Christendom. With a staggering 3,500 statues and 135 spires adorning the marble structure, it has a Baroque and neo-Gothic façade. Taking the lift to the roof we can see the breathtaking view that spans over the city and all the way over to the Alps on a lovely clear day.

 

 

 

As Milan is the fashion powerhouse it is necessary to visit its boutiques, situated in the Quadrilatero d’Oro (Rectangle of Gold). With designer stores such as Armani, Chanel and Missoni, we are entranced by the contemporary fashions.

Notice this year’s Spring Summer Collections and the colours that are on trend. Natural hues, translucent fabrics and a feminine touch on the catwalks. Much like our Milano collection that is inspired by the Milanese landscape.         

                          Angelo Marani fashion show Spring/summer 2012

In Milan everything is possible; feel the modern vibes, the fashionable city flowing through you, smell the Italian coffee, and feel that warm sunshine.

Milano – Contemporary Chic

Start turning your home into a modern, fashionable creation.

Wedding Trends for 2012 – How to Style your Special Day.

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Remember back in January we revealed the 2012 colour trends?

Well, New York Weddings magazine has just released their new Summer 2012. And low and behold they are using the Vanity colour palette, thus bringing the Romantic theme back!

The Bouquets, the dresses, the centerpieces all include pastoral palettes, as well as birds, butterflies orchids and branches.

Think modern meets romantic this season for all your wedding decor, East meets West, Zen garden meets English rose.

For centerpieces, think about the vanity palette and what flowers would match this, balance being the key theme. Perhaps a combination of exotic plants, or hot pink carnations with orchids and light pink roses.

Remember Pantone’s colour of the year Tangerine Orange – this would give a lovely vibrant accent to your romantic bliss.
Fitting in with this theme of course is the vintage wedding. Many are visiting vintage and antique shops to create their wedding feel, they’re even putting pictures of their grandmothers’ wedding photos on display on the tables as centerpieces – A nice family touch, but perhaps a little personal.

Lace wedding cakes are a continuum of this theme offering that vintage charm, think doilies and lace dresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another trend this year is green weddings. Recycled, and natural materials, including an element of craft as well as donations to environmental charities in their guest’s names as their wedding favours. Following on from this, we have seen many hanging plant pots and ceiling decor already this year, from designers to home decor and now it is being used for weddings too!

I’m sure many of you have heard of Pinterest – the new social trend! If you are planning a wedding or even an event and need inspiration we recommend you have a look and start your own board – we have!

Find our Boards HERE.

If you’re planning your wedding on a budget and are having it in your garden (if you have a large beautiful garden) or somewhere else where you are decorating yourself then make sure you have plenty of help and ideas and make sure you consider the furniture!

Our dining sets and bar sets are ideal for when you want to just take a little break from all the buzz and drink that glass of bubbly taking everything in, or when you want to toast and eat amongst all of your friends and family.

 

 

Italy, Arte Povera and Alighiero Boetti at the Tate

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Italy is the birth place of Arte Povera, an art form sprung from the post-war years and the economics and political instabilities of the time. An art form open to experimentation, no constraints or enforced beliefs, purely what it is – materials and process.

The Arte Povera group sought to use both man made and natural materials, merging the two together, but also seeking a contrast between them.So as to not erase our memory of the past and our sense of duty to what has been.

This Spring the Tate Modern has the first solo show by any Arte Povera member, Alighiero Boetti.

Boetti, whilst living in Turin, focused on the industrial materials that were associated with the city’s booming economy at the time, then later on he began to make work with biro pens, postage stamps and magazine covers.

Highlights of the exhibition include works never seen in the UK such as the iconic Self-Portrait 1993, a life-size bronze cast of the artist hosing his head with a jet of water.

If you’ve been to see the exhibition then let us know what you thought! It’s on until the 27th May 2012.

One of Boetti’s most well known pieces, Mappa, has inspired many artists and designers since.

Why not create your own Mappa? A painting on your wall, a magnetic board, or even a pin board.

World Map Magnetic Notice Board modern bulletin board

The Delights of Napoli and our New Bar Sets

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A taste of Italy is something we all hope for especially as the sun starts to appear and the garden furniture comes back out.
Embracing a new lease of life this spring we have launched our new Napoli Bar Sets. Inspired by the volcanic landscape of the Archiflegreo volcano and the vibrant lifestyle of the lively capital we relive the Italian life in our own back garden.

 

 

The beautiful city of Campi Flegrei, situated to the west of Naples, lies mostly underwater and is home to 24 craters and volcanic edifices. According to Greek mythology, this is where the god of fire, Hephaestus, made his home and where a thunderous battle between the Titans and the world’s most powerful deities shook the earth.  The ancient Romans said the entrance to Hades was also here, hidden beneath a serene lake.The quieter city of Sorrento, further down the coast has a Mediterranean climate with beautiful summers, perfect for that evening drink beside the water. Overlooking the bay of Naples it has amazing views of Mount Vesuvius and the isle of Capri. The landscape of Sorrento is beautiful with its vibrant yellow lemons contrasting with the deep blue sea. Well known for its Sorrento lemons that are traditionally used to make Limoncello. You can sample the delights of this famous liquor in all the local shops and restaurants. Sit at your Napoli Bar Sets and taste the delights of this beautiful place in your own garden with your own bottle of Limoncello, with your friends and family.

Let Dean Martin take you to Napoli…

For all you lovely sons and daughters out there that would like to make something for Mother’s Day, here is a great recipe for a lemon pudding.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Whisk the sugar and the cornstarch together in a medium saucepan. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolks, zest, and salt and cook, stirring frequently at first and constantly towards the end, over medium heat until thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter. Pour through a strainer into a large serving bowl or 4 individual serving dishes.

Let cool to room temperature. Chill, loosely covered, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days, or until set and thoroughly chilled. Serve chilled.

From foodnetwork.com