Opulent Minimalism

I like things! There, I've said it! I love browsing in shops and markets. I am a collector and a gatherer and I am the first to admit it. However, I find that I am more and more drawn to pared down interiors; rooms that are sparsely furnished and accessorised.

I love rooms with bare wood or stone floors and roughly plastered walls, furnished with just a few, beautiful antiques and carefully edited accessories. I call it "opulent minimalism".

This is definitely not to be confused with the contemporary minimalist look that is all about chrome and glass and sharp edges and boxy furniture! That look is the complete antithesis of what I love.

Rooms that have beautiful proportions and interesting architectural details don't need a lot of adornment.

A few French antiques are all that is needed, upholstery must be in vintage linen or plush velvet.

Windows are left unadorned.

An air of romance presides and aged patina is a must.

Walls are left mostly bare.

 

The few pieces in the room must make a statement.

Old books and interesting artifacts are all the accessories that are needed.

Beautiful and elaborate sconces and chandeliers create the required opulence.

A beautiful canopy bed needs only a small and simple side table.

Gilt fits perfectly with this look.

An exotic and elaborate piece of furniture creates interest.

No clutter is allowed

I think this type of interior requires quite a lot of discipline? Discipline that I'm not sure that I have! Do you?

 

 

 

Till next time

 

Sharon x

Images via: Pinterest, Cote de Texas, EuroAntiqueMarket, Eclectic Revisited, Veranda, Simple Everyday Glamour, UKTV, Pure Provenance.

Bathroom Balm

Taking a hot bath must be one of life's easiest pleasures. My bathroom is not huge or grand, but I love it because it is one of the few places where I can be completely alone, uninterrupted, soaking in a relaxing bath, scented candles flickering, sometimes with a book, or sometimes just with my thoughts.

Sing hey! For the bath at close of day
that washes the weary mud away
A loon is he that will not sing
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,
and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;
but better than rain or rippling streams
is Water Hot that smokes and steams.

O! Water cold we may pour at need
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed
but better is beer if drink we lack,
and Water Hot poured down the back.

O! Water is fair that leaps on high
in a fountain white beneath the sky;
but never did fountain sound so sweet
as splashing Hot Water with my feet!

(Poem - "Bath-Song" by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien 1892 - 1973 South Africa)

Till next time

Sharon x

PS I'm joining the Link Party at No Minimilist Here and Wow Us Wednesday

Trying to take my niche up a notch

We have this niche in our entrance hall that was needing some attention. The staircase runs up behind it so it has a bit of an odd shape at the top. I had tried various pieces of furniture there but was never really happy with the result.

What I really wanted was a French console table like one of these below.

Aside from the fact that the budget wasn't going to accommodate one of these, I had the added problem of the kids using the area as a dumping ground for all their school stuff. I tried to change their habits, but failed miserably, so relented and bought these large baskets for the purpose. These would then have to fit under the console table. This was going to be tricky. 

I decided the only solution was to fake it by making my own French console table. A bit ambitious, I know!

We bought a big piece of pine and a strip of decorative moulding at Builders Warehouse. The moulding is made out of polystyrene or something similar!

We found these decorative brackets at the Garden Shop. In South Africa, they are called "Broekie Lace" and are used on the verandahs of Victorian style houses.

I painted the wooden shelf starting with a dark brown layer, then mid brown and then grey and rubbed it, trying to give an aged effect.

I painted the moulding and the brackets starting with black, then brown, then grey and ending with a touch of bronze.

Here is the fake console waiting to be installed by my ever willing husband.

I also repurposed some old picture frames into mirrors and added some gilt to the wooden frames.

I decided to layer the frames to add some interest. There are actually two frames at the back, although it looks like one large one.

You can see the view into the sitting room reflected in the mirror.

This picture shows where the niche is in relation to my front door.

Now to decorate the console table (I mean... shelf)

I put some lovely grey penny gum leaves in a willow basket and flanked it with two succulents in urns.

I added some gilt and embellishment to this old mirror that given to me by a friend to "do something with". 

These urns were terracotta in colour so they got a paint effect as well.

Here is a close up of the bracket.

A close up of the paint effect I did on the pine shelf.

Leading through to the dining room with the water feature in the background. I need some advice from you with regard to my water feature but that will be the subject of a seperate post.

And finally a last view.

So what you think about my fake French console?


I'm linking up to Wow us Wednesdays. Go and take a look at all the clever creations.

Till next time



Sharon x

Mirror Magic

So, the thing was this. I really needed (wanted) a big French style mirror to put above my sideboard in my dining room. Something along the lines of one of these below,

 

or this one,

or this.

Sadly, all I had was a mirror with an oregon pine frame similar to this one below

Here is my mirror when it was in my previous home (I had done a sort of gilt paint effect on the frame)

So I sanded and painted the frame a French grey colour

I found these "twirly things" at my local hardware/craft shop. They are made of some sort of resin, or dare I say it, plastic! I painted them in the same grey colour.

and then arranged them on my mirror frame to get the desired effect. I forgot to take a photo of this step.

I glued them on and rubbed some brownish paint over the whole thing to get this sort of antique effect.

This is the top of my mirror

and the finished product below. I'm just hoping that one of the pieces doesn't fall off during a dinner party to reveal my mirror's humble roots!

I am joining up with Savvy Southern Style for "Wow us Wednesdays".

 

Till next time

Sharon x