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| Home Skills and Basics Wallpaper Home & Domestic Interior Decorating Jessica Ackerman |
Colonial by Jessica Ackerman.Outfitting Your Home in Colonial StyleOne of the trendiest options when it comes to period decor is colonial decor. Colonial decor has a distinct rustic vibe to it with a somewhat polished and refined look. Wood, iron, leather and other natural materials are abundant in colonial decorating schemes. In essence, colonial decor is simple and homey, practical and utilitarian – since the period that it was drawn from, the colonial period, was all of these things. Life in the colonies was never easy, but there was a sense of elegance in colonial decor. The ideas that follow will help you to implement a colonial look in your modern home.Colonial Colors
One fun way to add colonial style to your modern home is with the use of color. A historically spot-on colonial room is painted, never wallpapered. Nonetheless, in revived colonial style, which blends modern designs with colonial fare, wallpapered rooms are the norm, with paper in a delicate floral pattern often being chosen. True colonial style, however, calls for painted walls. A simple white wash is often the best option, but you can elect to add color to the walls, such as light shades of green, blue, yellow, or red. You can also add color to the room by adding simple cushions to chairs in colors that were oftentimes found in the colonial era, like sienna or hunter green. Colonial WoodsWood is an important part of colonial design and a must-have if you want to get an authentic colonial look within your space. You can opt for simple, mildly polished wooden floors. Exposed beams were often found in the colonial period, and can be stained in modern times to match your wooden floors. Wood furniture is also important. Go for styles like Queen Anne, Sheraton, or Chippendale furniture, all of which were not overly ornate or overwhelming but very decorative. Darker woods are best for colonial decor. You can always add lace doilies o embroidered tablecloths in stark white to a dark wood table to give it a colonial feel.Colonial AccentsWhen choosing accents for the colonial themed room, keep simplicity in mind! While the style is simplistic, it is far from being minimalistic. Still yet, colonial style doesn’t call for clutter. The colonial period saw people having the bare-bones necessities at their disposal, so one wouldn’t expect to find an excessive number of knickknacks or trinkets lying around. Still life paintings were popular during this period, as were dried flowers gathered from the field and tied with a simple ribbon. Lighting fixtures were a necessity, and the addition of candle wall scones to your space can lend an authentic colonial feel, since these were used to light the home before the advent of electricity. Tin dishes, oil lamps, and china are all great display items for the colonial styled space. You can also add a touch of nature by bringing in a basket that is filled with twigs or fall leaves.As a rule of thumb, anything in colonial decor should be rudimentary and simple. This was a day and age without modern convenience and mass-produced decorative items, fresh off the assembly line. Keep that general principle in mind when choosing decor for your colonial styled space and you will create a room that is oozing with true colonial charm. Artist, Jessica Ackerman, is a consultant with WallDecorandHomeAccents.com and describes how to decorate with outdoor wrought iron wall art as well as candle sconces and holders |
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