Homeowners can take inspiration from previous eras when choosing to redesign the layout of their home. Subtle touches, like vintage wallpaper patterns or furniture styles and fabrics, can serve as an homage to a vintage era.
The sky is the limit for creative homeowners. There are many different eras of architecture and design to work with, bringing their own styles and flavors to your home. Here are some of the styles from the past that could give your home a unique, memorable touch while keeping modern features and functions:
- VICTORIAN: While some of the most notable Victorian home features are visible on the outside, there are interior choices that can bring this period to life just as well. The New Orleans Times Picayune spotlighted a modern approach to some of the wallpaper patterns that were modeled after floral designs popular during that time, among other influences. This classic layered style will give guests much to look at when they walk in and can lend some interesting details to rooms. For window treatments that fit this style, look for lush and intricate layered panels that intrigue the eye and give the room an extravagant feel.
- COLONIAL: Many American homes, especially on the East Coast, were built in the Colonial style, so why not match this with some proper interior designs? Replica furniture and shutters could add to the overall older feeling. An article in OldHouseOnline gives several possible suggestions, including lacy window dressings, plain-colored curtains and wide, heavy interior shutters, which it says are the "original window treatment."
Source: Wikipedia User OCA250 - THE 1920s: The glamor of the Roaring Twenties can still be appealing today. Houses with proper lighting and dark wood can conjure up an intimate, speakeasy feeling. But the 20s can also inspire colorful choices, as designer Amy Somerville described in a piece for the Wall Street Journal. Handmade rugs and wall furnishings bring back the more personal feeling of this earlier time. Stylizing an old fashioned hearth can be the centerpiece for a classic room setup as well. Slats and blinds also add a nice touch and can cast great expressive shadows on the walls in the right light.
- ART DECO: Similar to the 1920s but with its own distinct quirks, art deco houses can feature prominent windows and winding staircases, like one Iowa home recently chronicled in the Mason City Globe Gazette. This house in particular also boasts colored tiles, wooden mahogany panels and period-appropriate accessories, like a 1939 World's Fair wall hanging. Window draperies and upholstery designed with graphic fabrics and trims can give your space the Art Deco feel.
- THE 1950s: So much of this period has come to represent a retro vision of the future, as well as the elegant fashions made popular through television and film. In a home, this could consist of bright colors, vintage appliances and classic chairs and sofas. As far as the images and colors on curtains and drapes go, homeowners can think of basic, pleasant designs or simple hues, all done in clean lines. The goal should be something with an attention-grabbing but basic feel to it that stays in tune with other, similar designs used on surfaces throughout the home. A classic curtain and rod look across a large living room window could go a long way transforming the whole space.
Whatever look you decide on, custom curtains and drapes will add to the decor and make it unmistakable which school of design is most inspiring. Custom window treatments will complete your look aethestically and also can provide the functionality that your rooms need. If you're interested in a free at-home consultation to get your new house makeover started, contact Metropolitan Window Fashions today!