|
||
Tapestries can be used in so many ways to enhance your home's beauty. Not only do they make marvelous wall hangings, but tapestries can be utilized as throws, drapes and even tablecloths. These amazingly versatile and sturdy woven pieces add style, texture and sophistication to even the plainest furnishings.
Most modern day tapestries consist of a tight jacquard weave that makes them extremely tough and able to stand up to abuse. You can use tapestry bolsters and pillows to add character to a demure couch, or spice up a mantle with a fanciful runner. Larger tapestries can be used as a throw for chilly winter days when all you want to do is curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and toast by the fire.
Personal effects can also be enhanced by tapestry - handbags are a favorite way to display small tapestry panels and often reflect the owner's personality. Small framed tapestries can be used in the home as well, as accents in small spaces. Table runners present a formal look for those times when you want to impress company, and a wall hung tapestry can make a great icebreaker if it has an interesting history.
History of Tapestry Use
Tapestries were used primarily in the homes, churches and cathedrals of the wealthy. Many were produced by Belgian, French and English artisans in medieval times - some still remain nearly intact. They covered the walls to provide added insulation to the stone separating them from the elements, and provided pictorial histories of great events in a time when books were a rarity and the ability to read them even more so.
Tapestries were also used as door coverings and bed curtains as well as drapery. The royalty in many countries had household weavers whose job it was to document their reign in woven form. The makers of these fine tapestries were respected on a level with the finest painters and sculptors of their day.
In more recent times, tapestries have become a way to represent classic masterpieces by the worlds greatest artists. Many paintings by such masters as DaVinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Titian and others have been woven into tapestries. This results in a rich rendering of the original work.
Matching Tapestry Styles with Decor
If your passion leans toward the gothic or baroque, with lots of dark wood and heavy brocade, medieval tapestry designs are probably a good choice. Hung at the head of a massive four poster, the dark rich colors of a tapestry showing the Knights of the Round Table might be just the touch to pull it all together.
If paler pastel shades and dainty Louis XIV is more your style, a softer Renaissance tapestry might be more to your liking. Angelic appearances and pastoral scenes glow in rich gold and blue hues, accenting the gilt and fussiness of French décor. You can often find landscape tapestries in sets, and hang them vertically side by side to form the illusion of gazing through a window at the peaceful countryside.
For a cheerful country kitchen look consider fruit and flower designs that can't help but bring a smile. Southwestern themes can lean on Native American artists for strong traditional patterns in earthy colors. Modern minimalist chic can benefit from an exotic Oriental piece featuring a dragon or a brilliantly plumed bird.
Places to Hang Tapestries
Cozy spots are great places for tapestries as long as you don't overwhelm the space. An Indian portrayal of an elephant or a British Naval battle scene can add just the right touch to a study. You can even splurge and invest in a wide horizontal map of the world to hang with pride in a library.
Look for ways to maximize your space. If you can't handle a huge tapestry hanging behind you over the couch, consider running two narrow vertical ones side by side. This will effectively break up the space with out overpowering the room. Small framed tapestries can fill spots in stairwells or out of the way corners.
Don't forget the bedroom. Peaceful landscapes or guardian angels are favorites for this most sacred of rooms. Restful colors like soft cream and blue and shell pink are great to promote a calm state of mind.
Consider using tapestries next time you remodel. With so many great online sources, you can get a tapestry incredibly cheaply - and use it to cover a multitude of sins. Cracked plaster and chipping paint may have to wait until you get to it, but in the meantime a nice tapestry will be greeting your eyes and bringing cheer.
Copyright © The Tapestry House, all rights reserved.
With every season comes different weather and of course, different holidays, so you'll probably want to have different décor. We're not talking about laying out the man made material area rugs on the back patio and the back stairs. Or the cheap lawn furniture you use in the summer to avoid having a true patio set—although, all of those things should be played out with caution to the weather as well.
When you're working on your home for seasonal decorating, you should always make sure to keep your staple rooms solid and unchanging. One of the rooms I am never quite eager to make too many changes to is my dining room. If you've gone through painstaking measures to make your dining room perfect from top to bottom all you should really change for the holidays is tiny little additions.
I always add a gold and white ribbon to each of my dining room chairs at Christmas to make the room seem more festive as well as adding some gold grapes around the room to enhance the Italian winery motif.
But if you're desperate to make a huge change that will deem your room as the must see for every season, you should first choose a good modern area rug in a solid color like a red area rug, an orange area rug and a green area rug. These three colors can be your staple rugs for most holidays and seasons. For example, from September to the end of November, you can keep the orange area rug in your dining room. From December to the end of February, you can use the red area rug and from March all the way through the end of summer, you can use the green area rug. Of course, mixing and matching is always best to make sure you have the best look for each season and holiday.
Other areas of the home are easier to decorate and easier to move around during the holidays and seasons. It's always fun to change things up by using a holiday or seasonally themed area rug in areas of the home that don't usually have an area rug. I always add a runner to my kitchen at different times of the year to show the holidays and the feelings of the season. In addition to the runners and small area rugs that I put up around the house I always make sure to have my staple decorations in different colors—curtains, throw pillows, wall hangings where possible—so I can keep the same style and motif but change the colors for the season. It's the easiest way to be sure that I don't have to put in too much work but can still celebrate each and every season that comes and goes.
Remember, decorating your home for seasons doesn't have to be a stressful thing and you certainly don't have to pack up all of your favorite belongings just to celebrate the season.