Tag Archives: contemporary

Minimalism is the process of eliminating clutter. The decorative accessories are thrown out. Only the key pieces are salvaged. Everything is stripped to the bare essentials: colours, materials, and furniture. This gives greater depth to the decor, which is, to be frank, quite refreshing.

Minimalism is at the centre of the contemporary style, but it can also be expressed through other styles, like the rustic, lounge, industrial (loft, among others) decors or the shaker design, which is probably the barest look of all.

The simplicity of minimalism resides more in the shape and number of pieces than in the style itself. Sometimes, a room is so bare that only one expression comes to mind to describe it: it is naked.

The monochrome design is one of the secrets of minimalism. Usually, the colours are neutral. More often than not, everything is white, from the ceilings to the floors, as is the furniture. If not, you will find two colours, seldom three. Oftentimes, it’s the same colour that fades out into different shades. Featured somewhere: a concrete floor painted in turquoise with a sofa of the same colour.[……]

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It is disruptive, bothersome, eccentric. Yet, there is a way to use red, the colour of love and joie de vivre, without overpowering a room. Let’s take a closer look.

Some rooms we’ve seen are entirely red, from top to bottom, including the furniture. They are, how can we put it, festive and flamboyant, but still bearable. Why? Because, different shades of softer and more subdued reds, like brick red or cherry red, came to tone down the fire-engine red, which dominated the rooms.

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Red has a striking elegance but can show restraint if used properly. A single wall painted in red, or even half a wall, can add a healthy dose of cheerfulness to a room without being overpowering. Red is so rich and upbeat. Why go without it?

A single touch of red can liven up a room, such as the back of an unglazed bookcase, the back of a dining room cabinet, the kitchen island or the backsplash under the cupboards in the kitchen, the steps of the staircase, the window curtains or bed curtains, the wall rug or area rug.

Red can also emphasize an object we are proud to own. For example, a bright red pillow placed on a prestigious sofa or armchair, a red base under a valuable trinket or a red fabric flowing down a magnificent wicker basket.[……]

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It helps to protect the ozone layer. It’s completely renewable. Durable? Not a question worth asking. Some of the oldest constructions in the world owe their longevity to this product. And what about its decorative qualities! Wood impresses us century after century.

It is often said that nature provides us with the best decorative material: wood, stone, bamboo, slate. Maybe because they are rough, authentic, without pretence. In an era of green housing and natural decoration, they are more popular than ever.

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Before the green wave, wood was seen as a traditional material that succeeded in lasting over time. Why? Because there’s nothing like it to warm up an atmosphere. The presence of wood evokes our grandmother’s kitchens, tea time or daydreaming in front of candles. Not surprising that fans of peace homes appreciate wood.

Wood has a thick skin. It has resisted all decoration revolutions. Even contemporary decors have ended up adopting it. You just have to turn the pages of the bibles of this decorative style to see for yourself: wood is omnipresent.[……]

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The cold sets in. The good old fireplace will soon find our feet, our hands, our faces and our best smiles. It will offer us warmth and the crackling of its logs as soon as we get close enough. The fireplace is very practical, but it can also be very beautiful if you take the time to refit it with a nice exterior when you’re doing renovations, decoration or construction work.

A fireplace can be a column of rough and massive stones or, on the contrary, a column with a finely sculpted mantel that evokes Greek or Roman esthetics, to the great pleasure of owners with a classical taste.

A fireplace can be monumental in size and its relief or built in for greater discretion. The contemporary look is ideal for a built-in fireplace, because it spreads softness and simplicity. This makes the contemporary look perfect for a suspended fireplace. Most fireplaces are made of metal. They are so slender that they appear to be mobile.[……]

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There is the library as a room in itself. There are bookshelves used as practical or prestigious furniture. And there are books which are more than a simply decorative accessory. Organized with taste, they can astonish visitors, regardless of the room.

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Books adapt to all styles, from the rural to the contemporary, not to forget lounge. They can also generate the desired decorative virtue: classical elegance, warmth and intimacy, whimsical, disorder and anarchy. The role of the book in decoration is underestimated.

Books fit with all materials: glass, wood, bamboo, vinyl, marble. Mobile, they can be placed anywhere or permanently: At the end of a table, on a couch, on a fireplace mantel, on a night table, near the bath and even on the floor if you stack them into a column.[……]

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The bedroom is a unique room to decorate. It is the only one where parents, friends and strangers do not have access. These people go through the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom, but not the bedroom. That leaves us free to decorate it any way we like, from the outlandish to the classic.

You feel like redoing your bedroom décor? The possibilities are endless.

The classical style is always easy to defend. Simple and discreet, with an abundance of glass, moulding to modify the volumes, sometimes old-fashioned wallpaper. A few knickknacks, maybe a vase on each side of the bed. A bookshelf topped by a bouquet of flowers. White and cream are often colours that evoke intimacy. Grey as well.

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Step it up a notch and you have a sumptuous bedroom. Turquoise, violet and purple offer an ambience of royalty. Mouldings provide a rich look. Velour or quilts as bed linen complete the majestic effect conveyed by the bedroom, to which this couch or padded headboard, velour curtains and canopy bed are added.[……]

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