Embrace the Bold: A Guide to Maximalist Decor

 How To Go Big In Your Home And Bring In Color, Pattern, And Texture 

This week, we’re going big, we’re going bold, we’re going maximalist. If you’re tired of coloring inside the lines or always being told only keep what you need, this decor style might be for you. Learn what maximalism is, what the elements are that make it up, and how you can bring it into your home. 

Courtesy of decoredoo.

Courtesy of ksenia-chernaya

What is Maximalist Decor

Maximalist decor is a style that’s best summed up by “Be vivid, be bold, and show off your passions! ” It’s the dead opposite of minimalism. It’s about pattern and texture, color and light, and most of all, it’s about showing off the interests of the homeowner. It’s about taking what you love and showing it off, making it the highlight of the room or your home rather than just on a shelf here and there.  

Maximalism can be said to have started in the Victorian era, although people argue about when and where exactly. Although it wasn’t called maximalism at the time, it was all about showing off your wealth by displaying treasures, luxurious fabrics, textures, and your collections. What’s important to understand is that although it was initially a way to show off just how rich you were, it has evolved beyond that point. It’s a fluid, individualistic style that focuses on your joy.  It’s about making bold decisions on color, pattern, texture, and form when it comes to your space, blending them together into something that represents you and is striking and playful. 

Some of the people most known for maximalism today are Kelly Wearstler, Martin Brudnizki, and Dorothy Draper.  All of them get that maximalism isn’t just about showing off something impressive and enviable but about creating a space that is fun and brings joy. 

What are some specific elements of Maximalist Decor?

- It’s clean and curated

Maximalism walks a thin line between showing off what you love and being a chaotic clutter.  It’s not about filling every available space, and it’s actually better if you keep working areas like coffee tables, desks, etc., relatively clear. This bit of practicality makes the space more practical to live in rather than just look at. Part of the joy of the style is the intentional curation, after all. 

- Having one or two leading features that will shape the rest of the room. These are the pieces that are going to catch the viewer’s eye. Whether it’s vivid furniture, ornate carpentry, a statement light fixture, or plant life, pick one or two to be the highlight of the room. 

- Coordinating layers. Layer in the things that you love around those fixture pieces so that they echo it.  It’s all about curation at this stage, so feel free to go slowly. 

-Go bold in your color choices. When it comes to colors and maximalism, it’s all about being bold. This doesn’t necessarily mean neons; instead, it’s about choosing rich and sumptuous colors. Patterns are also always a plus, especially if you can coordinate patterns. 

How can YOU bring Maximalist Decor into your home?

If you want to redo your home with maximalist decor, we suggest taking a 5 step process. 

- Stop and think about it. Look at the different inspiration pictures you’ve saved and consider if you would be okay with the entirety of your home being done that way. If the answer is no? Or you’re thinking you can just do a little bit in that direction? We suggest looking at a similar style but not maximalism. Maximalism doesn’t have a ‘light’ setting. It’s all or nothing, which is sort of the point. 

- Do you want each room to be a separate theme, or do you want everything to connect together? If it’s the latter, consider what your thread will be; what is going to be the same throughout every room? 

Courtesy of decoredoo.

- Pick out central colors and sort things accordingly. Whether you decide to have each room be different or have a common thread, you want the rooms to be cohesive, rather than dizzying or overwhelming. We know it’s a fine line to walk, but it can be done, and part of that is picking out your united colors or color palette. 

- Focus on comfort before anything else. You’re the one living here, you need to be happy with it. 

-Be vivid, be bold, and show off your passions!

What about you? Do you think you could go with the maximalist look in your home? Let us know why or why not on our Facebook page! 

If you wound up here because you need help with your appliances and not your interior decor, you’re still in the right space. Appliance Rescue Service serves the DFW area from Dallas to McKinney, from Coppell to Garland and everywhere in between. You can reach us by calling ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page. 

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The Charm of French Riviera Decor

Channeling the Coastal Elegance Into Your Home

If you want to bring a touch of five-star elegance to your home, look no further than the French Riviera. From Saint Tropez to Cannes and Nice, the Riviera has inspired interior design for over a century. Imagine the wind in your hair stretched out under a white linen tent and a glass of chilled wine in hand. The Riviera has been a resort area since Roman times and has developed a style that reaches deep into the past while still being unique and modern.

What are some color schemes that work well with French Riviera decor? 

On your walls white is the only thing you need. Wherever you go on the Riviera, your walls are largely uninterrupted White. Whether you want to go plaster or whitewash, you want to go with crisp linen to add movement; as long as it's white, you're on the right track. 

Not only does white allow light to be bounced back and thus heat to be bounced back, it also keeps rooms that might otherwise feel small and cramped feeling much more open and airy. You'll choose your white depending on the intention of the room and how much natural light you've got coming in, but you're looking for something very bright and pure.

Courtesy of quark-studio

When you start wanting to add color, look to blue first. Whether that is a pale and light Wedgewood blue from old English china or the brilliant and stunning blue of lapis, it's still your first go-to color. The Riviera is known for its blue skies in all shades, and that's what you're recreating here. Pair it with the rich earthy tones of terracotta, and you'll have a very good recreation of the sky and the sand of the Riviera. Bring in some gold and pale pinks for details and accessories, and you can bring in an upscale and modern atmosphere. Golds and rich deep coffees are also wonderful for layering in depth and accentuating the luxurious surroundings.

What are the key elements of French Riviera decor, and how can you incorporate them into your home? 

Natural Fibers 

Courtesy of dương-nhân

Now that you've chosen your color palette and chosen the specific white for your walls, it's time to look at filling your home with the different furniture that you need. Although you can make French Riviera Decor very modern, it's also a very old style. 

Start with looking to natural fibers. Cool crisp linens, hide, leather, cotton, and short-pile wool are all ideal for the furniture and rugs that you want around your home. Opt for white textiles with white work embroidery to bring in a more upscale and suite-like feeling.

Courtesy of maria-orlova

Think of furniture also made from natural materials like cane or willows in small doses around the room. 

Look To The Past

For more statement pieces, we're looking at a period-informed style. French interiors have never really recovered from the impact of Napoleon the First's neoclassical style, and that is obvious in the way many decors are layered with inherited furniture, art collections, and various gilded bits and bobs. The French Riviera look is actually a carefully curated mix of French history and culture, with Roman and Greek smashed together with coastal light drifting throughout. It is a very light, soft, and floaty design. In terms of furniture, you only need a few well-spaced upscale pieces. It must be in shades of either mahogany or ebony and when balanced against the space and whiteness of the room, allows it to act as an anchor. You wouldn't necessarily load up your wall and go high Victorian or cottage core. When you're dealing with the heat of the Riviera, you want air to be able to move, which inside means as much space as you can have. 

Windows 

A quick note on windows and window treatments, white, white, more white. You don't want creams or grays, you might go for some blues in tiny details, but for the most part, it's more white. Reach for linens and cotton for your curtains, and if you can use or install floor-to-ceiling windows, do it.

Feeling the Seaside Vibe

If you're looking to bring some more beach-y looks to your new decore, look for whether you can add in stripes. You'll want to go with either tans or marine blue for the oh-so-classic deck chair. You can even go for some windswept pieces scattered around as decor but don't go so far that you end up with a rustic or beach-shack look. 

Let Yourself Be Flashy 

Courtesy of pavel-danilyuk

Crystal is a wonderful way to evoke the jet set of the Riviera when used in restrained doses. Swaying in long chains to create a chandelier or used on a candelabra here or there, the beautiful prisms that they create add to the room without overpowering it. 

With that, we'll close out another monthly decor series. What do you think? Where does French Riviera decor rate on your scale? Let us know over on our Facebook! As always, we want to hear from you. 

If you're daydreaming about getting away to the French Riviera because your appliances have been up and quit because of the heat, we can help. Reach out to us at our offices ((214) 599-0055) or by going over to our contact page. So long as you're within our area of Texas, we would love to help get your home running smoothly again. 

Courtesy of raouf-meftah

Bring a Touch of the Mediterranean to Your Living Space: A Guide

Mediterranean style is something of a catch-all term in the United States and beyond when it comes to architecture interior design and decorating. However the concept comes not just from Greece Italy or Spain but instead from all of the 21 countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea. So you can look to Portugal or turkey, Egypt or Morocco just as easily. So although we are boiling down the design elements to their most key components we highly advise you to look to these other countries when it comes to adding your own twist and making it yours. 

Indoor Outdoor Living 

Courtesy of Albrecht Fietz

One of the key elements, if not the key elements of Mediterranean style is a blend of indoor outdoor living. The people surrounding the Mediterranean Sea have a focus on being connected to nature and their home is just as much outdoors as it is indoors. So you'll want to start looking at ways you can reflect that in your own home. This can mean everything from building and outdoor kitchen and dining room, to making sure you have large windows to let the breeze move through your home easily, or bringing some of your garden indoors. Almost every aspect of what makes this decor style, ties back to this.

Natural Colors 

 For Mediterranean decor you will be drawing primarily from natural colors look to put together a portfolio that reflects the sea and the sky and the earth in these areas. While it doesn't matter where you use these, these are what will make up your color palettes.  

Spaces Focused On Community

Courtesty of Kerstin Riemer

Many of the countries and cultures which surround the Mediterranean see have a very strong focus on family and family ties and community. For this reason the home is typically organized around either a central courtyard or the kitchen depending on where you are. This is because it's not your bedroom or office that are the heart of the home it is where you can gather with friends and family. So when designing your home make sure that your focus is on these communal spaces ensuring that where people will be is the most comfortable.

Using Natural Materials

Stone, marble, terracotta all of these are go to materials for your floors. Not only do they help in keeping your home cool during warm summer months always a bonus in Texas, but additionally they continue the feeling of bringing the outside in. They also stick mostly to the natural color palettes.

Patterned Tiles

Courtesy of Jason Goh

When you want to bring in a splash of color there are tons of places to hide patterned tiles. These can be used on your floor, on walls, in alcoves, sterilizers the possibilities are as boundless as your creativity. You can also mix and match textures and patterns to bring in your personality. 

Make Sure To Look Up

Exposed beams call back to older building styles and very reflective of Mediterranean style. They are wonderful for adding warmth and a cozy feeling to any room. Best of all if your home doesn't have these naturally you can fake them. With a bit of searching online there are several different ways to fake this look depending on what your budget and skill level is.

Courtesy of Tatiana Syrikova

Start From A Neutral Background 

Courtesy of Moy Caro

When it comes to the base layer of your room, the floors, the walls, the ceilings, start from neutral. Give your walls of whitewashed look or use stucco to add texture but you'll want to stick to light neutrals in order to keep the temperature down. Also don't be afraid of imperfections on your walls or your floors. Whether that's a scuff mark from when moving furniture or a ding that got put in the floor it's part of what makes the home and it adds a certain age especially if you wash over it with glazes or whitewash

Furnishing Done Right 

Furniture is most often made from wood while it doesn't have to be big heavy pieces they are common to the style. Furniture can range from the functional to the formal with big heavy pieces to thin highly carved details. Your hardware and other metal work is most often going to be made of wrought iron. You'll also want to look for natural materials like linen, cotton, or jute. Then for wall hangings or storage, look to rattan, wicker, and sea grass. 

That's our breakdown on Mediterranean Style, let us know what you thought over on our Facebook page! 

If you're here because your washer has leaked all over and precipitated this drastic change in style, we can help. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at (). We'll work with you to get your home running smoothly again. Whether you live in McKinney, Frisco or Allen, we'll work out a time that fits your needs to send one of our technicians out to your home to find and solve the problem with your appliances. 

So? What do you think? Are you going to be doing a Mediterranean staycation? Or is this just not for you? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

If you wound up here because you're needing help with your appliances, however, I'm not your decorating, we can still help. Reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). Appliance rescue service we want to get your home running smoothly again. We will work with you wherever you live in the Dallas metro area.

A Few Key Elements And Your Home Will Be Your Own Mediterranean Getaway! 

Celebrate Spring With Some Amazing Art Nouveau Decor Tips

10 Ways To Bring This Style Into Your Home

Art Nouveau looks at the natural world and makes it something magical. It's the sweeping curves of a river or a branch bending in the breeze. It's the way light shines through the wings of a dragonfly or softly diffuses through flower petals.

This is all well and good, but the question comes in how do you bring that concept into your home? Fortunately, we're looking to do just that.

If you're looking to start by learning about art nouveau and you're still trying to decide if you're interested, look to the classics. These four artists worked in several fields and are prominent names in art nouveau. So they're a good starting point to learn more about what you like and what you don't.

Louis Majorelle 

Emile Galle

Hector Guimard 

Alphonse Mucha 

Use Asymmetrical Shapes

Although symmetry is often found in the natural world, asymmetry is also. Asymmetrical shapes reflect the motion in the natural world.

When we say asymmetrical shapes, we're talking about things that aren't balanced perfectly. That might be a couch that's higher on one side than the other, that might be having something that follows the shape of a leaf or a river. 

Arches and Curves

If you want a more delicate touch when bringing art nouveau into your home, consider where you can bring in curves and arches. Unlike some of the other options on this list, they don't have to be the central focus of your home. You can bring them in as quietly as you want. Whether that is having arches in your furniture or having them in the architectural details of a room, they are very subtle. 

You can bring in curves in the shapes of your rugs, headboards, mirrors, chairs, and even couches. Or you can get in touch with the DIY side and fake and arched doorway or ceiling.

Japanese Motifs

Japanese motifs were very much in style when art nouveau was being created. As the trade partnership with Japan first began to prosper in the early 1900s, people in Europe and America were fascinated. So art nouveau draws heavily on Japanese motifs. Whether you look at their fabrics, architecture, or art, Japan has historically been moved by details in the natural world. You should consider bringing in anything from artwork to fabrics to furniture to include as part of your home.

Stained Glass

Courtesy ofPatrice Soudier

Stained glass can be incorporated almost anywhere in the home today. You're no longer restricted by having to pay for giant pieces or even having them be just for windows. You can use them as decor around your home; you can use them as panels, they're even different ways that you can create faux stained glass yourself. Look to artists like Ernesto Basile and Alphonse Mucha for ideas and color palettes.

Ornamentation

Courtesy of Steve R

In many ways, art nouveau is a style devoted to excess. Art nouveau is not an austere style, unlike some of the others we've covered in the past. Furniture, decor and even just the walls within your home were all up for ornamentation. They can all be detailed with exotic woods, semi-precious stones, silver, and iridescent glass. When it comes to adding flair and your personality, there is no limit.

Parquet 

Parquet has long been seen as a mark of wealth and luxury. It's a type of wooden flooring that was made by arranging small slots of wood into distinct and repeated patterns. You used to have to lay down one piece at a time, very carefully fitting one to another. Modern parquet can come in tile form, where the wood slots are bonded to a backing. While some patterns were drawn from nature and done as repeating patterns similar to what you might find in textiles or tiles, others were more focused on shape and the natural flow of movement.

Wallpapers

Coming out of the Victorian age, wallpaper was still very popular in art nouveau design. Fortunately, modern wallpaper is much easier to create and apply and far less poisonous to your health. As we've mentioned in other posts late last year and early this year, peel-and-stick wallpaper is available in a wide variety of options, including the highly stylized flowers that are so prevalent in art nouveau. You can get them in a wide range of colors, from bold purples to soft sages. You don't even have to do the wall-to-wall look. Instead, you could make a feature wall or use wallpaper as the matting behind artwork in a gallery. You could even get creative and use it as a chair rail.

Carved Wood

Courtesy of Wolfgang Eckert

Using real wood in the home was seen differently than it is today. Instead, it was a way of bringing in the natural world as surely as using stone or clay. It was something to be carved and sculpted, and it blurred the line between what was a necessary part of the architecture of a home and what was decoration. Everything was fit to be carved, shaped, ornamented, or detailed, and very often, pieces would flow between the two distinctions of decor and architecture. You might find the mantle for a fireplace that would sweep down and be shaped into an alcove or nook for seating.

Metalwork

Courtesy of Alexandria

The undulating and organic forms of nature found love as part of the home and as decor ornamentation or furniture within the garden. You can bring the same to your home by looking for pieces that mimic your favorite aspects of nature or by finding an artist willing to create them for you. 

Tiles

Courtesy of Mabel Amber

Much like every other aspect of art nouveau, using tiles in the home was not seen as purely an architectural choice. Pieces would blend into decor and ornamentation and back again. You can achieve this look by using tiles as panels or ornamenting different furniture pieces.

You can also mix molded tiles, iridescent pieces, and metal tiles to create unique pieces around your home. 

Art Nouveau can be summed up by saying take the natural world and have your home reflect it without bringing the natural world into your home. 

What do you think? Is art nouveau for you? Whether you're looking to redo the whole of your home or bring in one or two pieces, let us know over on our Facebook.

If you wound up here not because you're looking to represent the elements in your home but instead because you want the elements of your stove to function, that's where our technicians come in. And Appliance rescue service, we're here for you. When you call us, we will work with you to find a time and date that works within your schedule to send out one of our technicians. Our dedication is to get your home running smoothly again. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). 

Southwestern Decor 101

 Bringing The Beauty Of The Desert Inside

Have you ever looked out at a sunset and thought, "I love the way that looks"? Or seen a picture of the Grand Canyon in the middle of winter and been amazed by the riot of colors? The people that started the southwestern decor style did too. Southwestern decor is absolutely stunning, and there are many people that love it in their homes. This week we are breaking down just what it is that makes the design work.

What defines it? 

Southwestern style is a hodgepodge of different influences that have melded to create an incredibly popular style. It blends together Indigenous, Spanish, Mediterranean, and 'American West influences into a unique and homey design. 

Southwestern style seems to have originated in the 1920s in Southern California, mixing together the Hopi, Pueblo, and Navajo history, and textile crafts, with the utilitarian Spanish building methods and the more rustic charm of the American West. It also draws inspiration from Mediterranean architecture and pairs it with the flat-roofed homes of the Hopi and Pueblo tribes. 

All of the influences that make up Southwestern decor come together in the color palettes often used. In Southwestern decor, the desert isn't just a place that's deadly; it is also beautiful. The earthy tones of sandstones and terra cotta mix with bright blue skies, dusty purples, and cactus greens. None of the colors are chosen at random and instead are carefully selected and balanced one against the other. 

How to pull it off in your home 

Start With Your Color Palette

Courtesy of Sherwin Williams

While there are many, many beautiful and stunning colors in the desert, you need to build from neutrals like sand, oak, pale yellows, and windswept woods. Then from there, you can bring in the terracotta reds and shades of blue and purple, and gold from the sunsets. We suggest starting with neutral colors that you'll use throughout your home and then allowing different colors to pop out at different points. Say, bringing in lots of vibrant reds in one room or purples and golds and another. But the whole of it is balanced by the neutral undertones. 

Tiles Are For More Than Backsplash 

Tiles are a common staple in southwestern homes and decor styles that emulate them because they are great at cutting down on your cooling bills. Tiles will stay cool during hot summer days, but they retain heat on those equally cold nights. Terracotta tiles are not only fantastic for decorating, for backsplashes, or for the odd nook or cranny in your home, but also for just this purpose. You can also bring in turquoise blue tiles in strategic areas to add a lovely pop of color and add a visual surprise to a room.

Go Bold With Geometric Patterns

Courtesy of Mission Del Rey

If you talk about the Southwest, many people will bring up Navajo-created or inspired textiles. You can also bring in other similar but different patterns that work based on geometric designs, as many of the Navajo patterns do. If you're not comfortable with using them for a couch or a chair, you could use them for a throw or a table runner.

Find the Soft Spots

Although the word 'deadly' might be what comes to mind for most of us when thinking about deserts, there are hidden gems. Think about the gentle arcs of a windswept canyon or the soft clouds that stretch across the sky. Think of pocket springs and saguaro cacti. All of these can add a sense of calm within the desert, and you can mimic that within your own home. 

Act Natural

Much of the furniture within the Southwestern style is different from the fast furniture of today. The style is not clean or sleek. Think big plank tables, oversized chests, and intricately carved pieces spread throughout the house. Or chair backs and side tables and cabinets. There are little gems of detail everywhere. Pine was an easily sourced material, and so it's very commonly seen. The paleness of it also works very well with the neutral base of Southwestern style. Pine also pairs beautifully with woven fabrics and leather.

Bring In The Green

Courtesy of Moins-Despenser

No matter where we live, most humans love plants. In a southwestern home, that might mean cacti. They come in so many different shapes and sizes, everything from the giant saguaros to tiny bunny-eared cacti. You can decorate with all sorts of cacti inside and outside of your home, and since they are very hardy plants, they cut down on your water bill too.

Details Mean Everything 

Courtesy of Mission Del Rey

 We talked about the major facts; let's look at the details. Wrought iron, pottery, and woven baskets. Not only are all of these very much a staple within the Southwestern design, but they're also utilitarian. Wrought iron is stable and weather resistant, so you can use it inside and outside while still being utterly beautiful. Pottery serves so many different purposes within a home, so it's only limited by what you can dream up. Woven baskets are much the same; you can use them for everything from laundry storage to wall decor to grab-and-go kids baskets. Whatever you go with, don't be afraid to get creative with it. Use something in a way that's unexpected. Look to other aspects of the desert that you might not see popularly used. These are the elements that are going to make your house uniquely yours.

As always, we hope that you enjoyed our take on this aspect of home decor. Will you take on a southwestern design at some point? Let us know why or why not over on our Facebook page.

If it is not your love of decor but instead your hatred of your malfunctioning refrigerator that has brought you to us today, you're still in the right place. At Appliance Rescue Service, we take care of all major appliances and work with you to get your home running smoothly again. When you reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055), we'll work with you to set up a time and date that works with your schedule to send out one of our experienced technicians. Whether you live in Dallas, McKinney, or Frisco, we want to help.