In the home, the living area, or the receiving room, is one of the busiest rooms.
It's also the room guests initially see and form a lasting impression about the
home. Hence, the living area should be well-decorated, well-laid out and inviting
to guests and family members. It should project a homey, comfortable yet elegant
image.
The Greeks were inspired by lofty ideals of beauty. And these same ideals can
be imitated and applied to create and decorate an elegant home, an elegant living
area in particular. With a combination of imagination, good taste, statues and
lamps, any living area can be transformed into one that exudes elegance and coziness
at the same time.
There are several ways you can decorate your living area to create an inviting
place and cause a lasting impression to your guests:
Your lifestyle or taste determines
what the focal point of your living area is. If you have a fireplace, you can
rearrange your furniture around it. Or if you have a piano, and this is the focal
point of your living area, your furniture could be set around it.
When rearranging your furniture, also consider traffic in your living area. Does
the arrangement of your furniture allow free movement and flow? Does it give
an uncluttered look? It is always good to arrange furniture in off-square angles.
This makes the room warmer and more casual. And instead of placing large sofas
directly against the wall, why not place it a foot or so away from the wall and
put a lamp or plant behind it instead?
Colors have psychological effects
on people and their moods. When applied in your living area, colors can intimidate,
invite or irritate. Decorating using colors is also an inexpensive way of decorating
because it only involves painting or papering walls.
You want your living area to be warm and inviting, and one of the warmest and
most relaxing colors is green. Green has several shades and it's one of the most
flexible colors around. But whatever color you pick for the color of your walls,
make your carpets and furniture coordinated.
Create space and depth for
your small living area by positioning a mirror on a wall. Your mirror should
reflect something pleasing to the eyes. If you have more wall space, try adding
small painting on either side of the mirror.
To create a "lived-in" aura for
your living area, position small furniture in the room. This can be a small bench,
or a low sofa table. Place magazines, journals and newspapers under the table.
Placing flower vases, baskets and small plants on your table also creates beauty
and livens up the room.
Corners and tabletops are good places
for small statues. Statues, especially marble ones, provide aesthetic quality
to your living area. The statues at Portara portray the Greeks of ancient times
-- symbols, deities, objects associated with everyday life. The Greeks used marble
for sculptures for its strength, durability and beauty. Portara continues this
Greek tradition by creating long-lasting, and genuine statues and capturing the
beauty of the Early Cycladic Civilization in its reproductions. Elegant yet down-to-earth,
these statues lend warmth to any living area.
Alternative to statues are lamps. Place them
in a corner or a tabletop and they can accentuate your living area. Second to
color, light creates moods and sets the tone of your living area. Portara's lamps
are not your ordinary lamps. They are unique lamps -- created from polished minerals
and stones. These minerals and stones can emit light after exposure to day light
or the light from normal light bulbs. When the chemicals in minerals or rocks
react to light, this reaction causes the minerals or rocks to glow. The visible
light emitted is sometimes very colorful and it is often very different from
the normal color of the mineral. These unique Portara lamps will accent your
living area.
Decorating your home, particularly your living area, allows you to combine creativity,
elegance and good taste. Make good use of space, accessories and furniture available
to you so you can create a living area that is inviting, relaxing, homey and
elegant.
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