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 (ARA)
- The comforts of home have rarely been as important and meaningful
as they are to us today. Home design trends emerge as a reflection
of how we feel. They depict what we are longing for.
It is not surprising that right
now we are in a nostalgic frame of mind, in search of tranquility,
continuity, familiarity and a warmth that exceeds the simple
need to be harbored from winter weather.
This year, fabrics, furniture,
and the home furnishings palette are all softening. Curved and
rounded shapes are replacing sharp edges. Rustic and nautical
references are seen in many popular decorating magazines. Expenditures
on handicrafts are rivaling families' investments in electronics.
And the handmade looks that characterize a style we call American
Country are popular again.
This led S.A. Maxwell Co. to
introduce Country USA III. It is our third version of previously
successful Americana collections, and it recalls many comforting
images from our nation's quiet past. Ellison Bay, which will
be released by Maxwell's Piper Designs division in January, takes
inspiration from the tranquility of our shores.
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Because the wallpaper patterns
in each of these collections are coordinated in design and color,
you can mix and match them in unique ways. But the creative possibilities
inherent in the designs don't stop at the wall. They encourage
your own handcrafting capabilities, starting, for example, with
a patchwork quilt ceiling.
By itself, wallpapering a ceiling
adds warmth to a room. It envelops a space and gives design continuity.
For an entirely unique effect, however, we've combined five different
patterns from Country USA III: two stripes, a floral trail, a
plaid, and a mini-print floral design. |
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The floor of the room is your template
for this project. Cut an equal number of 12-inch squares from
the five different wallpaper patterns and arrange them in a pleasing
alternating sequence on the floor. Then simply transfer them,
one by one, to the ceiling. The squares make overhead installation
especially easy.
Installing a horizontal run of
one pattern -- the plaid, for example -- along the top 24 inches
of the wall, adds even more warmth to the room by seeming to
lower the ceiling and bring a cozy scale to the space. Add a
strip of molding under the plaid. Finish the walls in a mini-print
floral and then add a scalloped-edge birdhouse border under the
molding.
Decoupage gives painted furniture
an authentic cottage look and can also add some surprising and
unique decorative touches. We "customized" an old three-drawer
chest by covering the drawer-fronts with a simple stripe from
Ellison Bay, creating an interesting contrast with the nautical-figured
wallpaper from the same collection.
Then we transformed an ordinary
staircase into the hall's dramatic focal point by alternating
two coordinated border designs on the stair risers. A pattern
of stars and stripes alternates with one of lighthouses and maps,
gently beckoning everyone upstairs for a good night's rest. |
