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Warm
Your Home with a Taste of the Tropics
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by: ARA
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(ARA)
- Tropical decorative motifs, such as palm trees,
monkeys, pomegranates, and the pineapple that
symbolizes "welcome," endure for many
reasons. Not only are they intrinsically graceful
in their own right, but they are also evocative of
a relaxed, comfortable, leisurely way of life.
Their reflection of ease and warmth has made these
motifs popular for generations, and they are
enjoying another home fashion renaissance now.
They coincide beautifully with the trend toward
such nature-friendly materials as bamboo, wicker
and rattan. They also relate to increased interest
in exotic places, such as Key West and Bali.
Pineapples and pomegranates add an international
flavor to the traditional basket of decorative
fruits. Monkeys represent a gender-neutral motif,
easy to decorate with and especially appropriate
for shared spaces, such as the master bedroom,
where men may raise objections to an abundant use
of florals.
While tropical themes are ideal for decorating a
vacation home in a southern climate, they can also
carry their luxurious sense of comfort to the
harsh winters of the north.
Patterns in the Ellison Bay collection from
Maxwell’s Piper Designs division offer an
example. The collection takes its name from a
beautiful inlet on the Wisconsin side of Lake
Michigan -- an idyllic summer resort that is
snowbound for much of the winter. While
pineapples, interspersed with tropical flowers are
in perfect sync with the surroundings in summer,
they bring the welcome glow of summer to winter's
short, dark days.
For added winter warmth, we used this pattern in
red in an entryway. It is installed above a white
molding at chair-rail height, and topped with its
even more densely floral coordinating border. A
harlequin pattern in matching red runs from the
chair rail to the floor.
Classic ring-tail monkeys meander along tropical
branches in a design in Maxwell's Vintage Colonial
collection, which also contains matching borders
and a coordinating cheetah print. All three help
unify a master bedroom and adjoining dressing
area, while also making each space distinctive. To
produce a "positive/negative, reverse"
visual effect, we combined the monkey wallpaper
with a white background and a border of the same
design on a black background.
This stunning pair of patterns extends along one
wall into the dressing area that is otherwise
wallpapered completely in the cheetah pattern.
Because Maxwell collections use color families to
make coordination easy and mixing and matching
foolproof, this cheetah's spots are perfectly
color-matched to the monkey's fur.
Such coordination also makes it easy to add true
decorator distinction. For example, we covered the
two shades on the sconce at the entry to the
dressing area with the cheetah wallpaper print.
Details like this bear the mark of professional
interior design and become a signature of your
great taste of the tropics.
The most dramatic of all Maxwell's tropical
references is an innovative vertical wall mural,
created for the Vintage Tuscany collection from
Maxwell's LV Emmert Studios' division. It
replicates a floor-to-ceiling window, complete
with trompe l'oeil window panes and drawn shades,
with an open view to a nearly life-size palm tree
in a faux Italian courtyard. We know of no other
pattern that can so completely infuse any room
with the lush look of the tropics.
To locate a retailer in your area that carries the
Vintage Colonial collection from S.A. Maxwell Co.,
Ellison Bay from Maxwell's Piper Designs, and
Vintage Tuscany from the company's LV Emmert
Studios, call (847) 932-3700 or visit
www.samaxwell.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content |
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