Pastel colours with their soft, enchanting qualities can saturate kitchens and bathrooms with transcendent calm. These hues reflect dawn and dusk, and the cheerful optimism of spring. At their best, pastel colours reflect the abundance of tranquility found in nature from the luminescent green of new growth grass, to the dusty charm of hydrangea petals. When pastel blues are inspired by sky and sea, interiors invite contemplation. The challenge in using pastel colours in design is to achieve …
Articles
How Chinese Design Has Influenced Western Kitchens and Bathrooms
With Chinese New Year being celebrated on February 5th, when the Year of the Pig will commence, Cean Irminger, creative director at New Ravenna, was inspired to take a look at the influence of Chinese design in western culture. There are several elements of Chinese design that have been interpreted by artisans, bringing the colours and culture of the Far East into our homes… As Dutch and British merchants explored the Silk Road trade routes into Asia, examples of China’s “exotic” decorative …
Opposite Day: How Mosaic Tiles Can Help You Achieve A Dynamic Look
We are all familiar with the age-old adage that “opposites attract.” But where did it originate? Some say it was Empedocles, some say Plato, and often Isaac Newton gets all the credit. Whoever determined it was a law, we know when applied to colour there are boundless combinations that instil exuberance into our kitchens and bathrooms. Cean Irminger, creative director at New Ravenna, says “Designing with opposite colours needs only one character trait, confidence. You need a bit of courage to …
JoAnn Locktov Independent Publisher
The Independent Publisher recently awarded Dream of Venice Architecture an IPPY award. The organization also asked the book's creator, JoAnn Locktov independent publisher, to pen a feature article for their online publication. In it, she presents her path to and through the intricacies of birthing two books. Here is a small excerpt of the piece, which you can see in full on the Independent Publisher site: JoAnn Locktov Independent Publisher The Accidental Publisher An IPPY …
A Modern Day Impiraressa
I introduce readers of Italy Explained to Marisa Convento, A Modern-Day Impiraressa. A Modern-Day Impiraressa by JoAnn Locktov Impiraressa. Now say the word slowly. Impiraressa. It rolls off your tongue with images of imperial empresses. In truth, it is the Venetian word for bead-stringer. Not everything made on Murano was for the immediate pleasure of the aristocracy. The glass blowers also produced the humble bead. The minute perfections of glass needed to be strung before they …