oIt ‘s no wonder that people and countries love the rooster. It is a symbol of pride, honesty, courage, vigilance, strength and arrogance. In French, often the rooster is named Chanticleer, which is the name of this aqua wallpaper print from Jaima Brown Home.
The bee motif is a classic symbol and was used by many countries to symbolize royalty and imperialism. Bees represent power and industry.
Take flight within your own home and surround yourself with natures beauty: birds! Designer Miles Redd used this gorgeous bird wallpaper pattern to envelope this bedroom creating a warm and modern decor. It is like bringing the outdoors inside!
When I was little, we had a bird fly into my parents home one day. I think it came down the chimney but no matter how it entered our home, it certainly did create quite a commotion. My mother was running around opening all the doors and windows to let the swallow out. Lots of birds have many meanings and with our bird incident, I like to think positive and believe it meant “new life taking flight” which is a symbol of hope and of new things to come. Most people are unaware of all the hidden meanings behind bird images in design.
It is a fascintating world of birds. Remember the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”. Who wasn’t frightened after that? Well, as it turns out I overcame my fear and am now a proud owner of an African Grey named Lily. I inherited her from my mother in law, Alice. She loved this little talkative bird so I decided to carry on the tradition and continue to love Miss Lily. With summer almost here, we see birds re-surfacing into the home decor market like Pottery Barns Spring Sparrow Bedding. The bedding features blue birds which symbolize happiness; sparrows represent companionship and good luck for lovers while the cardinal represents beauty.
Birds have often been tied to some of the most profound meanings since ancient history and their symbolism has crossed many cultures worldwide. As birds travel in the air, they are often connected with the Divine, symbolizing the human spirit and soul. I am sure you have heard the saying ” a little bird told me so” well this quote is from ancient folk lore when birds flew ahead to forewarn a hero from danger.
Beautiful flights of fancy like Peacocks were popular throughout history and Religion. Peacocks were a symbol of immortality, royalty, nobility and spirituality during the Byzantine and early Roman Churches. Today, in Hinduism the Peacock represents kindness, patience, compassion and good luck. For thousands of years, peacock feathers have been used for spiritual healing energy to help with balance and harmony in peoples lives. Mostly everyone knows that peacock feathers are used to bring luck to oneself and reflect beauty, strength but also reflect vanity.
Today, peacock feathers are being brought back into fashion this year by designers like Tory Burch and Zang Toi. As usual, what is in fashion is now often found in home decor. As featured in InStyle Magazine “This spring, stylish stars are strutting their stuff in peacock-print dresses. And it’s no wonder—the retro print has what designer Tory Burch calls a “ladylike, but eccentric and quirky” flavor.” It certainly adds drama to ones wardrobe. It is amazing to see how bird images have graced so many items in today’s lifestyle products and in event planning. Depending on the style, birds can present a high end luxury look as well as a cottage style feel with warmth and charm. Coasters, plates, cakes, ring pillows, fabrics and furnishings are just a few of the things found with bird motifs in the home lifestyle catagory.
Most people are unaware of the hidden meanings of birds. At weddings, often newly wed couples will release two white doves after the ceremony, this is to bless the couple and wish them hope and peace (the symbol of doves). Other birds found in designer fabrics are roosters (pride), cockatoos, peacocks (pride and vanity) and parrots (Ostentatiousness). Below is a bedroom featuring a bird fabric on the wall with a parrot in the cage and a peacock on a branch.
The classic American Eagle represents power and strength. Herons mean self reliance and hummingbirds symbolize joy. It is easy to get inspired when decorating with these visually stimulating motifs as they make spaces unique and bring deeper meaning into a home. Using patterns in general always make a home more interesting but when you add the hidden symbolism, whether it is from folk lore or history, it just makes your story telling for your home interior more fascinating.
Here are a few ideas on how to use bird motifs throughout your decor.
1. Use them to create a focal point in a room. This can be done by using accent pillows on couches or beds. Coverlets on a bed can carry the theme of the room and add a color story. Use a dramatic shower curtain to accent a small bathroom.
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2. Hang a large bird painting or print above a sitting area, fireplace or in a foyer to make a substantial impact when one enters the space. If the art is smaller, group 2 or four prints together.
3. Surround yourself with a beautiful wallpaper or fabric. Hang it on all four walls or only on one wall to create a feature wall in a room.
The birds in fabrics above like the Chickadees symbolize optimism; pheasants mean harmony; quails means family; Ravens mean shifting but a Robin means new growth. Of course, the list of bird meanings is extensive. There are many famous bird quotes as well, one I really like is by Salvador Dali “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings”.
So add a little flight of fancy to your interior and fly away with meaning…..
Images via: jaimabrownhome.com;blisslivinghome.com;lindamackenzie.net;thesorrellcompany.com;potterybarn.com;walnutwallpaper.com;
Symbolism of Pattern Series #2
Acanthus is one of the oldest flowers of the Mediterranean which is believed to be the symbol of long life. These ornamental luscious leaves have influenced designs for hundreds of years and played an important roll in architecture, fabrics, furniture, and paper designs. In Architecture it is defined as a carved ornament based on the leaves of the acanthus plant, found on the capital of a Corinthian column.
The leaves were often used in art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome and have frequently been used throughout history in the famous “Corinthian capital”.
Because of the Acanthus popularity in design and architecture, it was often incorporated into a wide range of products and interiors over the next centuries. The actual leaf shape has evolved into being known as the “Scroll.” A flowing leaf trail that is easy to live with and has been designed into many fashion items like shoes, bags, jewelry, furniture, bowls, watering cans, wallpaper, lighting, moldings and many other interior products.
We love this acanthus leaf design as it reflects style, endurance and elegance. It is especially stylish when used in wallpaper and fabric designs. William Morris would have loved this Carlise acanthus scroll wallpaper pattern propecia blind date as it is simple and elegant yet still hints of a traditional past. A perfect transitional design.
No wonder it means eternal life! The Acanthus design never goes out of style! Enjoy.
Images Via: Jaimabrownhome.com;wikipedia.org;kaboodle.com;zazzle.com;buffaloah.com;mydeco.com
Ok….I have to face it….I love pattern! All patterns actually. Why? I have been designing wallpaper and fabric collections for the past 20 years and suddenly came to realize, my life is not full if I don’t have some sort of pattern around me. I truly believe pattern makes a world of difference in a home and in fashion. We can go from boring to great in an instant with the right pattern and color. Pattern is seductive. It is the patterns we wear and incorporate into our homes that make a statement about who we are in life.
Pattern for fashion and home are closely related. Look at some of the famous designers, propecia baldness hair loss like Oscar de la Renta, Armani and Ralph Lauren.
When they design fashion collections with pattern they usually carry over the same feel of the line into their home collection. An entire cohesive lifestyle look is created.
People are similar to designers in that sense, they naturally are drawn to patterns that reflect ones personality which is carried into their homestyle.
Well, the classic fashion and home furnishings company Liberty of London from England is coming to America! Target is full throttle ahead in featuring the famous prints from Liberty of London in a new line of clothes and home products.
This will definitely spring pattern into style for fashion but also puts it on the map for home interiors. We see a revival of pattern in general and are starting to see wallpaper edge its way back into the home. I believe wallpaper makes a house into a home and pattern makes life more interesting. Often patterns have hidden symbolism and meanings but they also reflect a style and mood of a person. There is definitely a correlation to how we dress to how we decorate our homes.
Sunny yellow, a color that is bold, bright and vibrant is a symbol of happiness and friendship, an inspiring color but when combined with circles a deeper symbolism is created. The Circ wallpaper from the Aja Collection was created from a vintage wood block print where the circles are intertwined. Circles from ancient times have symbolized wholeness, infinity, the goddess and female powers. The circle, a perfect shape, visually gives us a sense of unity and balance and when mixed with yellow creates a fabulous look with subliminal meanings. The power of pattern and color is truly amazing. The deeper one looks into pattern, the more interesting the stories become about ones interior style.
The entire design direction for 2011/12 is all about pattern. Something we can look forward to enjoying on all levels of design.
So until next time, make a statement with pattern, bring the power of pattern into your life!
Jaima
Imagesvia:jaimabrownhome.com;toryburch.com;dvf.com;cotorture.com;ralphlauren.com;
