How to Create Romantic French Bedrooms

Have you ever wanted to create a romantic French bedroom theme? Well you now can with some simple steps. See a romantic bedroom in the French style can be achieved in various ways and can have different flavors or feel to it depending on your personal preference and taste. But there are some elements you should consider. Use these tips to help you achieve the look you're looking for.

1. Use elegant curtains in French style

If you have French styled windows and doors, that's great. But even if you don't, then you can still achieve the French look without having to replace these architectural features. How? It's in the use of French curtains, or specifically, curtains that reflect those used in French homes and palaces.

These include curtains with elegant curlicues and designs, ranging from beige and browns to more colorful versions in crimsons, greens or blues. The alternative is to use chiffon like drapes.

2. Use a piece of French antique furniture

Antiques are either old pieces or new pieces made to look in the old style. If you can find even 1 piece of furniture such as a side table with elegant legs and some detailed designs on the table drawer, then this piece adds visual interest to the scene and instantly makes you feel as if you've stepped into a French room or home.

3. Use a French style tapestry

A French tapestry or tapestry that is romantic or French in style is one of the most effective ways of transforming a room to look French. A wall tapestry because of its presence and ability to provide art in the room makes a very romantic and opulent impression and can take a room from simple to elegant and romantic very effectively. Works by Francois Boucher especially or any landscape or verdure scene can bring a sense or courtship romance and nature into a home.

4. Use an antique styled picture frame

Your favorite picture can be framed by an elegant or French styled frame to give it a romantic feel . This can be a small frame to place onto a table. This helps to anchor the feel of the room as the eye is drawn towards items of art such as paintings, tapestries and photos. So simply select an appropriate frame and see if it goes with the surrounding decor.

5. Use a bedspread that suits your mood and personality

Even though we are going for a French style, you can influence it in the more traditional or more modern direction simply by the use of your bedspread. If you want your room to feel like a French castle then you can choose a design with elegant detailing.

But if you prefer more modern chic, then choose something that you like yet will complement the rest of the decor that you have chosen. Add a throw or shawl for added effect.

So as you can see, there are several ways to make that romantic French bedroom scene come true. You can play with the exact items you're choosing to create a traditional or more modern feel. So go for it and live in romance and fun and create the room that you want.

Looking for romantic French tapestries? Tom Matherson is a writer for Worldwide Tapestries which offers a range of French style tapestries by Francois Boucher and wall decor to transform any home. See this site for the latest in wall tapestry art and wall hangings that you can use to enhance any room in your home.

Chenille Tapestries As Wall Decor

If you've been in the search for soft furnishings or wall decor, then you would have heard of the term 'chenille'.

In this article, let's have a look at a couple of questions about this chenille: What is chenille and why it is so popular for tapestries, throws and wall hangings? And how do you choose a chenille tapestry for your home.

What is chenille?

Since the 18th century, manufacturers have turned to chenille to provide beauty, comfort and a touch of artistry to homes throughout the world. French for 'caterpillar,' the lengths of chenille yarn look like these creatures.

The secret to chenille's soft character can be found in the way it is manufactured. Short lengths of fabric are wrapped around a tightly wrapped core. This causes the edges to stand straight out from the center, creating a fluffy appearance that is both soft to the touch and extremely durable.

While you may associate chenille with bathrobes and bedspreads, this elegant material is actually an extremely versatile material. In fact, chenille tapestries have become so popular that they are considered one of the most accomplished textile based art forms.

Traditionally, tapestries have been woven in silk or wool. While the artistry is wonderful, these materials are prone to being damaged. Chenille is much more resistant to the elements and will stay beautiful for many years to come if properly cared for.

Chenille has an additional benefit as well. Because of the way the strands are made, the fuzzy threads add depth and texture to the tapestry, something that is more difficult to do with traditional materials.

How do you choose a chenille tapestry?

If a room in your home is in need of a new look, chenille tapestries can add beauty and presence to the space without breaking your budget.

Hung from tapestry rods mounted on the wall, these hangings portray some of the most classic scenes in the art world as well as contemporary works that will fit nearly any decor or style of home imaginable. It's simply up to your imagination as to what you'd like in that space in your room or home.

When looking for a chenille tapestry for yourself, you want to keep a few things in mind.

First, you should like the piece. It should speak to you. This shouldn't be too hard, since there is a tapestry for nearly any taste imaginable. Tapestry subjects range from animals, wildlife, castles and unicorns, scenics, historical events and fine art.

Second, it should also fit the color scheme of the room you have in mind. Many tapestries come in different colors so choose one that you feel will fit in well with your existing color scheme. You can choose a work that matches subtly, or a work that gives a focal point to the room.

Finally, be sure that the one you select fits the shape and size of the space you have available. Chenille art tapestries come in a variety of shapes and sizes so ensure that it will fit nicely into the space available.

So now you know the reason why chenille fabric continues to be a popular material for wall tapestries and throws, even to this modern day. Its beauty and durability makes it a great choice, and this is why it's considered a material of choice when it comes to wall tapestries to be used to add beauty to any home decor.

See this fine collection of chenille tapestries that will bring elegance to any home. Tom Matherson writes for Worldwide Tapestries where you can find a range of wall art tapestries and wall hangings to decorate any room or home.

Festival Displays A Tapestry Of Arts

The Shoreline Arts Festival opens Saturday, June 27 for a two day celebration of community arts.

This year, the Festival's theme, "Weaving a Cultural Tapestry," features the arts and heritage of many local cultural groups.

A diverse range of music, dance, theater, and all of the visual arts are included in the festival, which takes place on the grounds of the Shoreline Center.

Performing artists on the Shoreline Room Stage this weekend include Rhys Thomas and Jugglemania, the Shoreline Senior Singers, Baile Glas Irish Dancers, Filipiniana Dancers, Deaf Dancers, Melody Institute Chinese Dance, Hokulani's Hula Studio & the Kupunas, Eclectic Cloggers (Appalachian Folkdance), Lakota traditional music by Cindy Minkler and Rhythms of India dancers.

Festival attendees can explore the Juried Art Shows and the booths in the Artists Marketplace. Adjacent to the offerings of the Food Court, the Showmobile Stage features popular bands and danceable music with acts like the steel drums of Panduo, blues with the Dented Trucks, Spirit of Ojah's African rhythms and funk, rock 'n roll classics with Timeslip, the indie pop rock of Kris Orlowski and lively Latin music with Cocoloco.

Art projects in the popular Children's Hands-on Art Arena will relate to the theme this year. Again this year, the Northwest Collage Society will sponsor an exhibit and collage making workshop using recycled materials.

Read complete article in EnterpriseNewspapers.com

Spanish Royal Armor, Portraits, Tapestries At Washington’s National Gallery

For first time ever, magnificent Spanish royal armor will be shown alongside Old Masters’ portraits of Spanish emperors, kings and their horses wearing the regalia that dates back to the time of Columbus.

Washington’s National Gallery of Art perfectly named the exhibition (June 28 through November 1) “The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain”.

Armor is an extraordinarily exquisite art form, a sort of wearable sculpture. Great artists such as Albrecht Dürer drew designs that were elaborately etched, engraved, or embossed on armor.

The portraits of armor-clad rulers are by Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Anthony van Dyck, among other masters. And of course, Spain built one of the world’s most powerful empires ever, from late 15th century into the 18th century.

Also, royal armor and such portraits enhanced and exalted rulers' power and chivalric image, so-called “gods in uniform”. This dazzlingly ornate armor was used less for military purposes than for parades, pageants, jousting tournaments, and other Renaissance rituals.

Armor enhanced the power and image also of diplomats who presented these hugely expensive, prized gifts to Spanish rulers. Talk about influence-peddling -- a full suit of armor could “cost the equivalent of today’s executive jet”, said exhibition curator Alvaro Soler del Campo, Director of Madrid’s Spanish Royal Armory.

Read complete article in Examiner.com

Debbie Croft: Tapestry of an Artist

Thomas Hill was a landscape artist in the 19th century who favored monumental vistas. Done in soft, expressive tones, many of his paintings are of the awe-inspiring landmarks within Yosemite National Park.

Born in England, he and his family immigrated to the eastern seaboard of America when he was 15. After attending art school and then visiting Yosemite for the first time, he kept coming back. Eventually he opened a studio at the Historic Wawona Hotel. Some of his works have cost as much as $10,000.

Several of Hill's paintings have been reproduced on canvas, and are now hung "salon style" (covering the wall from floor to ceiling) in an exhibit at the Wawona. For hours of operation and other information, please call the Wawona at (801)559-4884, or visit the Web site: www.yosemitepark.com.

And in the Sonora area, which is only a hop (to Snelling), a skip (over to La Grange) and a jump (through the hills and up to Columbia) away...

The Sierra Repertory Theatre is featuring the lively musical "Sisters of Swing," a tribute to the Andrews Sisters. SRT Artistic Director Scott Viets says, "This show celebrates not only their music, but also appreciates their impact on our country and why their accomplishments have given them an honored place in history."

Read complete article in MercedSunStar.com

Redevelopment Changes The Tapestry Of Quilting Capital

PADUCAH, Ky. - Dressed in black, smoking cigarettes and disaffected by youth, 22-year-old Reuben Gearhart is one of the few people who doesn't like what he sees in his rejuvenated hometown.

Too quaint, too many restaurants he can't afford, too many tourists. Especially during quilt week. Paducah is one of the world's quilting capitals, and every April the pre-eminent quilting show more than doubles the town's population.

"The thing about downtown is that it's beautifully tailored to the people they want here: rich, old people," said Gearhart, who plays drums for a band called Vicious Mistress.

Which, funny enough, is exactly right. This town's fortunes have risen during in the last decade by appealing to "rich, old people," - that is, tourists who spend money - and sprinkling in the things most visitors, young and old, would want within about 10 square blocks: quality food, cozy accommodations, art galleries and, of course, a quilting museum. Even the parking is free.

For a town of 26,000, you could call it sophisticated. The key has been two redevelopment efforts - one for the downtown, which sits on the banks of the Ohio River, and the other for the city's oldest residential neighborhood, Lowertown, where dozens of artists have been lured by the promise of cheap or free land.

Where there were blight, drugs dealers and broken sidewalks 10 years ago, there now are art galleries in restored late-19th century brick homes. The city's Artist Relocation Program has been widely hailed and frequently copied.

Read complete article in Philly.com

The Guernica Tapestry, Whitechapel Gallery, London

Picasso's fury screams out still

Reviewed by Michael Glover

Welcome back! Picasso's Guernica, that supremely sombre evocation of the destructive powers of war, first went on show at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1939, after it had been exhibited in Paris.

The painting, a commemoration of the destruction of the village of Guernica by Franco's forces, had been made by Picasso in his Paris studio in 1937, in a furious outpouring of pity and anger.

Now, a version of Guernica is back at the Whitechapel, as part of an installation by Goshka Macuga, to mark the gallery's reopening after refurbish-ment. This is not the painting you'd have seen in 1939; that one is permanently installed at Madrid's Reina Sofia Museum, too fragile to travel.

In some respects, the installation at the Whitechapel is more impressive than what can be seen in Madrid. In London you approach it face-on, and you can get up really close. In Madrid, you come at it side-on, like a listing ship. There is no way you can walk directly back a pace or two to take in the enormity of the terrible message.

The other advantage is that this version is not so colourful. It is woven in tones of brown, cream and black, which adds a strange intensity. Look at the original, and you experience a near-riot of movement and agitation. Nothing stops.

Everything seems to be decomposing before our eyes. Arms reach out. Hands claw at nothing. A disembodied head floats. Mouths yawn in inaudible screams. The heads of mythic beasts skew violently.

And we – the merest we – approach this monumental distillation of human suffering like petty-minded voyeurs. We are suddenly plunged into the midst of it, all this jaggedness, all this laceration, all this falling apart. And the colour seems to add a horrible decorative gaiety to the scene. Strip it of most of that colour, as here, and you have scarified it to the bone.

At the Whitechapel, you approach it along a blue carpet. It's close to the blue of the UN, where the tapestry usually hangs. It is here to remind us of that moment in 2003 when some goon ordered that it be covered up because Colin Powell was about to deliver a speech in support of the invasion of Iraq. Did Picasso's minotaur rage back in the muffled dark? Or did Powell just dream that later?

5 to 18 April 2010 (020-7522 7888; www.whitechapelgallery.org )

Taken From Independent.co.uk

Tapestry Exhibition in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba

By Manuel Echevarría Gómez

A tapestry exhibition by Luisa María Serrano (Lichi) was opened in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spiritus to mark the 40-year-old artistic career of this outstanding artist.

After a long absence, the artist is back to settle a debt that transcended her life-work, the use of colors in her creations.

The recent work of this autodidact artistic, which was considered a turning point in this city’s plastic arts concepts in the 80s, resembles her previous intimate freedom.

Lichi joined Sancti Spiritus’s plastic arts free workshop in 1965, where she learned painting. She presented her first exhibition in 1968.

She has presented her work in local and international expositions and has been awarded several prizes in local salons.

Taken From Escambray.cu

Arena Stage's 'Delicate Balance': Perfectly Weighted With Subtlety & Smarts

By Peter Marks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 16, 2009; Page C01

What a pleasure, lapping up all that angst. You wouldn't call "A Delicate Balance" a consoling experience. And yet you do feel swaddled in comfort during Arena Stage's revival of Edward Albee's brilliant dramedy of the inarticulate fears marinating in the martini glasses of the elite.

That's because the expert hands deliver an evening of combustibly entertaining drama, of a variety that reminds you how enriching a play can be with a subtle and sophisticated grip on the human psyche. This is grown-up theater -- the bristling sort that gives a playgoer hope, even when the theme is a strange brand of hopelessness.

Not to bring the room down, but you do also find yourself wondering, as you absorb the pleasures of six actors going at one another in the becomingly civilized quarters of Todd Rosenthal's living-room set, why more evenings can't be like this one, especially at Arena.

No major company in Washington represents a more vital link to the American tradition of great playwriting, and none has more authority to reaffirm it.

So let the endorsement of this production also be an entreaty: Give us more work of this caliber, please, even if these plays are harder to sell than they were in yesteryear. (And even if it means fewer visits by tours of famous-songwriter jukebox revues.)

As presided over by director Pam MacKinnon, who staged the juicily satirical "The Unmentionables" at Woolly Mammoth 18 months ago, the revival of Albee's Pulitzer-winning piece feels as solidly built as the immaculate manse in which the turbulent story unfolds.

It's been populated with a splendidly well-suited cast, particularly in the person of Kathleen Chalfant, who plays Agnes, the lady of the house, as a reluctant, caged scorpion with a finely disguised stinger.

Her match is met by Ellen McLaughlin in the bravura role of Agnes's younger sister Claire, a truth-telling lush whose specialties seem to be making messes and drowning in her anger at Agnes's unbreachable wall of composure.

What's constructed here is a portrait, flavored with Albee's lacerating wit, of people losing their grip, divesting themselves of the lie that life makes more sense as we grow more maritally settled and materially secure.

The collapse of the facade is terrifying for no group more than those who have the money for minks and wine cellars and country clubs, those who have committed the most belief to the illusion that all's well that ends well.

At the moment, the entire world is feeling a sense of dislocation. It's surprising how presciently this 1966 play nestles into contemporary consciousness -- even as the mysteries in Albee's tale keep a line open to the absurd.

We find ourselves in the tony home in a wealthy suburb that Agnes and her husband, Tobias (a bracingly convincing Terry Beaver), share with volatile Claire. Perched in Arena's Crystal City space, Rosenthal's light-filled set all but smells of old money, down to the demitasse cups and tapestry hanging in the hallway, and costume designer Ilona Somogyi dresses the women, from blowsy Claire to sleek, buttoned-up Agnes, to perfection.

Agnes opens the play, commenting about someday losing her mind, and from there on we get the escalating idea of everything around her coming apart.

The childishly exhibitionist Claire seems to be slowly drinking herself into oblivion. Agnes and Tobias's unpleasant, eternally unsettled daughter Julia (Carla Harting) turns up, a refugee from her fourth failed marriage.

Then, most curiously, into the driveway pulls the car of Agnes and Tobias's best friends, Edna and Harry (Helen Hedman and James Slaughter), who have arrived uninvited and soon make it clear they have no plans to leave.

The choreography of understated responses to Edna and Harry's outrageous condition -- they experienced some type of existential crisis in their own house, and now are too frightened to go back -- is handled in crackerjack fashion by MacKinnon and her cast.

The dread they've brought into the house is swept to the side in the spirit of hospitality. Or perhaps it's only vaguely acknowledged because Edna and Harry have violated a taboo, bringing the terror everyone secretly harbors into the open.

Hedman and Slaughter niftily maintain the traumatized couple's sociable air, as if their imposing on Agnes were as expected as showing up for cocktails at 5. You laugh at first because everybody's been there, with the guests who wouldn't leave.

As you watch further, however, they become less funny, more harrowing. Despair always leaves you with that certain feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Albee threads through the play's three acts the battle between Claire and Agnes, a conflict the actresses treat as a delightful blood sport. Behind her hooded eyes, McLaughlin vibrantly portrays Claire as a wounded thing, rebelling against her sister's sense of propriety and yet holding back some ammunition, for fear of doing more harm to Agnes than she intends. Chalfant's droll ripostes to the wilder Claire are so dry you think the paint might spontaneously start to peel.

Harting envelops Julia in an aptly sour perfume of failure; as with Claire, Edna and Harry, Julia's taking shelter with Agnes and Tobias is a way of shutting out the world and in her particular case, a world of disappointment. But as the play reveals, awful truths pursue you, and walls have a way of closing in, no matter how beautifully they're decorated.

A Delicate Balance, by Edward Albee. Directed by Pam MacKinnon. Lighting, Allen Lee Hughes; sound, Timothy Thompson; wigs, Chuck Lapointe. About 2 hours 55 minutes. Through March 15 at Arena Stage in Crystal City, 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington. Visit www.arenastage.org or call 202-488-3300.

Taken From WashingtonPost.com

The Elegance of Fine Art Tapestries

An everyday commodity combined with the exclusivity of the art world, fine art tapestry provides a melange of elegant home décor suited to most homes. Wall tapestries bring a combination of tactile luxury and good taste through distinctive art and textile design.

Recent advances in technology have meant the art based tapestries that have retained their popularity for centuries continue to be a sought after item for the modern home.

A break with tradition

A wall tapestry offers an alternative to the traditional fine art painting and with an increasing portfolio of choice from the Old Masters to modern art, the time to consider a tapestry in the home has never been better.

Popular and classical paintings can be reproduced through sophisticated textile design to provide an impressive feature for the wall. Examples include Michelangelo's Creation of Adam and Raphael's Cherubs.

Amongst the first style to be transferred from canvas to tapestry was François Boucher's pastoral art created during the 17th century. The depth and vividness of these works continues to fascinate and impress today's audience.

Scenery and Landscape Tapestry

From Constable to Leonardo Da Vinci, many landscape paintings have been reproduced as tapestries and remain popular today. Verdure tapestry was one of the earliest forms and featured lush green landscapes.

The depth and richness of these pieces depicted nature in all its glory and provided a fitting piece for the home. Bruegel on the other hand, captured real life in dramatic and captivating ways. The Hunters in the Snow is an example of an expansive landscape filled with detail and available as a tapestry wall hanging.

Oriental work evokes tales in the Far East and exotic lands. Beijing artist Vail Oxley captures still life with scenery in a peaceful setting in The Lily Garden, creating an enchanting tableau. Using a rich weave in tapestry brings the drama and colourful nature of the work to life.

Still life and Floral Tapestry

Floral art is a popular choice for a fine art tapestry, where the transition from canvas to tapestry has added perspective to these exquisite creations. Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh are well known artists who have had paintings transformed to tapestry via detailed weaving techniques.

The Sunflowers is renowned the world over and in tapestry format brings a bright summers day and a fresh ambiance to the home. Contemporary work by Stewart Sherwood includes Wine for Two which enables still life to blend into a modern home in a classical and tasteful way.

A Distinct and Elegant Touch

Fine art and tapestry was at one time the domain of the select few. Thanks to modern day high detail weaving techniques tapestry is something that is a classical and affordable piece for the home.

Traditional fine art is enhanced by the detailed weave and texture of tapestry, providing a select and distinctive feature in interior design. Tapestry and fine art are now accessible to those who desire elegance and classical décor in their homes.

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Angela Dawson-Field writes extensively on home decor and tapestry & textile art. She divides her time between family and The Tapestry House