Ideas for paris themed room?

Ideas on a Paris-Themed Room

• Answer:

  Paris is romance, style, history and contemporary chic. Paris-themed rooms can pick up any of these threads for a spare, modern dwelling that's all about the lines and functionally elegant. Another approach might result in a soft, over-the-top bedroom with valentine shades of paint, luxurious fabric and slightly shabby reproduction furnishings. Live like real Parisians in tiny urban spaces crammed with good design. Or evoke Parisian icons from the Louvre or the landscape. Cuisine Americaine A tiny open kitchen in Paris is typical of rental spaces tucked under eaves, many with fabulous rooftop views. If you have a minimal-size kitchen, give a Gallic shrug and forget minimalism. Cram the kitchen with every real cooking appliance you need for gourmet experiments. But think about material, color and style. Go for the good stuff that lasts. A mixer in bright enamel is a sturdy sculpture that will withstand years of heavy use. A butcher block holder protects good knives in style. Stack the plain porcelain cups on top of the state-of-the-art cappuccino machine. Keep dried pastas and grains in clear glass jars displayed on open shelves. A few bottles of vin de pays on the counter are handy for cooking -- or for the chef. Tuck a single flower in an empty wine bottle for joie de vivre in the culinary chaos. Art Deco Paris A corner of the living room becomes Paris in the 1930s with a large, unframed Art Deco mirror over a glossy white sideboard holding a silver mirrored tray with a glass decanter and liqueur glasses. Add a chrome-plated vase with fresh flowers and a butler's cart of chrome, glass and mirror on wheels with bottles of spirits, martini glasses, wine goblets and a silver ice bucket. A zebra rug or zebra-upholstered slipper chairs with hot pink pillows complete the glitzy alcove, and an Art Deco chandelier lights up the scene at night. Stripped Down Dining Paris isn't all glitz. It's pared-down elegance with the occasional ironic twist. Create a dining space that's all about art with white tiled floors, white painted walls and lots of natural wood and clay. An unfinished block of smooth wood on a crude wood trestle supports pitchers, bowls and plates of carved monkey wood, hand-thrown ceramics, alabaster and white porcelain. A single cabinet against the wall recalls the Arts and Crafts movement with puzzle cutout doors, but the richly grained wood and black accents make it modern. A pendant lamp over the table is an off-center nest of woven wood strips, and a corner torchiere is a tall black metal stand with a single pillar candle enclosed in a glass chimney. On the wall, a nearly invisible white shelf holds an oversize black and white photograph of a dead ringer for the Mona Lisa staring directly into the lens of the camera. Parisian Princess Bedroom Give the illusion of Paris with paint and a few faux furnishings. Use pale pink and white wide vertical stripes on the walls with a white ceiling. Hang a flea market chandelier, festooned with extra crystal pendants over the bed. Hunt for reproduction Louis XVI furniture; a make-up table and velvet cushioned stool are ideal for an alcove or a corner. Find an old tarnished mirror in a carved frame that you can paint in metallic platinum. Heap pleated, ruffled and tufted throw pillows on a lacy, silk and satin covered bed. Use shades of rose, lavender and palest green for duvet covers and pillow shams. A lamp that looks like the Eiffel tower works bedside or on a desk.