So Your Style Is: Loop de Loop
http://www.decor-ideas.org 10/09/2014 01:13 Decor Ideas
It is said there are no straight lines in nature — and shouldn’t we bring nature into our homes? Curling lines and swirls can add unexpected notes ranging from whimsical to elegant to our living spaces.
What it is: This style incorporates curlicues, flourishes, swirls and loops into finishes, fixtures, furniture and surfaces.
Why it works: The look walks the line between art and fancy; it brings a feeling of fun.
You’ll love it if … swirling lines are your thing, whether the flowing lines of calligraphy, the swirls of a tide pool or the geometry of a Spirograph drawing.
Style Secret: Design Writ in Florid Script
The entry in this home, by Christina Jeffrey Lifestyle, is both fun and formal, thanks to a wall covering decorated with fancy script-like swirls. Think calligraphy or a letter penned with a quill, a pot of ink and a loose wrist.
Wallpaper: Walt Disney Signature, York Wall Coverings
The idea can be reined in with a smaller gesture, such as the metal artwork hung on an outdoor fireplace in this home, by Conrado Home Builders.
Something different: But why show restraint with such an exuberant gesture? In this garden, designed by LaPatra Architects and installed by Avalon Northwest Landscape, a green driveway (in the upper part of the photo) is a decorative statement. A tough plastic grid allows cars to drive on the area, while grass grows within it. To make the curlicue, the pattern was cut from the grid and sandstone was used to define it.
Read more about creating a greener driveway
Style Secret: Make Like a Whirlpool
When interior designer Raji Radhakrishnan redecorated her home, on a whim she hand painted circles around a simple light fixture in her library. Her inspiration was a Richard Serra painting, but her motivation was simple: She wanted to keep the white fixture from getting lost on the white ceiling. As sure as a bull’s eye beckons an arrow, whirling circles draw the eye, making an instant focal point.
Read more about Radhakrishnan’s home
Something different: When a circle is abstracted and drawn in bold lines — as in the artwork here, by Houston artist Amanda Fulk — it makes an even bolder statement. This entryway, by interior designer Sally Wheat, shows the edgier side of swirling lines.
An even more unusual approach was used by Katie Lydon Interiors in this dining room: A two-toned circle adds a curvy exclamation point to a round table.
Style Secret: Loop de Loop
Want to create a sense of movement in an interior? Try a line of loops. Without the tiles on the backsplash, this kitchen, by ThinkMakeBuild, would be a far more somber setting.
Something different: A similar looping line is found in the pattern of growing, curling vines here. The aluminum exterior screen on this beach house, by aamodt/plumb architects, provides privacy and adds interest to the exterior while letting in the light.
The benefit is that when the sun streams through, the curly pattern is imprinted on the inside too.
Style Secret: Snail Inspired
Another beautiful swirl from nature is the tight curl of a snail’s shell. Interior designer Scott Cunningham and chef Douglas Leach borrowed the pattern for their dining room. They made the shape using hand-dyed clothespins arranged in a spiral.
Read more about the home here
A harder-working version of the concept is this handmade piece in a home by De Hasse. The designer used flexible strips of PVC to create a shelf with a mollusk-like shape.
Something different: Loosen up the curl and you have a more free-flowing design, such as the one in this living wall, by Bright Green USA.
A similar design is inset into this patio, by Kathleen Shaeffer Design.
More decorating styles:
Traditional | Arts and Crafts | Hollywood Regency | Rustic | Old World | Cottage
French Country | Art Deco | Transitional | Contemporary | Industrial | Eclectic | Coastal | Preppy
Tell us: What kinds of loops and flourishes do you have in your home and garden? Share your examples and pictures in the Comments section.
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