Volcano Landscape in a Moroccan inspired Living Room

Moroccan flair - what could be more inspiring than the colours, patterns and textures of Moroccan interior. I simply love the deep colours which bathe in an opulence that is always reminiscent of fairy tales and dreams of 1001 nights.

The colours especially touch the senses, purples, dark blues and then the shimmer of brass and silverware seem to emanate something vibrating that seduces you to forget about everything else...

 with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com

While the vignette of this wonderful living room does not tell me how large the room actually is I feel I would add a painting on the wall, that repeats all those voluptuous colours:

The landscape is painted on silk which certainly would complement the brocades of the pillows.

"Haleakala"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

This silk painting has been inspired by the breathtaking landscapes on the Hawaiian Islands, especially the Haleakala National Park. You can read more about it here if you like and what's so special about this painting.

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Night Blue continued - another Alternative

As an addition to my previous post about an unspectacular bedroom and its possiblities I forgot to show you another alternative with a different painting. And this is my suggestion:

And this is what this painting is about:

Did you know that ferns belong to the oldest plants on this planet and that they once became real trees and finally ended up in petrified trees? A fascinating theme and I am totally enthralled by fossils. It is somehow extremely exciting when you split a piece of rock into two pieces and then find an amazing piece of petrified animal such as an ammonite or a plant. But I am digressing...

This painting is more than just an hommage to the wonderful ferns that once lived on this planet it is also meant to symbolize the primordial soup of this universe. The background shows a kind of marbling effect that is not only represented by stones but if you look at pictures from the Hubble telescope you will see similar patterns in the star clouds of foreign galaxies. This painting is also a view into earth's history.

 "Triassic Prints II"

(from the Minerals and Fossils series)
40" x 13", silk
©Petra Voegtle
(BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh)

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Landscaping

The monuments of nature have always been part of man's fascination. And despite all attempts the colours of nature cannot be reproduced in all their splendor and in all their variations. Each artificial reproduction will fade away in the face of the real scenery. Even photography is not capable of giving us what the eye and the soul is seeking.

Additionally colour is susceptible to every individual's interpretation. Sometimes it seems that colour becomes a very personal goal/achievement. This is the "burden" of any interior designer as well as any artist. Not to speak of the deficiencies some people are suffering from, such as colour blindness in various grades.

Still - colour is one of the most important elements of interior design and will always be unless we learn to live in a world one day that is no longer dependent on superficial surfaces - but that would be science fiction??

I "added" this silk painting Canyon to this hallway, thinking of opening spaces which lead into other spaces - fantasies - just as a valley would do. Where would you like to be? In the hallway or in the canyon?

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Canyon"
(from the Magic Landscapes series)
Triptych, 40" x 63", silk
©Petra Voegtle

A few details from this painting are shown below. The silk painting Canyon is actually a triptych, inspired by the many marvellous canyons in northern America's national parks. If you want to know more about it check this link.

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More than just a Cover for your Bed...

I love this sweet little bedroom. It could be in the cottage of my dreams, somewhere on the coast of Cornwall or Dorset, white sand dunes not far away, listening to the sounds of soft waves washing little shells and other little treasures ashore. No-one around. This could be a place to hide from all the rushing and bustling a city would impose on one's life.

Sweet dreams, memories of foreign countries and cultures, nymphs of the forest floating through your dreams or are those the apsaras who danced and played the music for their devine masters of the universe? A place for a poet...

The art quilt on the wall is called Apsaras, a reminiscence of Cambodia's temple bas-reliefs in Angkor Wat of thousands of heavenly apsaras. It is made entirely from silk, has been hand quilted with silk and painted. And it was juried into the famous Quilt Festival in Houston.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Apsaras"
52" x 69", silk art quilt
©Petra Voegtle

A little Colour for the Stairway...

No - not everything needs to be colour toned in the same range - sometimes you should have a little extra. So why not adding a little piece of interest and climbing up the staircase will be fun. You will have a reason for making a little pause - LOL.
I love homes where you can discover small interesting bits and pieces everywhere. It is like going on a little discovery tour. Even if you have been a thousand times in your friends' home - isn't it fun to notice things which you haven't found before and you ask yourself "how on earth could I have missed that"?

The acrylic painting on the wall is Red Door from the Reminiscences series, a series that tells the story of a whole village which you can read here and here

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Red Door"
(from the Reminiscences series)
26" x 18", acrylic
©Petra Voegtle

Find Magic from an ancient Place in your Living Room

This is a wonderful elegant room with its light and open space, uncluttered, a place to breathe and relax, to have family and/or friends in an atmosphere of spontaneity and freedom from social constraints.
I could imagine to have relaxed discussions there, laughter about the jokes someone makes and talking about holiday plans. This is no place for having problems. Yes, I would love to live in a house with a living room such as this one!

There was a lovely painting above the fireplace but I thought why not adding a whiff of ancient Asian magic to this room with this silk triptych of Ayutthaya - the ancient city of Siam (Thailand). The painting belongs to the Magic Landcsapes series.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Ayutthaya"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
40" x 39", silk triptych
©Petra Voegtle

Spark a little Fire in the Bedroom...

Maybe you know the sentence "sometimes less is more". Often people tend to overload their rooms with lots of "stuff" but in this case I thought that it could not be wrong to add a little extra to the wall in order to spark a little fire.

The artwork on the wall is a small silk caring from the Hawaiian Symbols series and is called Ahi ko A'a which means "fire of the lava". It is made from silk and has been painted.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com

click here for the original image source

"Ahi ko A'a"
(from the Hawaiian Symbols series)
15" x 23", silk carving
©Petra Voegtle

A stylish Dining Room with a Silk Carving on the Wall...

This room has a great light - therefore the dark furniture and accessories do not diminish that feeling of a light room. I also like the open living character a lot - this gives air to breathe and makes the room larger than it actually is. This is very cleverly done!

So I thought that the facing wall would be the perfect place for this silk carving which is called The Longing. This silk carving has a long history and was started in 2004 already until it was changed lately into this final result, resembling a bas-relief in bronze now. But it is entirely made from one single piece of silk!

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com

click here for the original image source

"The Longing"
silk carving
©Petra Voegtle

Colours for the Stairway....

Who says that doorways have to be white? Colours can be so charming and exciting. Preferences for bold colours can be a passion and especially old houses can experience a revival if the owner is couragious enough to try something different than usual.

Folk art and modern art often have something in common: bold colours. Colours have so much impact on soul and emotion - so why not take advantage of a simple fact?

I thought that this acrylic painting Red Door would made a lovely addition to this wonderful stairway... From the Reminiscences series - please check out this link for details.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com

click here for the original image source

"Red Door"
(from the Reminiscences series)
26" x 18", acrylic
©Petra Voegtle

Colour Coordination in the Bedroom

I love bed linen such as these, with intricate patterns that embellish a bedroom. A wonderful match would be this silk painting on the wall with the appropiate theme: Ricefields at Dawn, a dreamy landscape to look at when you wake up...
Check out the link above when you would like to see more details of this painting.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

"Ricefields at Dawn"
40" x 21", silk
©Petra Voegtle

Starting your own private Gallery....

How about starting your own little gallery with silk paintings similar to these (two of them are sold)? This could be a blast for your house. Even for the foyer of an office building this would add elegance and atmosphere...just an idea.

The paintings here are (from left to right) Machu Picchu, Celts and Mesopotamia. Details for Celts can be seen here, for Mesopotamia here

original image source from http://www.homesolute.com/

Potentials of a Lounge - dipped in warm Colours

This acrylic painting Tourmaline II from the Minerals series is a little jewel because its colours start to glow with the right light. Placed on a wall like this one is just the perfect complement. And a modern designer chair like the one below is a great place to wait for someone...
If you would like to see more detail photos of this painting please check here

original image source of chair from http://www-modernes-interieur.de

Elegance in a small Conference Room

A small conference room could look like this - couldn't it? The image on the wall of this elegant interior is Tourmaline I. The painting repeats the modern window blinds with their vertical pattern and is therefore the perfect completion for this room.
If you would like to see more of this painting please check this link

original image source from http://www.modernes-interieur.de