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| Bedroom photo via Nuevo Estilo |
Which is called "Federal style" in the States.
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| Parlor of Jagdgut Wachtelhof lodge in Austria via Lonny |
Or some might just call it "symmetry".
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| Vignette by Phoebe Howard |
Adams style is something I first heard from my Mom when I was a kid. She was a decorator and the classic notes of this neoclassical genre were apparent in her work. It was actually started way back in the 1700s by three Scottish brothers, but it took on a life of its own as it was applied by different architects of the time. And certainly, when it crossed the pond, the Americans were bound to put their own spin on it.
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| Living room by Victoria Hagan |
Although one of the more common associations with this style is symmetry, most of the rooms here would not look like a true Adam brother space. There would be far more medallions, scrolls, and swags.
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| Home decorated by Robert Adam in 1777 |
See what I mean? I love Federal style. Give me a good pilaster over a plain wall any day. My Mom even had arched pilasters installed in the doorways leading to our living and dining rooms. So pretty.
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| Floral frenzy by Tom Scheerer |
What is interesting to me is how these old decorating tenets can permeate through to today's style: in furniture arrangements, furniture design.
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| Design by Jackye Lanham |
Something as simple as the curve of a chair leg, for example, could have been brought to us by people who lived thousands of years ago.
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| Another Adam brothers design |
The chairs in the picture above hark back to the ancient Greek klismos chairs, with their swooping back legs and curved backs. An old style, even in the 1700s, made new by a different perspective.
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| Design by Suzanne Rheinstein |
And isn't that what continues to be wonderful about design today? Things made new by a fresh approach? Innovation in the details?
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| Design by Westbrook Interiors |
Too deep? Haha! Alright then. I hope you all have a great week!
