Decorating Ideas to make your Living Room more Livable

Above all else, the furniture in the living-room should make it livable. It should be grouped so that it offers centers of interest, convenience and comfort. Look for upholstered seating with homespun-type fabric, or toss a pieced quilt over plain fabric or leather. An old rocker is a great addition.

To accommodate its clientele, the Hotel Bel-Air Cap-Ferrat renovated, modernized, and threw open its doors year round, though its style, like a grand dame who has undergone a successful face-lift, remained unchanged. The Bel-Air's timeless elegance has made it the standout of all the hotels nestled on the cape. Its well-earned reputation made our choice of a base for the land portion of our trip an easy one.Rental options are many. You can rent directly from a property owner, go through a stateside real estate agency or book a package at a condo hotel through a reputable travel agent. Most travelers choose the latter, letting a travel agent work out the details. A package deal is usually more convenient and reliable, with extras thrown in, such as airport transfers, maid service, manager's cocktail party, taxes and gratuities, and sometimes free admission to local attractions. Plus, you can put everything on a credit card up front. (Some independent rental properties don't accept credit cards.) Condo vacation packages are now offered by such major tour operators as American Airlines and Delta Dream Vacations, to name a few.With the globalization of business, more and more people are traveling to the Caribbean for work-related reasons. For some, these are formal meetings with managers and executives of regional companies; for others, the visits are short-term work assignments. Still others come for work-related leisure activities, such as incentive trips and conventions.There's a hot new trend in Caribbean tourism: Savvy business and leisure travelers are discovering that for the price of a hotel room--or less--they can rent a one- or two-bedroom apartment with all the comforts of home--full kitchen, living room or sitting area, balcony or patio and maybe even laundry facilities or a VCR. These homes away from home offer a familiarity that sterile hotel rooms simply cannot provide.The main essentials are a comfortable sofa, a table large enough to hold books, magazines and lamps, and at least two comfortable, upholstered chairs and a smaller table.In fitting furniture to its architectural background there are 3 things to consider

• contour and proportion;
• design and decorative detail;
• color of wood.

The first two points are obviously necessary; it is in the last that the furnishing of many rooms fails. Oak and mahogany do not mix amicably; one does not set off the other because there is not sufficient contrast, nor are they closely enough allied to harmonize. On the other hand, black ebony and yellowish burr walnut, such as is used in inlaying seaweed pattern in oak, are examples of harmony gained.What can your organization expect to get back? For starters, improved morale and stronger relationships between incentive awardees and management. These feelings, in turn, can be taken back to the workplace to kick-off an even better year, according to Phil Duyff, president of Duyff International Inc., an incentive travel company in St. Louis.From Saint-Tropez to Monaco, the Riviera conjures up thoughts of gambling casinos, topless beaches festivals, and racing car rallies. Yet, there is another aspect to this area in southeast France, on of elegance and style indelibly stamped on it more than a century ago. Various houses of European ro in business and industry, and famed authors and artists found the sun-drenched land between the Maritime Alps and the shore a welcome refuge from the harsher winters they faced at home. Many proceeded to build elaborate chateaux and gardens that flourished in the semi-tropical climate--after all, the Riviera is just across the Mediterranean from the warmth of North Africa--establishing a colony to which their names lent a glamorous cachet.Several years ago, while the hotel was undergoing extensive renovations, she envisioned how the then-overgrown landscape could be tamed and enhanced, and the project became a labor of love. Under Mme. Maissen's guidance, the umbrella pines that encircled the Bel-Air were cut to window height, thus affording a sweeping panorama of the Mediterranean as one enters the hotel and looks out through the curved windows that surround the domed lobby. The diversity and colors of the plantings throughout the grounds stimulate the senses, especially the fragrances of the myriad varieties of flowers stretching as far as the eye can see.

The first two points are obviously necessary; it is in the last that the furnishing of many rooms fails. Oak and mahogany do not mix amicably; one does not set off the other because there is not sufficient contrast, nor are they closely enough allied to harmonize. On the other hand, black ebony and yellowish burr walnut, such as is used in inlaying seaweed pattern in oak, are examples of harmony gained.

Author: Lisa French