High ceilings. The town palazzos (palaces) of Renaissance Italy were typically three or more stories, with the ground floor devoted to entrance, services, stables and storage. The first floor, the piano nobile, housed the main public rooms and bedrooms if space permitted — all with high ceilings. The ceilings got lower the further up the house you progressed, with the servants at the top.
The trend for high ceilings has continued for centuries. Today high ceilings still give the impression of stature and grandeur.
by David Howell Design The trend for high ceilings has continued for centuries. Today high ceilings still give the impression of stature and grandeur.
Ceiling details. Renaissance ceilings were often beamed or coffered and painted in rich colors. While the ancient Greeks and Romans used stone, wood coffers seen in the grand Renaissance palazzos are still used in design today. They really add impact but are best installed on high ceilings and rooms with a grander scale.
by Revealing Assets - Home Staging Services
Ornate floors. Renaissance floors were brick, tile or marble and were patterned in checkerboard or often more complex geometric designs, predominantly in earthy tones. With the introduction of underfloor heating (incidentally, a Roman invention), tiled floors have become an alternative even in colder climates. Durable, easy to keep clean and now available in a variety of shades and designs, tile floors are enjoying a renaissance now.
by JAUREGUI Architecture Interiors Construction
Patterned walls. Walls were generally smooth and neutral in color. However, they were often painted with patterns, which would now be translated to wallpaper. But these paint techniques have also been used over the ages, influencing the introduction of stenciling.
by LRIDesign
Mural fresco painting. Mural fresco painting adorned the walls of the more palatial Renaissance homes. Again, this highly decorative painting has influenced many elaborate wallpapers, while hand painting is reserved for the experts.
by Suzanne Bellehumeur
Four-poster beds. The Renaissance saw the invention of the ornate bed as we know it. Hand-carved four-posters on raised platforms had a canopy for rich-colored drapes to keep out the cold. While bed designs have evolved, many of us still can't resist a four-poster, so the basic design has been adapted for modern lifestyles and changing tastes.
by gne architecture
Silk. Silk was the favorite textile of the Renaissance, used in bright colors for drapes and loose cushions for benches and chair seats. Furnishings were quite minimal at this time, but chairs began to increase in variety as an alternative to stools and benches. Thank goodness the early designs have evolved in favor of comfort!
by Tara Seawright
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In the summer, all the heat rising might be fine, but in the winter, you're heating dead space.
We have a fixer upper like this, and our builder is doing a return air circulation system so the hot air rising can be recaptured. The dust on high places isn't that big of a deal - you get a duster on a retractible pole or a long attachment on the vacuum or stand on the kitchen step stool. Not too bad. I steam clean my windows with a little $50 light model steamer - works really great, has a long hose, and makes washing windows not odious. You do have to get out the tall ladder to change a light bulb, but with the new bulbs, that shouldn't be that often.
The design makes you feel like you are on vacation in your own home. We love it! I think the feeling of luxurious space more than makes up for the pain in the neck cleaning.
Yes there are dust, heat and other issues, but those occur in conventional spaces, or un-updated spaces even more so. I think it would be nice to see actual questions about how would you suggest cleaning, painting, working wit this kind of space to maintain it. instead of "Boy that is gonna bring on a lot of problems as you get old, or man the dust, etc. " I love my grandmother, but I do not take her advise for decorating.
Raising negative issues can bring about responses as to how others have dealt with them and help solve problems for everybody just as much as positive comments can. Isn't this what discussion is all about??