When In Rome: 3 Classical Architectural Elements To Include In Your Home Decor
Design styles come and go with the times, but classical architecture elements have endured over the many centuries since Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome were the cultural centers of the world.
If your home is already built, however, you might feel like you've lost your chance to incorporate classical architecture into your decor — so you'll be glad to learn that that's simply not true at all, and that you have countless opportunities to create a home any classical designer would be proud of. So if you're wondering how best to show your appreciation for the aesthetics of the ancients, then here are three classical architectural elements to include in your home's decor.
Amphitheater
Amphitheaters were large, open spaces, shaped in a half-moon around a stage with benches for people to watch plays, assemblies, and debates from. While you might not have any such live entertainments in your home, your sunken living room would benefit greatly from being set up like an amphitheater, with seating spreading out back in a semi-circle from your television.
This design ensures not only that everyone in the room will be able to see whatever is happening on the screen (movies, games, etc.), but also that the center wall becomes a focal point for all visitors to your home to enjoy the entertainment — something that the ancients would very much approve of.
Arches
If there's one thing you see all over Roman architecture, it's arches; usually a symbol of victory (such as the triumphal arch, a piece of monumental architecture over entrances to cities), an arch is a perfect way to add a different shape to the entryways of your home's rooms.
Arches are easy to fake, visually speaking; all it takes is a well-placed curtain pinned over the center of the doorway and falling down each side to make any doorway feel just a bit more classically triumphant.
Akroterion
You've definitely seen an akroterion in your life, even if you don't know it by that name; an akroterion is the decorative piece in the corners of roofs in ancient Mediterranean temples, usually in the shape of palm leaves or of the goddess of victory, Nike.
An akroterion is also an easy piece of classical architecture to include in your home; hanging plants placed in the corners of your dining room will give it a stately, yet alive feeling — and if you want the hanging baskets to be useful, you can always fill them with often-used fresh herbs for your kitchen. For more information, contact companies like WOODBOURNE DESIGN.