Building Materials Suggest Styles and Eras

The building materials that you choose to renovate or build a home with can greatly affect the final outcome of your interior design. For instance, there is no sense in using pressed particle board that imitates plywood in a dining room that you would like to look like it’s from the Spanish Colonial era. However fake plywood made out of compressed plywood would look just right in a dining room that is meant to imitate the era of the seventies.

Here is a brief guide to the building materials that best suit different styles and eras:

An early Roman look – This style suits water gardens and outdoor patios. The Building Materials should be composed of stone or stucco and the furniture should be of heavy wood with brass fittings or made of rattan.

Spanish Colonial – White plaster, stucco, dark rich woods, wrought iron, colorful and red ceramics are the Building Materials of choice to make this popular and stylish look authentic.

Mission Look – Deep dark woods, plaster and wrought iron best suit this simple but heavy looking style of interior décor.

Forties Retro – Light colored woods such as teak and maple, textured wallpaper, plaster ceilings and ceramic tiles are building materials that best suit this era. Elaborate aluminum constructions and thick frosted glass are also characteristic of this era.

Fifties Retro – Silver metals, aluminum, vinyls, hard plastics, square tiles and textured walls are the building materials associated with this era that is famous for its space age materials and designs.

Sixties Retro – Plush carpets, plastic and vinyl are building materials that are very associated with the sixties. Brightly colored wallpapers and materials such as glossy Mac Tack can also help you recreate an authentic sixties retro look.

venties Retro – Suitable Building Materials to accomplish the seventies retro look include compressed particle board, veneers, plush carpets silver metal, wrought iron and Astroturf.

Eighties Retro – The eighties retro look is well suited to fake veneers that look like marble or granite, real granite or marble, really rich looking dark colored leather, brass or fake brass fittings and smooth carpeting.

Victorian – The Building Materials that best suit this dainty and dignified style are dark fine woods such as cherry and mahogany, red brick, wallpaper, brass, stone (for stone hearths) and ceramic and glass (for light fixtures.)

If you are stuck as to what Building Materials should be used to recreate a certain era or style of décor there are plenty of good books available in libraries, bookstores and on the Internet about the history of fashion, style and architecture that can help guide you when it comes to choosing your Building Materials.

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