Austrian Stereotypes

Brocade

I stopped into an interior design shop yesterday to see what the latest trends in this area were. The shop owner had beautiful heavy brocade and matelasse drapery and bedding. The shop was refined, elegant and fascinating. The accessories were ingenious. The valances looked like they'd just come from the Palace of Versailles. And size, most everything looked like it was created on a grand scale. Thought and care were evident in the layout and selections.The predominant flavor conveyed to us was "this stuff should be in a castle". We were impressed.

Matelasse

When the owner approached and engaged us in conversation, we discovered he was educated in Austria and his name was "Wolfgang". Okay. Wolfgang. Wow! 

If you are like me, the only thing you know about Austria - this is where Hitler came from.  It was a teeny bit weird to be standing there talking to this incredibly handsome man, trying not to think of Hitler and trying not to imagine a little black mustache under his nose. Wow, where did that come from? I realized that without proper education or research, we all default to stereotypes. And I was guilty! 

Then my husband says something about Australia and I realize he's misheard the man and I'm off thinking about kangaroos. Wolfgang was quite nice about it.

AUSTRIA IN YELLOW BORDER

So I went home and looked Austria up on Wikipedia - mainly so I don't think of Hitler every time someone says "Austria". Here are some quickie facts I discovered. 

• Austria is bordered by 8 other countries and is the 12th richest country in the world (United States is the 11th, Canada is 9th, Luxembourg is 1st). 
• Austria is a neutral country and does not allow foreign military bases on its soil. 
• 74% of the land is part of the Eastern Alps. 
• The country gave birth to many famous artists and scientists including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sigmund Freud and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• The Pez candy was invented in Austria - yay!
• Einspanner Coffee - A Viennese specialty of strong black coffee served with whipped cream and powdered sugar - something I am dying to try!

I also looked up the meaning of the name Wolfgang. Who names their kid that? Evidently a lot of men in Germany and Austria are so named! Wolfgang is in the top 100 names for baby boys since the mid 1950's. There are a variety of meanings for this name including, "wolf's path", "traveling wolf", "running wolf" and "wolf leading in victory".  Pretty cool! I'm thinking maybe I'll name my firstborn Wolfgang! 

Lastly I google his website...holy smokes!  You have got to see the drapery section. I'll let you discover it on your own...www.wolfganginteriors.com. Oh, and to top it all off, he's a television celebrity and never mentioned a word!

All this guy really needs now are some beautiful Stained Glass Fireplace Screens!

Choosing a Firescreen Wisely

How Often Do You Use Your Fireplace?

This is probably the most important factor in choosing a firescreen.  If you are a log burning addict and cannot live without the thrill of a roaring fire trapped in your fireplace, you will not want to keep moving a 30-40 lb screen several times a night. But what do you use to keep those dang sparks from rocketing onto your beautiful original hand woven pure silk Thai carpet? We suggest if you don’t already have a “chain mail” curtain firescreen you install one that hangs, opens in the center and slides to either side. The wire mesh will take care of about 98% of the flying sparks aimed at the sleeping dog!  Or you can have tempered glass doors installed.  Once you have the mesh screen in place you are ready to start choosing your fireplace focal piece.

Spark Arrestor for Chimney

*Note: if you are one of those people whose neighbors gather in clusters on your lawn sitting on blankets to observe the firesparks coming out of your chimney, please consider placing a fire arrestor in your flue to minimize those dangerous sparks! Also remember to have your flue professionally cleaned twice a year! 

If you are merely a frequent log burner, say once to several times a week, and you like to have comfortable sedate warmth on the edges of your consciousness, then sparks and flying embers and rolling logs are not as big of a concern and a portable fireplace screen is what you need. There are many kinds to choose from. 

If you have a fireplace and are still trying to solve the mystery of how it works (hint: you need wood), perhaps you’d like to select an awesome decorative piece that actually diverts attention from the fact you haven’t a clue (until you get around to it of course!).

Gas fireplaces are increasing in popularity and design and are a very good candidate for fireplace screens without mesh.

Types of Fireplace Screens

Mesh – A fine metal mesh designed to keep sparks on the wrong side of the tracks

Fan – Purely for decoration.

Glass – These include, etched, cut, stained and clear. The stained glass is not usually tempered and should be kept further back from a live fire as flying embers that stick can cause small pits on the surface of the glass, usually it’s not noticeable but should be noted in case it does happen.

Cast Iron / Aluminum – Heavy, Sturdy, Impressive, will generally outlast even you.

Brass / Alloy – Shiny, sparkly, gold tones

Bowed – this screen works best if your hearth is flat, otherwise you get a wobble as it does not have feet.

Fenced – it’s like an indoor adjustable gated fence around your fireplace, usually to keep small children away from hot surfaces. And dogs.

Flat Panel – Best for gas and small fireplaces, usually have feet and are lightweight.

Folding Screens – Probably the most versatile and popular, gives depth and balance to the screen and makes reloading logs easy as you can move just one panel aside.

Screened Doors – Doors set in the frame of the screen let you load logs through the screen without having to pick it up and move it. Don’t let the logs bump the screen or it might fall over. In my opinion, it’s a silly idea that’s gone viral recently.

Glass Doors – usually professionally installed, it’s not really a type of firescreen since it is not portable. But we suggest a decorative firescreen to hide the unsightly accumulation of stain that builds up on the interior of the glass doors.

Decorative / Summer – Generally for the off season or for unused fireplaces. Does not usually have mesh. Often has tea light holders or other decorative items

Magentic Screens – Decorative cloth with magnetized edges to seal fireplace opening

when unused

You know what’s best for you, we can only give you our expert opinion and set you free to choose. Are you more concerned about safety or do you need to finish your room with a little elegance and style?