French Architecture in Buenos Aires

Many things have been said about the French-like architecture of Buenos Aires, and how it can trick people and make them believe they might be in Paris. Moreover, even though these days, there are not as plenty of buildings and French constructions as there used to be, you can still visit and check some lovely constructions with French styles.

Everyone who tours around Buenos Aires will be able to find a great variety of types and styles of architectures. Some of the constructions of Buenos Aires come from the ideas and styles that were constructed in France at that time and they are still in shape. What is more, there are some of these constructions with French style that are used as private houses or hotels, so you might even be lucky enough to live in one of them.

Some of the building where you may find French architecture and buildings in Buenos Aires are the neighbourhoods of Recoleta, Palermo Chico, and some places around Montserrat.

Nowadays, some of the famous buildings and constructions of French style (mixed with some other styles) that still prevail around Buenos Aires are: “Palacio Paz” (current “Circulo Militar” – the army officer's social club-), Palacio Ortiz Basualdo (current French Embassy), Palacio Errazuriz (current “Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo” – Museum of decorative art-), Palacio Bosch (current USA’s Embassy), el Palacio Alvear (current Italian Embassy), Palacio Duhau (current hotel from the Hyatt chain), el Palacio Anchorena (current Branch of the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Cult), just to mention a few.

Moreover, there are other buildings and constructions you can find around Buenos Aires that are still standing and they are used as private residencies or hotels like the ones in Sarmiento and Talcahuano; Bartolome Mitre and Libertad; Lavalle and San Martin, and Lavalle and Ayacucho; Florida and Av. Corriente; Av. Belgrano and Tacuarí; Guido and Montevideo; Arenales and Libertad, among others.

Each and every construction of French style in Buenos Aires are a sign of a past time that still lives these days and that, together with the other architectural styles that are found in Buenos Aires, are a cultural and historic heritage of the city and the country.

Retro Style decoration in your apartment

After many years of being considered as “old-fashioned”, the retro style came into life once again. Nowadays, there are many shops that sell furniture and objects that are from the 50s, 60s and 70s and that they call everyone’s attention.

For those who would like to decorate their apartments with a “retro style” and they don’t know where to begin, we will now mention some tips for them to have in mind when they go in the search for retro objects and furniture around the city.

For starters, since the retro style covers many decades, there are a lot of options when it comes to decorating a room of an apartment in "retro mood". Still, it is a matter of joining the pieces and choosing what retro objects should you incorporate in your apartment so that it is not a random mixture of many things that don’t match.

An apartment decorated with a "retro style" can mean buying a couch from the 50s, 60s or 70s, or a lamp, or some decoration piece (even cushions), or it could also mean mixing the colors that tended to be used during those decades that could give your apartment a retro style. When talking about colors, the options are also wide, since according to the decade the colors that where in vogue at the time then changed. Retro style has a wide variation of colors (according to the decade), so there are plenty of options. For example, during the 50s, the trendy colors where soft and pastels (in green, yellow and blue) mixed with red, black and white. Still, in the 70s the trendy colors where stronger like orange and (flashy) green.

The idea of decorating an apartment with a retro style probably should be based on getting some objects you like and try to match them with those you already have in your apartment. As every fashion, the retro style will pass and it is important you mix that style with others that you can adapt according to the times, and your likes. The same thing happens with those objects and pieces of furniture that are too flashy; we may get tired of them after some time. Retro style tends to be peculiar in some aspects, (for example, furniture is usually too geometrical), and you may find it boring after a while. So, it is important that when decorating your apartment with a retro style you choose elements that you like, but that you can take (or put away) easily, in case you want to change them.

The retro style is the new “in” and there are many shops and places where you can get the material to decorate your apartment in retro style. It is a matter of finding those things you like and see how you can mix it with your current decoration items… If you start to decorate your apartment from scratch, it should be easier to adapt.

Tips to avoid accumulating things you don't use in your apartment

Nowadays, the mass consumption of things (you generally could live without) is something we are used to, and it could become a problem, especially if you live in a small place. Those who tend to accumulate without any reason, or who have many things in their apartments and they lack space to move around, should probably read this and see if it is good advice for them.

In the first place, is it recommended you don’t buy things you will never use, and that you know they will take up space. This applies to everything: edible things, personal (small) objects, clothes, and even pieces of furniture. Even though the things are cheap or you find them in the street in good shape and you like them, think twice if you are ever going to use that thing before taking it home.

Another tip for those people who like or can’t help accumulating things and don’t have much space at home, is you do some “cleaning” on a periodical basis (every few weeks for example, or at least, once a month). By “cleaning” we mean throwing away those things you haven’t used in a while, or that you know you don't really need. This way, (cleaning once in a while) will prevent you from having to do a big cleaning (which may take days or weeks) once a year for example. If you keep your apartment free of useless stuff, you will have more space and a cleaner (and wider) apartment. Besides, those things you don’t need and you have there taking up space, could be useful to someone else who do needs it.

This tip of getting rid of things we don’t use applies, as we have mentioned, to everything in your apartment: clothes, furniture, food, decoration objects, and everything you may think of.

Maybe these two pieces of advice are the best way to avoid accumulating things in your apartment; so remember: don’t buy things you are not going to use, and get rid of all you haven’t used in a while. This way, you may have more space at home and move freely around your apartment.

Swimming pools for backyards and Gardens

Even tough in Argentina is still not summer time, people are already looking forward to it, and together with that, people have started to think about the swimming pool they would like to have…

Those who have a backyard at home and would like to have a swimming pool will be able to choose from a wide variety of pools. The type (and size) of the swimming pool will depend mainly in the size of your backyard or garden.

For starters, the cheapest and one of the easiest swimming pools to install are the plastic ones. The plastic swimming pools are a practical alternative because they come in many sizes and they are easy to maintain. One of the pros of having a plastic swimming pool in your backyard is that, in the summer, you won't be too hot in there, and in winter you may put it away; so, you won't be loosing any space in your backyard because of the swimming pool.

Nowadays, there are also other above-ground swimming pools made of plastic or rubber that don’t have any pipes to support; you inflate the sides of the swimming pool and that is it. You only have to make sure you put the pool in a flat and smooth place. The good thing about this type of swimming pools is that you don’t need to be handling pipes to install it, like the other plastic swimming pools.

Another type of swimming pool you may consider to install in your backyard is the fiberglass pool. These swimming pools are easy to install, although it take a couple more days than when you have a plastic swimming pool. A good and interesting thing about the fiberglass swimming pools is that they come in a variety of sizes, shapes and depths. A downside of these swimming pools is that you cannot disassemble them in winter like the other pools. Still, you will have a fresh place to go in the summer.

Last, the swimming pools made of concrete are usually harder to install (or construct), specially because it takes longer. Still, once they are finished they don’t require too much maintenance. The swimming pools made of concrete are usually big (although they may have any size), and they are ideal for big back yards or gardens, so those who enjoy swimming may do so freely.

Each type of swimming pool has its technicalities when it comes to installing them, and it is always recommended you ask a specialist for he/she can tell you where the best place to install your new swimming pool is.

Feng Shui in your bedroom

The Feng Shui is a Chinese art that was born thousands of years ago, and today, it still is a source that people use to look for answers. Those who would like to change the energy that surrounds them may want to consider rearranging your furniture in your house so you have a “feng shui friendly” environment.

For starters, one of the rooms of a house that should always be in harmony according to the Feng Shui is the bedroom. That is why, we will give you some tips for you to arrange your bedroom according to the rules of the Feng Shui, in order to find harmony and good energy in your dreams and your life.

In order to have a bedroom that adapts to the Feng Shui, there are many things to consider, such as color, objects and decoration, shapes, the distribution of things, etc.

According to the Feng Shui rules, a bedroom should have more “yin” forces than “yang”. This means that your bedroom should be in a quiet place, should have soft coverings, like carpet on the floors, and there should be space; furniture shouldn‘t have sharpen angles; the chairs should be low, just to mention a few tips.

Likewise, when it comes to colors, it is advised that the bedroom should have warm and soft colors in order to keep with the feng shui rules. If your bedroom has blue tonalities, it will help you with protection and we should have pleasant dreams; if you choose pink, it will help you with love and it will calm the spirit; the ochre and brown tonalities (not too strong) will help your bedroom be soft and relaxing… On the contrary, colors like red or bright yellow or even black will not help the energy of the bedroom to be relaxing.

Another key element that should be considered when it comes to harmonizing your bedroom according to the feng shui is the position of the bed. In order to have a feng shui-friendly bedroom, your bed should never be in front of the door or below a window, since this can generate a sense of emptiness, exhaustion, among others. It is also advised, that you don't hang any pictures above the bedroom (it could bring conflict); it is also adviced you always have a head of the bed (to avoid instability in your life). Last, since the bedroom is a place to rest, it is always important to have the bed as the main element of the room.

Moreover, in order to have a balanced bedroom according to the Feng Shui, it is important that you don’t crowd the bedroom with objects and furniture (this includes clothes and things inside your closet). Likewise, it is not good to have electronic appliances inside your room that could make any interference with the energy of the room.

So, here are some tips in order to have a Feng Shui bedroom, so you may find balance and calmness in your life, by starting with a good rest.