Hello, and thanks for checking in! Today I am just going to make a quick update on two of the most exciting things happening here at QAQ HQ and a third thing that is exciting for me, at least, and may also be of interest to cat-lovers!
It's been a busy week here at QAQ as we are currently re-vamping this web-site with a launch planned by the end of July. That has certainly kept me busy, hence no normal blog post today!
The contestants Ben & Danielle of this season's 'House Rules' channel 7 television program chose QAQ's 'Washington' screen for their beautiful backyard reveal, episode 32. You can see how gorgeous the screens look by watching the full episode or seeing the episode's photo gallery on the Yahoo 7 'House Rules' web-site.
The best thing about the reveal, in my opinion? They painted the screen a gorgeous shade of bright red! As you may know from the little tanty in my last post, I am always keen to see more QAQ decorative screens in color!
Now, this third update is my own little project here at QAQ, and one which is very close to my heart, as I am an avid animal lover, especially of cats. There have been a litter of kittens living in and around our parking lot here at QAQ, and I have personally taken responsibility of feeding the two that have survived, hoping they will no longer need to dumpster-dive the industrial bins in this area. My hope is to get them to warm up enough to human care that they will have a chance of being re-homed, either through the Maneki Neko Cat Rescue or perhaps by a volunteer--maybe even one of you! These were the first successful photos I've been able to take of one of the two cats, I've affectionately named 'Fluffy', who is slowly growing less fearful of my presence each day.
I'll be making at least one update on the mission each week on the QAQ Facebook Page, so follow us there if you do not already to hear more about 'Fluffy' and friend!
Till Tuesday, have a great weekend!
~Christine
In these Moroccan style patios, I imagine the 'Morocco' screen used in the back of each lounge setting, hanging from the patio roof or along the fence in a brightly powder-coated aluminium or mild steel, which are ideal for outdoor settings. In the lower right picture, screens could be used in place of the curtains on the side behind the lounge seats, perhaps in a crisp, white, satin-painted compressed hardwood. Notice three decor elements that are similar in all 4 of these photos that make up the Moroccan style:
1. Stripy rugs
2. Lots of throw pillows
3. Low seating and low furniture
The 'Morocco' decorative screen could be used as a headboard or hung above the beds in these beautiful bedrooms, especially if it were cut in a smooth and lightweight material like ACM, which comes in a variety of colors--and color is the defining decor element of so many Moroccan styled interiors! Once again, there are throw pillows galore, and a lot of varying textures in soft and hard furnishings.
Though still Moroccan in style, these living rooms are more minimalist, lighter, and have more modern furnishings than traditional Moroccan interiors. I imagine the 'Morocco' decorative screen cut in pale blue or white ACM and hung as wall decor in the top left picture, a bright red or yellow ACM in the top right, and a pale green or mustard yellow powder-coated aluminium in the bottom right pic. In the bottom left pic, I can't imagine anything more beautiful than 'Morocco' being cut in raw aluminium (which is a beautiful matte silver and very lightweight) and hung on the wall to match the silver chest of drawers.
Now to see the 'Morocco' decorative screen installed: here it is in black powder-coated ACM in an outdoor kitchen area. These screens were cleverly installed on runners so that they can be pulled to the side when needed, like sliding doors.
And here it is installed in a sunroom. Imagine how glorious this room would look when filled with palms, striped rugs, low furnishings, and too many colorful throw pillows...beautiful!
Where & What to Buy For Moroccan Style:
Previously, I've featured some beautiful, but exorbitantly expensive products--no longer! From now on you'll see only affordable products that can be easily purchased, often on eBay and Etsy! Here are just a few:
1. Moroccan hamsa necklace: via Etsy by The Blue One Designs
2. Moroccan Tea Glass Set: via eBay here
3. Throw Pillows: handmade by Chloe and Olive via Etsy
4. Purple Hanging Hexagon Lamp: via eBay here
5. Pink Violet Magenta Purple Moroccan Filigree Box: by Merry Meeting Gifts
6. Moroccan Hand painted Corner Table: via eBay here
Hope you enjoyed this little foray into all things Moroccan inspired by our 'Morcooco' decorative screen design. For more Moroccan inspiration, see QAQ's Pinterest board on this design: 'Morocco', alongside pin boards focusing on many other of our screen designs, with a new one each Tuesday!
~Christine
Privacy is what most all of us crave to come home to after a day spent out in the world, so it's an important thing to create if it is lacking both in and just outside of the home. A cozy, enclosed patio or balcony can become an extra lounge room for romantic moments with your partner, and a private backyard or garden can become an inviting place for meditation or yoga--there are just some activities that you don't want your neighbors to be able to see! So if you've recently had your outdoor privacy decimated by your neighbor's new second level bedroom with its window view onto your patio, or if you've always longed for more cozy privacy outside, here are the 4 main ways to achieve it:
The first and most obvious choice to new home owners is to build a tall fence. Fences keep the kids and dogs from escaping, the burglars reconsidering burgling, and the demarcation between 'not-mine' and 'mine' tight and secure. Fencing can be basic or elaborate, continuous or broken up into standing panels, as in the first top left picture below. It can be something made from scavenged pieces of wood or, as in the bottom right picture, up-cycled shutter doors!
Decorative screens work exceptionally well with fences to break up the monotony of plain wood, or they can be used to create the entire fence. Here's QAQ's 'Cherry Blossom' in black acrylic, installed over the top of this fence to create a more stylish, Japanese-inspired garden area:
Custom sized and cut screens can also be used to add height onto the top of an existing fence as it was here with QAQ's 'Bamboo' design:
Though it may take a bit more time to create and then to maintain, a long-term plan to grow a tall hedge for increased privacy is the most environmentally sustainable option, and the one that will make your enclosed space feel a lot more like a natural, whilst highly manicured, oasis. There are endless varieties of good hedge species to choose from, with one of the fastest-growing, and tallest being bamboo, as seen in the picture bottom left:
To enclose a smaller area just around the patio or balcony, a very quick and easy to install option is to hang curtains. Not only will these give the space privacy, they will also shade any area from the sun during the day, and as the afternoon progresses the curtains can be opened or closed along the sides of the patio as the sun moves across the sky. At night, they will make the enclosed space feel like an outdoor room. Curtains that can flow open or be held back by beautiful braided cords and tassels are an especially stylish, romantic decorative feature. Here are some beautiful examples:
Decorative screens are a newer trend toward creating beauty and privacy, and here at QAQ we are on the forefront of providing the most designs in the largest variety of materials, standard or custom sized, made and sold within Australia. There are so, so many ways screens can be used to create privacy, and all at varying levels of privacy: some provide near total block-out, others are barely there as exotic and intimate, shapely divides.
Here is QAQ's 'Fern Leaf' design installed as a center decorative feature in a patio wall:
For a more DIY, easy installment, screens can simply be hung along a patio ceiling, as with these 'Cayman' screens:
With a bit more planning, a larger structure can be made using screens with a high block-out rating for near total privacy and sun shade, as with these 'Eden' screens in compressed hardwood, painted beige:
Though we can't help you with the first three options, we can definitely help you with the fourth if decorative screens appeal to you! Take a look at our many designs available and contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a quote or more information.
I hope you enjoyed this post and got some inspiration for improving your home!
~Christine
The iconic native Australian flower named after a kangaroo's paw is the design of QAQ's 'Kangaroo Paw' decorative screen, a design that we unfortunately lack in photos though it has always been very popular with our customers. Fortunately, the one photo I do have here to show you does a good job at showing how beautiful this design is when panels are placed side by side. A beautiful, larger arabesque design emerges, creating a stunning wall-- a bit like a wallpaper mural on the side of a building.
These are blue-painted compressed hardwood panels installed on the outside of an urban building.
Kangaroo Paw flowers are too be found in almost every neighborhood street in Australia, hence this is a very popular design to install as a decorative garden screen. Here are some examples of beautiful Australian gardens with Kangaroo Paw flowers that this screen design would sit alongside perfectly well:
Since the 'Kangaroo Paw' design suits the Australian native landscape and aesthetic so well, let's look at a few more Australian icons and products that are to be found in almost every home in Australia--perhaps to the amusement of our overseas readers! These are all Australia-made things, just like all QAQ's decorative screens!
1. Start Ya Bastard - this is a for-real starter fluid for ya' engines, mate. Found in almost every single Aussie's garage.
2. Aboriginal boomerang - Though most of the souvenir shops sell Chinese-made reproductions, this is still an original native Australian hunting tool that almost every Aussie child owns and doesn't really know how to throw.
3. Arnott's Tim Tam's - a delicious biscuit (cookie in American) made of chocolate covered wafers. The original plain chocolate is best but it now comes in a million different flavors as well!
4. Ugg Boots - The original sheep-skin slippers made to be worn indoors yet often worn outdoors by the fashion un-conscious.
5. A sheep skin rug - these luxuriously soft rugs make any room look quite glamorous, come in many colors, and are amazing to dig your toes into first thing when you step out of bed in the morning.
6. Vegemite - a black, butter-like salty yeast extract spread for crackers and bread. An acquired taste that foreigners will never understand.
7. The iconic Kangaroo Paw flower in a red variety.
Hope you enjoyed this little foray into all things Australian inspired by our very Australian decorative screen design, the lovely 'Kangaroo Paw'. For more Australiana and to see photos of some of the most stunning places to visit around our great country, see QAQ's Pinterest board on this designs: 'Kangaroo Paw', alongside pin boards focusing on many other of our screen designs, with a new one each week!
~Christine