Rosettes have been used as ornamental decor in architecture and sculpture for thousands of years, and stand today as one of the most enduring design motifs ever created by mankind. A rosette is basically a stylized rose pattern, with the petals extending out from the central stem. In ancient Chinese and Egyptian art, they often served as decorative embellishments around the base of sculptures and columns. The symbolism of the rose has meant different things to different cultures over the years, from the ancient Greek representation of love and beauty to the early Christian translation of the five rose petals equating to the five wounds of Christ.
Traditional Applications
The most common uses for rosettes in modern architecture and home decor are as corner blocks for door frames and as a flourished effect for ceiling trim. Rosettes come in a wide range of different styles, so finding a rosette with the style, shapes and angles to perfectly fit your decor is simple to achieve. Also, since you can easily stain or paint a rosette to either blend in with the surrounding materials or to create a striking complement, you can control how bold of an effect a rosette treatment has on the overall aesthetics of a room.
Contemporary Indulgence
If you enjoy the artistic quality of a certain style of rosette, and are looking for a unique way to display this type of decorative accessory, you simply need to think outside of the box. You don't even need a door frame or ceiling trim to use a rosette. You can place them as stand-alone wall decorations at evenly spaced intervals along the horizontal plane of a wall to add a luxurious old-word feel. Likewise, you can add smaller rosettes to corner blocks of furniture ot other wooden home decor to add a certain elegance where none existed before. Rosettes are among the most versatile artistic effects you can use to make your home more distinctive. All it takes is a little imagination and personal flair to allow these rose-patterned marvels to bloom inside any room in your home.
