Monthly Archives: August 2012

The story behind each sign

Posted on by Nick Brandt

This week has been full of give-away posts and that’s nice, of course, but I thought it would be fun to mix it with some facts regarding our signs. You know I love telling you about our products and how they are made, and the reason why I like this so much, is because I’m really proud of the products and their quality.

Enamel signs have been on the market for many decades now. They were produced in many factories all over Europe, until World War II. After the war, people started to buy cheaper signs, made of cheaper material instead, which meant most factories had to close down the production of enamel signs. Ramsign started revived the production in 1991 and has produced hand stencilled enamel signs ever since. From the beginning we offered blue and white signs (Metropolitan), white signs with black text (Highlander) and these signs became very popular right away. Today we offer five different collections, including Metropolitan and Highlander.

Ramsign takes pride in producing unique, hand stencilled signs of high quality. The fat, glossy enamel, along with the craftsman touch on every sign, makes the signs from Ramsign really unique and special.

Each enamel sign is carefully stencilled and burned at 800 degrees Celsius. The process is repeated for each color. Only when the enamel is melted and cooled down the true color of the enamel will appear. Manufacture of enamel signs can be compared with the production of blown glass, where no two copies are alike. Another important aspect to mention is that all our signs are enamelled on the back as well, in order to prevent corrosion. This means the sign will remain glossy and beautiful for a very long time and the customer won’t have to worry about maintenance and weather issues.

It’s really interesting to look into the story behind each sign and I think it’s amazing how the signs can be alike, but still unique. Noone else will ever have a sign that looks exactly like my sign, and that’s fantastic, don’t you think?

 

 

Photos: Ramsign

Make the front porch a true asset

Posted on by Nick Brandt

What do you look at first when you arrive to a home where you’ve never been before? Is it the garden, the house exterior, the windows, the front yard or something else? I always look at the front porch first of all, and I can’t deny that the impression I get from it stays with me for a long time. It doesn’t really matter that a house is beautiful inside if the porch is plain and unpersonal, or messy and full of dirt. It might sound strange, but that’s the ugly truth. I think the front porch is a huge part of the whole picture and I think it’s important to use the porch to let the house reach its full capacity, don’t you agree?

I remember a blog post when I listed ways to make the porch more beautiful and welcoming, so I won’t go down that road again, but one of the ideas on my list was to place a beautiful and customized enamel sign on the porch to make it personal and welcoming. I found a few photos on blogs which belongs to customers and winners and I thought it would be nice to show you how nice it can look with a sign on the porch. Have a look, isn’t it beautiful? I sure think so!

 

 

Photo: Cottage and Creek

Photo: Sweet Chaos

Coastal home decor – a never fading favourite

Posted on by Nick Brandt

You know that I love vintage and you know that I love home decor with an old, romantic touch. Do you know what else I like? Coastal home decorating is another favourite of mine, and there are several reasons why I love that style so much. First of all, the coastal style is fresh, cozy and it gives a warm impression. I also find it classic and stylish. The other reason is that it reminds me of the sea, and I love spending time nearby the sea, where I’m able to sit on the terrace and watch the waves reach the sand. I love the smell of sea weed and I love the sound of the waves.It has a relaxing and calming impact on me and I would definitely spend at least half the year close to the sea if I could choose. Imagine to spend every summer in Cape Cod, in a beautiful coastal villa, just a few steps from the beach. Wouldn’t that be just great? I sure would think so.

We can’t all get a home in Cape Cod, but fortunately we can all create our own coastal home, even if we live plenty of miles away from the real coast. It doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult to create a coastal home, here’s a few easy steps to get a little bit of the coastal look that I love so much!

  • Use old wooden pieces for decorating purpose. You can use them as they look when you find them, or you can paint them and write something on them, or use a saw to create a shaped wooden piece of your own taste.
  • Take a stroll on the beach and search for sea shells. Use them when you decorate your home. Place it on the mantel, as a circle around a candle, or on a side table to add a coastal touch to the home.
  • Do you get an opportunity to buy old life preserver rings? Do it, and use them instead of paintings on the wall! It’ll look great!
  • Make a wise colour choice. White painted floors and walls, marine blue textiles and pillow cases with the American flag sounds like a great choice! Some red and some blue can be added where suitable.

 

You can get many things for free, which can be used for decorating purpose, for example stones, wooden pieces, sea shells and other similar items. Use your imagination and follow your heart, that’s the best way to get a house where all your friends will feel like home from the moment they enter the door!

 

 

Photos: Pinterest

 

Add some unexpected charm with brick walls

Posted on by Nick Brandt

I love white, and I know that you all know by now that I love white… I’ve told you so many times that you probably know it better than your own colour preferences… However, I’ve discovered something else that I like, and not just like a little, but love! It’s interior brick walls. It’s beautiful, it’s personal and not at all cold as you might think when you first hear about it.

I live in a rented apartment at the moment, and I don’t think the owner of the place would appreciate if I tried to replace the walls in order to create that brick wall I’d like to have, but I wish it was doable… I can tell you one thing, as soon as I find my dream house I’ll definitely do what I can to get at least one room with interior brick walls. Maybe not an entire room with brick walls, but one wall in the room, as a contrast. Wouldn’t that look nice?

Have you discovered the charm in interior brick walls yet? Do you have one of your own? Take a look at these photos, I think it’s amazing how cozy a room can be when you add a little bit of brick instead of just plain walls with ordinary wall paper, don’t you agree?

 

Photo: Bright Bazaar

 

Photo: Pinterest

 

Photo: Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fascinating concrete cottage

Posted on by Nick Brandt

Normally when I post photos of houses and cottages it’s cozy, old looking places with lots of vintage charm. This time I’ve got some entirely different photos to show. I found the photos on La Boheme, and even though it’s normally not my style at all, I really like this concrete cottage with large glass windows and walls. It’s a bit too cold for my taste, I would definitely add some textiles and some colour if I owned the cottage but it’s so stylish and it’s such a fabulous contrast to the nature outside, which makes it even more interesting.

What do you think? Do you like it or dislike it? Do you think it’s cold or warm? Would you add something or do you like it just as it is? I’m actually a bit surprised by my reaction in this case. I would honestly have thought I would dislike a cottage like this since it’s nothing like the places I usually like but I fell in love immediately when looking at the photos. I would love to sit in the sofa, looking out through the windows, looking at the nature outside. It would be a perfect place for relaxation and consideration. A great place if you need to think about something without being disturbed. Don’t you agree?

 

 

 

Photos: Mauricio Fuertes, via La Boheme