Lana Lovrić

FAMILY HOUSE WITH EXCELLENT STYLE AND BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT OAK PARQUET

by Lana Lovrić | Aug 23, 2021

We are taking you to a beautiful house in Zagreb where a young family lives and who has finally fulfilled her dreams. We talked about their experience of buying real estate, decorating, as well as how they met and loved the Mopar brand.

Initially, our interlocutors were tenants and they were in no hurry to look for a home that they could fully call “their” own. So for 10 years, with some interruptions, they were looking for something that would suit them perfectly. In the meantime, their daughters grew up, so in the process of searching, their needs changed, but they often ended up dissatisfied with excessive and unfavorable offers. All of this has led them several times to the need to take a break from searching for the ideal property for months or even years.

It is true that each of us has a list of priorities in our search, but also of a compromises that we are willing to agree to and perhaps speed up the buying process a bit. So this family of ours would often encounter something that did not suit them, but for which they would have to make a bigger compromise that they did not want to agree to. In addition, their satisfaction with the rented apartment in which they had lived all these years provided them with an anchor with which they were satisfied at the time. The rented apartment was really great for them, and the landlord was like a dream – tolerant and approachable. They decorated it according to their wishes, with their furniture, and even in that apartment they moved some walls, changed the color of the carpentry and settled in it until the moment when they outgrew it. As the girls grew, so did their needs. Thinking that their current apartment was great, they became aware that they were missing just one room.

From the need for another room, looking at ads for a larger apartment, they came to buy a spacious house and then realised their dream. One day they noticed an ad for the perfect house that suits them, it was located in the current neighborhood, which suited them very well, because all activities and life were related to it (school, kindergarten, sports activities). The house was in relatively good condition, “a little painting”, they thought it would be enough and that they would move in quickly. But their main condition during the purchase of the house was that the windows could be slightly expanded. The owners started from the window and ended up with only the walls left, and under the pretext of “now that we are changing this, we could only do this”, they got an almost completely new house! As for the compromise – there were none. With this house they got a lot of potential and they did a lot more than what they were looking for.

“The adaptation process lasted a year. We hired an architect who helped us a lot. From changing schedules to practical tips. She also recommended us the construction workers she normally collaborates with and it was a complete hit. I think that we are one of the few who have only words of praise for the construction workers about the renovation process! ”, the owner tells us about the adaptation process itself.

Their renovation took a couple of months longer due to delays in carpentry and solving documentation, so the masters were waiting for them, and not the other way around… It was the paperwork and solving the building permit that was the biggest challenge when decorating the house.

How did the parquet selection process go? Where did you meet the Mopar brand and what did you first start with when choosing the best parquet for you: from the color, shape or way of stacking?

“Since our whole house is decorated in the Scandinavian style, I knew right at the beginning that the parquet must be bright and large. For Mopar, I received a recommendation from the architect, but also from a couple of friends. So that was my first destination to choose from. I’ve already seen parquet on the web that would suit us, and in the showroom I looked at them live and realised that’s it! It was one of the easier choices!” Said the owner who opted for Mopar parquet from the Trend collection in the color Design. In addition, she stated that another practical item for the parquet was the paint for the steps. Namely, the carpenter who worked on their staircase took the same color of parquet from Mopar and repainted the treads with it. This is definitely an advantage because they get a uniform color of the floors throughout the house. Also Mopar parquet is suitable for the installation of underfloor heating, which was a great wish of our interlocutors.

During our visit to the house, we were strongly impressed by the large glass door with wrought iron frames that separate the entrance area from the living room. The large “open space”, which was preceded by the demolition of the load-bearing wall and the implementation of greater support, convinced us that all the effort around it really paid off. The left side of this large space is reserved for a spacious and comfortable light-colored set opposite the TV sole and a wall adorned with detail, decor with wooden slats. The living room has a large glass wall overlooking the garden, and is separated from the kitchen by a small area for reading, drinking coffee and a short break. A large, non-standard window with 2 comfortable rattan armchairs and a couple of designer details definitely caught our attention the most. In the second part there is a symmetrical white kitchen with a worktop in white marble decor with gray details. A large bar with a pair of wooden bar stools and a round dining table are a place where the family happily gathers around the table.

The upper floor of the house is reserved for bedrooms, but already from the stairs the view extends to the beautiful bathroom with a free-standing bathtub that takes your breath away. Parquet continues its story on the upper floor and is perfectly connected with the bright Scandinavian style of decoration. Upstairs, we liked the bedroom the most. In addition to the built-in wardrobe with sliding doors in black glass that every woman would like, the central place is occupied by a bed with excellent indirect lighting and side hanging lamps that are very effective in copper-pink color.

When asked how they maintain the parquet and how grateful it is, they answer that two new “family members” have moved into the house with them: robotic vacuum cleaners with which the maintenance of the floors is really easy and undemanding. While one vacuums daily, the other wipes the parquet once a week with a little liquid and keeps them clean. This help with cleaners came in handy given the brightness of the parquet, but especially on the large area of the house.

After a few months of living in this house, the owners would not change anything at all! They are very happy with everything and are enjoying their new home to the fullest, and we are glad that we are taking a part of this story.

Enjoy in the pictures for which Sanja Bistričić is responsible and explore our products:: www.mopar.hr

BARBARA NOLA: ADAPTATION DIARY PART 2

by Lana Lovrić | Apr 8, 2021

The apartment is finished, everything has fallen into place, and Mopar parquet suits perfectly. Barbara Nola chose it from the Herringbone collection in a beautiful natural wood color. It turned out that forming in fishbone pattern is in the spirit of the old town apartment and that it certainly follows the character of the furniture, but also the owners themselves.

Although she says that she is not a great talent for space, has a hard time deciding and is afraid of earthquakes, but she has her husband Lukas with her, who is the complete opposite in that respect. They are both lovers of design, beautiful things, art… making their new apartment truly radiant.

After the first tired day of moving, Barbara experienced her first awakening in a new apartment and realized how wonderful it is and how quickly a person adjusts to better. This was followed by several days of unpacking, several chaotic days in which one you try to balance between private and business obligations, and assembling furniture and storing. Although the first days passed in anticipation of the kitchen, everything fell into place when she arrived. “Now that main room, where we cook, eat, talk, lie on the sofa and learn texts, has come to life wonderfully,” says Barbara enthusiastically. Although she eventually got very tired of it all, she says it paid off.

“Our neighbors are wonderful, the building withstood the earthquake well, but we are still going to arrange and strengthen the attic and that is great. I hope that in time we will work on strengthening the building, because I think that all the buildings in the center, except for the facades, need a good reinforcement. I would love for this beautiful city to shine with full splendor again, because it truly depresses me as it is now.” Barbara shared with us.

First of all, she learned from this adaptation: “that you need to be patient, because everything takes longer than you imagined and longer than promised. The proverb “promise is a crazy joy” is definitely valid here. You need to be patient but active, and constantly call and ask when something will come that is late and when the people who work will come and finish the job. You need to be present as much as possible while the work is going on and say clearly what you want and what is important to you, but don’t reassure people that they can’t do their job. Then you need to think carefully about what is important, ie what you will not be able to do once you move in.”

The apartment truly exudes character on every corner, from the parquet itself, to the little things that enrich the home. The spacious and large rooms with high ceilings with lots of sun have housed original pieces of furniture from the family heritage. Large and heavy chests of drawers several decades old, as well as beds and antique closets, have found their place in an apartment that already at first matched the owners with its layout. The apartment is old-fashioned, and yet somewhat slightly modernized, and radiates a pleasant peace. A few new details, purchased modern pieces of furniture, discount chairs and green armchairs, and industrial pendants, gave a great balance. The eclectic interior that radiates warmth and comfort undoubtedly reveals the character of our famous theater, film and television actress, and the home has finally got its own backdrop that we have no doubt the whole Nola family will enjoy.

In the end, Barbara is happy that she listened to the advice from Mopar, and that they changed all the parquets, not just one room and the hallway as originally planned. Everything can change later, but the floors – very difficult. Barbara says for Mopar parquets that they are world class and of Croatian production, and that they deserve a top master – Mr. Radiković, who did his job of laying parquets excellently.

In the end, Barbara wishes everyone who embarks on adaptations and relocations “a lot of happiness, patience, mutual understanding and love, and as little expenses as possible.”

Fotografije: Sanja Bistričić

BARBARA NOLA: ADAPTATION DIARY PART 1

by Lana Lovrić | Feb 10, 2021

We all like to peek into someone else’s apartment and find out all the challenges that the owners have encountered while decorating the apartment. But when a celebrity tells his story in the first person and lets you enter her intimate space, then such a story of adaptation gains in special importance with a small addition of intrigue.

The dramatic beginning of this story is not due to the dramatic adaptation of the apartment, but to the fact that we bring the story of our famous actress Barbara Nola. We start with the first part, with plans, wishes, but also getting to know the Mopar brand and beautiful oak parquets with a Croatian signature, which Barbara fell in love with at first sight.

The harmonious acting-directing couple, Barbara and Lukas Nola, have been thinking about buying an apartment for many years. Commitments and various life events have so far prevented them from doing so, but with the arrival of the pandemic, they have been given extra time when they manage to realize this long-awaited wish.

The first was the choice of location, which was preceded by thinking about the needs of all family members:
„There is also my working hours which are different every day. Sometimes I have to be in the theater and three times a day, I come back late from shows, sometimes in the early dawn to film… Mostly chaos, so it is important to me that I am close to Gavella. It was also important to us that our daughter has her own space where she can do her work, because she studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, that Lukas has peace to write, because he doesn’t have an office, that our moms can come to us if the need arises and I could still enumerate indefinitely.“

In addition to the real price and location in the city center, the affirmative decision was also contributed by the good condition of the building, as well as the much sought after and desired today: green sticker.

„We spent a lot of time in various apartments and watched everything. Overpriced, neglected, knauf-coated, and cracked apartments. Besides, there was an atmosphere here that we both thought “look, this apartment is kind of ours”. Old-fashioned, yet slightly modernized and radiated a pleasant peace.” Barbara Nola shared with us. She describes the moment when she recognized that it was their apartment as a feeling that is experienced immediately upon entering the apartment.

After the enthusiasm that followed the ease of choosing and buying an apartment, they started measuring and measuring the walls, organizing the rooms and planning the positioning of antique furniture from the family heritage: they were massive chests of drawers, antique cabinets that are very important to Barbara’s family.

Moving the kitchen to the living room also meant switching installations, but with a well-known and excellent craftsman, this process was not a problem. But when they set out to remove the laminate from the former kitchen and maid’s room, it was found that the floor was uneven. New parquet had to be put in the future daughter’s bedroom and study, while in the rest of the apartment the parquet was relatively good. But here Barbara encounters a problem.

We bring the rest of the story from Barbara’s perspective:

„Real wood and small parquets, so we thought to put them in those rooms and in the hole in the hallway. Only, we found that such samples are no longer on the market.

We went on an internet search for parquet floors and came across Mopar. I fell in love with their parquets at first sight, and for me it is a huge plus that they are a Croatian manufacturer. In general, a lot of what we bought later, I tried to be ours. I think we have great manufacturers and they need to be supported. Now the dilemma was whether to patch part of the parquet or change everything? We realized that it is impossible to change the floor later when you already live in the apartment and that this investment is very worthwhile. You do it once and that’s it. In Mopar, they helped us a lot with the choice, because they have experience that would suit which type of apartment.

We chose a wonderful warm shade of wood, large in size (12 x 58 cm) and decided to arrange them in herringbone. So that it is in the spirit of the original parquets in such apartments.

We put OSB boards in the rooms and the hole, and just sanded the rest and covered the old parquets. Now I’m sorry that I skimped and that I didn’t lift the old parquet everywhere and put the Osb boards crosswise because I later found out that it increases the static resistance.

The parquet was laid by a top master and it actually paid off and we had to wait a bit because it is world class. I adore him. When he had to go to work on a previously contracted job and stop with us for a short time, I, frustrated by the experience of repairing the knauf and painting the walls that took longer because the masters worked elsewhere, told him “swear to me you’ll be back in a week” and he replied: “Jesus and Mary, Mrs. Barbara, so only if I fall under the car I will not come“.

And he came.“

Photo: Sanja Bistričić

CHRISTMAS WREATHS THAT YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF

by Lana Lovrić | Feb 10, 2021

The Christmas holidays are a joyful and exciting time that we look forward to the most of the year and for which we prepare. Entire cities then change and become stages where real Christmas magic takes place. Christmas lights are flashing everywhere, decorated fir trees can be seen on the windows, the mood of the people is happier than usual. The scents of Christmas cakes are spreading through the city, and a new tradition is gradually entering our lives. Making a Christmas wreath is a tradition that comes from western countries, and can increasingly be seen as a decoration on the doors of our homes.

Christmas is a symbol of togetherness and brings a special joy because it often gathers family members at the table during the making of Christmas decorations. Not to mention the pleasure we feel when we do something with our hands. It is an opportunity to discover new abilities for which you do not need special talent, just a little skill, dexterity and creative material. Truly, Christmas is a special holiday, and this year will be remembered in many ways. Anyway, this year you have time to dedicate to it and do things that you haven’t gotten to so far or haven’t had the courage and opportunity to do. Trying some new Christmas cake recipes or making an Advent wreath will bring an opportunity for rapprochement and joint activities of all the household members. As the irresistible scent of vanilla and cinnamon spreads through the home, take a few moments to decorate the space and make it magical.

We bring you a few tips, more precisely three recipes for making decorations – the original Advent wreath and two wreaths for the door.

1. Christmas wreath of laurel and linen

To make this wreath you need:

twigs
branches that can be bent
laurel twigs
dried linen
flax spray in red
green wire
pine twigs
cones
hot glue gun
decorative ribbon

Wrap the rods around each other and bend in a circle, and fasten with metal green wire. Don’t worry about the twigs growing, they don’t need to look perfect, they are just a base around which you will string laurel and linen. You can pre-spray the flax with red paint and leave it to dry overnight. Then combine it together with the bay leaves and arrange them next to the wreath.

Wrap them with green wire, and cover the wire with new leaves that you string in a circle. When the wreath is finished, arrange a couple of pine twigs in one position and glue the cones with hot glue. Wrap the decorative ribbon around the wreath on the opposite side of the additional decorations, tie a knot ……… and hang it on the front door.

2. Eucalyptus wreath

To make this wreath you need:

twigs
branches that can be bent
eucalyptus
female sorghum – dried
pine twigs
green wire
decorative ribbon

And this time bend the sticks, wrap them around each other and make a wreath. Attach them with green wire, and then start stacking eucalyptus twigs on the wreath. Attach their stems to the wreath with green wire, wrap a few times for firmness, then arrange the new twigs so that they cover those ends and arrange the composition of your wreath.

Prevedi s jezika: bosanski

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Rezultati prijevoda

When you have completed the whole round, make a small decoration of pine twigs and decorative dried flowers from effective sorghum. Wrap these twigs with green wire and then attach them to your wreath with decorative silk ribbon. Use the same ribbon at the opposite end of the additional embellishments so you can hang your wreath somewhere.

3. An unusual, simple and effective Advent wreath

To make an Advent wreath you need:

wooden base eg. board as a cross-section of birch wood
4 tall colored candles as desired
4 glass bottles with a diameter sufficient for tall candles
twine or decorative ribbon
various herbs: eucalyptus twigs and holly
hot glue gun
green wire
water

On a wooden round base, which can be a cross section of a tree, place 4 bottles filled with water and put a small sprig of eucalyptus in each. Close the bottles with a tall candle, decorate the neck of the bottle with twine or decorative ribbon and fasten them to the base. Gather eucalyptus and holly twigs, secure them with green wire and glue them with hot glue to the base. This simple Advent wreath will take up very little space and bring your table an effective and modern look.

When making these ornaments, protect the substrate on which you make the ornaments, and be especially careful with hot glue.

We took photos of Christmas decorations on the Trend parquet collection, and you can find out more about this project at this link or through our sales consultants, showroom in Zagreb – contact.

For the purposes of this photographing, no parquet was destroyed smile

CHEVRON WITH A BREATH OF LUXURY AND MODERATION

by Lana Lovrić | Nov 6, 2020

We are taking you to a luxury villa in Šestine in Zagreb, which very successfully combines various styles, flirts with various challenges and represents a sample of Chevron in a role we have not had the opportunity to see before.

It all started with the recommendation of Mr. Radiković who laid our parquet in the mentioned house and advised us to come and see and photoshoot. We decide to visit and organize an interior photoshoot. One of the rainiest days of this autumn awaits us on that day, but not even bad weather prevents us from peeking into this pearl on Šestine and seeing for ourselves the great impressions it has already left.

As we really didn’t know what to expect, apart from the fact that we would find parquet from our Castle collection in the popular color MOPAR Whisper in the house, we enjoyed the element of surprise. Upon entering, we realized that we see a pattern of chevrons in a new attire – combined with various styles and accentuated with a dose of glamor and luxury. A spacious entrance area led us to the living area of the house, which is separated from the entrance by only a few steps. Quite enough to give the impression of the most beautiful part of the house from a small height when entering.

The living room is adorned with an endless view of the nature that surrounds the house, with a wealth of greenery, emphasizing its beautiful position. The living room is connected to the dining room and kitchen which, although are part of the same room, form separate units because they are cleverly designed and visually separated. The lighting in the space is carefully designed and emphasizes the impression of luxury, and it is good for us to hide the dark shadows that the bad weather has brought us.

In the space we notice that light tones of beige and gray prevail, bright and crystal lighting in balance with the matte surfaces of the beautiful and practical kitchen. The space combines materials of different textures, and the dominance of the space is taken over by the main wall in the living room, which comfortably accommodates the beautiful Art Deco wallpaper with a vintage style.

Although we have seen a pattern of chevrons in various roles, in industrial interiors, French styles, it is beautiful to see how adaptable the same parquet is in such modern and glamorous interiors.

We saw the same pride and enthusiasm in the eyes of the owner who decorated this house almost entirely by herself, and she feels the same joy during the move-in that is planned for the day after our visit. In the conversation, we learn that she is fully informed about trends and styles and that she has created a space that she and her family will truly enjoy. She then takes us to the basement – which is at ground level at the back of the house, where she has housed a functional and separate apartment for her son.

With a beautiful wooden staircase, we climb to the upper floors of this villa and get acquainted with the sleeping part of the house, which also doesn’t lack with luxury. Upholstered beds in velvet fabric with headboards to the ceiling and carefully planned side lighting, emphasize that attention was paid to absolutely every detail.

Enjoy the images we bring you and once again consider combining different styles, as this may be the winning combination for you as well.

Photo: Sanja Bistričić