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

MODERN & STYLISHLY DECORATED APARTEMENT IN ZAGREB

by Lana Lovrić | Jun 10, 2020

Last week we had the opportunity to visit a luxury apartment on Sveti Duh in Zagreb. Already when arranging the shooting, we were sensing that this is a truly special apartment from the conversation with owners who are very proud of it. The cordiality and smile of this young married couple await us upon entering, but we look forward to look at the apartment, which already leaves a strong impression on us. At the end of the entrance hall, our view reaches towards the “walk-in” closet, and the photographer Sanja Bistričić and I are already thinking about the angle of the shooting and admiring the overall impression.

The hallway is divided in this place and while one part leads to the sleeping / working part of the apartment, the other leads us to the living room connected to the dining room and surrounded by a glass wall and terrace with one of the most beautiful views of the city we had the opportunity to see. They immediately tell us enthusiastically how they were introduced to the Mopar brand through the architect and admit that they chose the parquet before the apartment itself. They knew exactly what they wanted. Already during the tour of the apartment, we notice that the owners are looking for a modern, simple design and clean lines. The parquet they chose is from the Trend collection and in a lacquered finish in the shade Intuition, gray-brown colour. They are extremely satisfied with the maintenance of this lacquered parquet, indicating its durability and wear resistance.

Pale-gray, simple and comfortable corner sofa has taken a central place in the apartment, and the striking large glass surfaces give the apartment a lot of light. Precisely because it comes from various sources, from the west and the north, creating a perfect play of light in the center of the apartment. Carefully selected pieces of design furniture, a combination of Scandinavian and Dutch style, striking and unique details and decorations, and various works of art, have ennobled this space and given it a special modern expression.

At that moment, we notice the kitchen, connected to the dining room, which, with a roof window and cashmere-colored decor, leaves an impression of beauty and warmth. This is where we notice how the owners followed the trends when it comes to parquets even in the kitchen, thus creating the impression of large areas, open space and stylistic uniqueness.

The real pearl of this apartment is the bedroom with a designer bed, an art reading corner and another panoramic view that extends across the terrace.

Enjoy in photos…

Photo: Sanja Bistričić

PAINTING EASTER EGGS – TECHNIQUES DO IT YOURSELF

by Lana Lovrić | Apr 9, 2020

Looking for new inspiration for egg coloring, we turned to ideas that we could adapt to new conditions this year. We reached out for materials we could find in the home or in nature.

Remembering that we had been welcoming Easter at a hectic pace in recent years, the new situation also brought us some beautiful moments – the opportunity to devote to ourselves and to our loved ones to finally dedicate to the Easter home decor and try out some of the colouring techniques we had always wanted. Year after year, we were taking different colors, dipping the cooked egg, creating a long rainbow of decorated Easter eggs. What if you try something bold this year?

Until Easter, try to organize kids’ evenings that will turn you into a creative fun of learning some of the new Easter crafts, and we’ll share with you some techniques.

EGG WHITENING TECHNIQUE

As we were unable to obtain exclusively white eggs under these conditions, we resorted to a simple method that has the effect of whitening the eggs.

We cooked plain eggs in a mixture of alcohol vinegar and water in a 1: 1 ratio. When cooking, it is important to pay attention to 2 things: time and foam. The cooking time should not be longer than 10 minutes, as this method will condition the eggshell. The foam that appears during cooking must be removed with a spoon so that it does not boil. When the cooking is done, dip the eggs in cold water and rinse them lightly with a sponge. Be careful and gentle so that eggs with a flat shell do not burst.

NATURAL COLORING EGG TECHNIQUE

For the purposes of this shoot, we have decided to whiten one half of the eggs and naturally color the other ones with purple onions. We assume you know the method of cooking eggs in onions along with the husks that give the eggs a nice, warm brown color, but we will whisper to you what other fruits and vegetables you can use to get a variety of colors:

1. ORANGE COLOR – Cook the carrots together with the eggs, and you can also add chilly powder or ground red pepper to the cooking water.

2. YELLOW COLOR – Boil eggs in water with lemon or orange peel, and you can add ground cumin or turmeric to the cooking water or you can boil the eggs in chamomile tea.

3. PINK COLOR – Use beetroot or cranberry juice to cook eggs.

4. BLUE COLOR – Purple cabbage leaves or black grape juice will turn blue when cooked with eggs.

Now that we have prepared the background color of the eggs, let’s start with a few techniques for coloring and outlining Easter eggs. For material, reach out to your child’s creative box and take water or acrylic paints, felt-tip pens, paintbrushes, and everything that will make your Easter eggs unique this year.

1. DECORATION OF EASTER EGGS WITH GOLD COLOR

We decided to decorate the whitened eggs with gold color, but if you do not have it at home, reach for any gentle color – brown, ocher and study the motives that can inspire you. You can find many motifs on Pinterest, and we have opted for abstract sketches of natural motifs – flowers, leaves and other decorative shapes.

Provide yourself a place to decorate, use empty egg boxes to color and dry the eggs. For such detailed motifs, the best drawing technique is in hand. We found the thinnest brush we had and decided to draw motifs with it.

The impression that such decorated Easter eggs leave is truly effective. That less is always more, we were able to prove with this technique and for the final decoration we found pampas during one walk in the woods, and filled the decoration with quail eggs that always look effective.

2. FACES WHO GET ALIVE ON EASTER EGGS

White eggs can be colored segmented with water colors or markers in delicate pastel colors. Exactly such irregularly whitened eggs and segmentally colored eggs have a special charm. We used thicker pens in delicate pink, beige and pink-brown shades.

We used a thin felt tip pen when it came time to draw out details, motifs of human faces and sketches of various plants. All that matters is that the surface is dry when painting and the hand is still.

If you found pastels among the creative material, you can also use this method:

Put the boiled eggs on a pad or use an egg carton and reach for wax pastels. Start drawing on them while the eggs are still hot as pastels will melt and allow you to make easier moves. This technique finds inspiration in the ancient custom of coloring eggs with wax.

3. NATURALLY COLORED EASTER EGGS WITH GEOMETRIC DETAILS

Sometimes the most natural is the most beautiful. Although we reached to the technique of our old grandmothers in which eggs are dyed by cooking in a bulb, you can also use their natural brown color. We have reached for white acrylic paint, and if you use natural eggshell color – paint them with a black felt pen because it will be more contrast. We have created various geometric shapes. This technique allows you to repeat a pattern, create a sense of symmetry and balance, and you do not have to be particularly talented at drawing. Just use some of our examples and draw a pattern as often as you like. Pluses, parallel little dashes, zig-zag effect, triangles and even our parquet patterns can serve as an inspiration.

Ultimately, do your best to decorate your table and make this a truly special day. For decoration, use natural materials, plants that you can find in nature – various branches, flowers, olive branches that you can put in a vase and hang Easter eggs on them. With the little things, make the decor effective, and this day festive.

Happy Easter to everyone!

p.s. we did the photoshooting on Mopar parquet from Castle collection – find out more…

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