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Bright Color for Christmas Decoration
I enjoyed reading this trend story over at Color for Your Home. It focuses on using bright colors for Christmas decoration.
It’s nice to see choices that aren’t the typical red and green. To read the post and see all the fun images, follow this link.
I’m Quoted in Stir – Thanks Rachel!
My blog buddy and color expert, Rachel Perls, wrote an article for Sherwin Williams’ Stir Magazine, quoting yours truly. Thanks Rachel!
The subject was online decorating as a profession. I think you’ll find the article interesting. You can link to it here.
For those of you who know me, you know I like to run Design Dilemmas where I redecorate spaces completely from photos. I wish I could do more of them and plan to in the future. It’s a time consuming thing and right now my time is crunched! I would only do these as a freebie and always underscore the importance of checking color options in real life. The reason? Because, as you’ll read in Rachel’s article, computer monitors do not reflect real life. Never assume that colors will match in real life because they do in Internet Land.
That doesn’t mean we can’t run a business long distance. But it has to involve the US mail.
Would you hire an online designer? I’m really interested to know if you have ever considered it.
Interior Design Inspiration: Pink & Gray
With a nod to the 1980’s pink and gray as an interior color palette is making a return to popularity. In the ’80’s, this combination was more of a mauve with gray. Now, the gray is warm and the pinks are either soft pastels, or vibrant fuchsia.
Here are a few rooms to inspire you.
Gray is the grounding color. Pink is the accent. The touch of gold is also important. Notice the matte paint on all the trim as well as the walls. The matte finish is perfect with the unfinished, matte floor.
This is a photo from the new restaurant in the Parisian Hotel Vendome. Grays and pinks mix with the boldness of the black and white houndstooth – the print-of-the-moment.
I love the mix of textures here. The gray wallpaper with the floor is nice.
This is a warmer look. The warm gray, matte again, is relaxing. And the rosy pink gives an inviting burst of color.
I like the painting hung by the bath here. Love the chair as well.
Matte gray with fuchsia is lovely. But you know, it looks like the stylist covered the cushion on the settee with that fabric. I think the bed skirt is new as well. You can see the creases – fresh out of the package. No matter. The point is the color combination – and it looks great.
These flowers are really a fuchsia. But on my screen they look more like purple. At any rate, the statement is clear – gray as a grounding color with pinks as accents makes for a lovely room.
If you’d like to try this color combination at home, I suggest using Benjamin Moore’s Gray Shower and Shadow Gray for gray (obviously). Pink Pansy is nice and soft. Crushed Berries is my Fuchsia choice.
Time to vote! Which look is your favorite?
images: Ricardo Labougle, Nicolas Matthias, Anna Trench
Balance: Benjamin Moore’s Color Forecast for 2011
Will we return to hearth and home and while we seek order in our lives? Will we dream secret dreams? Will community life become the focus of our lives? Benjamin Moore thinks so. They presented these ideas at Wednesday’s Color Pulse for 2012. Their forecast is directed at Designers and Architects. But I thought everyone would be interested in reading about their thoughts.
Their overall theme was Balance, translated into four distinctive influencers: Farm, Order, Escape and Tribes. Benjamin Moore’s forecaster, Andrea Magno painted the picture for us.
Farmville
No doubt, last year’s economic crisis has affected all of us. While not stating this overtly, the link is obvious. Benjamin Moore believes our fears will translate into greater importance being placed on hearth and home with both at least one foot planted firmly in reality.
Earthy browns form the backdrop for milky whites and pale, buttery yellows. Hay and terra cotta mix with “varietals” such as aubergine, pumpkin, tomato and, of course, green. Tints are baked in the warm sunshine.
Beyond pure color, life on the farm includes fabrics suggesting the handmade. We’ll see macramé, irregular knits, and burlap. Tea-stained effects, tie-dyes and hand-stenciled patterns all suggest a desire to appreciate the simple things in life. Luxury is out.
Order
From the chaos of last year, comes a desire for a sense of order. Benjamin Moore interprets this as a return to basic primary colors applied to a monochromatic scale of blacks, grays and whites. That means lots of red with black. Blue, yellow, green – even pink are paired with grays. No more neon.
Patterns are geometric. Rectilinear shapes, circles and triangles are stacked and molded into larger shapes. Clean lines are the order of the day.
Escape comes after the jump.
(more…)
Hue! Thanks for the inspiration
Rachel, writer of Hue, posted some beautiful photos of these colorful steps. Let’s all go here for the weekend!
Jump over to Rachel’s blog to see the rest of the photos.
Beach House Colors from Valspar
Valspar’s new color blog, Color Buzz, has a nice little post featuring colors for beach houses. Here are a couple.
To see the rest, visit their site here.
Miami Gym designed by William Sofield
Let’s all go to Miami right now! I need to move there actually. Because I know my new hip would feel oh so much better if I were toning up at the David Barton Gym.
This photo essay is from last month’s issue of Interior Design magazine. I’m generally in love with all things Moroccan and mid-Asian things these days. Though it’s not residential, there’s still a lot to learn here, in my humble opinion – beginning with the lighting. As you look through the photos, try to imagine how different the space would look without the atmosphere created by the marvelous lighting.
Let’s go!
A pendant globe creates movement on the wall that leads to the locker rooms. Movement in a gym – there’s an idea.
Everything in the reception area is authentically Moroccan. Color is the star here. Deep indigo. And the mix of materials – woods, fabrics, and metals. It has the feel of a seraglio as opposed to a gym. Nice atmosphere.
Above the reception area, the star-sparkled ceiling takes my breath away. Again, this is a total light show. So the next time you think about overhauling your space, think about lighting first.
Again, recycled glass in the spheres create a graphic shape on the walls. It recreates the stained glass shapes of Morocco. Pretty cool, huh? The place to do this at home is a powder room. That’s the place to go over the top with drama.
Hey, this actually is a gym! Funny, this doesn’t look like the YMCA, where I work out (and I think they did a great job on that). Three cheers for designer Sofield’s team.
This is close to one of my favorite parts – the women’s locker room. How cool is this? See what a little rope lighting tucked behind those lockers does to the room? Awesome!
This is my second favorite area – the women’s locker room. How cool are those stencils? Very. The colors, the lighting – it all makes you feel so good you won’t care how many pounds you need to lose. Try this look in your bedroom or dining room. These are good rooms for drama.
The spa lounge gets its sense of movement from the different sizes of the colorful lanterns.
Men, how do you feel about the locker room’s entrance here? Masculinely understated, but it maintains the look. I guess men are embarrassed by drama in the lockers?
Here we see the spa area. I really need to be on that table right now. The tables are arranged in a row (next photo). The only I don’t like is the proximity to each other. I want to feel aloooone during my massage.
The look here is fantastic. Love the tents. Love the rugs. Love the tables and candles. It’s perfection. Just whisper. Shhhhh!
Has anyone been here? Make us jealous and speak. I also want to hear reviews on the design. Fire away.
images: eric laignet
Hue checks in with the word on iPhone paint apps
Color expert and fellow former Baltimorean, Rachel Perls, wrote an excellent post on paint color applications for the iPhone. Anyone interested in color matching, and color in general, should scoot over to Hue and read it.
Don’t forget to read the comments. That’s where things really get rolling with opinions from other super smart colorists.
Almost all paint companies offer virtual paint applications on their sites. My personal bottom line is that they’re great for playing with ideas, but don’t count on them for color accuracy.
What’s your experience with paint apps? I wish they offered more room choices. Do you have a favorite?
Collecting: White Pitchers
Do you collect anything? I think it’s fun to have something to collect. Be selective and don’t go too crazy. When you travel here and there, it’s fun to sneak into a little shop just to see what they might have.
But what to collect?
White pitchers are appealing to me. They look beautiful in any setting.
Whether your style is French provincial…
or a bit more English…
white pitchers would be fun to collect.
Even the most contemporary environments can hold a collection of pitchers, especially if they’re white. Let their form make the statement.
You can start with a small collection and place them in a grouping on a table.
As your collection grows, you can move it to a bookcase, shelves, or an armoire.
I collect little rocks from my travels. I paint the location in the bottom. Do you collect something?
images: Juliska, Gilles Trillard, Cathleen
Color apps for iPhone
Benjamin Moore introduced a color match application for the iPhone this week. Sherwin Williams did, too. Do they work in real life? Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the answer is FAIL.
The problem is that the iPhone’s camera doesn’t see color the same way we do. It seems to lack and understanding of blue. So, the aqua-blue color I used as a test, came out looking gray on the photo. No color app is going to identify a color correctly when the camera is the problem. How could both companies fail to see this? At least they’re free.
Peggy wrote a more extensive post about this on her blog, Airings on Design. It’s worth reading if you’re interested in color.
As I say when I choose paint colors for my Design Dilemmas, always test things in real life. Get a sample first – whether it’s fabric, paint, wallpaper, or anything where a color match is important.
Have you tried these apps? Have you found a design app that you find useful?
Mood indigo: decorating inspiration in a blue hue
I thought you’d enjoy taking a look at interior design inspiration based on indigo, one of the most rare and expensive dyes in the ancient world. 
Deep blue hues seem to like living with turquoise and voilet.
The contrast it offers next to white is also perfection.
It all depends what mood you’re in. Here, the designer jumped across the color wheel to create a warm contrast.
Feeling dark and mysterious? Indigo is the way to go.
Indigo will make the orange tones in wood pop.
Feeling uncommitted? You can paint your walls white and use indigo for accents. Some choices are: IKEA’s PS Collection African rug, Indigo toss pillows from Persnickety Home ($17.95), Ink Dish Tattoo dishware from Fitzsu ($82.00 for a 4-piece setting), & Crate & Barrel’s Lago Lamp ($129).
Maybe because it’s summer, I think white is looking really good next to indigo. But turquoise, and other jewel tones, are also beautiful. Agree?
images: Henry Bourne, William Waldron, Hanks Fonk
Interior Design on a Dime
The New York Times home section had a nice article this morning about a 1200 square foot home a couple redecorated for about $10,000. Does that sound like a lot of money? It’s stunning how fast the money goes. But the results were cool.
There are lots of ideas about how to create a look without spending a lot. But what I really loved was the use of color. The gray was a very brave choice and it works. The yellows and bright pink pull it together. And, they used those colors (along with red) throughout the house, which makes a small space look larger and more unified.
One of the owners, a graphic artist, used newspaper photos and other clippings to create a decoupaged art wall in the bedroom. For more ideas on how to use decoupage on walls, see yesterday’s post on the subject.
I love the arrangements of art on the stairs here. I’ve been studying that subject lately for a project I’m working on. It looks great, don’t you think?
You can read the article and see more photos by following this link.
Okay, so how many of you would use a dark color throughout an entire house? I adore color – it’s often my starting point for interior design projects. But I don’t think I’m that brave. Maybe it’s time for change?
images: Jonathan Player