Before & After: A Home Office Gets A Colorful Makeover
Yikes! This home office for two sure needed a violent makeover. Can anyone tell me what that puffy chair is? Looking at this photo brings out the OCD in me. I happen to be reading a book about organizing everything in your home. I may just skip the home office chapter because these photos, sent to me from Sonu Mathew, has it covered. Read More…
Last Day to Enter This Week’s Giveaways!
Have you entered to win the giveaways yet? Here are the details.
First up is this lovely set of Lilly Pulitzer photo frame Christmas ornaments. They’re from Grosse Pointe’s own Lilly shop, The Village Palm. To enter this giveaway, simple leave me a comment with your top-notch preppy name. Mine is Tucky. Feel free to borrow ir.
Next, is this fantastic book from Benjamin Moore. Paint Style is a real decorating book with lots of tips on how to paint and how to achieve different effects in your home. To enter, just leave a comment and let me know you wnat Paint Style. Or, let me know your name is Buffy and the Help will be needing that book. I’ll enter you in both!
The winner will be drawn at random tomorrow. So you have until the end of Friday to enter. Everyone living in the US and Canada is eligible. Good luck!
DH Giveaways!
Have you entered to win one of the two giveaways I’m running this week? Why not?
Speaking of Christmas ornaments, (see earlier post) Grosse Pointe’s own Village Palm has donated this top drawer set of Lilly Pulitzer photo frame Christmas ornaments. To enter, simply leave a comment and let me know your secret preppy name. Mine is Tucky. Is yours Biff?
And, if you’re taking the week off between Christmas and New Years, why not use the time to spruce up a room in your home? Benjamin Moore’s Paint Style book will give you lots of ideas and tips on how to paint a room and create a new look instantly. Don’t forget to send me the Before and After photos! To enter, leave a comment and let me know you want the book.
You can certainly enter to win both. There will be two winners, chosen at random. The contest runs through Friday and is open to everyone living in the US and Canada. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday.
Enter now!
How Aged Paint Can Save You A Bundle
Who would think of the wonderful mix of Kelly green with deep Indigo? A clever person with a great eye for color. (No, it wasn’t me.)
More importantly, the aged patina is truly brilliant. It adds a third color, which adds more depth to the room as a whole. But it also makes the obvious age of the shelves seem appropriate. These shelves are aged, but not neglected.
Imagine them painted with a solid color and those warped shelves would be screaming, “Fix me!” The next time you think something in your home must be torn out, or thrown away, think again. Maybe all it really needs is an interesting paint job.
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‚Äôll see macram?©, 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.
