Friday, January 14th, 2011
Maybe the color lavender makes you think of fields of lavender swaying in the afternoon breeze in France. Perhaps it evokes a favorite baby outfit you dressed your daughter in every chance you got. Color memories and associations are different for everyone. No matter your associations with this shade, lavender is a flattering color that works well in most rooms. The glow from lavender walls would look lovely against white tile in a bathroom (a client just selected this for their bathroom yesterday in fact!) A master bedroom in this shade would feel restful.
Here are some examples of how others have integrated lavender into their spaces.
This dining room balances simple lines in the furniture and lighting against a colorful wall. I find it interesting that they chose to wallpaper the opposite wall in a gray-green overscale floral wallpaper (seen in the reflection in the mirror). Without seeing the whole room in context I’m not sure how I feel about that pairing. But otherwise the room is nice.
The living room on the right showcases how you can furnish a room with major pieces in neutral colors but interesting shapes and then update it periodically with an accent color like lavender. Here the lavender is utilized for the ottoman, small side chairs and window treatments. The side chairs by the fireplace are a great element to include in every home as they provide flexible seating that can easily be pulled up when you have a larger crowd over or brought to the dining room when you need additional seating there.
Painting the table in this dressing room to match the Quartz wallpaper from Osbourne & Little creates a special corner to play dress up. Lavender in a nursery with taupe and white accents is mellow and sweet without being predictable. I like the arrangement of art over the glider chair in a mix of sizes and frames. The chaise lounge with pale lavender walls, sitting on a purple carpet and piled with assorted purple pillows is a great example of how to layer different shades and tones of purple without it feeling like a PURPLE room.
Now the color rendering of these paint colors isn’t exact since they been photographed then shown on a computer monitor, but this gives you an example of all the shades of lavenders out there. On the 5 color cards you would want to stay in the top 2-3 colors if you are looking for a lavender. As you can see, each color is violet, grey, purple, grey-purple or grey-violet in tone. All are lovely, it’s just a matter of preference and what you are going to coordinate with it.
Tags: dining room, dressing room, interior design, lavender, nursery, Osbourne & Little, pillows, wallpaper
Posted in Color Pulse, Inspiration Boards | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Don’t you love when you go to a restaurant and the chef has created a dish where he (or she) has thoughtfully prepared the same ingredient in two different ways so that you can appreciate the range of flavors possible? Well, as a change of pace today I thought I’d offer up some fun feminine spaces. Sparkly chandeliers and ruffles aren’t usually the first style I reach for, but they can really add great personality to a space. As I pulled together the inspiration images I noticed a trend: bright, bold pinks and reds dominated many feminine rooms, while the rest had a lighter soft palette with a hint of sparkle. So, like a great piece of chicken prepared two ways on Iron Chef, here are some rooms for the ladies, prepared two ways.
Don’t you just want to jump on your bed everyday in joy?!
That darn ruffled shower curtain from Anthropologie inspired this feminine kick. I love it with the classic claw foot tub and white subway tile. Perfect for girls of all ages. The butterflies on the kitchen backsplash add a punch of whimsy and color while staying modern. What a great way to use wallpaper in a kitchen. You can put sheets of glass over the wallpaper to preserve it. And if the wallpaper is simply held in place by the glass, you could change out the wallpaper easily for a new look.
I could see a cool collage of favorite images here too. For the fashionista who stores clothes in her cabinets, it could be all fashion images. For the amateur cook it could be made up of glamour shots of dishes from magazines. Using the illustrations from back issues of Cooks Illustrated would give a very different feel than the glossy photos in Donna Hay.
vs. 
Ok, random tangent, but I started with food, so I should end with food, right? Must be time for lunch.
Would you prefer a hot pink and funky room of your own, or would a soft palette and sparkle be your style of choice?
While we’re taking a poll, Cooks Illustrated or Donna Hay collage? Or does wallpaper intrigue you? Or do you prefer tile?
I love knowing how you think!
Photo Sources:
Clockwise from top left: Cookie magazine, DesignSponge, Ideal Home, unknown, Cookie magazine, unknown.
Scandinavian Wallpaper and Decor, Anthropologie, Domino magazine, Linda Barker, Kristen Hutchins Design via DesignSponge 12-22-09, House Beautiful April 2010.
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Tags: Anthropologie, Bathroom, bedroom, Cooks Illustrated, Donna Hay, feminine, Kitchen, pink, shower curtain, wallpaper
Posted in Color Pulse, Inspiration Boards | No Comments »
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
I found myself craving Oreo cookies the other day, which is unusual for me. It’s not my usual cookie of choice, but cravings must be satisfied or they take on a life of their own. While enjoying a couple of DoubleStuf Oreos and appreciating their simplicity, it struck me that they were a great inspiration for the quintessential color palette combination: black and white.
So here are some of my favorite black and white rooms. I tried to find spaces that only used those two colors. It’s interesting to see how often people choose these colors for their kitchens and bathrooms and how well these colors work in both traditional and contemporary rooms.
This palette works well in any room of the house, even outdoors.
Alexander Wang, a successful product designer/artist, who tragically lost his life earlier this year (in what some believe was the result of his sleep disorder), created playful spaces with a unique mix of textures and forms in his loft in NYC (upper right picture). I love the black trim around the windows in the upper right photo. It’s a trend that’s been emerging over the past couple of years and it can really change the feel of a space.
The white on black paneling on the lower right photo adds a great graphic element. Most people would be terrified to have black walls, so they have guts.
The desk at right is another Alexander Wang piece. What an office that would make! All the other rooms have dark walls, but all of the white trim, artwork, magazines and other design elements create balance to temper the darkness. The dining room at the bottom has classic bones and proportions, but mixing in the contemporary chairs and art hanging over the table keeps it young and fresh.
This final group showcases the power of wallpaper. The graphic nature of these wallcoverings adds instant personality to each room. The background in the dining room in the middle of the top row is actually a wall of patterned curtains with a valance above, but it creates the same type of effect with such a solid wall of pattern. Powder rooms is a great place to experiment with bold colors and patterns since we spend so little time in them and they are small enough that no pattern will seem to go on and on. My favorite room is the dining room with the wall covering of a forest in black and white. I love the juxtaposition of it with the traditional moldings and chair rail and the completely funky dripping chandelier off a natural branch style form. And the table settings in black are so minimal and modern. Brilliant mix.
I love color. But the restraint of a limited color palette can push you in new directions that can be a fun challenge. Remember to include a variety of textures and shiny and matte surfaces. The eye needs visual variety, and if it’s not through color, make sure it gets it through textures and different tones.
Could you live with even ONE black and white room? Which room would it be?
Tags: Alexander Wang, Bathroom, black, contemporary, dining room, Kitchen, living room, patio, table settings, traditional, wallpaper, white
Posted in Color Pulse | 2 Comments »
Colleen Fox Slack | email: colleen@colleenfoxinteriors.com | phone: 612.868.0348
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