If you follow this blog then you’re probably aware that I am always on the prowl for inspiring color and style ideas. I also love of a good party (especially ones filled with interesting and creative people). When these two occasions merge you can say I’m truly ‘living in full color’ !
So it should come as no surprise that when I recently received an invite that included the words paint, palette, The Audubon Society and inspired by the colors and beauty of nature- it took no twisting of this blogger’s arm to get me R.S.V.P-ing YES right away.
The occasion: a colorful party hosted by Olympic Paints to celebrate the unveiling of Olympic’s Audubon Collection, 8 palettes inspired by the beauty of nature, drawing upon the vision and artistic tradition of the National Audubon Society.
With the works of renowned photographer Tim Fitzharris and painter John Jay Audubon himself as inspiration, these 8 Olympic paint palettes ( in 48 colors ranging from the softest pastel to the deepest rich hue) virtually come to life before your very eyes- as if they were (sorry Great White Egret- I have to say it) plucked directly from the canvases.
Best part-Olympic Premium Paints (available exclusively through Lowe’s nationwide) are zero VOC , low-odor and- coming in at below $25 a gallon- quite easy on the decorating budget.
It was all sounding to my inspirations-loving-self, a bit too good to be true. So I invited my pal Mary ( a colorful interior designer in her own right) to tag along with me to The Bryant Park Hotel to get a closer look.
We arrived on the 25th floor of the hotel to be greeted by not only a spectacular view of the city- but by a spectacular art project as well.
It was so fitting that Mary and I would be there together since we are soul mates in our love of paint-by-numbers. (She’s going to kill me for revealing this but Mary’s phone screen saver is actually a paint-by-number she did of her dog)
We jumped right into the evening’s festivities and began testing out the palettes and displaying a little bit of our own painterly skills.
our goal
and our Olympic palette
I told you we are professionals, check out Mary’s skill-level…even balancing a glass of wine she’s able to stay well with in the lines!
Throughout the room, images of Tim Fitzharris’s amazing (and I mean amazing!) landscapes were on display with snapshots of rooms decorated in the colors inspired by his photographs. The colors in these pictures are so breathtaking. If you aren’t familiar with Mr. Fitzharris’s American landscapes check out his site. If you are a new student of photography-like me, he has collaborated with the Audubon Society on what looks to be 2 great book geared towards digital camera users ( just added them both to my Xmas list).
This board shows a bedroom inspired by Olympic’s Majestic palette.
Here’s a better close up of the room from Olympic’s website. The palette is said to ‘embraces the red canyon depths to distant horizon’s cast’. I’m totally feeling it. I love the pop of frosty blue (the paint version is First Frost B52-1) paired with the warmer hues of cherry, clay and creams.
Nothing brings the outdoors in quicker than a palette of blues and greens. Mary and I were both obsessed with the Grandeur palette. Especially the deep saturated colors of Teal Zeal B58-5 and Guacamole C68-4. The Fitzharris images that go along with this palette include a picture of Bowling Ball Beach in California- which has to be seen to be believed. I’ve had the palette’s brochure open on my desk all week. Being a bit stressed, I actually think that gazing at it has helped to zen me out.
“Olympic Paint’s new Audubon Collection allows consumers to bring the brilliant hues of the natural world indoors, providing a connection with the landscapes that inspire them”, Sandy Pinot, The Audubon’s director of licensing explained to us. “Our relationship with Olympic is well-aligned as connecting people with the beauty of nature: and giving them the power to protect it is at the heart of what Audubon does.”
( a little bit of a side note- I have to mention how intrigued I was to learn about some of the history of the Audubon Society -like that it was started over a century ago right here in the heart of New York City-who knew? The more I’ve been reading up on them the more I think everyone should become a member or purchase an Audubon product for someone they love this holiday season and help support their tireless commitment to protecting nature- but I will go further on this in an upcoming post)
I also learned (thanks to Olympic’s own Kathy Boytim) of Olympic’s long history and passion in creating environmentally friendly, affordable paint options for consumers – and have been doing so for years now, way before ‘green decorating’ became the buzz- I must add.
Basically, I loved how passionate everyone involved was feeling about these beautiful palettes- the excitement was contagious!
You can experience all of the palettes at Olympic’s ‘Color’s of Inspiration Centers’ as featured in your local Lowe’s. They even have 3″x4″ chip cards of the collection and 8oz. sample cans, making it easy to try a little mysterious, glorious or tranquil colors in your own home.
Or if you are a ’shut in’ like I’ve been lately- thanks to dropping temps here in NY. Then check out the company’s online paint tool, upload your pix and experiment with the colors right from the coziness of your own home.
With such a spectacular range of colors- I’m guessing there’s a palette for just about everyone.
In fact at the party we discovered that we all had our own palette. Okay, truth be told- I forced everyone to stand next to what I thought could be their personal palette. Luckily everyone was a good sport about my pushy commands.
Andrea Husarova, graphic designer extraordinaire is perfectly chic next to the Tranquil hues of Crashing Waves (B56-2), Shy Violet (C41-2) and White Smoke (C10-1)
Olympic’s Kathy Boytim perfectly matched with the Majestic colors of Mexican Moonlight (C28-4), Pink Clay Pot (B35-3) and Fortune Cookie (B17-1) in her own stylish version of frosty blue
The Audubon Society’s own fiery Sandy Pinto is serenely matched with the Harmonious shades of “Serenity” (B52-2), “Lovely Lilac” (B46 -3) and ‘Filigree” (D54-1)
While Ketchum Public Relation’s Julie McNeal is camera ready in her modern earthy hues surrounded by the colors of Grandeur (fyi-that’s that image of Bowling Ball Beach!) “River Reed” (C11-2), Turquoise Mist (B58-3) and ‘Parchment Paper’ (C16-1)
Okay, Mary will kill me if I don’t put a picture of myself in this post- so her I am with my new colorful gal pals Sandy and Andrea. Oh, yeah and Mary’s purse found it’s own palette as well!
And speaking of Mary, I think she was feeling a little jealous that she has yet to be asked to create a fabulous palette. So she took it upon herself to create her own- inspired by her glass of wine and the delicious catered spread.
After a giggle-fest, we realized this was probably the time to say our good-byes ( Mary and I DO have the tendency to shut down a party when we are together)!
Thanks to everyone (esp. you Sylvia from Ketchum PR ) for having us along on such a fun, color-filled, inspiring night! We had a blast! xoxo
p.s. Please let me know when you try out any of these Audubon Palettes in your own home, I would love to hear all about the beautiful results!
Many, MANY moons ago (eons before we had this blog about color), fellow LIFC writer April Clark and I found ourselves at a party in a web of a conversation with two guys who wanted to know what ‘we did for a living’.
Without missing a beat April replied, ‘We work for Estee Lauder. We’re the ones that come up with the color names for lipstick’. Knowing full well that we would never see this duo again and because they both seemed very impressed by our colorful jobs ( truth be told we were at the time simply overly-imaginative waitresses) I of course played right along.
Soon after as we made our way out of the party I looked at April and asked, ‘Where did that come from?”. She laughed and said “I don’t know-but wouldn’t that be a cool job?”
I had to agree…this many years later I’m still thinking naming colors would be a cool job.
So when I heard about General Motors sponsoring a competition to put a name to a color to one of GM’s first ever extended- range electrical car ( or E-Rev)- the Chevy Volt, I figured here’s April’s and my (and yours too) chance to make this little white lie into a full spectrum reality!
Okay here it is- the Volt in all of it’s pre-production glory. The current name-less color is described as a Silver exterior with an Emerald hue. The color will be available exclusively on the Chevy Volt which will begin production in late 2010.
Once offically named, the color will join a palette of other Volt exterior colors including Black, Cyber Gray Metallic, Crystal Red Metallic, Silver Ice Metallic and premium White Diamond Tri-Coat.
The Volt gets a test drive. Very exciting considering the car is expected to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt’s lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, the engine generator seamlessly operates to extend the total driving range to more than 300 miles.
So here’s a quick round-up of the contest from Maria Rohrer, Director, Global Volt & Global Marketing Operations at Chevrolet- Read more..
Happy Halloween!
Okay as the countdown begins for the arrival of good spirits (evil ones you are so not invited), I find myself rushing about with the final preparations for my evening’s festivities.
I had a few silly decor ideas and I thought I would quickly share them- then I must run because I’m having all kinds of last minute costume drama! What exactly does one wear to star in Kibuki Theater these days..hum, the hot pink kimono or the black with aqua one?
I always love to do at least one ‘trick’ for the kiddies. A small toy Jack O’Lantern inspired this idea. I can’t wait to see their faces when they discover that even our ‘House Mouse’ wants to celebrate the sweet and spooky holiday!
a faux construction paper hole, a quick felt door mat, a few plums from an ornamental grass wrapped to look like corn husk, my toy pumpkin and a mini- terracotta pot of treats sets the stage for my trickery
Oh man, my House Mouse is way more trusting then I am….
A few days ago I learned about an upcoming show at the MOMA that gave me a great idea for how I could set the table for tonight (best part, it’s the cheapest table setting ever!)
No one does Halloween better than Tim Burton, an upcoming show at NYs Museum of Modern Art pays tribute to his creative, macbre mind.
This Tim Burton drawing gave me the idea. I’m thinking an austere dining room might just be the way to go (aka I’m off the hook for having the pressure of dressing a perfect table!!!)
So I’m clearing out all decorative items from the room. The light fixture that hangs over my table is really just a single bulb once the pretty Fortuny cover is removed so it easily turns into a simple bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. I tested it out-if I slightly loosen the bulb it flickers a bit when you move across the floor. The now cold and bare room is so weird and spooky, I can’t wait!
I really am loving the austere idea, but I can’t resist having fresh flowers when I entertain. So I really tried to figure out what I could do that would be quick, easy and cost basically nothing. I do have lots of interesting things I could pick from my yard. My butterfly bush actually turns almost a shade of black this time of year so I did experiment with some cuttings- but nothing was coming together.
When I spotted a $8.99 bunch of roses at Costco, I had my idea.
these
plus
equals
A bouquet Morticia would be proud to call her own-hey, there’s that mouse!
I loved Morticia Addams when I was a kid! I was fantasying I was her as I was chopping of the flowers…now if only I can train my husband to become ravenous and suddenly French every time he sees me.
(I’ve always preferred small compact bouquets of roses over the long steam variety anyway -so I had no problem sacrificing the flowers to create this Halloween display. My little vases filled with pretty roses just went into hiding upstairs. I see it as a win/win situation).
Okay, now I do have to go. For a little more reading and viewing pleasure did you by chance see Kiki’s post this week on Color For Your Home..it’s a great rundown of her favorite Halloween color trends and more fab holiday decor ideas then you can shake your broom stick at!
Cheers! Hope your night is a Treat!
I admit most years I procrastinate and leave the carving of my pumpkins til the very last minute. Sometimes this works to my advantage- like the year my kids caught wind of our town’s first annual carving contest 20 minutes before we were set to leave the house to attend the Halloween parade.
As I looked past their disappointed faces to the two beautiful but very un-carved pumpkins resting on either side of my front door, a feeling of unorganized parental guilt washed over me. But then something caught my eye- a little sugar pumpkin that was resting nearby. A light went off in my head! The contest flyer said nothing of size requirements.
5 minutes later we had our submission. A few hours later we had our first place ribbon- even the judges couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it looked next to the other gi-normous entries.
A dramatic reenactment- the winner was actually even smaller, but you get the idea. Now every year for my house I carve one of these little guys- give him a worried expression and place him well within squashing distance of the bigger guys. It still gets a laugh.
When I do finally get around to carving, my last minute antics result in your standard run of the mill Jack O’ Lanterns- crooked smiles and all. Which is fine- I’m very much a traditionalist when it comes to my holidays, but its getting hard not to notice that the pumpkins around my neighborhood seem to be getting more and more intricate every year. I spotted a couple last year that left me wondering if Martha Stewart herself had turned up to style the night.
Now this is something to aspire to! Some incredibly talented carver sent a picture of their Elvis O’Lantern into MarthaStewart.com-why oh why can’t I be patient enough to accomplish such a feat!
FYI-Did you know that gourds, potatoes and beets were originally carved on Halloween night to welcome the good spirits in and scare the evil ones away throughout Europe. That the celebration of Halloween didn’t really catch on in the USA until the late 19th century thanks to an influx of European immigrants, particularly Irish fleeing the famine in Ireland. It’s the Irish immigrants in fact who are credited with the switch to pumpkins (indigenous to North America) once they realized how much easier they were to carve. The name Jack O’Lantern is in reference to Irish folklore- the story of Stingy Jack and The Devil.
So this year I’ve vowed to challenge myself. To move outside the familiar and create at least two interesting pumpkins. But where to find inspiration?
A quick drive just past the famous village of Sleepy Hollow to Croton-on-Hudson, NY. There lies the historic Van Cortlandt Manor and the answers to all of my pumpkin carving inspiration needs- The 5th annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.
On your drive though Sleepy Hollow beware of running into this guy. Legend has it every October he’s menacing around! Read more..
When it comes to celebrating holidays I’ve always been a ‘God (or perhaps for the the sake of this post) the Devil is in the details’ kind of person. For me it’s always the subtly stylish and sometimes quirky ideas that makes for the most memorable of times.
I love how creative Halloween makes people, and though I’m not a huge fan of blood curdling scary- some spooky, eerie and slightly unexpectedness- all ‘rock my haunted boat’.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to throw a little last minute ‘hallowed happening’ for a few of my favorite ghouls and goblins. Nothing big, just a little post-treating tete a tete where the goblins can trade off their candy and the adults can secretly trade off favorite ways as to dispose of the fore-mentioned candy.
You might not realize it but Sleepy Hollow, the home of Washington Irving’s legendary tale of the headless horseman, is only about 20 miles north of NYC. Eddie Ross’s HGTV Halloween Block Party special was inspired by the spine tingling story and historic NY village. I found his behind the scenes blog posts chock full of such great decorating ideas- I had to share! Plus, I was in Sleepy Hollow last weekend and found some inspiring Halloween ideas myself- but more on that in a minute.
With a shortage of time and an even shorter stack of bills for a budget, I’m thinking it’s going to take a witch’s spell of some serious inspiration to successfully pull it all off. Lucky for me, I’ve got some creative friends, some inspiring neighbors and even a few tricks up my own sleeve to get me going.
With plans to keep things special but uber-simple (and because everyone will have eaten dinner so I will only have to provide drinks and a few nibbles), I’ve decide to do something I’ve never done before and offer my adult guests a ready to be poured colorful treat when they arrive.
Realizing my bartending repertoire is about as limited as my time, I enlisted the help of my friend and author of ‘It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere: The Global Guide to Fabulous Cocktails‘ Colleen Mullaney for a little stylish direction.
Besides being an accomplished author, Colleen is a stylist and former magazine Editor-in-Chief who knows a thing or two about creating memorable events. I knew I could count on her to have the perfect libation in her arsenal of goodies. Read more..
Who knew that Leatrice Eiseman and Mother Nature were so close! Executive Director of Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eismen has forecasted mimosa yellow as the color of the year for 2009. “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance… Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”
When I stepped outside this morning I was overwhelmed with a visual tsunami of bold shades of warmth. There were hypnotic yellows, ripe reds and oranges that seemed to taunt me, as if to say, “Caution! You are witnessing a magical spectrum that may mesmerize you to the point of missing your next class.”
There was legitimacy to this concern. My normally dull, ten minute walk across campus transformed into a 25 minute promenade through one of Mother Natureʼs most joyful explosions of beauty. I just had to share! Read more..
It’s seems almost apropos that the minute I’m inspired to write about the stylish trend of Peacock motifs, I would find an article claiming that the male peacock’s elaborate plumage perhaps has much less to do with attracting it’s mate then had always been thought. Instead a scientific study done on Indian Peacocks and Peahens cites the male bird’s vocal callings and shuttering moves may actually be what catches the female’s attention.
How very fitting, right ladies- it’s always what they say and how they move-not how they look that ultimately keeps us hooked!
Well regardless of why the peacock has such a spectacular showing of feathers, one thing is for sure their beauty has inspired countless artists and designers through the centuries.
Peacocks are spoken of in Ancient Mythology, The Bible and the Hindu religion. They are often used symbolically in literature and in folk art, often being depicted as looking back at their tails ( signifying renewal, since they drop and replace their feathers yearly).
Personally peacocks feathers always make me think of a time when Art Nouveau was actually ‘nouveau’ and of lovely heroines caught up in some wonderfully heart wrenching Edith Warton plot.
can’t you just imagine using this Preening Pen ($20 from Anthropolgie) to scratch off a calling card to your family matriarch or passionately write prose dedicated to a secret lover! Read more..
And We Thought We Were Obsessed: I had always heard that peoples reactions to colors stems from their own personal experiences. Well San Francisco based Graphic Designer Rachel Berger partakes in a little colorful journaling and in her own way explores this very theory. As part of Michael Bierut’s The 100 Day Art Project ( through Yale University’s School Of The Arts) Berger put 100 different color chips into a bag, pulled one chip out a day and proceeded to write down the first thing that the color made her think of. She picked her 40 favorite chips and rememberances and has posted them for all to read on DesignObserver.com. Pretty cool…a little self run color therapy. I couldn’t help but notice that some times the name of the color helped to trigger the memory…being a total sucker for color names myself, I have to wonder how different a few of her reactions would have been without them.
The Palette Of Twilight: Dwell magazine’s founder Lara Deam’s third paint palette based on Le Courbusier’s Polychromie Architecturale has been released. Using Ralph Lauren colors, Deam has based her choices for this palette based on the colors she believes create a calming and peaceful effect and give the illusion of a blurring of colors. Perfect for a room with lots of shadows at twilight ohh, I love that description! Check out her video where she talks more about her palette’s inspiration on Dwell.com.
Maybe file this one under the Best and Worst in color from Vogue magazine this week: Vogue magazine has always taken pride in it’s long history of pushing the boundaries when it comes to the fashion as art. They also have been big supporters of the modern day working artist- often featuring them and their work on the pages of their various sister magazines throughout the world. Over the past 6 years Vogue (US) has asked artists to explore the subject matters of self- portraiture, nudes, still life and most recently the landscape painting. Bringing together artist like Jeffery Koons, Elizabeth Peyton, Francesco Clemente and William Wegman ( who is quoted in the November issue as saying “landscape painting is ‘easy’, something he does when he is feeling lazy”) the magazine has curated a show exploring their unique visions. The works will be on displayed at the Park Ave. Armory in NYC from Oct. 30- Nov. 15.
Now onto the pushing the boundary-side of things. The current issue of French Vogue is causing quite a color controversy this week. In a fashion spread styled by the French Editor-in-Chief Carine Rotifeld ,the very pale and blonde model Lara Stone is photographed posing in a 14 page spread made up to look as though she is black. Hum, pushing the limits artistically or just trying to get the magazine some attention? After lots of recent chatter about the lack of black models on this season’s catwalks around the world, their timing and questionable taste couldn’t be worse.
Talk About Having An Eye For Color Matching!- This has got to be one of the coolest photography projects I’ve ever spotted. The Invisible Man is Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin, who paints himself to blend into the world around him so that he seems to be virtually disappearing before your very eyes. He claims that no trick photography was use. Check out all of the images and let me know how long it takes you to spot him in the very last one! ( Took me 3 viewings).
It’s kind of like the age old ‘chicken or the egg’ argument when it comes to color trends. Which industry has more influence over the other.
I have to admit that the answer to this question was something I never really thought about until I began writing this blog. I always felt I knew what I liked and that is what I liked. I honestly was never really that concerned with whether I was wearing or had painted my bedroom the latest, greatest hue.
But once I began meeting more and more designers and talking with them about where they find their color inspirations I realized what an amazing synergy there is going on in the color palettes between the worlds of home, beauty and fashion design.
Lavender showed up as a leading color trend in Pantone’s Spring 2009 Fashion Trend Report and as a rising color trend in Home as well- as seen here at the January 2009 Maison & Object Trade Fair in Paris
And while I don’t think that any particular trend(s) should direct you into changing your entire wardrobe or home, I do think that discovering how style makers find their inspirations may make a great clue into discovering your own.
So which one influences the other more? Well I suppose I now have to say that answer is in the eye of the beholder. I had always thought that fashion color trends typically had more influence over home color trends. I feel as if I have had more than one interior designer confirm that over the years.
I’ve written posts based on this belief- From The Runway to Pottery Barn a few years back was based on the very concept. It was hard to deny how many prints and color combos from their Spring catalog had been seen on the fashion runways the previous Fall.
Maybe because it is unseasonably cold here in NY today or maybe because I can’t shake the image of the fluffy haired models that Marc Jacob sent down the runway during his Louis Vuitton Spring 10 Parisian show, but when I sat down to write about color today…my mind keep thinking more about texture.
Wow! If you love afros wigs and giant lucky rabbit feet- you will love this styling (check out the furry feet!)
And while Marc Jacob surely is taking his fantasy to the extreme there is something to be said about the trend of furry, fluffy, feathery and fringed everything that is happening in both home and fashion right now.
The New York times has dubbed the trend Shaggy Chic. This patchwork of fur couch is featured in a photo montage taking a look at the cozy trend of home nesting.
Furry vests ( thanks Rachel Zoe), fringed leather accessories, fur hats, feathery pins, sheepskin ottomans, cowhide rugs- accessories that make you want to reach out touch, rub and well basically-pet! Read more..
