As if a few days of breathing salt sea air and sipping champagne weren’t enough to spoil me I had the added pleasure of strolling along Ocean Drive in Miami’s colorful South Beach.
South Beach has the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings anywhere in the world with more than 800 of these gems within a square mile.
Constructed mainly of masonry or stucco, their flat roofs, geometric patterns and rounded motifs give the many small, pastel-colored hotels a distinctly modern look.
Pastel and neutral painted buildings in beige, gray, cream, rose taupe, and butter yellow are accented with brighter pastels in peach, pink, aqua, and green, or with deeper neutrals such as charcoal gray or black.
Both the style and colors signaled a period of renewed optimism and confidence in the U.S. during the post-depression building boom of the 1930s.
Today the Art Deco treasures are being preserved and some newer buildings that complement the distinctive architecture of the area have been allowed to go up.
The show doesn’t stop when the sun goes down on this historic district. Neon and colored lights beckon in red, white, orange, blue and gold adding to the festive atmosphere of this international hot spot.
Can you blame me for not coming back to work until today?
(2 comments so far) · Bookmark this post
As the fall harvest surrounds us, visions of beautiful leaves in various hues of copper tones reflect the transformation of nature and our seasons.
Copper, a stunning color and natural product is often found throughout our homes. Copper is used in appliances, plumbing fixtures and roofing and is the preferred choice of cookware by chefs all over the world.
During ancient times in Western Asia copper was extracted to develop instruments and ornaments, which led to the Bronze Age. The Pharaohs of Egypt revealed it had healing powers.
In America, The Statue of Liberty is encased with copper, aging gracefully at over a 100 years old, reflects America’s beauty, stability, and sustainability while being environmentally conscious.
Decoratively speaking, copper is the perfect metallic touch. Its lustrous shine blends easily with other natural earth elements such as granite, marble, wood and stone.
Our European crafted Imperial Tile design creates an aged dimensional look to any ceiling or wall, conveying the illusion of antique copper tiles.
(No comments yet) · Bookmark this post
The way Farrow and Ball’s Stone Blue looked in Dominique Alexander’s Fall 2007 runway-inspired room in The Washington Design House was spectacular.
I couldn’t stop looking at the color from all different angles, and it is too bad that the photo doesn’t do this gorgeous color justice.
While the overall look of this room didn’t immediately grab my attention the way the Chanel-inspired room did, the turquoise niche certainly drew me in. It also made me want to go back and take a second look at how the fashion designers who had influenced his thinking used turquoise in their Fall collections.
In talking about his design, Dominique Alexander said, “Each of the fashion designers I drew from for the inspiration for this room is wildly different from one another.”
“Narcisco Rodriguez offered subtle intensity with fresh pretty clothes. His collection can best be characterized as simple and modern.”
“Alexander McQueen was perhaps the most inspirational to me. His runway collection was futuristic. McQueen was heavy on the drama and fantasy of fashion. His silhouettes were very tailored and expressive.”
“Moving onto the legendary house of Versace, the fall collection was sophisticated and glamorous, while still being fun and fresh. One of the things I love most about Donatella Versace is that her collections have never been literal.”
“I chose to be less literal in my interpretation of ‘Turn Up the Turquoise.’ I utilized turquoise to highlight volume and to draw the eye to a particular shape. Overall, the palettes were neutral and very geometric.”
“In the room I designed, you should notice that the colors chosen are very fresh. I wanted to draw your eyes to the fantastic curves of the seating arrangement. I used color to enhance the character and depth of the room.”
I really appreciate that Dominique took a more subtle approach in his interpretation of the theme. I think his strategic use of color is very effective and adds interest and a bit of glamor to this modern room. What do you think?
(No comments yet) · Bookmark this post
Isn’t it funny how sometimes you find yourself so incredibly drawn to a particular color?
Well if color can become an obsession, then this fall for me it has to be a color I thought could best be described as violet.
It all started simply enough- I was savoring one of those rare perfect summer days in July when I first spotted the color in the form of a simple sun-dress on a women across the lawn at my local beach club. She was standing next to a perfectly weathered white Adirondack chair on a lush green lawn, with the deep blue sea behind her.
Spring House View by Daniel Pollera shows a similar setting
When I first saw the color the word violet came immediately came to mind. The warm purple-pink of the dress “popped” out amongst the surroundings, the color virtually sang out to me and an color obsession was sparked. Whatever the reason, since that day I been on a quest to possess this color.
Quickly though I discovered finding this perfect shade was not going to be as easy as I thought. Upon both my physical and virtual shopping journey I discovered that not everyone agrees on calling this hue that I desire” violet”.
Some designer’s versions of “violet” are way too pink, some too blue, and some that I think are absolutely perfect are called by another name such as tuberge or magenta.
Suddenly I found myself in a real color conondrum. The color violet was the first word that came to mind when I saw the dress- but could I have been wrong to label it so? Did I need to rethink my fantasy hue’s moniker?
One quick google search for images of real violets and I had my answer…
Two different species of violets- two very different petal color
So, which plant blooms a true shade of violet?
Will opposing opinions of the answer lead to a feud campaign between designers?
Will we spot Valentino sporting a “Team Clive Groves” t-shirt while John Galliano wears one that reads “Team Baronne Alice de Rothschild” in the same vain as a fan pledging their alegiance to “Team Aniston” or “Team Jolie”?
I doubt it. But still, it’s sort of fun to see what side of the debate labels would be on if one actually existed.
I’d would most definitely be wearing a “Team Clive Groves” t-shirt to support my vision of violet. My fellow teammates would include Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Valentino, Prada and Manola Blahnik
While the designers from Kenneth Jay, Christan Dior, J.Crew, Target, Nars and OPI would proudly be showing support for”Team Baronne Alice de Rothschild” .
So, which is your vision of violet?
(One comment so far) · Bookmark this post
I’m often asked about color trends, but this year that question seems to keep coming back to the same color - PINK!
Pink has been seen this year in both ready-to-wear and couture collections. I especially like how Valentino graced the Fall 2007 runway with pink as an elegant counterpoint to the palette chosen for the season: black, brown, ivory, sage, plum, and the designer’s signature red.
Pantone showed a soft pink called Strawberry Ice as one of the top fashion colors for Spring and featured it on the cover of their fashion forecast.
In February, I was interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning about…you guessed it…PINK!
The interview was taped in one of my favorite retail stores, Thomas Pink, where shirts in this hue are a favorite of both men and women. UK retailer Moss reported that pink now surpasses blue as the number one fashion color shirt for men.
Pink has also found its way into the home, and it’s not just women that are going pink.
This month, in an article titled “Colors That Men Love,” House Beautiful included two hues of pink: Colonial Rose from Fine Paints of Europe and Coral Gables 2010-40 from Benjamin Moore.
ICI paint (makers of Ralph Lauren, Glidden, Fuller O’brien, Devoe Paints, and Dulux) named pink their color of the year for 2007.
The Pantone 2007 Interior Color Forecast developed by my colleague and friend, Leatrice Eiseman, included pink in six of the eight color palettes for Interiors 2007.
Home diva Martha Stewart showed her passion for pink when she bathed her Maine country home from floor to ceiling in pink.
The pink color-mania, which began to hit its stride at about the same time Motorola released their Pink RAZR cell phone early last year, came on even stronger this year with everything from couture fashion to home decor to motorbikes sporting this once-but-no-longer strictly feminine color.
While there are many factors influencing this trend, one that can’t be overlooked is the rise in the popularity of pink as a show of support for breast cancer awareness and support groups.
Pink products continue to explode into the retail scene as retailers and manufactures come together for this cause. KitchenAid has a line of limited edition pink counter-top appliances that were developed to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation through a campaign called Cook For The Cure®.
Campbell’s soup and M&M’s are two of the many, many food and beverage products promoting pink.
Even Ford Motors is offering the 2008 Mustang with a “pink package” in support of breast cancer awareness.
Interest in pink continues and we’ll be seeing pink through the holidays and into 2008.
With so much attention, is it any wonder that this hue continues to blush so beautifully?
(9 comments so far) · Bookmark this post
