Colors and personality are a funny thing. You may love a particular color for one purpose in your life, but find it completely inappropriate for another. You may stroll about town happily in a cherry red coat but the thought of breaking bread in a crimson room makes you itchy- a bedroom dressed in layer upon layer of greens makes you swoon, but flashing a jade colored pedicure leaves you feeling a bit seasick.
a set of blue wheels- yes, blue nails- no way!
It’s all very personal the emotions that colors illicit… so when I discover someone having a colorful change of heart- it’s all very exciting to me.
A few months back I had the fun of interviewing Micheline Taillardat , founder of the amazing French furniture company that shares her name, in her NYC showroom. At the time I learned that there was one color not represented in her amazing space of richly colored furnishings- blue. She let me in on the fact that though she felt that blue was a nice color to wear, for home it was a hue she felt was a bit ‘too cold’ for her cozy-color liking. ( I found this little tidbit so interesting- it made me realize that sometimes knowing a person’s least favorite color is as insightful as knowing which ones are their favorites)
So when I caught site this week of her newest collection “Life In Blue’ , a collection dressed in fabrics and finishes influenced by the colors of the sky and sea-I was thrilled to see that Micheline was adventurous enough to disregard her feelings and give blue a fighting chance! In shades ranging from brilliant to smokey- her latest offerings are nothing short of tres magnificent!
Micheline you’ve inspired me to look at my own color boundaries- I noted today that the color green is represented in every room throughout my house…but not a stitch of it lives in my closet. Funny, somehow I was unaware. My quest for a jewel of a dress- in emerald or jadeite perhaps- begins today! I’ll keep you posted!
To read more about the message and meaning of your favorite ( or better yet- your least favorite color) check out our home site.
Check out this fun post about a very distinctive blue building and the use of color in branding by Color Me Happy’s Maria Killam-love it!
Love the furniture but can not endorse blue nail polish. Ever!
I love blue. So soothing especially with soft neutral colors.
Hi julie
I totally agree with u on that! Being in this profession of colours my own taste of colours keep changing. I used to love the colour orange last year and ended up buying a bright orange raincoat which i proudly wore around then.. But now i find it way too bright for my choice!
If one believes in the “season” theory of color assessment (which I do), then the colors you love to see on furnishings or walls are not necessarily the ones that look good on you.
For me, the prime example is orange. I could -never- wear it. As a “Summer,” so I look best in cool, smoky colors. Thus, orange is in my entry and on bright silk throw pillows, but my closet is filled with lots of gray, teal, and blue-pink.
I tell customers that the walls are a good opportunity to use a color you adore, but can’t wear.
Julie this is so great, I just wrote a post about blue, then I was over at another blog and she had the exact colour on hers, then I came over here and you’ve done one as well. So I’ve included your post in mine today!!
Thanks for the inspiration!
xo
Maria
I also wear different colors than the ones I prefer to see on the walls. A blue red is one of my favorite colors to see on a wall (especially in a dining room), but I never wear red. On the other hand, I love to wear black, gray and brown, and although I do recommend brown often for walls, I don’t use black or gray at all!
It’s all in the perspective. Color is a wonderful thing!
Hi, Julie–
As a “Gentle Winter” in seasonal color theory, I love to wear blue–and blue-green which brings out my eyes, but use it more as a color accent in my home. Beige makes me look like death warmed over, and I also can’t abide it in my house in paint or finishes. Author and designer Alexandra Stoddard thinks that there are lots of people who have self-induced low-level depression because they live with too much beige on beige. One of the delights of working with Calico Corners is that I’m exposed to fabrics in every hue and shade–and while colors do cycle in and out, I can usually find new things to fall in love with.
Best,
Jan