“Dulux understands colour’s uplifting effect; how it can re-invent the familiar and fill rooms with shades of calm, vitality and happiness. It is passionate about using colour to inspire and help people to unlock the potential in their homes and social spaces. This passion has lead the brand to work with individual communities such as the Wuhan art project in China, All Colour To Sao Paulo events in Brazil and the ongoing support of the Community Re-Paint charity in the UK. Together through the simple act of painting Coral and the individual communities have injected colour, turned old into new, forgotten into colourful.”

“This year Dulux will initiate Let’s Colour projects around the world, so that even more people can experience the positive impact of paint and colour. Let’s Colour will begin in Rio, Paris, London and Rajasthan, before reaching other communities in cities such as Istanbul and Shanghai. For each project, Dulux will connect with local communities to paint spaces that need a little colour and experts in design to ensure they reach their potential. “

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can follow along on their color adventure—Social Media is an amazing thing indeed! (Fan the project on Facebook or follow their blog–they are posting lots of local color insights as they go, I feel as if I’m on a color journey right along with them) I’ve been keeping up with the crew for the past 48 hours as they arrived in Paris and taken on giving this car park (that’s garage for us Yanks) a rainbow of a makeover:

I think this is such an amazing undertaking! Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Lang is with the team.  Here’s his first film from Rio featuring some colorful local artists and an interview with a grandmother whose own home’s colorful makeover is a joy to witness…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I simply cannot get enough of the balconies, wrought iron, or colorful facades.

How cool are these still working gas lights?

Of course I went to Marie Laveau’s grave (google it) where I left an offering (in sets of 3s) , placed my hand on the stone, and made a wish. But while walking in the cemetery, I found the most wonderful shadows. Below are some of my favorite scenes.

Ms. Laveau’s grave on the left and another voodoo grave on the right.

How cool is the shadow and light play. The city has always been a balance of “light” and “dark” both literally and figuratively. Naturally crosses are abundant in a cemetery, but they’re just so cool and different. I just bought an emerald cross necklace to wear, as my obsession will not fade. Explore the cities “buried treasure” here www.graveaddiction.com.

Some of my favorite views in the Quarter.

I get very excited about hardware and building materials.Want the same architectural details in your home ? Try exploring salvage yards or online at sites like this http://www.thegreenproject.org

This is Kelly Israel’s decorated 1981 Cadillac Fleetwood Hearse. Just remember that if you take a photo, drop a donation in the window. Check out his other works at www.myspace.com/deadicateddetail

So these are a few of my favorite things. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and get inspired by your own surroundings. Seeing New Orleans moving forward after Katrina really gives me hope that Haiti will be able to rebuild, as a memorial for those lost and a promise to the future. Plan your New Orleans vacation soon- it’s a perfect place for both families and singles. www.neworleansonline.com

And please continue to support Haiti by donating through various charities.re.clintonbushhaitifund.org

Look for more pictures from my  Mardi Gras trip and be on the lookout for my interview with my  favorite painters in the whole world, right in NOLA – Miss Ashley Longshore. www.ashleylongshore.com

Now if I could just get Brad Pitt to meet me at the Napoleon House for a few Sazeracs, who knows what could happen.

In case you want to see the great work Brad’s organization is doing in the city , click on http://www.makeitrightnola.org/. Photo from celebrity- gossip.net.

GO SAINTS

Two trusted sites are also represented by red and blue. The American Red Cross, represented by the color red, http://www.redcross.org/.

UNICEF  is an organization represented by blue. http://www.unicefusa.org/

The people of Haiti have lost everything. We’re asking our readers to donate any amount they can. Would you consider going a week without a new magazine, a latte, that pair of shoes, or anything that is non essential in order to help those in need?

Our prayers go out  to everyone affected by this tragedy. With your help we hope that the disaster in Haiti becomes a story of how tragedy results in triumph.

I both love and loath this holiday weekend.  Ever year I struggle to say good bye to the long, lazier days-I always feel as if I need just one more week, don’t you?  Yet at the same time, I do admit that I get a tingly feeling of recharged energy at the thought of a productive and exciting Autumn.

I guess that really is what the weekend was designed to do.  A last hurrah of sun and fun, a time to reflect take a deep breath and to be inspired. (Along with drinking ice cold beer, doing the limbo and eating vast quantities of grilled food that is!)

Fellow LIFC writers- Kimberlin and April and I did just that.  Enjoyed a relaxing 2 days of fresh air and play on the Long Island Sound all while buzzing about our own creative plans for this Fall.  September is the perfect time to start anew… to rethink wardrobes, decor, careers…to add new color to just about everything you do!

Our weekend palette.-a wash of pale sky blues and ocean purples, sandy taupes, moonlight grays. the hues of a clay court against tennis whites, beer bottle brown and a shocking shade of bright orange that kept showing up all wonderful weekend long!

]]> http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/laboring-over-a-colorful-weekend/feed/ 2 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/color-inspiration-what-to-wear-to-a-wedding-in-france-part-2/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/color-inspiration-what-to-wear-to-a-wedding-in-france-part-2/#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:53:07 +0000 juliehoylen http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/?p=4922 So now that I had my inspiration- an iconic Chanel Camilla flower (catch up on part 1 here), I needed to consider how I was to go about creating the look.

As classic of a pairing as these two are, black and white can be a bit tricky for a wedding.  The last thing I wanted to do was travel thousands of miles to blend in with the catering staff ( um-no offense catering staff,  especially since Coco herself was first inspired by the black and white uniforms that the staffs typically wore during her raise to fame),  I decided the key here was to keep the two colors pretty much in balance- with one slightly dominating the other.  Just like Coco, herself made famous.

Since I already owned some very fun accessories, including a brand new pair of  strappy kitten heels -that I knew would easily pass the ‘all night on the dance floor’ test- I decided that black would more than likely be the predominating color.  I was also hoping that this little black feathery vest might come into play and be a modern substitute for Coco’s famous ruffles,  hey you only live once right!

So I set out to look for the perfect dress.  Oh did I tell you I had decided on wearing a dress. This special occasion called for me to move out of my typical ’separates scene’ and wear a good old fashioned proper dress.

Audrey Tatou who plays Coco Chanel in the new movie Coco, rocked a b&w dress at a recent party celebrating the film’s premier- Well Done, mon cherie!

I had also decided that a proper dress meant a proper trip to a big fancy department store, so I surprised even myself while on a run for new beach towels I stumbled upon two possible candidates in a local ‘designer goods for less’  store.

The first, a little black lacy mini dress with long sleeves, a white collar and cuffs and a very ode-to-french ruffle front was so super cute- I thought I had a score.  The only problem- it was much too short for bare legs and though I love tights I worried they would seem too heavy for July.   Plus tights and a short dress equaled higher heels which equaled more money and less dancing.  Since the dress was not available in my size ( and believe me I liked the dress so much I even had the salesgirl call around to other stores in attempt to locate it in my size)- I took it as a sign that the right dress was still out there.

Then seconds later I spotted it- it was long, strapless ( empire cut), flowy and very simple!  It’s opt art print pairing of black and white stripes made it just modern enough and it’ s price tag ( coming in at less than half my original fantasy budget) left my heart fluttering- a surplus that would allow me to treat myself to a brand new lipstick- Chanel, of course!

Once home, a twisty black beaded necklace and a silver boxy vintage evening bag completed the look.  The feather vest is packed- just in case ( I always say when in doubt pack it anyway)!

The flower pin- well once my suitcase was closed I was thinking it would be pinned to the bodice of the dress or maybe set into my hair over a low bun.

But I guess you could say that the French spirit of the event took over me- and as I was about to leave for the wedding I thought ‘oh, what the heck…when in France…’

Coco, I hope you would approve- an inspired American pretending to be French and fabulous for but one dreamy, summer night!  Merci Mme Chanel!

As chic and continental as this all sounds, there were a few American missteps- my traveling companions and I found ourselves locked out of the Parisian pied-a-terre we were borrowing on the second day there.  Did you know that the French do not have the words ‘locked out’ in their vocabulary- they say “I’m at the door”.  Many euros later we had mastered our first ‘un-tourist’ French saying and had the perfect wedding reception icebreaker of a story.

source

Second, a little important travel tip to pass on: pack your GPS if you are planning on driving anywhere!  We sure were wishing we had…especially after passing by the same set of cows 14 times around 2 AM in Normandy- a region whose lack of signs and streetlights only adds to it’s charm.

the following morning- I had the distinct feeling that these bulls actually recognized the Renault we were driving

With that all said,  let me back track a few days.  To the week leading up to the most important part of the trip- what I was going to wear to this wedding?  The factors involved- a tight budget paired with a need to create ‘a look’ that captured not only my American desire of ease, but was on par with the joie de vivre spirit of this oh-so-very French event.

A few friends said to me- Why don’t you buy something in Paris to wear?  Well, I have to admit- I thought the same thing.  But there is a big risk in taking this chance.  1.) I tend to have no luck when I am shopping under pressure and 2.) I didn’t want my first days in Paris to be stressing about what I was going to wear to the wedding.

I figured if I stumbled upon something- well then fantastic, no harm done.  But there was no way I was leaving NY without a complete ensemble in tow.  So I set about the search.  First with the budget part in mind a trip inside my own arsenal.  I have in my possession a few choice vintage pieces that have been dying to see the light of day.  One in particular- a brown grecian style gown circa 196o’s- came first to mind as perfectly ‘ timely’ for the event.

I figured a few chunky pieces of coral colored bakelite and a touch of animal print would ‘pop’ against the chocolate brown of my treasured friend

But after trying it on…I don’t know.  I just wasn’t feeling it.  I liked the silhouette..but the color of the dress felt flat- it wasn’t conjuring up the image of a magical summer evening in France that I had swirling around in my head.

A quick rummage through my ‘dress up’ box ( i.e. the storage box that contains all of my favorite vintage finds) and I came up empty handed. Everything felt too heavy, too formal and too flashy for what I was hoping to be an easy, carefree night.  My colors to choose from- a smokey blue, a pale golden yellow, and iridescent green all felt right for a night in urbanville…but somehow seemed slightly off for the north of France.

Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted something in a box of accessories…the perfect inspiration- a black Chanel flower pin ( a gift from fellow color maven April Clark-discovered at NY’s Housing Works thrift shop years before).

Voila! Why hadn’t I thought of this first- like the saying goes’ when in Rome, do as the Roman’s do’ so of course-’when in France do what Coco Chanel would do-wear black and white!’

To be continued….

]]> http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/color-inspiration-what-to-wear-to-a-wedding-in-france-part-1/feed/ 3 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/style-inspirations-seeing-fireworks/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/style-inspirations-seeing-fireworks/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:35:55 +0000 juliehoylen http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/?p=4643 What is it in our psyche that makes a fireworks display so very exciting?  Is it the combination of explosive danger and burst of bright, beautiful color?  Is it symbolic of human emotions…like a feeling of excitement so overwhelming you feel as though you might burst at the seams.  Is it the tingly feeling of falling in love?  Whatever the reason- one thing is for sure, it’s a thrill that never tires.

Since childhood my personal favorites are the ones that first explode in a flash of metallic light and then break into hundreds of little shimmery fireballs that appear to be falling as if in slow motion from the sky.  There is something so poetic and mystical about them…to me they somehow seem to be off in a celestial world of their own. They would make the perfect inspiration for a glamorous room or absolutely timely for a chic, holiday-weekend ensemble.

Micheal Kors silk geogette kaftan, the perfect 4th of July drink – a Cherry Bomber, Frette’s fireworks inspired duvet cover $1200, Schumacher Fireworks wallpaper in white opal, JCrew’s Beaded Fireworks Necklace $118, Benjamin Moore’s Stunning 826- a great celestial blue, $310 La Perla beaded two piece $650, Jimmy Choo Plush embellished sandals $895, Fireworks chandelier

The Fashioning Felt exhibit shows both ancient and new techniques for making textiles into art, sculpture, furniture, jewelry, and of course clothing. I have long had a love of this fabric, using it for my line of children’s handbags. It’s tactile sense is both comforting and sensual to me. This exhibit fully explores all felt has offer.

This is artist Janice Arnold’s palace yurt, created as a place for contemplation and celebration. At the end of the exhibit is a remarkable video that shows the artist and her team hand making all the ceiling panels.The panels are made of wool, mohair, silk and line.

I love these modern colorful “spot rugs” by Majken Mann and Nynne Fearch for Mossimo. And these sculptural “stones” by Pernelle Fagerlund are fun “textile furniture” by a very talented lady. Look how fun they look in front of this chair (also made of felt).

This fairytale piece is called “The Slice” uncut roll and slice and looks like a woodland dream, by Lene Frantzen.

One of the largest pieces is the amazing wooly wall called “Inner Moods” by Cloudy  Jongstra. This wool is from the artist’s own flock, an endangered species, and is dyed with healing plants and herbs. This piece is supposed to be a healing , tactile piece of sculpture. It reminds me of a character from “Where the Wild Things Are” and also a den from the 70’s – healing indeed !

I would have shared more pictures but they are not allowed in the gallery. A kind security guard told me this after I had taken these – sorry Cooper Hewitt. Let this be a tease…get to the show. At the end of the exhibit are films about the process and pieces of felt that you can touch . I have to admit to being the most interested in touching the work…I”m like a curious child I guess.

Take a couple of hours to see this beautiful mansion and have a relaxing seat outside in the lovely park setting. There’s also an exhibit that has some amazing designers (Ted Muehling, Isaac Mizrahi, and Kate Spade to name a few) that are using sustainable materials. My favorite is the bamboo “Living Forest”  by artist Ezri Tarazi- truly inspirational.

Me and my Grandma and Grandad Clark with my new Pear tree that I got for my birthday, my mom planting seeds in a pair of fashionable bell bottoms, and me and my Grandad and my dad working in our family garden circa 1975

My Grandmother’s prize were her azaleas, pansies and lily of the valley…a scent that still brings tears of joy to my eyes. As a true Manhattan girl for the last 15 years, the thing I miss the most about my previous life is a garden. Container gardens on a fire escape just don’t cut it…so I find myself lately absolutely needing to see the green stuff.

To celebrate a friend’s birthday we spent a magical day at the New York Botanical Gardens and most recently to celebrate my own birthday I journeyed just north of Manhattan to the beautiful gardens of Wave Hill.

Wave Hill was built in 1843 and has hosted many tenants of note. Theodore Roosevelt stayed there with his family when he was 12 and 13 – a stay that must have influenced his love and creation of America’s great park conservation . Mark Twain rented the property from 1901- 1903 and the composer Arturo Toscanini was there from 1942-1945. Believe me that the grounds, gardens, and views are inspiring even if your not an artistic genius !

How have I lived in NYC for this long and not been here? I am now a member and look forward to my first members only picnic.

These are some of the beautiful flowers at Wave Hill right now and I expect a new palette as the summer blooming progresses. Mother Nature has come up with some pretty amazing and shocking colors . Why not bring an unexpected and shocking color into your home, or for the color shy, your garden. I hope the following pictures inspire you as they have me.

Wave Hill’s own mission statement says that its ongoing purpose is to “celebrate the artistry and legacy of its landscape and to explore human connections to the natural world.” I second that emotion…very cool stuff. Wave Hill offers classes in art, beekeeping, jewelry making, gardening (of course) and my favorite – yoga, on Tuesdays and Sundays. More food for the soul. Visit www.wavehill.org for all the glorious details.

When you go to Wave Hill, make sure to have brunch on the veranda, looking towards the Palisades.The menu features delicious quiches and pastries  that is organic and from a nearby farm. Start your work week by taking in all the colors and breath taking views of the Hudson and stop by my table to say hi (I’ll be nibbling on the amazing carrot bread with apricot jam).

Umbrellas from Alexandra Sojfer… the most amazing umbrella shop ever! 218 Boulevard Saint-Germain

Since my first ever trip to Paris happened in the month of April- (two years back and over Easter week to be exact), this time of year finds me longing to be back there April showers and all…walking along the Seine, peeking in and out of shop after amazing shop and lazily sitting outside of a cafe doing nothing more than people watching the afternoon away…ahh, paradise.

That’s me in the background… entranced by one of the many ‘hidden gardens’ I discovered while navigating the streets of Paris on my first day there…my expression- a mix of jet lag and pure happiness, I’m sure.

Oh, Paris… the sights, the sounds, the gardens, the food, the wine…and most of all THE COLORS!

I like to now call them the ‘ Parisian neutrals’… colors that exist somewhere between gray, stone, taupe and the color of the pebbles that you softly crunch over as you stroll through the Tuileries Gardens.

See how pretty the green and yellow ‘pop’ against the background… the buildings, statues and ground cover make for a stunning backdrop for brighter and richer colors.  This is a photo from the Place de Vosges, the oldest square in Paris- a must see if you go.  It’s a great place to catch an insider’s glimpse into Parisian life.

It’s that French limestone, the weathered everything, the statues and details that have been dipped in gold; the way the Seine divides the city in half with it’s calming current as you cross from left bank to right.  The whole package is just divine!  Around every corner there is something to discover, another cobblestone street or brightly colored storefront or parterre garden or stylishly dressed Parisian.

The Rodin Museum (yes he actually lived and worked in this house/hotel right in the heart of the city)-I guess you could say he was by no means a ’starving artist’!  The garden is so amazing (and free to enter)- love the oxidized statue and roof amongst the lush greens of the plants.

Since returning home to my American digs I’ve held these colors in my mind and have kept an eye out for possible matches.. knowing one day I might have the chance to use them.

So recently when my friend Carson, also a real Paris-phile (if there was such a word) asked me to help her pick a paint color for a new pilates studio that she was opening (she’s a professional dancer/pilates guru) I thought- finally  here’s my chance to figure it out.

I immediately remembered a color swatch that I had seen in House Beautiful magazine in which designer Micheal Mckinnon had mentioned put his mind to Paris.

BENJAMIN MOORE SILVER FOX 2108-50: “This is a warm, taupeish gray, what artists call a French gray. Very relaxed and chic. It immediately puts me on the Île Saint-Louis overlooking the Seine. It’s equal parts earth and air, to use feng shui terms, which means it’s perfect for a small, narrow entrance hall, because it adds warmth and air at the same time.” -MICHAEL MCKINNON

Now I’m the last one who should be telling you to pick a color by it’s name ( kinda like judging a book by it’s cover), but Carson has a friend who calls her a ’silver fox’ all of the time, so I thought perhaps this color was kismet…

She loved the color, but feared it was too dark for her space.  After visiting her new studio I had to agree.  With it’s dark blue carpeting (which was staying) and only two windows ( basement view at that) she needed to go much lighter.  She alsowanted the space to gain a feeling of warmth- since it was currently painted a stark bright cool white complete with fluorescent lighting.

Obviously we wanted to go with a warm gray, so we quickly narrowed it down to Edgecomb Gray HC-173. you can see in this picture from the Benjamin Moore’s website how much warmer of a color it is then the grays next to it-

Yet she was still very nervous about going with ‘color’ on the walls with the blue carpet.  I totally understood her fear, but I tried to convince her that the carpets would be one day soon be replaced with wood flooring and that a backdrop of ‘greige’ would be a beautiful backdrop for her warm toned equipment and accents of her favorite colors of deep blues and reds.  Also she was planning on showcasing her brother’s black and white photography around the space…. how pretty that would be! Soon we would both be feeling like we were right back in Paris via the colors of her studio!

Quickly I realized that my Parisian colored walls would not be happening this time.  My Parisian fantasy would stay my own…and though I tried to sneak in some suggestions that were lighter but on par with Edgecomb Gray… she still wasn’t convinced.  A few swatch test later and we both agreed on Ballet White OC-09 ( I guess in the end perhaps the name game, she is a dancer after all, won out! ).

All said and done-her space looks fantastic! She switched out the fluorescents with track lighting complete with big opaque round bulbs (brilliant- right, since while working out on the mats and reformers her clients are always looking up!)  which really added to warming up the space as well.

Oh well, one day my Parisian palette will come into play… I just know it.

Now back to my trip to Paris for just two more things.  The umbrella shop that I mentioned at the beginning of this post is really a must see place (if you are just lucky enough to find yourself on the Left Bank anytime soon) or visit via the web… owner and designer Alexandra Sojfer is as cute and chic as her umbrellas- love what she’s wearing! (check out her behind the scenes videos that are featured on the site).

And if traveling to France is not on your immediate horizon, a great substitute for French style inspiration is this book (it’s my rainy day cup of tea/ glass of wine go to book in fact) My French Life by Vicki Archer-

And in case you don’t know Vicki has an amazingly addictive blog called French Essence.. reading it is like taking a little mini vacation to Provence… what could be better than that!

On a funny note, I never realized until right this minute that I think the woman on the cover is quite possibly carrying an Alexandra Sojfer umbrella-not sure but it sure looks like one. Wow – okay now that is kismet!!!!

Still on the look out for that perfect color to transport me back to my beloved City of Lights…. recently sampled a few more in my own house…hmm, Bennington Gray HC-82… I may be on to something here…

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