“Color sends a message,’” says Kate Smith, a color expert who works as a corporate color consultant. “There’s some message on our mind, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.”

So, what does purple mean when it comes to politics?

Because it is a combination of red and blue, it carries some meanings from both colors. “You’re communicating the trustworthiness from blue as well as some red, the power, the in-charge side of red,” says Smith, who owns Sensational Color, a company based in Washington, D.C. “They’re unifying.”

While Designer Isaac Mizrahi, who designed the deep plum colored dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama was most likely motivated by fashion and trends rather than politics, he did delight at George Stephanopoulos’s observation about the color being politically correct:

“It was like the politics of the clothes,” he said. “She was saying, ‘Not left, not right.’ It was kind of like a bipartisan dress. George Stephanopoulos said how interesting it was that she was in a kind of purple-y color, which is a blend of red and blue. Love that.”

I also liked your observation, George.  No, not that the color purple was a bipartisan blend of red and blue.  That’s been said since President Obama was first elected.  What I liked is that you called it “a kind of purple-y color” rather than purple.

Purple (or violet as it is called in color theory) is a color that is visual balance of red and blue.  Purple embodies the balance of red’s stimulation and blue’s calm. This dichotomy can cause unrest or uneasiness unless the undertone is clearly defined, at which point the purple takes on the characteristics of its undertone.

However, in this case it goes beyond undertone since Michelle Obama’s dress, Joe Biden’s tie and Nancy Pelosi’s suit are not really purple at all.  They are all variations of red-violet.  Yep, that’s right.  What was called “purple-y” by George and plum by Isaac is actually a hue known as red-violet.

I mention this not only to point out how verbalizing color is anything but precise but to show you how a difference in hue can change what the color communicates.

Like purple,  red-violet carries some of the messages and meanings of both red and blue however this hue leans more towards red than blue.  In the case of red-violet the influence of red (power, action, confidence, a sense of protection from fears and anxiety) would be a bit stronger since that hue is more pronounced.

Now this is where it gets interesting when you try to read the message behind the color.

Was the message one of unification?  I’d like to think so.

Could their choice of a red-violet, whether conscious or unconscious, instead of a hue with a more equal balance of red and blue come out of a need to feel more in control or remind us (or themselves) of who is in charge?  I’ll leave that for you to decide.

More about this hue:

• Trend Tuesday: Color Speaks Out and It’s Voice is Red-Violet
• I’m Dreaming of a Red-Violet Garden
• See more about what the colors say in the Detroit Free Press Did purple apparel send a message at the State of the Union address?

Related:

• Photos from White House Flickr
• All About the Color Red
• All About the Color Blue
• All About the Color Purple
  

Kate was thrilled when Sonu and Kathy asked her to join in their line up of amazingly talented peeps all talking “resolutions for the new year”.

Since Kate loves nothing more than sharing her love and knowledge of color with others, it seemed only fitting that her resolution for the new year would be to Learn More.  She has put together a fantastic list of ways that you can (as LIFC writer April might say) get your “color on”!

While we were batting around ideas to include in Kate’s top 10 tips, I realized just how important “learning more” is in my own life.  New places, new people and new ideas are really what drives me- they have no doubt, driven me to write this blog.  While curiosity may have killed the cat, being curious is what keeps this colorful kitty feeling very much alive.

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There is a Buddhist Proverb that I love, it says- “When the student is ready, the master appears.”

I take much comfort in this thought. If you say to the world (or even if you just whisper to yourself) that you want to learn more, no matter what the subject, the means and the opportunity will present themselves to you.

If  learning more about color is something that interests you in this new year, which we hope it is, then you’ve come to the right place(s).  Sonu Matthew’s Living In Color With Sonu is a stylish walk through a world of color, Kathy Barlow’s HomeWorkshop.com is a bevy of color filled design inspirations and  us…well we do what we can to spread the word that colorful knowledge is king!

Best part- once you begin to learn more about color, I guarantee the world around you will become a much more colorful place.

Suddenly you’ll begin to notice things- a dress that inspires the perfect mood for a bedroom palette, an awareness of why the colors on a box may make you pick one product over another at the grocery store, even how come that house on the end of your street always catches your eye (ahh, it’s that perfect shade of red paired against its complimentary sage green of the siding that gives the front door such visual impact!- see you’re already a color genius!!!)

For me this is when the fun of color really begins.

I loved this dress when I spotted it in a mag- the next day
I noticed a very similar palette on a line of fabrics from Calico Corner-
the inspiration for my dream modern bohemian bedroom-found!

Like Kate says in her tips, there are many simple ways you can get started to learn more about color this year. Since I’m more of a ‘do-er’ when it comes to learning, I figured I would share with you one of my favorite ways that I’ve learned more about color over the past few years.

It’s an exercise I like to call ‘color field work’.  All it requires of you is to simply open your eyes-fabulous explorer garb and binoculars are completely optional.

Designers, merchandisers, artists; examples of their talented use of color surrounds us everyday. Taking a color lesson is as easy as strolling your local mall or walking the aisles of your favorite fabric or stationary store. A trip to an art museum becomes a completely different experience when you begin to focus on how a painter washes their canvas with color. A few moments in front of a Matisse- priceless!

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Stationary stores are among my favorite of all places to
discover new combinations and to test my mad color wheel skills

A trip to the mall had Kate discovering a secret palette
on the inside of this JCrew coat-there are no boundaries
when it comes to smart design and beautiful color

Remember, this exercise isn’t just about discovering what you like. Recognizing what you don’t can be just as important. Like Kate mentioned in her tips, our reactions to color come from deep inside us. There really isn’t any set color rules of “right or wrong”, in the case of color-beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

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I love this dining room by Jonathan Adler, but the memory of a bright yellow shirt your mother
forced you to wear for your 5th grade school picture may have you running for the hills at even
the thought of ever using this hue in your own home (emotional impact perhaps? Told you it’s true.)

When we recognize our own unique tastes the answers to some puzzling questions like- why don’t I love my living room or how come I never wear that shirt that I love so much on the hanger- start to become clear.

Then we can begin to use our new found knowledge to “right” all of our “colorful wrongs”!

We realize what the perfect color to freshen up the walls could be, how changing out the rug could change the room’s mood, how adding that perfect shade of well-placed accessories would be like giving the space a breath of fresh air: why adding a colorful piece of jewelry or a unexpected shade of shoes suddenly makes that unworn shirt our newest staple-I’m telling you, colorful ideas start showing up to save the day and hopefully in the end saving you some ‘greens’, to boot.

So take the time in 2010 to Learn More. Pick a subject and expand your mind, carve out time to pursue a passion, gather tools and become more self-sufficient- surround yourself with those that can teach you and those that you can teach right back.

Make Buddha proud.

Check out this update: Kate posted a fun wrap up of Ten Design Days with ‘What I Learned From Ten Experts in Ten Days.”

The little graphic image identifies the color of each pencil.  See the code system below.

He took it upon himself to further explore the concept of ‘inclusion’ beyond his thesis and develop a color coding system for colorblind people. Miguel developed monochromatic graphic images and a code that allows the 10% of the world’s population that is colorblind to identify colors. This is especially important in situations where color is the determining factor in the decision-making.

The first fully licensed design of its kind, ColorAdd® has become a challenging and motivating project for the designer, who is currently working with a multidisciplinary team in Portugal to expand its reach.

Read more about this innovative color code system at ICOGRADA

New Year’s Eve is more than just a time for celebrating.  It is a time for reflecting on the past, and looking forward to the coming year.  A time to to take stock of where we are and maybe more importantly where we’d like to be in the future.

Of course being somewhere other than where we are now means moving into action and often making changes.  However, for most of us making those changes takes a great deal of resolve, which often begins with the small step of setting our intention as a ‘New Year’s resolution’.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

This morning I have been reflecting on how, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, I might find myself a better (wo)man in 2010.  So many things came to mind that the hardest part was narrowing my resolutions to a manageable list.

I finally whittled it down to my ‘top 12′ and decided that the best way for me to keep my resolutions top-of-mind throughout the year is to link each to a hue on the color wheel.  Plus it makes thinking about change much more fun when it’s color coded, doesn’t it?

Choosing the first color yellow-orange was easy.  I can only hope that I have the same ease in keeping the resolution.

Resolution: Yellow-Orange — Be a more daring and determined entrepreneur

My inspiration — The Color of Veuve Clicquot — and no it isn’t because a bit of alcohol might make me more daring or bold so read on.

The Color of Veuve Clicquot: Orange or Yellow?

I had barely made it in the door and removed my wrap last night before my host appeared with a crystal flute, an open bottle of Veuve Clicquot and a little good-natured chiding.

“The color of the evening is ORANGE!”

My lips popped apart about as fast as the cork had surely left the bottle of Champagne he was holding but being the gracious guest I caught myself before saying a word…however not quite fast enough to disguise the fact words had been about to spill out.

“What? What were you going to say? I know you were about to say something so now you have to tell me!”

“Oh it was nothing. Really.”

“Kaaaate”

“Okay, all I was going to say was yellow”

“Yellow?”

“Yes, the color of Veuve Clicquot is actually yellow not orange.  That’s all.”

My host looked at the label and then back at me and then at the label again and then back at me before exclaiming, “No way! That’s not yellow! (long pause) Is it?”

“Well I often hear people call it orange so your not alone but the company calls it yellow.”

“Really?” he said skeptically.

“I bet if I asked everyone at this party what color this is they would say orange not yellow” and that is exactly what he proceeded to do.

When the answered were tallied orange was the clear winner with yellow trailing far behind.

My host proudly announced, “I said the color is orange and Kate said yellow. Thank you for proving that I was right not Miss Smarty Color Pants”

Hmm, I think he might have meant to say “Miss Color Smarty Pants” but I suspect a few glasses of the bubbly might have had something to do with turning the nickname into a moniker that was (at least to me) much funnier.

This conversation did however remind me that my appreciation of Veuve Clicoquot goes beyond the delectable taste and signature color.   It also extends to the woman behind the brand and she is the reason that I chose this as the perfect hue for such a weighty resolution.

Madame Clicquot known as the Grande Dame de la Champagne was a woman of great vision. Here’s her story as told on the Veuve Clicquot website:

Madame Clicquot’s life could have been typical of that of many 18th-century young ladies in France.
Born into a wealthy family, she made a good marriage to François Clicquot, who owned a champagne business, in 1798, before giving birth to a little girl called Clémentine.

However, her natural curiosity encouraged her to take an interest in the house’s affairs, and, when her husband died prematurely, she decided to take up the reins of the estate.
Her strength of character and business sense transformed her family-in-law’s trade into a great Champagne House.
While her representatives travelled throughout Europe and her champagne was shipped across the seas the world over, Madame Clicquot personally took charge of the cellars, choosing her motto as only one quality, the finest.

She invented the riddling table in order to obtain champagne wines that were as clear, distinct and limpid as possible. She gradually acquired land in vineyards with the best crus, which are now part of Veuve Clicquot’s exceptional wine heritage.

Her contemporaries already considered her as a great lady and she became known as the Grande Dame de la Champagne.

She died in 1866, in her château, surrounded by those she had loved with generosity and tenderness.
Today she holds sway over every bottle of champagne sold by Veuve Clicquot, reigning over an empire of bubbles appreciated by all connoisseurs of excellent champagne.

If you are interested in reading all of the details of this incredible woman’s journey I recommend the book The Widow Cliquot.

I think Madame Clicquot is the perfect role model!  She was a daring and determined entrepreneur, a bold risk taker, and an audacious and intelligent woman who took control of her own destiny when fate left her on the brink of financial ruin.

As I strive to find my own resolve the Widow Clicquot — Veuve Cliquot as it is said in French — and her signature yellow (or as I would describe it yellow-orange) are the perfectly paired inspiration to keep me on track.

So while I work to keep my resolution I’ll be thinking about the woman that inspired a level of excellence that continues to drive the prestigious Champagne House with the yellow (or call it orange if you must) label.

What will inspire you to keep striving towards your own resolutions this year?

PS — I was so taken by the Veuve Clicquot Rose ads and ice dress I found while on the Veuve Clicquot website that I wrote a post about it for Color for Your Home titled  Perfect Color Combination: Pink and Yellow-Orange

First out of the gate this year was ICI with their Color of the Year: ‘Icy Blue’.  I love the clean, airy freshness that this color has.  To me this colors feels like a breath of fresh air and opens my mind once again to optimistic “the sky is the limit” thinking.

Next we heard from Pantone and their Color of the Year: ‘Turquoise’ a warmer take on blue.  While the color on the fabric sample sent with their press release seemed to be a rather insipid hue I do think the color appears to be much more interesting in the graphic images of their supporting images.

Of course it is hard to go wrong with me when it comes to this hue.  Anyone that knows me well knows that blue-green is a color that I enjoy in all of its many hues, tints, tones and shades.   Even my signature paint color ‘H2-Ahh!’ in Ellen Kennon’s Full Spectrum line is a complex neutral that is probably often described as bluish, greenish, gray.

Turquoise evokes all of the positive feelings associate with the healing powers and relaxing qualities of water.  Just the prescription for the frazzled nerves and unsettled emotions many have experience it the last year or two.

Now today Global Color Research released Verdigris as their first Color of the Year.  This hue is very close to Pantone’s Turquoise and in the same palette there is a blue that is strikingly similar to ICI’s Icy Blue plus four additional colors.

While it might surprise you that these organizations would come up with similar hues as their Color of the Year it makes perfect sense to those of us involved in color forecasting.  For example twice a year I participate in the color forecasting process with the Color Marketing Group and while each of the color professionals involved does their own independent research we often arrive at the meeting with almost identical colors.

No matter how many times this happens I still find it both amazing and reasuring.  Amazing because when each person picks just a half dozen colors to talk about out of all of the millions of choices the possibility that they will choose the same color seems quite improbable doesn’t it?

At the same time it is reassuring to have my own choices validated and to know that while color trend predicting is not an exact science that when global trends are distilled down to colors there is a synergy to our thought process.

It is for this reason that as you start to look around at the color trends from many companies you’ll see similar colors.  For example just take a look at The Hottest Paint Colors gathered by Christine Pittel for House Beautiful.  Many of the major paint brands have submitted their choice of a hot color for 2010.  Each paint color is different but as you look at them as a group you can see how similar they are to the colors above.

Do you have your own favorite ‘Color of the Year’?  Leave a comment and let me know.

You might also like to see some of our previous posts on the Color of the Year:

Trend Tuesday: ICI’s Color of the Year Icy Blue is Icy Hot

Pantone 2010 Color of the Year: Turquoise.

This fact also fascinated photographer Yoon JeongMee as she began exploring “the trends in cultural preferences and the differences in the tastes of children (and their parents) from diverse cultures, ethnic groups as well as gender socialization and identity” in 2005 through a body of work she calls The Pink & Blue Project.

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As a child my own son was never obsessed with a single color but I have known many children who have (or had) a mono-hue mindset.  Even so I never realized the impact of their “color love” until viewing this series of photographs.  Yikes, some of these young boys and girls seem almost lost in their many, many, (way too many) treasures of pink or blue.

What Yoon JeongMee has to say about The Pink and Blue Project:

This project began with my daughter. My six -year-old daughter loves pink. She wants to wear only pink clothes and only own pink toys and objects. My daughter is not unusual. Most other little girls in the United States and South Korea love pink clothing, accessories and toys. This phenomenon seems widespread among various ethnic groups of children regardless of their cultural backgrounds. This preference is the result of cultural influences and the power of pervasive commercial advertisements such as those for Barbie and Hello Kitty. Through advertising, customers are directed to buy blue items for boys and pink for girls. Blue has become a symbol of strength and masculinity, while pink symbolizes sweetness and femininity.

To make The Pink and Blue Project series, I visited children’s rooms, where I displayed their possessions in an effort to show the viewer the extent to which children and their parents, knowingly or unknowing, are influenced by advertising and popular culture.

Thanks Trendhunter.com for putting me onto The Blue and Pink Project!

You can see all of the photographs on Yoon JeongMee’s website and let me know what you think about all of the pink and blue.

Pantone just announced the color of the year for 2010: PMS 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue.

Here is what Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® has to say about this year’s color of the year:

In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color.  It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors.
With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

In fashion, Turquoise makes a statement that can look elegant and dressy in fine silk and gemstones, or casual and fun in cotton and athletic apparel. Because of its versatility, Turquoise is a great accent color in jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women, and ties, shirts and sportswear for men.

Read an article in today’s Seattle Times or visit Pantone.com

Check out the post we wrote about the trend of many beautiful blue-green hues for the home…

I love the first two opening pages (shown below) and the ideas expressed.  Off to a good start.

I pulled up my birthdate first.  Although I’ve never really been attracted to the color ‘Blush’ the write up about personality traits seemed to fit.  Here’s a couple of highlights:

YOU love to learn and explore new things especially if there is an artistic or organic slant to the subject. [Yep, that's true]

Although you get along well with others you have a strong independent streak.  You want a partner with whom you can share your life, but one who doesn’t require all of your energy. [True again & I don't think I could have said it any better]

Now I know my sister Julie pretty well so I decided to see if it seemed to fit her personality traits.

There is something about your physical presence that is commanding yet likable. [Commanding wouldn't be a word I would have used but Julie does have a presence and is easily likable so I'd say this rings true.]

You have an artistic ability and a great sense of style. [No question here.  Julie is very artistic, creative and has an innate sense of style.]

So far so good but but I wanted to look up at least one more so I looked at Kiki’s birthdate.

Many people born on this day have a propensity for writing. [True, and I'm so happy about it since we regularly co-write articles, classes, and now books]

Your mind is very active so it is important for you to communicate both creatively and physically.  Sports, dance or the arts are all activities that can bring joy and help you relax. [I'd say this is very true.  After all Kiki is very creative and did dance with the Minnesota Ballet/Stage Door Performing Arts for 15 years!]

Okay, three for three.  I’m not sure if it is just a lucky coincidence or that there really is something more to Michele Bernhardt’s Colorstrology but it sure was fun.

Why not find your Colorstrology color and then leave a comment and let me know if what your birthdate say about you is on target.

So it’s Wednesday night and I have just discovered the most beauti-mus kitchen within the Grange Showroom (NYDC 200 Lex. Suite 201).  Traditional Home magazine is hosting the event, a bevy of talented designers have created vignettes throughout the showroom depicting ‘Chic Chateau Family Style’ and the little voice inside my head is starting to speak with a slight French accent.

I have just had a quick catch up with Sabine who let me in on the fact that Eddie Ross was not only ‘in the house’ but ‘in the kitchen’.  Having met Eddie months back I couldn’t wait to say ‘Hi!’ and find out if and when he would be hosting another flea marketing day in NYC (since my pal Mary and I are still obsessed with shopping alongside him). Plus I know wherever Eddie is, yummy treats and great style is sure to follow.

Eddie’s kitchen vignette did not disappoint. Packed to the rim with pots, pans, herbs, oils and everything you could ever desire in the warmth and welcoming kitchen of your own private chateau.

I am so loving the gray walls and gray back splash together.  Don’t you think it’s so unexpected, but works so beautifully together!  The accents of Black and White with the Coppers, the wood tones, the dark appliances and the Creaminess of the cabinetry and stove really help to warm up the Gray. Think how different all stainless steel appliances or pure White cabinets would have looked.

Sherwin Williams

In this case the color Gray feels serene, unfussy and contemplative. And while yes this room would make a lovely backdrop for a family and friends gathering, I selfishly have to admit my favorite time to be in my own kitchen is when I’m all alone.  Sometimes the only time I get to think straight during the day is over the breakfast dishes or prepping for dinner. This is a palette I can see myself happily surround in as I fiddled about with a warm cup of coffee or even better-a big, full glass of wine.

Okay, fast forward back to Sunday afternoon and now for the explanation behind the gratuitous picture of Jude Law at the beginning of Part 1.

As a special surprise fellow LIFC maven April treated me and Kimberlin with tickets to see the Broadway production of Hamlet (inspiration-30% to fulfill our cultural desires/ 70% to be able to say we were all in the same room as Jude Law).  None the less, my lazy rainy Sunday morning had left me well rested and ready to experience an afternoon with Shakespeare and my favorite girls!

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Unknowingly the color Gray would show up yet again to color my mood.  This time around in the form of a vast, cumbersome set and a little updated styling.

Designer Christopher Oram, who originally created the sets and costumes for the company’s London run, understands a thing or two about the psychology of color.  With only a jolt of bright red carpet in the Great Hall, a brilliant sheer white curtain ( to give the illusion that we are spying in on the scene where Hamlet confronts his mother) and spots of pure, bright white lighting and fluffy white snow that cast a blue glow- the entire staging was pretty much a monochromatic homage to Gray.

Even our poor troubled hero and his fellow cast of doomed character’s are clothed only in Grays, with bits of black, purple and white thrown in for dramatic measure. The drabness of the stage and costumes helping to set a chilling mood as we watch our sweet prince embark into madness and pain.

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Now I am by no means a theater critic or a Shakespearean expert, but I truly enjoyed Jude’s performance. His compelling rendering of the Prince of Danes was both physical ( who knew he was so gestural?) and emotionally impressive.

By the Second Act the starkness of the Gray set and the sadness of the characters was beginning to get to me.. I wrapped my coat around me a bit tighter as I was even beginning to feel slightly chilled.

The color Gray was most certainly used to ‘unsettle’ in this case. I suppose too much of a good thing- can truly be too much!

After the curtain fell, we spilled out into the streets of Manhattan abuzz with fellow theater goers and began our search  for the closest cold beer and pizza.  Moments later high above the Gray city setting, heavy dark clouds moved in and the sky opened down upon us once more.  It was at that moment that I realized how much the color Gray had been coloring my own life throughout the last 7 days.

Too much of a good thing…and as I made my way through through a soggy Time’s Square in my favorite high heels- I suddenly began to pray for a new color- Yellow ( in the form of an empty cab, that is!)

Check out what other bloggers are hooked on today over at Hooked On House’s and The Inspired Room’s Friday blog carnivals

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I quickly discovered I was not alone in my psychological rain dance.  Everyone I chatted up on Saturday seemed to be waxing poetic about even the slightest possibility of a rained out day.  No sports, no markets, no Fall festivals…a free pass, a few hours to do nothing more than catch up.

It wouldn’t be until later the next rain soaked (hooray!) day that I would realize that the color Gray had in fact been very much on my mind the entire week- and not just in form of clouds.

The color Gray is often referred to as the perfect neutral color.  This is why gray boards are used by designers as a background color. I like to think of Gray as a polite hue, secure in who it is… no need to effect or force itself on it’s surrounding colors.

If Gray had an astrological sign I bet you it would be a Libra!

This is also probably why Gray is considered to be the color of compromise (sitting perfectly in the middle of black and white) and balance.  Dignified, authoritative, classic are all words used to describe our friend Gray.

Yet the physical affect that Gray has on our emotions might better be described as being slightly bi-polar (uh-oh, no offense Libras!)  With the ability to both ‘unsettle’ and ‘create expectations’ perhaps Gray’s personality truly is in the eye of the beholder and how this neutral makes us feel is elicited by the very context in which it is being used.

For me the effect of my lovely Sunday Gray morning was quite balanced indeed- unsettling my busy routine while creating the great possibility of me actually getting a moment to organize my messy life. But Gray did not in fact represent itself in such a two-sided way earlier in the week….

A quick step back in time to exactly one week early. A lovely Sunday walk through Central Park just to people watch (my absolute favorite) had revealed that the color Gray was everywhere as far as fashion goes.

Surpassing the typical urban camouflage of Black-I made a mental note to write about Gray being NYer’s new favorite color for ‘out-and-about weekend’ garb. Under some catchy title like ‘Gray Reigns Over Sunny Skies In Central Park’,it was bound to be a good post…but of course thanks to my busy week it never went farther than being just a good idea.

And no I did not snap this picture.  I swiped it off of the Sartorialist’s amazing blog- this fashionable gray loving NYer is admitingly way cooler than anyone I was able to catch on film that day.

And though no doubt Gray isn’t a new color on the city block when it comes to NY, what I did find interesting was how many people were wearing Gray and it’s many moody shades from head to toe and not just as a neutral with other colors.

To me the look is not only super cool, but almost blank slate-like.  The perfect backdrop to life.  Much like how the Grays of the metal, glass and concrete that make up Manhattan’s skyline create the ultimate backdrop for the colorful world that is our beloved city to me these individuals were dressing with great expectations.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. I’ve made my way to the What’s New, What’s Next@200 Lex event.  I was there to hear House Beautiful’s Newell Turner and Benjamin Moore’s Sonu Matthew talk about ‘Colors You Never Get Tired Of’ ( it was wonderful- and much, much more on their presentation to come very soon).

Flipping through the evening’s program I spotted that Traditional Home magazine was also hosting their own stylish event a few floors down at The Grange Showroom.  Being a total francophile when it comes to decor (and having recently spent one of the best nights of my year with TH’S own Sabine Rothman) it didn’t take much twisting of my arm to get me heading quickly to the elevator once the HB event was over ( and after I got in some great private time color talk with Sonu and Newell- but again more on this soon).

Once there, all I can say is I would happily move into the Grange showroom.  If there is a ‘la toilette’ and shower somewhere on the premises- I’m set.

The ‘Princess Lounge’ by designer Marica Harris is one of the many fantasy vignettes featured during the festivities ( FYI- the vignettes will remain on view through October 31st inside Grange’s New York Showroom- New York Design Center 200 Lexington Ave. Suite 201)

The wall color of my fantasy lounge is a custom mix- but I’m told Benjamin Moore HC-108 is a very close match.

The furniture, the colors, the stylish vignettes depicting ‘Family Style Chateau Chic’ created that night all had me internally crying out ‘oh-la-la this is the life for me!!!!’ I was transported into a world of warmth, style and sophistication.  Beautiful, traditional form meets modern day function- why is it that the French always get this blending so right?!

And though there were many colorful rooms to admire and aspire to I immediately realized that it was the two set within a stage of Gray that really caught my eye.

In fact its when I turned the corner and saw the showroom’s kitchen with it’s rich Gray walls, shiny copper pots and creamy cabinetry that my bags were indeed officially packed.  When I caught site of who was pulling out a tray of delicious smelling cheese puffs from the Aga oven within my new found digs , I knew deep within my own gray matter that this night was only going to get better!

To be continued…

Read I Prayed For Gray: Part 2 Here