Posts Tagged ‘interior-design’
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a preview of the Metropolitan Home Showtime Showcase . This 19th century Gramercy Park townhouse is the canvas for some of today’s most talented designers, channeling today’s most exciting TV shows on ….Showtime. As an extreme fan of Dexter, I could not have been more excited to RSVP to this event (by the invite of color maven Julie )!
Entering the house, I notice the writing on the walls…literally. Show credits and designer information are written in pencil on the walls.
The first room I see is “The Tudors ” living room designed by the multi talented (and nicest woman ever) Laura Kirar. This living room not only looks like a chic castle room but is as sexy as Jonathan Rhys Meyers , aka, Henry the 8th. The designer is pictured in front of the salvaged confessional, which is behind a two way mirror.
Forgive me father, I covet all this beauty.
Below are amazing design elements of Laura Kirar : a painting of a queen over a large table, the elaborate mantle , a rich brocade couch (notice the pillow trim detail), and the beautiful overhead lighting . (more…)
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The Grand Dame of using bright, bold color and texture combinations in her day, Dorothy Draper has been credited with being the first to ‘design’ a room using an artisitc vision rather than simply recreating historical “period room” styles.
She used vibrant, “splashy” colors in never-before-seen combinations and one of her favorite combinations was “dull” white and “shiny” black. (more…)
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Please join me at the House Beautiful Color Institute on March 13th where I will be talking about creating sensational color combinations for your home. Each event takes place in one of the many incredible designer showrooms. I will be in the J. Lambeth showroom and will be using their beautiful fabrics and accessories to illustrate my talk.
House Beautiful has an incredible line up and I’m thrilled to be part of this event. I hope to see you there! More information is availble at Capital Design.
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I recently wrote about the current trend of gray accessories but this color trend isn’t confined to the world of fashion and can be a sophistocated addition to your home.
In the living room, gray is a beautiful neutral that can be combined with many colors, for a fresh spring look. And by using gray in the palette, even the guy in my life is comfortable contributing to the design of his favorite rooms. (As long as I can still have a girlie room somewhere in the house).
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RED is a sizzling color full of symbolic meanings and many hues. Whether you prefer scarlet, crimson, maroon, ruby, rose or tomato, there is a shade for everyone.
Shanghai wallpaper from Jaima Brown Home
Red creates the perfect accent for any space when paired with timeless neutrals like brown or cream.
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He has reached this conclusion because:
1. I live outside of Washington, DC and as he points out just a few miles from “the farm”, which is the CIA center you may recall seeing in the movie “The Recruit” with my favorite Matt Damon (sigh).
If I were a secret agent I’d want to be either Agent 99 or Emma Peel
2. He doesn’t really understand what I do or why anyone would pay me to do it. However he humors me by saying “Well you always seem to have money so it must be coming from somewhere.” He then adds with a sly wink, ” If you tell me it’s this color business I’ll go along with that.” (Well I guess in that case I’m glad he thinks CIA and not…well never mind).
3. I always seem to get to meet incredible people or have opportunities that others might only dream about (except of course those folks in the CIA that according to my brother have instant access to all people and places).
Okay so I have met or rubbed elbows with high-powered Washingtonians including Presidents, congressman and societies finest so I can see why he might wonder.
Appearing on CBS Sunday Morning, interviewing Tim Gunn and having breakfast with a reporter from the New York Times only added fuel to his fire but this week was the clincher. He’s now completely convince this color stuff is just a cover.
What happened? Well let me tell you because it was almost as unbelieveable to me as it was to him.
Yesterday, on the 44th floor of the Hearst Building in NYC I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Stephen Druker, Editor-In-Chief of House Beautiful Magazine in front of an audience of the who’s who of the NYC design community.
Q & A with the brilliant Stephen Drucker
I have been a fan of Stephen Drucker for years. I have watched while with his guidance House Beautiful has risen to the top of the “must read” list of professionals and do-it-yourself decorators alike. He is an inspiration to me.
Stephen is not only an “editor extraordinaire” but one of my idols. What a thrill to be his guest!
Month after month House Beautiful has provided us with the keys to unlock the “beautiful home in each of us” and for 2008 they are putting a major focus on color. It was for this reason that my ‘name twin’, the lovely Kate Kelly Smith, Executive Publisher for House Beautiful recommended me as the guest for this year’s event.
From left: Hearst Magazines president Cathie Black, designer Christopher Peacock, and House Beautiful publisher Kate Kelly Smith.
Stephen questioned me all about color, color trends and the direction of color in the home for 2008 and beyond. He also opened up the floor and allowed the designers to ask their questions.
Stephen and the designers asked many excellent and thought provoking questions which I am going share with my readers over the next couple of weeks by posting many of those questions and my response on the Color Pro blog so please stay tuned.
Right now I’m going to go pinch myself one more time just to make sure this was real and that I wasn’t simply having a fabulous dream.
With my idol Stephen Drucker, Editor-In-Chief, House Beautiful
P.S. As far as the CIA thing goes just a few words for my brother– “Not a chance!” No one in the CIA would ever get to have this much fun!
Credits: All pictures from MinOnline
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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.
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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?
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White is one of the best colors to improve space; it makes space bigger, cleaner, and calmer. Designers use white for these reasons all the time.
There are many different perceptions and shades of white. Some can be mixed, while others are best left alone.
These rooms all use white with neutrals, but white is also the perfect canvas for more vibrant colors to shine upon.
In their book At Home With White,
Atlanta Bartlett and Karena Callen show how white gives you the opportunity to add color and texture and provides a crisp background for any other colors you or your designer may choose.
Read an excerpt from At Home With White…
White is the most-used color in interior design and can open up a space, add dimension, and invoke a sense of romance, elegance, peace, and possibility. Another beautiful book that offers inspiration and options for every room in your house is White Rooms.
Have you created a room you love with white?
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Blush is the perfect neutral with a hint of color. This calming hue is the ideal color for various interiors, including Feng Shui settings.
Blush, created from infusing pink (a color universally known for love) with beige (a hue associated with balance), makes this shade a harmonious neutral that inspires serene decor.
Across the globe in Africa, the walls of the Majorelle Gardens (known as the Yves St. Laurent Gardens) are washed with this soft hue, as is the entire city of Marrakech in Morocco. They intentionally surrounded the city in blush to reflect the natural sands of the desert and landscaping.
Of course, the concept of using blush in cosmetics is to subtly enhance one’s natural beauty and to provide a healthy glow.
Whether used to enrich the skin tone, architecture, or interiors, this new neutral demands attention…so don’t be shy, blush a little and bring natural beauty to your home.
The wall design Frut a di Mare, above right, was designed from a 19th century watercolor and pencil sketch and is featured in the Damask Collection. The photo of the Bougainvilia and blush wall is from my recent trip to the Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, Morocco.
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