Here's an example of the Gray and Red color scheme transitioning to home. Here we used varying shades and textures of gray in fabrics and brought in a shade of red with pink undertones for a vibrant contrast.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gray Gray Gray!!
Check out the cover of this month's Harpers Bazaar. Great color combo - shades of gray with a pop of red! Wouldn't that make a great color scheme for a living room? Or even a bedroom?? Grays paired with a vivid accent is hot right now in fashion and it's carrying over to the home front. Gray and yellow was popular last season. Look for gray with shades of red ranging from tomato hues to pinks.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Color Tips and Trends
Color has the power to change not only the look of your environment, but also how you FEEL IN that environment. Vibrant saturation can inspire and refresh, soothing tones can relax and renew. You can set the mood by your choice of color. – Marlaina Teich, Interior Designer
What colors are trendy this season and which ones can be used to decorate the home?
Yellow is trendy this season, paired with gray and touches of hot pink or black. TRY Benjamin Moore (BM) Sultan Yellow 2155-50 and BM Royal Fuchsia 2078-30. Gray is everywhere this year, serving as the backdrop for pops of color or as its own scheme, using differing shades and textures. TRY BM Shadow Gray 2125-40, BM Gray Shower 2125-30, and BM Sweet Innocence 2125-50.
What decorations have a lot of color and can be used to accessorize furniture?
Pillows and throw blankets are great ways to add a splash of color without making a huge investment. Adding plants to your scheme is another way to inexpensively and naturally add color and dimension to a space. Area rugs can also add another layer of color and texture to a space. Lamps with funky shades can bring in a dash of color as well.
What other kinds of eye-catching accessories are there?
TRY decorative porcelain vases. Layer three robins egg blue vases of varying heights on a sideboard or deep window ledge. You can also bring in color with metal finishes. Add Mercury candlesticks and you are adding gray to your scheme. Lean a gold, antiqued finish mirror against a wall and you are bringing in yellows.
What combination of colors would you recommend for a harmonious environment?
Any colors that occur in nature, when paired together will create a harmonious scheme. The rich green of the grass, the earthy brown tones of the tree bark, the yellow sunflowers. Or the blue of the ocean, the sandy pink beach, the gliding white and gray seagulls. Take your cues from nature and you cannot go wrong.
Tell me about of the importance of color in the home.
Color affects how we feel about a space. Some colors create a soothing, calm atmosphere, while others inspire energy and activity. A harried mom may need relaxing hues surrounding her to bring her back from the edge. A creative type may crave a riot of colors in his space to inspire him.
What colors are recommended for a clean look (quiet, peaceful)? Why?
Blues and greens are very restful. Blues in particular is known to lower our heart rates. They are perfect in bedrooms. TRY Sherwin Williams Meditative SW 6227, Sleepy Blue SW 6225 and Refuge SW 6228.
What colors are recommended for a bold look? Why?
Strong, saturated colors are great for a bold look. They inspire energy in a space. TRY Sherman Williams Enticing Red SW 6600, Gambrol Gold SW 6690, Tigereye SW 6362, and Umber SW 6146
What colors are recommended for a classic look? Why?
Warm neutrals are a classic scheme. People do not usually have strong preconceptions about the neutral beiges and earth tones that make up a classic scheme. They are not offensive and are perfect for living rooms where a lot of entertaining is usually held. Warm neutrals also inspire calm. TRY BM Barely Beige 1066, BM Indian River 985, and BM Olive Branch 2143-30.
What are a few recommendations for choosing the right color to decorate a room?
Think about how you plan to use the room. What activities will take place in that room? Is it a room that you want to have a clean, uncluttered feel? Go with the neutral. Is it a room where there will be a lot of conversation and entertaining? Vibrant color schemes encourage activity and liveliness. Is it a personal space? Choose your favorite color and go with it.
Can you give 15 tips to get a room with plenty of color?
Art work – choose fun, inspiring pieces with your desired colors
Area rugs or wall to wall carpeting
Drapery panels
Pillows – accent on the sofa or throw pillows for watching TV on the floor
Plants, Plants, Plants
Picture Frames
Lacquer trays for holding mail or paper work
A painted porcelain bowl for holding the car keys
Wicker baskets for holding magazines or extra shoes
Pretty placemats
Floral centerpiece
Bowl of fresh fruit
See -through jars of wrapped candy
Candles and candlesticks
Painted Walls
What colors are trendy this season and which ones can be used to decorate the home?
Yellow is trendy this season, paired with gray and touches of hot pink or black. TRY Benjamin Moore (BM) Sultan Yellow 2155-50 and BM Royal Fuchsia 2078-30. Gray is everywhere this year, serving as the backdrop for pops of color or as its own scheme, using differing shades and textures. TRY BM Shadow Gray 2125-40, BM Gray Shower 2125-30, and BM Sweet Innocence 2125-50.
What decorations have a lot of color and can be used to accessorize furniture?
Pillows and throw blankets are great ways to add a splash of color without making a huge investment. Adding plants to your scheme is another way to inexpensively and naturally add color and dimension to a space. Area rugs can also add another layer of color and texture to a space. Lamps with funky shades can bring in a dash of color as well.
What other kinds of eye-catching accessories are there?
TRY decorative porcelain vases. Layer three robins egg blue vases of varying heights on a sideboard or deep window ledge. You can also bring in color with metal finishes. Add Mercury candlesticks and you are adding gray to your scheme. Lean a gold, antiqued finish mirror against a wall and you are bringing in yellows.
What combination of colors would you recommend for a harmonious environment?
Any colors that occur in nature, when paired together will create a harmonious scheme. The rich green of the grass, the earthy brown tones of the tree bark, the yellow sunflowers. Or the blue of the ocean, the sandy pink beach, the gliding white and gray seagulls. Take your cues from nature and you cannot go wrong.
Tell me about of the importance of color in the home.
Color affects how we feel about a space. Some colors create a soothing, calm atmosphere, while others inspire energy and activity. A harried mom may need relaxing hues surrounding her to bring her back from the edge. A creative type may crave a riot of colors in his space to inspire him.
What colors are recommended for a clean look (quiet, peaceful)? Why?
Blues and greens are very restful. Blues in particular is known to lower our heart rates. They are perfect in bedrooms. TRY Sherwin Williams Meditative SW 6227, Sleepy Blue SW 6225 and Refuge SW 6228.
What colors are recommended for a bold look? Why?
Strong, saturated colors are great for a bold look. They inspire energy in a space. TRY Sherman Williams Enticing Red SW 6600, Gambrol Gold SW 6690, Tigereye SW 6362, and Umber SW 6146
What colors are recommended for a classic look? Why?
Warm neutrals are a classic scheme. People do not usually have strong preconceptions about the neutral beiges and earth tones that make up a classic scheme. They are not offensive and are perfect for living rooms where a lot of entertaining is usually held. Warm neutrals also inspire calm. TRY BM Barely Beige 1066, BM Indian River 985, and BM Olive Branch 2143-30.
What are a few recommendations for choosing the right color to decorate a room?
Think about how you plan to use the room. What activities will take place in that room? Is it a room that you want to have a clean, uncluttered feel? Go with the neutral. Is it a room where there will be a lot of conversation and entertaining? Vibrant color schemes encourage activity and liveliness. Is it a personal space? Choose your favorite color and go with it.
Can you give 15 tips to get a room with plenty of color?
Art work – choose fun, inspiring pieces with your desired colors
Area rugs or wall to wall carpeting
Drapery panels
Pillows – accent on the sofa or throw pillows for watching TV on the floor
Plants, Plants, Plants
Picture Frames
Lacquer trays for holding mail or paper work
A painted porcelain bowl for holding the car keys
Wicker baskets for holding magazines or extra shoes
Pretty placemats
Floral centerpiece
Bowl of fresh fruit
See -through jars of wrapped candy
Candles and candlesticks
Painted Walls
Thursday, September 17, 2009
JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN
Julia Child's kitchen, on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
I love Julia's collection of copper pans hanging on all of the available wall space, and the fact that she hung paintings on the cabinet doors. The blue cabinet color is both retro and modern. And there is plenty of counter space—a MUST for any serious home cooking.
On remodeling the space...
• I would install task lighting and undercabinet lighting throughout the space.
• It looks like linoleum on the floors, which would be typical of the era. I would replace it with a rich, warm wood flooring. It would ground the soft blue of the cabinets.
• Also, I love the kitchen table, but it seems as though Julia used this as a workspace. It would be more functional as a counter-height freestanding table, which would keep the period feel of the space, but ease the strain on the back from bending while working at the table.
• The sink looks like a single-bowl model. I would replace it with a spacious double sink, which would aid in the cooking/clean up of such a busy workspace.
Friday, August 28, 2009
DORM DECOR
Newsday Article by Kristin Taveira
A newly minted cast of players is about to burst onto the world stage: The college-bound are ready to declare a break with their high school selves - they're ready to write their own scripts, choose their own soundtracks and realize their own creative visions.
For most young adults, the backdrop against which they'll play out these new and exciting scenes will be their living space - be it a dorm room, a first apartment or even a revamped version of the very room where they've spent their childhood. For many, taking a space and visually declaring it "my space" will be their first opportunity to make a statement that's uniquely their own. And with a little expert advice, they can learn to do it with polish.
Cookie-cutter catalog themes won't cut it with the big kids. "College-bound students are more interested in making rooms personal than thematic," says Eileen Kathryn Boyd, who owns a design firm in Huntington. But an emerging taste for the urbane doesn't mean you have to abandon youthful obsessions, says Merrick interior designer Marlaina Teich. It's just time to find a new way to express those passions - grown-up style.
Instead of wearing your heart on your sleeve - or all over your bedspread - scrap the cutesy overkill of themed bedroom decor and learn to say more with less, says Teich, who owns Marlaina Teich Designs.
Start with a modish color scheme: Cool, sophisticated gray, punctuated with a vivid color like orange or lime green, is the hot palette this season, Teich says. Also, there's a trend toward more earthy-feeling rooms, using more natural materials, she says. And in case you're fortunate enough to have some say over your furnishings, Teich says today's most fashionable fixtures feature sleek, clean lines with an industrial vibe, a la CB2 or IKEA.
Next, it's time to personalize it - cleverly. Add pops of color, comfort and individual flavor with judicious use of trimmings such as pillows, throws and desk accessories.
Finally, to give it the wow factor, Teich has two words for you: Accent wall. Use color if you can, and arrange a few key items into a high-impact display designed to put the exclamation point on your personal statement.
These cliché-busting ideas can give a sophomoric bedroom a college-style face-lift - no matter what label you wear.
To view the rest of the article: http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/home-and-garden/college-freshmen-put-a-new-spin-on-dorm-decor-1.1396999
A newly minted cast of players is about to burst onto the world stage: The college-bound are ready to declare a break with their high school selves - they're ready to write their own scripts, choose their own soundtracks and realize their own creative visions.
For most young adults, the backdrop against which they'll play out these new and exciting scenes will be their living space - be it a dorm room, a first apartment or even a revamped version of the very room where they've spent their childhood. For many, taking a space and visually declaring it "my space" will be their first opportunity to make a statement that's uniquely their own. And with a little expert advice, they can learn to do it with polish.
Cookie-cutter catalog themes won't cut it with the big kids. "College-bound students are more interested in making rooms personal than thematic," says Eileen Kathryn Boyd, who owns a design firm in Huntington. But an emerging taste for the urbane doesn't mean you have to abandon youthful obsessions, says Merrick interior designer Marlaina Teich. It's just time to find a new way to express those passions - grown-up style.
Instead of wearing your heart on your sleeve - or all over your bedspread - scrap the cutesy overkill of themed bedroom decor and learn to say more with less, says Teich, who owns Marlaina Teich Designs.
Start with a modish color scheme: Cool, sophisticated gray, punctuated with a vivid color like orange or lime green, is the hot palette this season, Teich says. Also, there's a trend toward more earthy-feeling rooms, using more natural materials, she says. And in case you're fortunate enough to have some say over your furnishings, Teich says today's most fashionable fixtures feature sleek, clean lines with an industrial vibe, a la CB2 or IKEA.
Next, it's time to personalize it - cleverly. Add pops of color, comfort and individual flavor with judicious use of trimmings such as pillows, throws and desk accessories.
Finally, to give it the wow factor, Teich has two words for you: Accent wall. Use color if you can, and arrange a few key items into a high-impact display designed to put the exclamation point on your personal statement.
These cliché-busting ideas can give a sophomoric bedroom a college-style face-lift - no matter what label you wear.
To view the rest of the article: http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/home-and-garden/college-freshmen-put-a-new-spin-on-dorm-decor-1.1396999
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