Colourful Rooms

As much as I love my neutrals, there's nothing like a blast of colour in a room to really make it come alive.   And, I don't mean just throwing a few colourful pillows on the sofa or putting up a bold piece of art in a beige or gray room, I mean colour like you mean it... in commitment pieces!

A large sofa, floor tiles, kitchen cabinets, 

massive rugs and glorious wallpaper!

See what colour can do to impart drama, infuse energy, create interest and establish a sense of mystery in these rooms,  and then see how it stacks up to plain old neutrals.

via Apartment Therapy

Better Homes & Gardens

Amanda Nisbet

Ellie Cashman wallpaper

Geremia Design via Rue Magazine

Kelly Wearstler

Second Wind Interior Design

Miles Redd

Ok, so pink silk walls and high gloss navy kitchen cabinets may not be for the faint of heart, 

but it's what makes designer's like Kelly Wearstler and Miles Redd legendary artists.

Consider all the many ways that colour can make any room feel really special, and go for it.  

Decorating your home should be fun, not scary, and certainly not something that gives you angst when it comes to choosing the right colour.   

Start with at least one new colour on a piece of furniture

 (a painted cabinet or an upholstered chair) and go from there.

You may just find it lifts your spirits when you walk into the room and makes you smile.  

Don't be afraid to colour your world!

Check out more colourful spaces on my Colour Blast pinboard

Going Green

I've never been a fan of the colour green for some reason.  

Although I enjoy the green of the outdoors, having olive skin myself, I've never worn green because I felt it washed me out.  

So when a new client mentioned green was her favourite colour and that she would love to bring it into her new living room, I had to do some digging to get inspired.

So I head off to the interweb to find shades of green that would work alongside the browns and creams going into the adjacent kitchen.

This image nearly jumped off the page at me and made me do a happy dance!  

Yes, it could be done, and I would love it too!

So elegant, so fluid and natural, and so alive!  

Green literally brings the outdoors in.  

I love the worn cobblestones and the patina of weathered wood, iron and stone against the bright green.

     

The olive green with chocolate leather, fur pillows, linen and antique brass are a combination that are both comforting and elegant at the same time.

How beautiful are these Moroccan tea glasses?

What about green velvet with grasscloth wallpaper and high gloss black furniture?

Funky-Cool!

Celerie Kemble

I like how the gold & green make this room so airy - but the black & white art gives it some edge.

 So I started to put together this little inspiration board for my client.  

They insist on the TV over fireplace to save the walls for art - not pretty, but that's life!  

It will be recessed and maybe I can have another piece of art on hinges to hang over it... TBD.

Green onyx surround for the fireplace against chocolate brown walls.

Antique, mirror-front chests on either side of the fireplace.

Burnished gold sconces and central light fixture.

Sexy-back sofa (client's request) with yummy bolster pillows.

Coffee and/or side tables in antique brass with glass or marble tops.

And some fabulous artwork via Etsy.

Drapery will be neutral colour - maybe raw silk.

And I need to find some chairs in a green patterned fabric - but I know it can be done!

I now love the goodness of green 

and all the gorgeous possibilities!

all images here

Blue Moods

I've always liked the colour blue because it reminds me of the soothing feeling of the ocean and summer skies.  So when I designed my office/studio I decided a blue and cream palette would be the perfect hues to give me the calming atmosphere I wanted when working.  This was my inspiration: a large canvas that hangs above my drawing table.  I love seeing it every day I walk in there and that's a feeling you definitely want for a work space!

But it wasn't until recently, while working with a client who wanted to create an elegant yet casual space, that I fell in love with blue and the sheer breadth of shades that can inspire all kinds of moods in a space.  

We wanted to create a palette that could work for the entire main floor - kitchen, family room, living & dining rooms.  The jumping off point would be the kitchen's dark wood cabinetry with white counter tops and grey wood flooring throughout - I wrote about it here.

When I started putting together the inspiration boards these were some of the images that evoked an immediate emotional response and I wanted to explore further with my client

Pinterest

Sharon & Ozzy Osborne's Home
designed by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard

Todd Alexander Romano

Tobi Fairley 

via

Even the simplest aqua tiles with minimalist fixtures and glass shower doors make it feel like this bathroom is submersed in water.  (However, I would have lightened up the floors for a more "sandy" feel).

So, if I haven't quite made my point about creating a mood with blue, check out how this ATM in Iran actually draws you in, almost inviting you to take some cash!  

How stylish is that?

Maybe they were inspired by one of these natural beauties?

So what kind of blue mood do you prefer?

Fun Colour Scheme: Living Room

As much as I love neutrals when decorating a space, like taupe and grey, I still think that every room needs some hits of colour to bring it to life.  Even with the most muted colour schemes its the accents of colour that make a statement whether through art, accessories, accent pieces, or even flowers.

Lately I've been enamoured with the combination of grey as a supporting colour with the drama of fuchsia and purple.  Here's a fun colour scheme for a casual and stylish living room.

Sofa fabric: Robert Allen Canasta;  chairs: Schumacher Tangier; wallpaper: Cole & Son, pillows: Designer Fabrics; rug: Hellenic, shades: Tonic Living Windswept

Although there are several patterns in this space, the "weight" of the patterns is equal and the neutral fabric on the sofa, which is the largest piece in the room, helps balance them.  I love the drama that a graphic wallpaper brings to a room and this one is soft yet makes a statement.

Painting out the back of a bookshelf is another great way to bring in hits of colour, which I also featured here.   I generally like to have the accent colour splashed around the space in about 30% of the room or in 3-4 different places so that it relates to something else in the room. I know it seems technical, but the formula works to make the space feel pulled together.

What do you think?
Would you be daring enough to mix up this much colour and pattern in your living room?

Family Room Makeover

I recently completed a project for a client who had been renovating her main floor for some time.  After months of major renovations, this couple had run out of steam and didn't know how to pull together a cohesive decorating scheme that would make the most of their new open floor plan kitchen, dining room and living room. 

We had a long, narrow space with limited furniture, insufficient lighting and new light hardwood throughout, but it was run over by two young children's toys leaving little room for entertaining, which was long overdue now that the house was no longer under construction.



The inspiration for the room was a piece of art that the client loved.  The soft tones of this painting were the starting point for the colour scheme for the whole space. 

I worked on a floor plan that would allow for maximum seating when entertaining, additional needed storage and kid-friendly design and fabrics.  The initial presentation to the client looked like this:

We wanted to stay with a casual and earthy colour palette, but the client said "let's bring in some funky fabric somehow".  I love it when a client will take some chances!  We left the fabric showroom with the client shedding happy tears over the coordinated fabric scheme that was coming together.

For lighting, I wanted to bring in a light fixture for the dining room that would fit in with the casual mood of the home but still had some "bling" since it would be visible from the front door and throughout the space.  We brought in a modern 21 inch wide crystal and satin nickle chandelier that was hung over the dining table, centered on the main floor.  It's now the "star of the show" with matching pendants over the adjacent kitchen island.

We chose a custom, modern sofa in a tone-on-tone herringbone striped fabric and had an additional set of seat cushion covers made that can easily be replaced when one set needs cleaning (a great idea when you have small children and light fabric).

The slipper chairs are great in a small space.  We chose them in a neutral, linen fabric and made them child friendly for everyday use with slipcovers in a fun pattern that hides little messy fingerprints.  They sit on the edge of the family room rug and help delineate the two spaces without the bulk of a loveseat, and they can be easily moved into the dining room for larger dinner parties, as needed.

The window bench was constructed by the talented homeowner and I added another coordinating fabric for the custom made seat cushion. We then brought in some rectangular pillows with more pattern to make the seating extra comfy.  Large baskets under the bench and an oversized ottoman/coffee table add much needed storage.  A new larger rug pulls the scheme together while making the whole space feel bigger yet still cozy.

Here's the AFTER:

We are still looking for a dark framed picture to hang on the left of the sofa to balance off the tall shelf on the right and sconces for task lighting when reading will be added on either end of the sofa wall later on.

The room was completed just before the holidays and the clients have had four parties since then, stating "the room works just the way we envisioned it and easily accommodates 10-12 people which it didn't before". 

I love a happy client!



Fun with Fabric

I discovered a new resource centre nearby the other day and was like a kid in a candy store when they told me they had over 4,500 fabrics for me to peruse.  Then, since it was Friday afternoon and they had leftover wine from a seminar the evening before, I was able to sit with a glass of white wine while fondling the best of the best fabrics I've ever seen.  These are the days when I say thank goodness I'm out of the corporate world.  Check out some of these colour schemes I pulled together..

contemporary but fun geometric

funky teen's room

modern living room

Little girl's bedroom