A 2009 color trend in the making- red and blue. But not in a Fourth of July way- in a bolder, richer way. If you have a room with blue walls already, try throwing in some glossy red accents and see how they just pop against the cooler back drop! I’ve done it in my own home (see below) and you should too! The pictures below show you a range from really bold pairings to very, very subtle ones.
l:Elle Decor Dec 08/ r: Miles Redd via Domino, Dec 08
l: Element Interiors/ r: Domino.com
both: Domino.com
l: o at home, fall 07/ r: Room With a View’s Flickr site
Archive for the ‘colors’ Category
I am loving designer Eileen Boyd’s style right now- her fearless use of bright colors and a modern sensibility underwritten by a strong traditional base is dead on with my design philosophy. It’s making me want to do yellow, light blue and grey in my house now and skip the orage (see how ADD I am with design?) :)
I have come to really love the color grey for interiors. I am kind of wishing I has used it as the background palette for my own home instead of taupes. This article in the March Cottage Living only reaffirmed that regret! Although a monochromatic home is somewhat boring, there is also such a serene, clean feeling to it as well that I really admire. I love color, so it would be hard for me to only decorate my personal residence in these shades, but what a crisp tailored look it gives! I am especially partial to the bedroom color here, which is Pratt & Lambert’s Rubidoux. I also want to have grass, like the pots shown here, in a long rectangular zinc planter on my dining table- but wonder if it would survive…
All photos courtesy of Cottage Living.
This is not for the faint of heart or haters of drama. I’ve noticed over the past few months that black paint, used both as an interior and exterior color palette, is all the rage right now. Kind of like black nail polish, which still baffles the men in my life. Don;t worry fellas, it’s faux pas now.
Beyond just jet black, I’m sure there are variations in either a very dark graphite or have inky blue in them to give the color more depth. Black can serve as a neutral since you can add any color to it (except maybe brown) and it will set everything off in a very bold way. Take a peek at yesterday’s post featuring a bathroom painted a very dark grey, almost black, color. Set against the white of the tiles, it looks crisp and lovely- especially with magenta towels! The homeowner even carried that color into the bedroom on an accent wall as well.
Here the interior of a cabinet was painted black and it creates a fabulous showcase for the silver and china…
This room makes me want to start ALL over and banish my chocolate/beige/cream theme in my dining room in favor of blacks and grays. I. LOVE. IT.
The first time I recently saw black as an exterior paint was the cover of Dwell magazine. The house was an uber-modern box of sorts and I thought “Oh, the neighbors must loooooove that they did that” (note the sarcasm here). But look at black used on more traditional architecture below. I especially love it when paired with a ethereal blue door!
Sorry for the lack of posts, I had some technical issues after my long weekend. I hve such love/hate relationship with my computer, and today is a hate day.
Anyways, I am noticing that a lot of people have a hard time picking paint colors (I am not immune to this trouble either). Therefore, lots of people go beige which is fine, but nothing to write home about. My husband constantly ribs me about how I tend to fall back on beige for things such as walls, couches and the like as you can always accessorize with bold color. My mom probably assumes that my dad has Benjamin Moore Monroe Bisque paint running through his veins instead of blood, so it is by genetics that I am predisposed to the Beige Overload.
But taking a clue from the fall runway looks, everyone seems to be going grey instead of beige this season- especially in interiors. And there are about 100 versions of grey that can suit any interior- my personal favorite are the lilac infused greys such as C2’s Bella Donna- smoky and peaceful and a great backdrop to most colors! I am loving red against lilac right now.
If your furniture and upholstery is more on the warm side, try a great brown grey such as C2’s Charlie Horse, Rolling Stone or Pale Granite. A much more modern and crisp way to do nuetrals.
Navy is also big this season, and a gorgeous paint version of this color with a grey influence is C2’s Mistral. Very dramatic and would look fantastic with silver and white accent pieces! For a lighter blue grey, try C2 Silver Screen or Overcast. And for a bathroom or bedroom, give a green/grey a whirl with C2 Dorian Gray or Dewdrop.
As you can tell, I am a big fan of C2 paint colors, check them out online (but see the colors in person at a retailer, the online swatches do NOT do it justice).
