An Eye For Detail

COLOR THROUGH THE SNOW

Love love love the colors here! Imagine painting your house these colors... and to have my D.C. friend capture it in the snow. Wonderful.

 

 

And Rock Creek Park;

 
 

TRENDY MONDAY: TURQUOISE

TRENDY MONDAY

The color TURQUOISE:  Pantone Color of the Year 2010

What is it about this color that is so appealing and seems to fit almost everyone and every product? Here is what some have said:

   Luxist,  “dedicated to covering the best the world has to offer on a variety of luxury and fine living topics” says this color choice “marks another year of distinctly cheery hues,” It is both calming and colorful at the same time… and pairs well with white for the bridal market.

   Transporting is a word widely used here, especially by Leatrice Eiseman, Director of the Pantone Color Institute. Turquoise reminds us of the beach and has a calming effect. A bit of escapism? And it also reminds us of the jewelry of Central and South America and American Indian: all coming from warmer climates that bring to mind: vacation!

     Pantone itself said, upon releasing news of this color: “Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.”

This is what I call the "soft color" trend board. Here are the beachy blues, pale turquoise, soft whites, and peachy pinks. These can be both fun/informal but also formal in ceramics or a pattern of swirled florals.

 

A second version of turquoise is the "saturated" look: the peacock feather anchors this look with its deep, vibrant blues and greens with a touch of shimmer.

 

I couldn't resist just a few more, last minute ideas!

Note the great blue desk at bottom: I'm working on a story of the wonderful company that does this vibrant, stunning painted furniture. Stay tuned....
 
 

I want to introduce the newest member of my "team": Sophia. Sophia hails from London and is now living in the Hudson Valley. Her job title is "research assistant"... but she is more than that! This new column, Trendy Mondays, would not be possible without her: thank you Sophia!

OUR NEW SPONSORS

        Welcome... and thanks...to our newest sponsors: 

               Check out their links to the right!

              (You must be on the actual site to see these.)

TRAIN RIDE INTO NEW YORK

                If the slideshow doesn't start automatically, just click the arrows...

This is winter on the Hudson River! I took these on my way to and from New York on Monday. Quite something, no? The buildings across the river are of West Point; the bridge is the Bear Mountain Bridge in Cold Spring. If you know me at all, you know this is NOT my favorite time of year! But come back in the summer, and yes, it's gorgeous. I'll do another slide show in six months and show you.

If you are ever in this area, Cold Spring is a wonderful town to explore: restaurants, antique shops and lots of fun "knick knack" kinds of shops and a farmer's market in the summer months. One of my favorite restaurants in town is Cathryn's Tuscan Grill: they recently expanded and now have a casual front room, a handsome bar and plenty of seating. The Sunday brunch is lively and fun!

COLOR PULSE 2011

                IFDA seminar:   COLOR PULSE 2011

As presented by Doty Horn, director of color and design, from Benjamin Moore

The four major themes are:

1)Balance

    Balance is all about a return to the earth and the farm. Milk (we see this later when whites become milky whites), cows, hay, farm tools, hopsack and burlap textural fabrics, the use of yarn and rope, patchwork and gingham. Cows, you ask? Yes, haven't you seen the black and white cow "hides" in fabrics covering furniture? Of course.

Tools? Yes,  take a look at some of the farm tool implements used as hooks in the home.

Burlap: this has been seen on many a fashion runway. Yarn and rope: remember those potholders you knit as a child? Well, they have been taken to the next level as HUGE, large scale knits in rugs. I couldn't find any pictures of these...they are just TOO new...but they were wonderful: enormous scale knit stitches as area rugs; very cool indeed!

    So, what are the colors associated with these themes?

    Vegetable brights! Think deep eggplant/aubergine and browns from the earth. Try a brown and vibrant citrine for great effect.. That milk white from above: pure white softened. Butter yellow: mixed with a tomato red or eco green.

please note: these color palettes are my own, based on what I heard, and not on the actual color swatches, as yet not available, from Benjamin Moore.

2)Order

    Order is, yes, ordered. Stacking boxes, whether in  building cubes or stacking shelves. On the runway it is a Mondrian type of outlining. Think stripes: in chairs, fashion, carpet, walls, fabric. Circles used in all kinds of lighting.  Color blocking which also becomes a sort of pixel show: there are pixels, clean or blurred on sofas and walls and carpet.

 

    The black and white story here is strong, especially combined with red. Look at some of the new Marimekko prints. We also see primaries which really lend themselves to an ordered and clean effect.

3)Escape

    Let's escape to "Alice in Wonderland"! This movie, yet to be released, is already having quite an influence on the runway and in the home. Lots of translucence; pales, frosted and veiled surfaces, a sheer watercolor effect, ombres. The feminine undertone is present in the pearlized deep rose colors.

    For a new color combination try a cosmetic carbon with feminine pink, or black with a feminine lavender, or peach or pink translucence. The effect is ethereal and other worldly, like Alice...

4)Tribe

    Tribe is where the ME meets WE. The human body becomes an art form to be used in furniture shapes and groupings. We see modular shelter, the communal table for restaurants, the city map used as a design element on a tote bag, all kinds of lettering used on the walls, in paper products, on handbags.

 

    The colors here are urban/ethnic: cinnamon browns mixed with deep reds; khaki becomes camel; an important trending of fuschia; a teal accent used with browns and naturals; those vegetable dyes again.

If you want to learn more Benjamin Moore is offering FREE webinars for "Color Pulse 20011": the next one is February 24th.

FUN NEW PRODUCT DISCOVERY!

Great discovery today at the Gift Show! (Yes, I WILL be doing an extensive report of the show, but not tonight!) Just for fun, here is a company that was new to me:

                                MYWALIT

Headquarters are in Lucca, Italy but yes, they have an office in the U.S.  They are sold all over the place; hmmm, I've never seen them! Take a look.

Here are some wallets for women. Such great colors, no?

And for men:

Great purse:

 

.

TRENDY MONDAY

To celebrate the new year (a month late..), but certainly to celebrate the new month of February, 

we  are starting a new series for you:

 “Trendy Monday”

What IS Trendy Monday? It is a presentation of the many and varied trends from the world of home fashion and accessories; things that I'm seeing either in print, at trade shows, or at retail. Maybe all three venues will converge; maybe not. There are new products to see and each trend sheet will have a definite color story with tabs included. The two trend stories below appear a little small.... sit tight: we are working on this! Next Monday will be even better..

To start this series we have :   Birds and Branches

We are seeing birds all over the place! They are silhouettes, which can be graphic, and they are part of a collage with multi-layers. They are tossed, all overs, and they are botanicals. They are realistic and they are fun and whimsical. The greens here have been a story for quite a while, and combined with the chartreuse, and then a touch or purple, they become even newer. Purple/plum/mauve, if you will remember, was seen at Maison et Objet last September and just last week it was one of the dominant colors at the show , once again. 

 

Here they tend to be a little more serious, as seen in black and white. They are on branches, in trees, holding your jewelry, and anchoring curtains. Black and white, of course, is an on-going story...but here also we see the touch of mauve, and then the light pink. Very feminine and light!

 

    From bedding to wall art, to pillows: the birds are here to rest for a while!

    So tell me, have you seen birds around? Where? What colors? Do you like them? I'm off to the New York Gift Show tomorrow and will let you know what I see!
  
    
 

EN PROVENCE

I had received this Christmas card from Giselle, one of the owners of a truly lovely hotel in St. Remy, France. I've been meaning to post this for ages, and now, in the depth of winter when some of us (you know who you are....) are thinking ahead to perhaps spending some time in the South of France this summer, I thought you might enjoy it!

Hotel Sous les Figuiers is in the heart of St. Remy: everything is within easy walking distance. The picture above, in the header of my blog, was taken at breakfast on the terrace!

Here are some scenes of the hotel, taken on our last trip there in 2008:

Huge fig trees everywhere, and if you're really lucky and there in the right season, the figs are yours for the picking just outside your door! Giselle and Co. also make their own fig jam for sale and it is superb!

And on the streets of St. Remy:

 

3-D PILLOWS

Some fun ideas for throw pillows! 

       
 < marks & spencer>

      
 
  

  

How fun are these:  The "Hit It" collection from Kai Linke. Totally safe and made of foam!

 

These aren't 3-D, but aren't they gorgeous? From Fabricadabra, they are Dutch Wax Prints.  Read about them on the site: they are actually made in Africa and imported to the Netherlands. The colors are so vibrant and the designs so contemporary; love them....Fabricadabra is owned by Donna Halloran who, a few years ago, decided to turn away from the "corporate habitrail" and go out on her own. 

     
 
 
     
  

What's your choice? I will definitely be doing more stories on pillows ... and even show you some before and after stories from my own house. Throw pillows are SUCH a good way to change the color story in a room, or just on a sofa or chair. They can make or break a "vignette" in your house. I think all too often we become immune to these small details:  you know, you've had that pillow for five, ten...years and YOU don't see it anymore. But someone coming into your house surely DOES!  Maybe it's time for a change!
 
 

 

COLOR DETAILS: VINTAGE JEWELRY

Following up on yesterday's COLOR post, here are some really fun, wonderful pieces of jewelry. These are all from Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection.  I've followed her collections, the Bakelite, Plastic and Lucite in particular, for years. Someday.... I will buy one! 

But there's something so refreshing and SO new about all these pieces. Take a look at her site and explore.

Painted plastic from 1970:

 

Love these Bakelite Daisy earrings from 1940's: I don't wear pierced earrings and it's very difficult to find new, clip earrings. But in the 40's they were all clip, and large...and fun!

 

Painted Celluloid bracelet, 1940: For anyone with small wrists, these vintage pieces will fit you! Wrists were smaller back then!

 

From 1930, a twisted brooch:

 

Lucite and black earrings from 1960: