where green living, parenthood, and interiors intersect

Monday, April 11, 2011

Monday Color: Chartreuse



Defined as "halfway between green and yellow" by Wikipedia and named after the color of a French liqueur, Chartreuse has shed its dated retro stigma and now has a new reputation as a classy, happy, and timeless accent color. A few of the home office pieces in cb2's current collection (see example below) came to market in white, gray and chartreuse, affirming that the masses are ready to embrace this hue once again, and not just in French bars. It is these very chartreuse filing cabinets that inspired the whole color palette for a small office I'm helping to pull together right now, so it was a natural choice for my Monday color post. Voila!!

P.S. As I set out to find all the inspiration and objects for this post, I realized how many different tones of green actually get referred to as "chartreuse," from lime green to apple green to variations of yellow. I'm relying on Wikipedia, the French and cb2 for the version of chartreuse found within.
























Images above:

1. and 2. In a nod to the hue's vintage roots, I decided to start out with a couple chartreuse velvet sofas, that have managed to transcend time in a modern way.

3. A happy chartreuse and white kitchen.

4. A dapper chartreuse and gray room from Coastal Living (photo by Tria Giovan).

5. Chartreuse chairs against a dark, smoky backdrop create a more serious feel (as found on the Tudorks blog).

6. A chartreuse painted table amidst whites and neutrals is airy and fresh.

7. The Chartreuse Mini Dot Suitcases from The Paper Source make for clever storage in a kids room or add a whimsical touch to a home office.

8. Thomas Paul's Love Bird Rug, available in 3 sizes from Design Public (note: the color states "corn" and "cream" but it's really a chartreuse and cream as pictured)

9. TPS Chartreuse File Cabinet from cb2.

10. A lovely chartreuse and gray sateen print designed by Ty Pennington for Free Spirit.