Monday Color: Aqua

I'm cheating today. I already wrote a post on turquoise several months ago, which is basically the fraternal twin of aqua. But aqua is a little muddier, a little deeper, with an intensity all its own, making it worthy of its own coverage. It's also a color I just used in a nursery project in Manhattan, so it's all over my radar right now.



















Images above:

1. A living room designed by actress Julianne Moore, featuring an aqua sofa, paler blue walls and layers of textural neutrals, from The Lennoxx.

2. Found on Travel for Design, the high gloss finish on these walls is perfectly contrasted to the mellow soft aqua blue (design by Steven Gambrel) .

3. The Upper East Side Manhattan nursery that I just completed for a client's second child, marrying a soothing aqua with bold orange and clean white.

4. A few pops of aqua have a big impact in a home office that I also designed.

5. Blue Lulu rug from Madeline Weinrib.

6. West Elm's new Organic Cotton Ironwork Duvet and Shams

7. Equinox Armchair from Barlow & Tyrie with Aquarmarine Sling.

8. From the colorful Juicy Jute grasscloth collection by Philllip Jeffries, this Tantalizing Teal hue in a natural woven paper is completely unexpected.

9. Labyrinth Dinnerwear from Z Gallerie.

Monday Color: Eggplant

Since the inception of my career as an interior designer a decade ago, I have always pledged to bring out my clients' personal style, rather than stamp my own aesthetic on home after home. If you've ever seen my portfolio, you'd immediately notice the uniqueness of each project. Part of the challenge in this mission is that I don't always like my clients' choices in color, style, vision.....but in order to make it all work beautifully, in every project, without compromise, I have to not just like them but embrace them wholly. That's part of the reason I started my Monday Color posts, to explore and pay tribute to the bounty of colors that can be applied in home interiors, especially the ones I don't love. The range of purple hues fell into this category, until my first purple-related post when I searched high and low for uses of the color that inspired me and left me reluctantly smitten. (It also may have something to do with the fact that my son's first favorite color was purple, almost as if to shove it in my face with a "like it or else" forcefulness.)

So here I am posting about another purple tone that marries red, brown and purple together in a regal but earthy hue of eggplant. And I may not have reached for this color when designing my own home, but now I must admit that I kinda like it. I'm realizing that with each blog post, I become a better designer, and with each client, I become a better blogger.




























1. I love the eggplant walls with gold accents in this living room found on Cococozy.com, but can't take my eyes off those amazing wide plank floors.

2. Another eggplant-filled living room, with unexpected accents of coral, found on The Design File.

3. Vibrant purple walls contrast with white traditional furnishings in this traditional dining room.

4. This purple bedroom features graphic wallpaper and cooling grays, that create a dramatic yet restful retreat.

5. A neutral living room with chocolate brown and eggplant accents, designed by Windsor Smith, found on Travel for Design.

6. The Cyan Design Purple Chandelier features a generous 36" diameter and regally-hued Murano style glass.

7. Comfort Wash Cotton Duvet Cover from the Company Store comes in a rich merlot hue, with a soft, lived-in feel.

8. Romo's geometric Estella Wallcovering in Elderberry.

9. Hand screen-printed Botanical Print Pillow from Sprouted Designs in a deep eggplant purple cotton with eco-friendly cream ink.

10. The plush faux fur texture of this throw from Z Gallerie makes it as regal as it's deep purple color demands.

11. Here's a literal use of eggplant in home decor: an actual eggplant printed onto an upcycled dictionary page by CollageOrama.

12. The Otto Rug in grape, by Madeline Weinrib.

Monday Color: Lavender

I recently noticed that my Monday Color blog posts have yet to feature any tones of purple which is not a surprise given my personal aversions to the hue. Even though purple has been revered in royal and religious traditions throughout time and its paler counterparts are stunning when found in nature's blossoms (think: lilac bushes, fields of lavender, patches of tiny violets), it's never been an easy color on my own eyes. But through the course of my vigilant sleuthing for this post I must admit that I have softened, coming to the conclusion that lavender IS a great color. With just the right amount of gray in a lavender wall, it can read almost neutral. It can live in balanced harmony with wood tones and its more serious color cousins, but can also have a glamorous, red-carpet persona when paired with the right accessories. Take a look at the many faces of lavender that have changed my mind for sure.....



























Images above:

1. This clean white and lavender South Hampton bedroom scheme mixes traditional elements with modern accents (found in House Beautiful, interior design by Kim Coleman and Michele Green, photograph by James Merrell).

2. A sophisticated cool palette of white and blue, with perfect symmetry to spare, gets softened by the oversized lavender modern art piece above the sofa in this beautiful living room.

3. The paneling, crown moulding, lavender walls and lush ultra suede settee all ooze with opulence, but when mixed with more casual contemporary pieces, the look remains balanced yet interesting. (Dining room designed by Eve Robinson Associates Inc, found on Be Interior Decorator).

4. Lavender walls are easy on the eyes with gray undertones, an abundance of white, and dark purple accents (found on decorpad.com).

5. You barely notice the bold lavender walls in this pattern-heavy, eclectic living with pops of spicy orange-red (found on the blog, The Desk of Annie).

6. These lavender walls almost read as a neutral when playing a supporting role to a bold mix of art and collectibles (found on Eclectic Revisited).

7. Glam accents, black upholstery, and citrus orange pair powerfully with lavender in this room designed by Anne Coyle.

8. The living room of Jessica Stam's Manhattan apartment (from elle decor 2008) is pure perfection - much like the model herself - especially the combination of the warm wood of those giant carved doors against the ladylike lavender walls.

9. Lilac Chi Chi Kari rug from Madeline Weinrib.

10. The Classic Duvet Cover with lavender trim from Pottery Barn Kids is a non-frilly way to bring the hue into a bedroom.

11. Lavender Ceramic Table Lamp from Victoria Lyon Interiors.

12. Lavender Cotton Linen Tea Towel in a stunning ikat fabric designed by Michelle Smith.

13. The Mirage wallpaper from Graham & Brown in Damson (on fireplace wall) features a hazy forest silhouette in a light purple palette that works surprisingly well in a multitude of decor styles.

Monday Color: Honeysuckle

As some of you may know, Pantone, the world's leading authority on color, announces a "color of the year" every December. After consulting trendsetters in the home, fashion, and consumer goods markets, they boldly marked 2011 the year of Honeysuckle.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® explains "While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

I had to dig deep, but do indeed recall fond memories of the sweetly aromatic bushes that lined the driveway of one of my childhood homes. Most of the blossoms were white, so that is my most prominent association with the flower, but there were brightly hued fuchsia bushes as well. Last year's color Turquoise was more befitting of my personal decorating tastes, but a few months into the year and with the color heavy on my design radar in magazines and the vast blogosphere, I am starting to appreciate Honeysuckle's vibrancy and uplifting powers, although I haven't been bold enough to try it on anything more than my toe nails just yet!!



















Images above:

1. I love the simple pop of this pink chair, found on Style Estate.

2. Insight on this daring designer's living room, as quoted from www.bhoome.com: "In her own 1940s bungalow, interior designer Natalie Umbert opted for an eye-popping fuchsia—Benjamin Moore Royal Fuchsia 2078-30—after trying several neutral wall colors that she deemed 'forlorn'.”

3. Honeysuckle stands up surprisingly well in ethnic room schemes, especially when paired with an equally spicy orange as seen in this image from www.idesignarch.com.

4. A teen's room I designed using bold pink, punches of orange and crisp white in 2010.....before the trend hit!!

5. A pink-themed feast from Traditional Home.

6. A hot pink lacquered bureau from Chelsea Textiles featured in a recent Elle Decor piece, both in the magazine and online.

7. A hand-painted Balinese basket from The Loaded Trunk.

8. Hi-Light Task Lamp from PB Teen.

9. Hot Pink Brooke Rug from Madeline Weinrib.