To Grandmother's house I go

My Grandmother, who is a beautiful and stylish lady all around, has a wonderfully cozy bedroom, tucked away at the back of her large, 60s-era home. She has stacks of books surrounding the bed and the most perfect shade of blue-green on the walls.

With that as my inspiration, I set out to find gorgeous rooms that use the same or similar shades to bring interest and elegance to the spaces.

Room by Thomas Britt as seen in Architectural Digest

How totally glamorous is this room? I love the hints of animal print, the overscale art, the modern stone fireplace, those lanterns, and - of course - the walls! Britt even decides to carry the color into the kitchen as well, where it creates a fun and fresh look when contrasted with the white molding and furniture.

Albert Hadley settles on just a hint of blue by hanging a framed, painted panel of the bright hue. I love the contrast of the blue to the black console, stacks of books, and layers of artwork.

Living area by Miles Redd

Dining room by Delphine Krakoff

I love how this color can impart liveliness and fun to a range of styles, from classic to modern and glamorous to minimalist.

This is such a classy, funky room featured in the late Domino magazine. After doing a little digging, I discovered that, although Domino is officially gone, Brides.com was granted access to their digital archives. Now, viewers can browse through the steadily expanding Domino albums!

It is so sad to me that more and more shelter magazines are closing their doors. It's nice to know that all is not lost (especially not the wonderful photos)!

In this fabulous room by Bunny Williams (created for the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Show House), there are so many colors, styles, and textures, but, to me, the room doesn't feel overwhelming or busy. I love how there are so many cozy places to sit, as well. A fabulous, inspiring space - just what you'd expect from the inimitable Miss Williams!

Space by Raymond Boozer

I can't get over this arrangement of art! So perfect! The wall color keeps the space fresh and modern, while the collection of pictures and furnishings grounds the space and makes it warm and engaging.

One last photo for the week, this one of an actual bedroom done in this fabulous blue!

I love this bedroom in the home of Julian and Olatz Schnabel. Julian is an artist in every sense of the word and Olatz is a former model who now runs a linen and home accessories shop. You can totally feel an exotic, international influence in this room!

I love how Olatz mixed that regal purple with a brilliant red, all contrasted against that perfect blue. I think this space illustrates so well how to achieve a captivating, yet soothing, space.

Happy Friday!  

Creature comforts

One of my new favorites in the design world is animal print. I am just dying to use this somewhere! It can add such texture to a room, plus a bit of whimsy (and wildness)! Of course, it should probably be used in limited quantities or you risk ending up like the poor leopard lady on Thom Filicia's Tacky House!

For instance, this royal blue, zebra-striped entryway by Ashley Whittaker is definitely risky, but, since this is the only place in the home where she uses this much pattern, it acts as a playful introduction to the rest of the relatively serene design.

Even the smallest dose of leopard, zebra, or tiger can add such playfulness to a room, or give a formal room an exotic edge.

Although I love all the animal prints shown in this post, I am intrigued by the tiger stripe shown in these next few photos. This first picture is a study designed by Albert Hadley and illustrates how to give a traditional room an unexpected twist.

Markham Roberts also employed this pattern in several of his projects (above and below). To me, it is less conventional than the other prints.

Roberts also explores animal print as a flooring option in the absolutely gorgeous room below.

I just love the contrast of the traditional landscape painting and armchair with this leopard rug!

Richard Mishaan has the same idea in the living room above, where he uses a faux deer hide rug to add another subtle texture to the muted patterns already on the armchairs and ottoman.

Jeffrey Bilhuber uses a leopard pattern to carpet the foyer and stairs of this lovely home. Many people may fear that the use of this much leopard would be tacky or extreme, but, as Bilhuber shows us here, it can be incredibly elegant!

Zebra is another fun pattern to introduce in a room due to its graphic black and white coloring. Even the smallest hint can be dramatic, as Skye Kirby of Lillian August says, "a little bit of zebra goes a long way"!

Kirby illustrates this idea by using just a touch of zebra in the crisp living room above.

Mary McDonald limits her use of animal print in this room to one classic ottoman, while Joe Nye mixes it up below with leopard in the serene study of his West Hollywood residence.

Throw pillows bring a flash of fauna to these rooms by Stephen Shubel (above) and Markham Roberts (below).

At The Parker hotel in Palm Springs, Jonathan Adler puts a bamboo and leopard bench at the foot of a bed, adding a far-east flair to the mod style of the rest of the room (below).

So, are you hearing the call of the wild yet? (Ha!) Alright then, I will end this post with a couple of photos from the home of the queen of subtleties, Suzanne Kasler. With a deft hand, she combines pieces of all different styles to create truly inspired interiors.

 
And one of my all-time favorite rooms....

Keeping your florals fresh

Although chintzy florals are not exactly the rage right now, I still have maintained a fondness for them. Coming in a myriad of colorways, florals are generally awash in color and, often, provide a depth that other patterned fabric cannot.

When we were kids, my sister and my bedroom featured twin beds crowned with coronas from which flowed a beautiful chintz floral, I believe by Brunschwig & Fils. It was like being a princess! (Our house, which my mom designed, would make Albert Hadley proud!)

But, as I've grown up and my ideas about style have changed (although I still love feeling like a princess), I wondered, "How can an almost antiquated fabric be made to feel fresh?" In this post, I will explore that question by taking a look at both the traditional and more contemporary usage of florals.

In each picture below, imagine if another fabric had been used in place of the floral. That, to me, is the best way to really see the impact that even a small quantity of this fabric can have.

The elegant living room above was designed years ago by Albert Hadley and features a subdued Schumacher chintz. This room shows how timeless traditional design, and floral fabrics, can be.

The photos above and below were taken in a room designed by Suzanne Rheinstein at the Greystone Estate, the site of Veranda's annual showhouse. The floral here, a classic yet neutral linen called "Garden Roses", is part of Hollyhock's (Rheinstein's L.A. store) collection for Lee Jofa. The floral gives the room a warmer feel than might have been achieved with neutral solids alone.

The bedroom above, designed by Susan Zises Green and featured in House Beautiful, takes a more feminine, while still traditional, look at florals. Green goes all-out girly with a heavy dose of pink and scalloped edges on the duvet.

The floral in this lovely bedroom, designed by Michael S. Smith, adds just a hint of warmth and coziness to the cool, sophisticated furnishings.  

The living room above is from the late Yves Saint Laurent's Moroccan house, Villa Mabrouka, which was designed by Jacques Grange. Apparently YSL was a big fan of chintz and requested a different color of it in each room. Grange said, "It was like decorating a house for people out of a play by Tennessee Williams." Ha! I think, here, we begin to see how to use this traditional fabric in a not-necessarily-traditional space.

Another elegant bedroom featured in House Beautiful, this one by Frank DelleDonne, shows how the restrained use of florals can have a big impact. Think if he had used a shimmery, dressier fabric on the pillows (like a silk taffeta), the room would be overly formal. But the floral gives it just a touch of softness, especially in this serene blue colorway.

These last few pictures feature rooms by Joe Nye, the fresh and fabulous designer and author of the new book, Flair. 

I'm not exactly the entertaining, dinner party type, but I absolutely loved this book. The explanations of different tablewares (glassware, flatware, serveware) are easy to understand (even for a novice like me), the decorating tips are helpful for even when you're not entertaining, and the pictures are downright gorgeous. 

This first picture shows the bedroom of a home designed by Nye, the Montecito Estate, that features a chintz by Colefax & Fowler ("Lilacs" in turquoise). The palette of this room is already soothing, but, again, the floral adds the perfect amount of pattern and color essential for creating warmth.

Nye's Beverly Hills residence (shown above) is one of my overall favorite spaces. It is bright, colorful, warm, comfortable, artistic, and refined. Nye is a true aesthete. I love the limited, yet poignant use of the florals here, especially the blue fabric on the wallpapered screen (which is an antique) and the design on the ceramic lamp base.

There are probably even more modern examples of the use of traditional florals, but I hope this post gives a few good illustrations of both the variety of uses of florals (drapes or pillows, bold or neutral) and, also, of how they can create warmth in any space.