Green with envy

Dining room by Grant Gibson

Green is not a color I really turn to in design, but, after several of my friends requested that as the foundation of their rooms' color schemes, I had to give it a second look.

I do love vibrant color, and this leafy, emerald green (like in the pic above) is one I can definitely see using. However, the other shades in this post certainly give me pause to rethink my opinion of this quite diverse hue.

Living room by Jeff Andrews - Photo courtesy of Trad Home

Love those flared, wing-back chairs by the fireplace! (So much so that I am actually sitting in one of my own right now!)

Enoteca restaurant design by Angie Hranowsky

I love the very classic-yet-cool vibe of this restaurant. What an interesting twist the green curtains and banquette give to the space.

Green leather chair at Scout Designs office

Study by Kim Winkler of Westbrook Interiors

Dining room by Melanie Elston

Living room by Markham Roberts

Roberts shows here what a perfect match green is with grays and deep aubergine.

Library by Timothy Whealon

This last room is so beautiful: glowing wood bookcase, wool oriental rug, and rich green velvet chairs. Classic!

I hope you are all having a good week!

The Dark Side

Dining room by Markham Roberts

I am growing more and more fond of chinoiserie and the flair that that style of fabric, furnishings, and accessories can bring to a home. However, it seems to me that a lot of the styles we see right now are brightly colored, festive sort of pieces. Since I am girl who likes a bit of moodiness in my interiors, these black chinoiserie pieces strike the perfect balance between the dramatic and the exotic. They are dark and glamorous and fit in such a wide array of spaces.


Living room by Amanda Malson and Jolene Ballard

What a great combination of elements in this room: Moroccan rug, mid-century Eames lounge chair, large chinoiserie cabinet, neutral upholstered pieces, colorful accessories. Doesn't black ground a room just perfectly? I like that Malson and Ballard balanced the cabinet with the Eames chair, setting them opposite each other and using them to create a nice contrast with the paler-hued items in the room.

Bedroom by Timothy Whealon

Here is another large cabinet used, this time, in a bedroom. The size of this piece works so well with the scale of the room and other large furnishings (like the grand canopy bed).

Vignette by Phoebe Howard

I love all the textures in this arrangement! Wicker, chrome, wood, glass.... Just fabulous!


Photo courtesy of Southern Accents


Here, again, this painted piece is providing a lovely contrast to the delicate wallpaper and curtains, as well as to the painted armchairs and glass side tables. Light, dark, large, small, colorful, neutral: it is all about that tension.

Study by Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald is well versed in chinoiserie style, but, here, uses only one dramatic cabinet which she then contrasts against decidedly different styles, such as the baroque-style desk and Louis XV armchair. I love all the black accents in this room, especially when paired with the unexpected grayish-teal and magenta curtains.

Vignette by John Robshaw

Robshaw uses this amazing chinoiserie find as a bar (above), while Couturier (below) uses the subtle hint of black from a desk to contrast with the dark hues of the tapestry over the bed.


Bedroom by Robert Couturier


Our final pic of the day is from one of my favorites, Mr. Miles Redd, and this photo shows just why. Combining grand and, often, glamorous pieces (such as this mirrored canopy bed and oversized chinoiserie screen) with more traditional elements (like the diminutive side table and creamy linens), Redd creates unforgettable, truly one-of-a-kind interiors.

Bedroom by Miles Redd

Here's to a great week ahead (and, hopefully, no more Blogger technical difficulties)!

Papered places

Bedroom by Markham Roberts

I have to admit that I have a bit of commitment-phobia when it comes to decorating. I like being able to change out pillows, rearrange furniture, switch around pictures, and generally just reinvent a space over and over. Strangely enough, I don't mind painting either, and I like how it easily (and economically) can transform a space.

As a result, I had written off wallpaper as too much of an undertaking (sticky glue, lining up the sheets just right, etc.) and too big of a commitment (as you would have the task of coordinating all future furnishings or purchases to the paper's design).

However, the playful ambiance, the drama, and the gorgeous scenery of the wallpapers that I have come across in my exploration of design have charmed and converted me into believing these to be true art pieces that neither limit nor weigh-down the design but, instead, inspire and punctuate it.

I am most impressed by hand painted, panoramic and chinoiserie-style coverings, like the de Gournay  papers shown above, as used by Miles Redd. To me, they have a whimsical quality, able to make you feel transported to some distant and exotic place.

This lovely pink paper, used by David Kaihoi in his own apartment (which was featured in House Beautiful), is actually antique, dating back to the 18th century. Although it has a little wear-and-tear, as you can see below, the paper maintains its serene and elegant beauty, bringing a kind of ambiance to the space that could not be achieved with paint. (And, yes, I am overly partial to it because of its rosy hue!)

You can also find more contemporary, patterned examples like the damasks and geometric florals below, used by Miles Redd, Markham Roberts, and Ashley Whittaker, respectively.

Paper by Farrow & Ball

Paper by Quadrille

I just love the blend of fabrics and furnishings in this gorgeous bedroom by Miles Redd: the silk curtains, the swoop of the canopy, the Venetian striped rug, the delicate birds and branches on the paper.

Sara Story skillfully brings serene elegance and glamour to the small office area below. If you would have asked me before I saw this picture, "Would you like to have fish covering your walls?", my answer would certainly have been, "No!" But the polish and neutrality of this piscine paper is actually quite beautiful and even calming, as if you, too, are floating in the water.

As you can see, paper wallcoverings are available in a variety of styles, whether picturesque or patterned, and can infuse a space with great depth or even give a room a "story". The designs I like most come from Gracie, Quadrille, Cole and Sons, de Gournay, and Zuber.

I will conclude this post with photos of my two favorite wallpapers (two of my favorite rooms, as well) by de Gournay and Zuber, respectively. They perfectly illustrate the elegant atmosphere and enchanting mood that wallpapers can create. 

Master bath by Miles Redd

Bedroom by David Netto

Artful Angles

How about a little bit of geometry for the day? Don't worry, there won't be a quiz at the end!

Graphic shapes and arrangements can create drama and energy or, conversely, order and structure, depending on the application. For example, in the tiled foyer by Steven Gambrel above, guests are instantly struck by the liveliness of the hallway and are enticed to find out what lies beyond, despite the simple furnishings and dichromatic palette. The shapes and angles do all the talking!

However, in the living room by Bunny Williams below, a cozy sofa and armchairs are offset by an arrangement of artwork that actually creates order and neatness in the layout. The art is actually bringing calm through structure in this example.

 

Kelly Wearstler gives us another illustration of how to derive energy from angles. In the lobby of the Viceroy hotel in Palm Springs (above), the mosaic wall almost buzzes from the color and movement of the concentric squares.

Similarly, this foyer by Markham Roberts has a stirringly cheerful effect on anyone passing through it. Diagonal lines on the walls create movement, while the colorful rug gives an artsy, playful feel to the space.

In another lovely room by Bunny Williams (featured in Lonny magazine), the framed botanicals and semicircular set of tribal-looking tools create a tidy layout that seems to extend the headboard to include the entire wall.

The artwork steals the show in this super-festive foyer by Jamie Drake. Despite all the color, the linear prints give the eye a sleek and organized focal point, while the curtains add an element of fun with a diamond print. (Remember, diagonal lines create energy!)

I just love this beachy, yet dramatic dining room by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The palette is so soothing (as are the clean stripes on the chairs), but the wooden beams of the ceiling and overscale, spherical light fixtures lend an element of surprise and generate a more playful mood in the grand space.

Although hard edges and right angles abound in the furnishings and fixtures in these next two photos (designs by Steven Gambrel), these spaces are anything but stuffy or tame. Orderly doesn't have to mean bland!

Thom Filicia uses stripes to bring a clean, graphic element to a sitting area and bedroom. I love the chevron stripes on the chairs above and the quatrefoil of the headboard below! (Quatrefoil is one of my favorite shapes!)

Rugs can bring some unexpected excitement to a room, without overwhelming it.

Ashley Whittaker uses a playful mix of fabrics above (loving the honeycomb rug!), while Kelly Wearstler and Nate Berkus keep it simple, featuring one main pattern on the floor (both below).

It really seems to me that generating contrasts throughout each room makes for great spaces. So, varied as the execution may be (stripes or chevrons, circles or squares, paintings or objects), using sharp angles and linear accents really can be that essential factor creating the contrast, with order or energy as needed.

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....