Color Buzz

Artichoke Colors

By Michèle Coppin

The Artichoke - of delicate heart erect
in its battle-dress builds - it's minimal cupola;
keeps stark - in its scallops of scales
...
So you have it - a vegetable, armed - a profession (call it an artichoke)
whose end is millennial
we taste of that sweetness - dismembering scale after scale
we eat of a halcyon paste
It is green at the artichoke heart.
(excerpt from “Ode to an Artichoke,” by Pablo Neruda)

The glorious artichoke is the large unopened flower bud of a plant belonging to the thistle family. It originated from Southern Europe, around the Mediterranean, and there is evidence of artichokes being cultivated in Naples in the ninth century.

Castroville, California is the artichoke capital of the U.S. In 1948, it crowned its first artichoke queen, a little known starlet named Marilyn Monroe.  In her honor, the Norma Jean cocktail was created, containing Cynar (the bitter artichoke liqueur), gin, lemon juice, sugar, crushed ice and mint leaves, a delicious and refreshing sundowner.

Low in calories and nutrient rich, artichokes are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C, and also rich in foliate, magnesium and antioxidants. My favorite artichoke recipe is simply boiled with a little lemon juice. The leaves are removed one by one and dipped in hollandaise sauce, vinaigrette, melted butter or more lemon juice. The heart is eaten after removing the inedible hairy choke.

The beauty of this long process is that you can admire the vegetable at each stage of undress, like an interactive kinetic art piece. The artful artichoke transforms with each step, from its coarse outer purple leaves lined with silver, to tender moss green leaves edged with delicate pink, each one unique and delicious.

Indeed, the colors of the artichoke span many tones and shades of green, purples and pinks that blend together naturally and can be a great source of inspiration.

                                  
 Lyndhurst Castle Sand 5008-1C       Lyndhurst Celadon Green 5004-1B
                       
                                 
                                   Pale Orchid 1003-6C

Color of the Week - Summer Rapture

Last week's Color of the Week was Summer Rapture. Fresh, crisp, light and airy, Summer Rapture captures the moment as we move from spring to summer. Try this cool, breezy color in a kitchen, entryway, family room or even an outdoor space. It would look great with accents of navy and a crisp white like Anthem White. This color reminds me of summer porches with white wicker, rattan and grass cloth flooring.

                                         
              Summer Rapture 6002-5A                    Anthem White 7006-24

   

Friday Project Series: A Beautiful and Useful Cork Board

By Michèle Coppin

Little notes and lists float around drawers and table tops while bags and boxes of semi-precious collected treasures gather dust in closets. Combining these would result in more space and clarity, like perhaps turning the old corks and seashells into a board on which to pin my memos.

I started by cutting the corks length-wise and gluing them on a stiff square piece of cardboard in a random pattern of horizontals and verticals.

 

I like the colors of corks, their gradations of ochres and browns, with the vineyard's name printed down the side and the faded pink stains of wine.

 

From my seashell collection, I chose brown, gray, white and beige specimens to create a border. I glued a variety of sizes and shapes all around the corks.

Thanks to color, the contrasting textures of warm earthy corks blend with the shiny hardness of the shells.

Finally, I pinned forgotten invitations, future plans, memos, photos and souvenirs.

The Royal Ascot

By Michèle Coppin

Started by Queen Anne in 1711, the Royal Ascot is the premier social event of British horse racing. It takes place every year at the end of June and the five days of the "Royal Meeting" provide one of the most unique and colorful occasions on the sporting calendar. Besides going to witness top class horse racing, the crowds also come to see the Queen and other members of the royal family – the Queen always taking center stage.

But the real spectacle of the Royal Ascot is the festive "Ladies Day" parade, as the Royal Ascot brings out the best and most elaborate fashions.

All spectators are expected to dress up, while members of the audience in the "Royal Enclosure" are required to wear formal attire, with hats for the ladies and top hats for the gentlemen (lucky for us Yankees, overseas visitors are welcome to wear the national dress of their country).

The hat competition is fierce, ranging from the bizarre to the beautiful. The more outrageous the hat, the better, in this “heady” celebration of color and creativity.

This year was no exception:

The Queen looks cheerful and elegant in yellow while Prince Philippe is dashing in his top hat.

Checkmate!

Cucumber and watercress sandwiches - very British indeed.

Color of the Week - Gone Fishing

Last week’s Color of the Week was Gone Fishing, which is a contemplative mid-tone teal. It has a deep watery feel. This would be beautiful in a bath, entryway, or accent wall in a bedroom. It has a soothing and tranquil quality. Try it with Betsy's Linen and Lunar Tide as accents or trim. This would also be great with a navy accent.

                      

        Gone Fishing 5004-8A    Betsy's Linen 7005-16      Lunar Tide 6006-3B

Cheerful Effects of Yellow

By Michèle Coppin

Vincent Van Gogh once said, "How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." For Vincent, yellow represented happiness, love and hope. Many of his paintings have an abundance of yellow. He was fascinated with color and its effects, often experimenting with different ranges of tone, like in his famous Sunflower painting.

  

Completed in 1887, this painting was eventually sold in 1987 at an auction at Christie's in London for a record $39,921,750!

Indeed, yellow is cheerful, warm and uplifting, which is why I love this yellow house:

In a drab city street, this yellow stands as a celebration to light, an ode to color, a testimony to the owner’s cheerful composition, and happiness. It also seems to be contagious, as the neighbors’ color choice for their curtains and window flower boxes are becoming more daring.

They have also painted their tiny courtyard yellow, decorating it with Mexican tiles and plants.

Friday Project Series: Father's Day

   

This Father's Day, give dad a little pick-me-up by refreshing his domain with paint touch-ups. It's so easy! 

My daughter Elle was nice enough to take on our kitchen. We live in a 160-year-old farm house with a very active family, so nicks and scratches are a part of life.

 

For Father's Day, Elle took out an old cake pan (perfect for holding small amounts of paint), a brush and a quart of Whitewash Oak. She tried both a 2" brush and a 2" sponge brush. Both worked great.

She then focused on the eye-sores and gave them a quick brush-up.

It doesn’t take any prep, leaves minimal mess and provides big results!

Now we can happily unveil a cleaner, brighter kitchen, sure to put a big smile on dad's face as he’s handed a big plate of pancakes and gets ready for a day of golf and lying on the hammock.

Wedding Colors Part II

By Michèle Coppin

In Monday’s post I explored the role that color played in weddings throughout the ages. As I mentioned, in the last few years, colors for weddings tended to lean towards soft shades of pinks, greens and lilacs. Although soft pastel color schemes are always in fashion, experts agree that bright, bold colors and even exotic combinations are the new trend.

Here are the hottest wedding colors for 2009:

Red and Orange: vibrant, fun and exotic.

Red and Pink: exiting combination mixing romance and passion.

Red and Yellow: Modern and hip

Orange: Elegant and radiant with shades of peach and ivory.

[Courtesy of Kim Fuller Photography]

Yellow and Turquoise: Summery and tropical.

 
Green and Yellow: Fresh and young.

Green and Lavender: Soft and sensual



Brown and Pink: Elegant and sensual  - one of 2009's hottest combinations.



I also questioned wedding photographer Kim Fuller for some additional insight. She noted:
 
"Purple is in! The jewel tones seem to be back in fashion this year for bridesmaid dresses. It makes for great photos, especially when you add a bold-colored flower to really make the color pop. Brown and pewter are still popular for the Fall, with a touch of orange or pink as an accent.  Both color palettes go well with most skin types, which is nice."



For more photos and ideas, please check out Kim Fuller Photography’s website.

Wedding Colors Part I

By Michèle Coppin

White has long been accepted as the traditional color of the wedding dress, but wedding gowns were not always white. Roman brides favored yellow, and in the Middle Ages in Europe, brides wore red and grooms wore bright and colored outfits.

Middle Eastern brides wore a blue ribbon tied to their gowns since blue symbolized purity in their culture. The tradition of ribbon trims extended to Europe in the mid 1500's, when love knots, which symbolize the wedding knot, were tied to the bride's dress. The ribbons were multicolored with a different meaning for each color. Some represented virtue and good fortune, and others fertility. The color green represented fidelity. 

Colored wedding gowns were very common. There is an old poem about how the color of the gown will influence the bride’s future:

Married in White, you will have chosen all right. Married in Grey, you will go far away. Married in Black, you will wish yourself back. Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead. Married in Blue, you will always be true. Married in Pearl, you'll live in a whirl. Married in Green, ashamed to be seen. Married in Yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in Brown, you'll live out of town. Married in Pink, your spirits will sink.

It was Queen Victoria who made white fashionable in 1840 when she married Prince Albert of Saxe in a gleaming white gown, setting the tone for generations. White then became the color that denoted purity and virginity.

Gowns this season however reflect the long tradition of color. With touches of pastels or splashes of vibrant color, brides can make their own fashion statements while linking their wedding to centuries of celebration of love and color (and don’t forget to give the groom some color too). Check out Wednesday’s post to read more about popular wedding colors this season!

Color of the Week - Enchanted Evening

Last week's Color of the Week was Enchanted Evening, and it is perfectly named. This color captures the tone in the sky after sunset as the cool of the evening begins to breeze in. It's a bit magical to sit outside this time of year with friends as you take it all in for a peaceful moment. I would imagine this as a beautiful color for a bedroom. It's a medium tone color so if you have a large room, try it on an accent wall. For smaller spaces, you could paint the entire room. Try it with Belle Grove Buff, Waverly's Khaki, and Laura Ashley's Imperial Yellow.

                                           
               Enchanted Evening 4003-8A              Belle Grove Buff 3006-10B

                                          
                  Waverly's Khaki 380001            Laura Ashley's Imperial Yellow 815