Color Buzz

Interior Design - Best of the Year Awards

By Megan Leblond

I had the supreme pleasure of attending the Interior Design Best of the Year Awards at the Guggenheim Museum this past fall. My dearest friend from high school was responsible for creating Urban Archeology’s nominated wall treatment for ‘Best of The Year’. In today's post we'll look at how this winning design was made as well as how you incorporate geometric designs into your own home décor. 

Friday Project Series: How to Paint a Potato Print Rug

by Veronique Habermann

Since St. Patrick's Day is around the corner, I thought it would be fun to feature Ireland's native root, the potato! The potato print area rug is a great project to do with kids as there limitless color choices and potato print shapes. Not only will you enjoy the one-of-a-kind rug for years to come, but it is waterproof, washable and non-slippery. The fact that it's made with house paint make it foolproof to coordinate the rug with existing colors in your room, why not use leftover paint from your other projects? Click through for all the details on how to make your own. 

Inspiring Design: Frank Lloyd Wright

By Megan Leblond

In 1894, in Frank Lloyd Wright’s first public address, he said, “Let your home appear to grow easily from it’s site and shape it to sympathize with the surroundings if nature manifest there, and if not, try and be quiet, substantial, and organic as she would have been if she had the chance.”

Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and design is known worldwide. From Falling Water (1935, seen above) to the famous Guggenheim Art Museum (1959, seen below), Wright’s designs are seen as the forefront of modern architecture. As a child I was privileged to visit the luxurious Susan Lawrence Dana House (1902) in the Illinois state capitol of Springfield. The early Wright home design was created so that the owner could entertain on a lavish scale. It quickly became an important Illinois social center.

If we look at Wright’s body of work—his homes, furniture, stained glass, sculpture, and buildings—we can see how the integrity of his designs provoke us. The vision of a man who believed the family hearth to be the center of the human experience, and place to be that which was only in harmony with the natural landscape, inspires and invigorates us. Wright wanted us to be inspired by nature and with our practice and regard, be “Not looking at, but looking in.”

The colors used in Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture reflect what Wright said was “appropriate to place.” The natural materials used in his designs create a basis for harmonies in the structure. His use of stucco, wood and brick in a single design was innovative for its time. Wright was always aware of the design site in which he was designing. If you have been intrigued by Wright’s designs, consider the following and take inspiration from your surroundings:

• What surrounds your home?
• Are you in a neighborhood, city, or countryside?
• What are some of the geographic features of your property and the surrounding areas?
• What type of nature, if any, is present?
• How could you reflect the tone of ‘family’ or ‘hearth’ in your space?
• How will your space serve you and others?
• How will your color choices verify your family goals and vision?

Wright believed that the mission of a building was to serve people. One of the sweetest examples of Wright’s vision is the playroom designed for his six children at his home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois. The large room with fireplace is designed with the children’s best interest at heart. A place spacious for the imaginings of children, dolls, plays, charades and parties, the space holds a beautiful mural created by Wright based on the Arabian Night tale, “The Fisherman and Genie.” His illustration of the genie is said to be his first stylized abstract-line pattern.
 
With our own projects, lets use some of the same purist philosophy of the master builder, Frank Lloyd Wright.
 
If your interested in learning more about the designs of FLW, there are many excellent publications. I recommend “Frank Lloyd Wright: Master Builder by Universe publishing.” Let us know what you think!

ABC Carpet

By Veronique Habermann

Recycled beauties! Any décor-savvy New Yorker shopper knows about ABC Carpet & Home. It has been around since 1897, and is the place to go for the largest choice of quality carpets in the world, from custom carpets to one-of-a-kind antiques. They also have a home department, with everything from tabletops to lighting. ABC Carpet is a place where beauty and eco-friendliness merge, and where craftsmanship matters. I love this store!


They recently came up with a new line of carpet called Color Reform. They are transforming unusable vintage rugs by neutralizing the old original color and then over-dying with bold colors to create these remarkable hues that are unique and so beautiful. I love the concept of recycling to create these lovely carpets and I love the results – very inspiring!

Styles of Romance

By Michèle Coppin

Decorating can be daunting and confusing with so many styles to choose from. Knowing which style you are or like can be very helpful. Here are some visual aids to help you identify where you fit in:
 
If this is your ideal home:


If you like floral wall paper and lots of flowers:


If you like soft muted colors and pretty furniture:


If you like delicate window treatments and diffused light:


If you like pretty embroidered pillows:


If you like pale linens with delicate patterns:


If you Love paintings by the "Pre-Raphaelites" of lovely maidens playing the harp with flowers in their hair:


And beautiful Japanese prints of birds and flowers:


If this is your ideal get away:


And finally, if you named your cat Ophelia, you have read Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" more than once and your favorite movie is "Doctor Zhivago":
 


Then, congratulations… you are a hopeless ROMANTIC!
 
As a romantic you might like these palettes:
 
Warm:
                   
  Pretty Orchid 1002-8B         Lilac Intuition 7001-1        Dust Bunny 2005-10B

Cool:
                   
    Ocean Buff 7005-7           Betsy's Linen 7005-16       Seashore Fog 7004-22

Earthy:
                   
 Bungalow White 2005-1C    Dust Bunny 2005-10B        Modest Silver 4002-1A
 

Romantic palettes work best with shades of one color and very subtle accents.

Couples, remember to check out Valspar's "Love, Our Style" site for tips on merging styles AND a chance to win a room/paint makeover from Beehive Studios! This is the last week to enter the makeover contest, so don't forget to send in your stories!

Country Style

By Michele Coppin

Decorating can be daunting and confusing with so many styles to choose from. Knowing what style you prefer can be very helpful when choosing colors, textiles and furniture. Here are some visual aids to help you identify your tendencies.

If this is your ideal home:

If you like the rich colors of nature and references to the great outdoors:

If you like comfortable, solid, well crafted wooden furniture and native American patterns:

If you like solid colors and references to the American Flag:

If you like plaids and stripes:

 
If you like the  essential  beauty of well crafted quilts:

And  grandiose sublime paintings of the American west:

If you wish this were your license plate:

If this would be your ideal getaway:

and this is on your MP3:

Then, Bravo! Your style is "COUNTRY."

You might enjoy these palettes: 

EARTHY:

              

      Red Ochre 2011 - 4      Cowboy Boots 2010 - 10

          

  Motor City Blue 400 - 4C  Oatlands Subtle Taupe 600 - 1B 

PATRIOTIC:

           

    Nostalgia 4007 - 6A      Almost Charcoal 4008 - 2B

           

   Fabulous Red 1011 - 2  Anthem White 7006 - 24

PRAIRIE:

            

Belle Grove Flamestitch Red 1008 - 5A Du Jour 7002 - 6

           

    Dark Meadow 6010 - 5     Desert Grass 3008 - 7C

Couples, don't forget to check out Valspar's "Love, Our Style" site for tips on merging styles AND a chance to win a room/paint makeover from the Beehive Studios!

President Reagan’s White House Bedroom

By Michele Coppin

I am not terribly impressed by the decorating styles of the eighties. However, I do recall one outstanding exception: Ronald and Nancy Reagan's White House bedroom.

When the Reagan's moved into the White House in 1981, Nancy called upon Ted Graber, an influential Hollywood society designer, to help redecorate.

"The Reagans liked the feeling of an English country house by way of California" said Paige Rense, editor in chief of Architectural Digest. "Nancy was especially concerned that everything was comfortable and cheerful for the President. She didn’t want any precious little French chairs. She wanted upholstered pieces that men would feel comfortable with."

For the master bedroom, Nancy and Ted chose a gorgeous 18th Century soft, yellow hand-painted Chinese wall paper, patterned with masses of birds flitting gracefully around the room. The print is light, uplifting, cheerful and elegant. Like Nancy, I love the "Chinoiserie" style. 

Chinoiserie refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the 17th Century that reflects Chinese artistic influences. It is characterized by the use of fanciful Chinese imagery, asymmetrical in format with whimsical contrasts of scale.

Photos courtesy of Architectural Digest

Chinese wall paper may appear quite feminine, but it works very well when offset with darker furniture like in this bedroom.

It is interesting to note that the Chinese invented paper, and they glued rice paper on their walls as early as 200 B.C. Around the 1700s, the first wallpapers were brought back to Europe from China and became immensely popular. Until the 19th Century, most of the monarchs in Europe had created their own Chinese interior complete with wallpaper, furnishings, paintings and porcelain.

Most wallpaper stores carry very pretty copies of 18th century hand painted originals. I find that one wall of these beautiful prints works well when balanced by one of its colors on other walls. For example:

  Pelican 4007 - 1A      

I Love Pink!

By Veronique Haberman

I’m not ashamed to say it – pink is my favorite color. But that doesn't mean that I wear a lot of pink or that my bedroom walls are pink. Pink is such a strong color with so many associations (think Barbie, Paris Hilton, etc.), and pink has a huge place in my life. In my wardrobe, I think the less the better, as it actually has a stronger impact this way. So, gray dress with pink shoes? Yes (this is what I am actually wearing today).  Pink dress with gray shoes, no.

I just moved into this fantastic old, factory loft with brick walls, strong beams, high ceilings and lots of stainless steel. I decorated it with my usual shades of gray, neutrals and a bit of yellow, with an old metal road sign on the wall. I also painted my table top with artichoke. I was still a bit bored, but then the magic happened!

I bought these great, rubber gloves from Whole Foods for only $5. The brand is Casabella and they are not yellow, but this wonderful, perfect shade of pink. Check out my always-so-chic friend Christ modeling them. So here are these rubber gloves sitting beside my sink, and they made me happy.  As a matter of fact, I couldn’t imagine what my kitchen area would look like without them; I wanted more!

So I started buying flowers in various shades of pink, but I still wanted more. Then I bought fuchsia kitchen towels. Okay, it was getting there, but it still needed something else. I then remembered that I have a favorite chair, but its paint was old and unappealing. So I grabbed a can of Valspar Pink Burst and within minutes the room was transformed! I love the fact that my son and boyfriend, who are not pink lovers, surprisingly thought it was cool. By using pink as an accent and using the boldest, unashamed shades of pink, it looks more like modern art than Barbie. What do you think?

                                                                                             

                                                Pink Burst 1003-1A

Friday Project Series – Recycling Old Plates

By Michele Coppin

There are many ways to decorate and enhance gardens beyond the obvious choice of plants. For example, one of my neighbors is a poet, and she likes to surround herself with poems floating on sheets of paper in her study.

Outside her window, she’s scattered plates throughout her garden as if illustrating an old nursery rhyme - not the 'old lady who lived in a shoe', but rather the 'poet who planted old plates.’

By lining her garden with plates, it gives the appearance of a little stage for some magical play.
It is an easy, colorful and charming way to personalize a garden and a good use of those plates gathering dust in the attic. Try it yourself this weekend!

 

 

The Obama’s in the White House

President Obama now calls the White House home. He has taken office with soaring thoughts of change, one of them concerning redecorating.

Indeed, every four years, a congressional budget of $100,000 is set aside for the first family to redecorate the presidential apartments. They can change everything from paint color to furnishings. Also available is the White House storage house, which is complete with antique furniture and an art collection of about 500 sculptures, drawings and paintings. This stockpile of art includes some works by American painters Norman Rockwell and Georgia O’Keeffe (), which have been obtained as gifts to past presidents. Traditionally, presidents select portraits of their favorite predecessors to line the walls, such as Lincoln.

Oil painting by Freeman Thorp

I am sure the Obamas will bring their own personal style and flavor to their new home with a combination of Michelle's sophisticated, classic taste and Barack's modernity, internationality and ethnic background. The new look will certainly be classy  and interesting. And don’t forget, the apartments will be home to two little girls, so the new décor will also be comfortable and child-friendly.

 
I expect the White House to be quite green. With the environment high on our future president’s agenda, his commitment to an earth-friendly society should begin in his new home. In recent years, the Bush family made many green improvements to the White House, adding low-flow shower heads, energy-saving lights and solar panels.

Most importantly, the Obama's home will need to be relaxing and harmonious; an oasis of calm, a comforting retreat, and a rejuvenating space for President Obama to regroup and prepare for each new day. To achieve this, he could follow a few simple Feng Shui guide lines. Feng Shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. It is a belief system that can establish balance, harmony and energy flow in your home, garden or office.

The colors should be  fresh and luminous with lots of natural light and plants. The rooms should not be cluttered with too much furniture or too many objects. For a space and its inhabitants to breathe, it needs air and open space.

This beautiful dinning room by Sharon Cameron Lawn Interiors, for example, is modern, cozy and luxurious, without being ostentatious. The colors are a warm combination of beige and browns with touches of turquoise. The bold horizontal lines are offset by the round chandelier, mirror and patterns in the fabric. I particularly like the wooden chairs and table. In Feng Shui, wood is considered a lush and healing element which lends energy, vitality and growth to an interior. This room is elegant without being too formal. It is earthy, energizing and inviting. The materials reflect a love of nature and concern for the environment.