Yellow-green is wildly popular but can you live with it in large quantity? Take a look at this house all done up in a leaf green and white monochromatic scheme, and let me know what you think.


It’s a country house created by textile designer C.J. Dellatore, using some of his own fabrics. Most of the floors are painted a mossy green, and the stairs treads are painted a light yellow-celadon.

“Green is the dominant color, but contained in a neutral envelope.” All greens are used (mostly the yellow variety) but set against white walls and other white elements, the effect is clean and modern. All I can say is….wow!….very well done!



Ribbon stripes from the C.J. Dellatore collection.
Photos courtesy of ?House Beautiful
One wouldn’t think that 450 square feet would be enough to turn around in, much less breathe but….miracles do happen in the world of interior design.

There are three tricks to creating the illusion of space. One is to use a limited palette. There’s lots of white in this place, grounded by accents of black with shades of taupe and sepia to soften the look. ?Even the floor is painted white. No other colors are inserted to distract the eye.
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All I can say is….I want to be here. The hand made rocker and soft pillows beckon to me. The dark primitive shelves of books speak my name. The lampshades made of string charm me.
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While the outside shell of this factory building in Milan’s Navigli District is probably rusty steel and darkened stone, the inside is a large sleek white space with minimal furnishings. For me, that is part of the magic of lofts. In geode-like fashion, the outside is a rough and craggy crust but… it opens into a brilliant gemstone that fascinates. Although contemporary interiors can often be sterile and uninviting, this one is not (for me, anyway). Why? It’s the exposed concrete trusses that still exist from the old factory days. Their irregular soot smudged finish seem to say “yes, workers toiled here doing their jobs for the community.” There is a history here and it brings humanity into the interior design. ?Thus sculptural stainless steel chair is ‘Lofty” from MDF Italia. The area rug is a 1970′s Taporso.
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The interior design of this home is the epitome of continuous flow (some readers know that this is my favorite subject!). Whether you like this style or not, It is an absolutely text book example of successful decorating from the point of view of establishing a theme and sticking to it. Neutral colors continue from room to room to room, with accents of bronze, gold, rusty red and blue. It is clean and uncluttered, but we are not bored. No….there is enough eye candy assembled on shelves and tabletops to keep us interested while still allowing us room to breathe. Luscious expensive fabrics and simple, classically designed furnishings. This is the home of Dallas designer George Cameron Nash and his partner Mark Williams.
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This Japanese style teahouse is in Hungary, of all places… nestled in the foothills between Hloubetin and Prague. What an beautiful sanctuary for mediation or quiet conversation. Designed by architect David Mastalka of A1 Architects, this little space ?is covered with a circular dome roof and has a tiny sunken hearth in the floor to prepare tea. That’s it. The only furniture is a teapot. The epitome of minimalism. What a relief from our crazy material world!
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I was excited to pick up the August issue of House Beautiful magazine because it asks the question “What Makes a Room Great?” This beautiful bright turquoise room designed by?Bunny Williams for New York’s Kips Bay Showhouse is a wonderful example of “great.” It’s a show stopper full of gorgeous color and interesting furnishings. All well and good….and easy to say. But, the question is why? Why is this room so fabulous?

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Ruby Beets loves white. She loves antique, used, repurposed and shabby furniture.?And she loves using big graphic shapes within a space. For example, look at the pair of white vases that stand on the left side of mantle. Large for that narrow shelf, their curves are elegantly simple. The urn shaped vase at mantle right and the unembellished curved vase on the coffee table echo this theme.
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What is a collection? A group of things that are the same….right? Sometimes they are exactly the same. Sometimes they are the same color, but a different shape. And sometimes they are the same shape but a different color. ?Regardless of which type we are looking at, I have found myself completely intrigued with collections. Maybe you are too.
I want to introduce you Shokusai Ishikura ?whose design firm?Super Potato produces unique “hospitality” spaces (hotels and restaurants). ?As you will see, Ishikura gets an A+ in Collection Design. They are the theme that runs through a restaurant design project in Kirishima City, Japan (called Myoken Ishaharaso).?The cool thing about this gracious private dining space pictured above is that it is entirely “zen” and uncluttered. Peaceful. Inviting. And yet the whole right wall is a tidy assemblage of antique clocks and hard backed books, organized tightly together in a beautiful composition.
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