Heather Garrett 

It wasn’t mine until lately. I confess…I have been seduced. I find that tangerine (or red orange) really elevates my spirits. It makes me smile. It is Pantone’s Color of the Year.

And what that means is that this color is in demand. We, the Design Junkie Community, want it and need it. Now! Tangerine is the color of optimism and individuality. Something about that rings true…do you agree?

 Too bright?….not always.

Yes, it CAN look sophisticated

It can even be subdued

Ann Rue Interiors

And understated…

Tie it into the next room

A soft version of tangerine (below) covers two upholstered chairs, two sofa pillows and is repeated again in the adjacent dining room wall color. Here is a gorgeous example of continuity and “flow” from room to room.

Tangerine-orange makes a memorable accent wall

…especially when repeated in an accessory like this bolster pillow

It makes a snappy focal point

Orange with gray – A very hip combo

…very handsome

Style At Home

Orange with blue makes a welcoming guest room

Combine it with rose and lots of white for a feminine statement

Style At Home

Put a contemporary spin on a room with antiques

Better Homes & Gardens

Go bright with orange accessories for extra punch

Betsy Burnham

It holds its own against magenta and lime

Tangerine/orange is easy to find in stores and websites

You don’t have to hunt very far

Bindu Rug – www.potterybarn.com

Garden Stool – insideavenue.com

Albert Pinto design – devinecorp.net

Climbing Vines Curtain – anthropologie.com

The mouthwatering tangerine…inside and out

May your imagination take you to delicious places…

Walk in beauty…it will change your life.

Wide open patterns as if they were painted with a broad brush

Splashier…

 Just Scandinavian

…not like grandma’s roses

In colors we are loving right now!

Combined with geometrics and stripes in a whole new way

Samantha Plyn

Even a little floral makes an impact

Flowers unleashed…if that’s your thing

Tara Seawright

Stylized flowers in brighter palettes

Z3 Diseno

Kathryn

In classic black and white

Watercolor flowers

 Fiona Douglas

Suzani inspired floral shapes for an ethnic look

Lindsay Buckingham

Nikki Papadopoulos

Floral rugs are staging a comeback. They look very different in today’s colors, don’t they?

Nicole Rubens

Floral paintings are favorites right now but in all-over random compositions

Erin Feasby

Kim Parker

Flowers are as old as dirt but we never tire of them. We just need a new fresh spin every once in awhile.  am excited to start using these fun flowers. Girls just wanna have fun, right? Boys too!

Walk in beauty…it will change your life.

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.

The second is to arrange furniture so as to create mini rooms.

But a single quirky piece in a room makes a huge difference. It sticks in our mind and we never forget it. I define “quirky” as different, unexpected, off-beat, out-of-the-box and memorable. Quirkiness gives a room personality.

For example, who could forget this striped ceiling? Following are more examples of quirkiness that will str-r-r-e-e-etch the imagination so that we, the Design Junkie Community, can express our wonderful weirdness

 Random color is quirky

Over sized objects are quirky

Rick Baye

Giant Branch Canopy

Over sized art is boldly quirky

WL Interiors

Wild wall color is startlingly quirky

Michael Penney

A unique chair is energetically quirky

Russell Groves

Quirky salvaged architectural pieces are unforgettable

Brown Cranna / Douglas Callaway

oliveandlove.com

Flea market furniture adds quirky personality

….even a small inexpensive chair

An unusual contemporary light fixture adds quirkiness

Christine Hanlon

Unique decorative painting is delightfully quirky

Animal prints are a great place to start

for those who are shy about stepping out…

Lisa Sherry

Go quirky at Restoration Hardware

It’s like a flea market!

1890 Iron Stag Head and Antlers approx. $289

Dry Dock Pendant $1695

Deconstructed Wing Chair $1995

(notice the back is intentionally exposed as if it’s unfinished)

Watchmaker’s Task Table Lamp $459

I hope this blog post jogged your creative mind. I need to stretch my quirkiness muscles too so….thank you! my dear Design Junkies, for prompting me to explore more fun ways to create eye candy so I can share them with you.

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Color can come in the form of texture! Instead of drawing on the traditional color wheel, this designer explored her world for textures. Chunky. Craggy. Splintery. Smoothe. Woven. Wrinkled. Translucent. Rusty. Peely……and etcetera. There is so much to take in that I dare say I might fall over in a faint if she had added actual color. By the way, I’ll bet you think this is a dining room. Actually it’s a free standing structure! A dining house, so to speak. Isn’t that brilliant? The interior was designed by Wendy Owen for her family in Sonoma. California. Fieldstone was collected locally for the walls, and the floor is poured concrete. Those unique paper light fixtures were found at local designer Erin Martin‘s St. Helena shop.

The dinnerware from Astier de Villatte is rustic yet curved and feminine providing a nice contrast to the table made of enormous reclaimed Douglas fir boards and flat backed plank chairs.

The theme is Natural-Materials-With-Muted Palette… in a very big way. Owens was rigorous about sticking to her core idea without getting side tracked by anything that does not fit. “I wanted to keep everything oversize and use texture as color.” The circular piece on the mantel is a salvaged well top.

An antique pine island stands in the middle of the kitchen with chunky antique Brazilian wood bar stools. The breakfast area features unexpectedly two crystal chandeliers hanging over an old baker’s table and two stone benches. This designer really pays attention to continuity. “It makes the space look larger when you use the same materials all the way through.” she says. And I would add to that, it createsvisual flow. As I walk through this house I am both inspired by the remarkable selection of furniture and materials and soothed by the repetition of color and materials. Inspired and soothed.

You’ve never seen this bed before, and I guarantee you will never see it again. Chunky railroad ties make up the frame and antique sugar molds make up the headboard. The splash of color amongst the bed linens is a fun statement and can be changed out so easily.

The master bath has a pair of sinks made out of old horse troughs. The mirrors above each sink have been created out of ceiling tin showing off the texture of peeling paint.

This designer has been very much inspired by the work of legendary designer Michael Taylor (1927-1986) who broke new groundwith his California Look by using overscale furnishings  and natural elements. He also championed the idea of making the interior and the exterior interchangeable.

The free standing dining house with its other structures and the surrounding fields.

Designer Wendy Owen. As you can see the chartreuse used in the master bedroom is a color she wears very well. This is always a great way to develop a color palette for your home. Select colors that flatter your complexion and hair color. It works!

Photos courtesy of Western Interiors October/November 2007

Have you noticed that beige is out and gray is in? That’s what’s happening now in the world of design, fashion and marketing. So…do we like gray again? I do. I love it, in fact. Especially when it’s paired so refreshingly with yellow!

Caroll Paige

Some still think that gray is synonymous with “dull.” Well, my dear design junkies, we know that’s not true, don’t we? Look how contemporary, lively and original this bedroom is.

Sophisticated yet very inviting

This breakfast room is serene. But what gives it energy? Certainly the contrasty wallpaper adds playfulness, and the warm undertone of the gray draws us in rather than freezing us out. But most of all, it’s a color scheme that is “happening now.”

The sassier the better

This room is anything but somber. It’s sassy from the get go because of the richly saturated warm yellow, darker gray on the walls and dark dark charcoal on the upholstered ottoman. Here are the colors from Benjamin Moore.

…in a contemporary setting

                                                                                   Karina Garrick

….in a traditional setting

Applying this color scheme to a traditional room, such as the one above, gives it a slightly contemporary spin. Less stodgy!

Gray and yellow can go with any style interior

Big over scaled patterns are wildly popular these days. As are striped rugs. All done up in gray and yellow it has a very “current” vibe.

Dark saturated gray sends a different message

and sets a different mood. What mood does this room have?

We see lots of daybeds like this in design magazines. Do you like them? They’re great to look at but…no back support.

Understand the undertones

When yellow goes toward lemon it is “cool.” When it goes toward orange it is “warm.” Is the yellow bedding below cool or warm?

Yup….you see it. It’s a warm yellow.

 About grays…there are green grays, blue grays, purple grays and brown grays. Consider this when you plan your color scheme. Learn more about grays from Maria Kilam’s wonderful blog Colour Me Happy. What undertones does the gray below have?

You’re right…it has a purple undertone!

Go shopping for gray and yellow – it’s ubiquitous (love that word!)

Ballard Designs

Beautiful Pillows and Home

                                                                                  Graham & Brown

                                                                                            fab.com

Draw your color schemes from nature

                               Perhaps this little bird was born in Photoshop What do you think?

Walk in beauty…it will change your life.

The rug above has a lovely palette of blues, soft rust and khaki. I could do a whole house in that…could you, my little Design Junkies? Here are the colors from Benjamin Moore Paint Company.

If it were mine, I would add a darker bricky-rust and even more saturated deep blue for contrast. Dark colors will ground a color scheme in a very strong way…as you can see the black iron table base does.

Using a patterned rug is fun and convenient

that is…if you like patterned rugs

bhg.com

(an unusually refreshing color scheme but somebody should have steamed the wrinkles out of that flatweave rug…doncha’ think?)

bhg.com

Patterned wallcoverngs give us some beautiful palettes

already built in…just for you. No thinking involved.

Cynthia Mason Interiors

Adi Tatarko 

Art is a great source of stunning color combinations

which you can pick up and use for bedding, pillows, rugs and upholstery

Which cam first…the art or the fabrics? What do you think? As a designer I often work everything at the same time, all the while visualizing my end result

Patterned fabric is an awesome springboard into color

(Wow. It’s pretty but…it almost makes my eyes water)

 …even a teacup can provide a beautiful palette

Don’t get too matchy-matchy

Here’s an delightful color palette using great chairs (from Anthropologie). The orangey-yellow from the art work repeats in the upholstery. The blue on the wall is almost the same as in the chair fabric…but not quite the same (atleast on my screen)…and that makes it even more interesting.

In the room above, the chair fabric and the glass plate echo the orange-red from the painting. The flowers are not red but pink. It’s not an overly decorated room. Very balanced. The painting asks the question. The chair and the glass plate answer it.

Be subtle…you will live longer

You may find that being subtle is much more liveable and just as “memorable.”

Colors from the rug tie in beautifully with the throw pillows, the artwork and even the front door color. The small pops of bright-yellow give this room great energy. But most of the space is a quiet subtle neutral.

Having fun going from pattern to palette, my dear friends.

Walk in beauty…it will change your life.

Accessories are the frosting on the cake of interior design. And when you accessorize with a beautiful collection, your frosting becomes the most melt-in-your-mouth loveliest delicious thing you have ever seen.

Same and Different

What is a collection? A collection is a grouping of things that are the same in some way and different in some way. In this photo above, the collection is all the same material, finish and color, but different shapes. I love the way the robins egg blue color is repeated in the framed map.

Tim Cupper Architects

This collection of leaf paintings are the same color (with a tiny bit of variation) and the same theme. What is different? The shapes of the leaves are different. I like the way the designer created an extra enormous display of leaf print…it took some doing. 5 rows of 8. A total of 340…which really makes an impact! Sometimes (not always) the bigger the collection the more dramatic.

Same Function and Color - But Different Shape

Vicente Wolf

I’ll bet whoever made these shovels never thought they would be used in home decor. Go figure! The function is digging. The color is brown. The material is wood. The shape?…all slightly different. This makes for a fascinating collection silhouetted against white walls as shown here.

 Just a few small objects…

 Vintage wooden pull toys tell a story about their owner

Marcel Wolterinck

A cluster of little white ceramic vases of varying sizes

Ballard Designs

Rustic cowbells. I like the way one is turned on it’s side.

An enormous display of small things…

Stephen Falke

Do you like this one? or is it too much?

A collection of a few very large things…for drama!

Egg shapes are lovely to look at. So primal

This arrangement of huge ship’s wheels was done by Tom Felicia for his beach house.

Small, medium and large

Vicente Wolf

Same material and finish. Different shapes. Different sizes.

Display things you use every day

Vicki Mansell

Don’t hide them in a closet if they’re this pretty

Take those jazzy retro glasses out of your drawer and show them off !

         Wendy Lewis

Distinctly recognizeable Fiesta ware dishes are the same material and finish. Large bowls are grouped along the bottom in different colors. Dinner plates are stacked at the top in different colors, etc. This collection is both functional and fun to look at.

Flours, sugars, pasta and herbs all in the exact same jar

Collections Under Glass

Lee Stanton

Big and small birds eggs under glass cloches are fascnating to see

Collectible vintage baseballs

Show off family heirlooms (only if you like them)

Linda Keenan

No family heirlooms? Start your own

It’s easy to start your own collection. Select something that interests you or that you just like looking at. I love these industrial style gears

from Restoration Hardware

Rustic stone urns from Wisteria

Collect a favorite artist’s work

Decoupaged glass pieces by artist John Derain make this bathroom much more iteresting.

I hope this has sparked your interest in collections. As you can see, they are one of the most fun and most dramatic ways to accessorize.

Walk in beauty…it will change your life.

#1 Cheapest and Easiest – Paint the Walls

Not just any color though…make it fun, current, energetic. Yellow-green is currently a very popular color. Whether you are trend sensitive or not (guess what? everyone is to some extent…but that’s a whole other article) you will want to use colors that appeal to you right now.

With a freshly painted wall, the color scheme above becomes green, black and white. I love the way the black is repeated in four different ways: lamp, stool, floor tiles and picture frame.

Here’s another bathroom in a delicious mocha brown. Note the interesting collection of ornate white framed mirrors in an otherwise un-fussy room.

#2 Change Out Colored Accessories.

This could even be less expensive than painting the walls. New fluffy towels, artwork that echoes the towel color, and a wastebasket that carries it through. It’s a simple but delightful change that will lift your spirits.

#3 Paint the Walls Decoratively

This takes a bit more effort than rolling just one color on the walls. The bathroom below is very eye catching indeed. Our homeowner simply marked off stripes with painter’s tape and created a very cool look for the same price as a solid color.

#4 Use a Towel Display as a Design Element

Keeping the color palette limited to yellow, black, white and gray adds pattern without getting too messy looking. In other words, let’s keep our red towels stored in the linen closet…know what I mean? They wouldn’t fit into the color scheme and would simply create a distraction.

Nicole Lanteri

#5 Add Wallpaper that is Eye Candy

Bathrooms are small. Powder rooms are even smaller. They are a great opportunity to use wallpaper that is wilder than you might ordinarily use. There will not be much of it…especially if you only cover one or two walls. Here are a few great examples to tickle your imagination.

Elegantly Asian

Talk about a conversation piece

Handsome Arts & Crafts style

#6 A New Vanity Can Do Wonders

You can pick up something contemporary like this for very little money

This special chest was repurposed into a vanity by drilling a hole for the faucet and another for the sink.              Not a complicated job.

Let your imagination go wild! I love the way the bicycle is used to hold spare towels.

#7 A New Medicine Cabinet

The one below is shabby chic and brings lots of character into the room.

#8 A Unique or Oversized Mirror

Utopian Lifestyle

Here’s a mirror with plenty of personality. What do you think?

 It’s not for everyone, huh? But…you get my point.

Note how this enormous framed mirror extends behind the vanity all the way down to the baseboards.                Very dramatic. Wow!

#9 Replace Your Old Sink With a Snazzy New One

Vessel sinks are so popular nowadays. If you get a glass one, make sure you select something that you can clean easily. Nothing worse than blobs of toothpaste on your exquisite hand blown glass.

McLean Quinlan

#10 Replace Your Old Faucet with Something That You Love

Michael Penny

An oversized spout

Hego Faucet 

Dual purpose vase ad faucet. I couldn’t resist including this

#11 Light Fixtures – Get Rid of the Ugly!

The badf news is that there are very few attractive bathroom light fixtures on the market. The good news is that they are relatively inexpensive for the important job that they do.

Sconces on either side of the mirror throw better light on your face than light bars mounted above. The ones pictured above are quite handsome. My hunch is that they are on a dimmer which allows the homeowner to create some “atmosphere” when brighter lights are not required for a task such as putting on makeup.

#12 Beautiful Tile Adds Class (and cost)

Tile does not have to be designed in a complex way (like this one below). If you don’t want to stretch your budget this much, consider plain white subway tiles.

#13 Art Work Speaks Volumes About You

Utopian Lifestyle

Here’s a Combination of Many Ideas

Scott Yetman

I think this is an inviting room that feels good.  What do you think?  What would you do differently?

I invite you to leave a comment below. We would love to hear what you love and what you hate….seriously!

Until next time…

Walk in Beauty. It will change your life.

You wouldn’t think that 450 square feet would allow for much style, let alone breathing room but…miracles do happen in the world of interior design.

There are three tricks to making this iddy biddy Gramercy Park (NYC) ?apartment such a functional stylish place.

One is the willingness to pare down your possessions to the minimum. Two is to use a limited palette (in this case it is white with accents of black and tan). And three is to arrange furniture into mini-rooms so that each area has it’s reason for being. Above the mantel, homeowner and designer Ellen O’Neill has placed some topiary forms in an open arrangement full of character. I suspect she found them at a flea market.

A “long” view of the space describes the incredibly beautiful window wall. The seating area is on the right. The sleeping area is on the left defined by a custom made screen and daybed covered in a pale but elegant toile pattern.

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

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.

The second is to arrange furniture so as to create mini rooms. Here you see the seating area on the right, and the sleeping area on the left defined by a custom screen and daybed covered in matching “toile” fabric that is light and airy.

The third is to do a rigorous purge of your possessions. Paring down to the minimum. This process is hard to do and not for the collector. But the owner, designer Ellen O’Neill, ?chose the classy location ?(in the last gated private square in Manhattan) over her “stuff.” The work/office area below blends beautifully in style and feeling. Just enough space to get something done, but not a whole lot of storage. If you love the black wire basket, you can find a similar one at Wisteria.

Notice how carefully the designer edits her choices. The antique farm table and the large leaning mirror keep the area open. The display of framed art and photographs is tasteful and interesting, but not a lot of color. This is a good thing. It stays within the chosen palette.

Below is Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z 5 Chandelier which supposedly works as a bulletin board. It’s crazy and funky ?and has gotten a lot of attention in the design world. Its spidery openness ?fills the high ceilinged space without being too blocking or heavy.

And finally, a lovely little black and white vignette. An antique daguerrotype setter’s station serves as a bar.

Photographs courtesy of House Beautiful July/August 2010

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.

A rumpled daybed by a cozy fire calls me, especially during a chilly summer thunderstorm. But enough poetry! Rustic interiors are not for everyone. Personally, I love the feel of it for a vacation home. If you want to bring this flavor into your own space, there are simple ways to do it. You will notice that almost every piece of furniture is made from sticks, branches and split tree trunks. The homeowners created this retreat on the shores of Saranac Lake in upper New York State and called it Tapawingo.

Indeed, their veins must be infused with “pioneer” blood. ?By that I mean they actually made most of the furniture themselves. I don’t know about you but I am not so ambitious. If I were creating a rustic cabin look my first stop would be antique stores, especially ones out in the country. But we can also shop for twig furniture online. There are many resources.

I have also seen wonderful rustic pieces made from reclaimed wood in www.wisteria.com and www.sundance.com.??Notice that the all of the fabrics are cotton or linen, soft and worn looking and kinda rumpled. Prewashed fabric is available from dealers. The pillows themselves are not to be filled very tight. I would definitely use down and feather and leave a lot of space inside the pillow cover for squashing.

This dining room captures my imagination. ?Fabric draped over the beams is a great touch.

Two birch four-poster beds are hung with nubby linen canopies.

The welcoming front porch gives us a closer look at the texture of the log exterior walls. When the bark is left on like this, it takes rustic to a new level. To recreate this type of cabin look, you will want to pay attention to your walls and trim. If you don’t have paneling,paint the walls a dark color. Recycled wood anywhere (the mantel, for example) will really make ?that charming rough hewn statement you are going for. Stay away from polished finishes of any sort. Zinc and iron, pewter and tin are best.

I can’t resist showing you a photo of the A-frame chapel, the scene of many a wedding, baptism and ceremony (the owner is a minister). Rustic spaces certainly have their place in the world and in our culture. The extreme informality gives us permission to be ourselves….which is the most relaxing thing of all.

Photographs from Homestyle Magazine

Perhaps a little concrete goes a long way. The concrete truss that extends down the center of the room has been covered over with plaster board in a prism shape and painted white. Steel bookcases flank one of Meneguzzo’s large photographic creations. The enormous mustard sectional called ‘Bora Bora’ is by MDF Italia.

A bright red table and chairs from HP Haus plays against a black (possibly steel) floor and white walls of the small entry/office space. I love the collection of Japanese Godzilla figures on the left shelf. Hanging above the table is a net basket which actually functions as a lift for heavy photo equipment and bulky objects that need to go up to the main living space. As you can see, the stairwell is very narrow and steep so….this seems like a workable solution which harkens back to the old basket on a rope.

A clean minimal bedroom continues the theme of mustards and reds found in the other parts of the loft, bringing balance and flow. The bed is covered with a suzani tapestry purchased in Turkey.

A streamlined polished stainless steel sink makes an elegantly simple bathroom. But where does he hide the toothpaste and shaving cream? I think there’s a door on the left to hold the clutter of actual living. When I see places like this I always wonder what they look like on a daily basis. Are there newspapers strewn on the floor? Does this morning’s half eaten bowl of granola destroy the impression made by the sleek kitchen counters in this photo shoot? Is the whole effect ruined? Well….let’s not think about that. I’m crazy about this place and would love to see it in person sometime.

Photos from The World of Interiors May 2009

This dining room is spacious and simple partly because the polished floors are left rugless. This is often considered “cold” but remember, temperatures are warm in Dallas, Texas. And that wood is so darn beautiful. It’s a luxurious backdrop for all of the furnishings as it….you guessed it….continues throughout the space creating a fabulous flowing design element that “pulls the rooms together.” The lovely curved chairs are from Rose Tarlow – Melrose House. Cane back and leather seat. The contemporary painting is an oil on panel by Jeff Bertoncino. Doesn’t it punctuate the bronze/gold elements beautifully though!

There is a running theme here, and it’s hard to miss. That’s why we feel so good looking at it.?Sleek unembellished design that is uncluttered…..not a pattern on any of the fabrics. Neutral color palette with pops of red and blue. And all underlayed with polished hard wood flooring. I think I’m in love!

Photos from Veranda Magazine September 2009

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!

This next teahouse was designed by well known architect Terunobu Fujimori who includes a tea room in many of his residential designs. This one perches on a tree top. Find more photos of his amazing work in Dwell Magazine.

Photos from Furniture Fashion

In my opinion, it takes guts to paint a wall a color like this. (Benjamin Moore’s California Breeze) and to have the room still be livable. The reason we can live with it is because it is balanced out by lots of neutrals and darks. There is plenty of white in this room. This cuts the turquoise like tonic cuts gin. The golden area rug, deeper golden leather ottoman, and rich brown velvet sofa are neutrals that pale out that big turquoise statement. The room has symmetry, and we all love that. Two large paintings on the wall, pairs of objects on the mantel, and more. But the designer has surprised us by interrupting the circle of chairs with a single red contemporary chair (the famous Egg Chair). Unexpected? Totally! Are we thrown off balance? No! One reason we are not thrown off balance by this is that the red color is repeated elsewhere. The back panels of the chairs are upholstered in a red ikat pattern and a vase of red flowers sits on the table behind the chair. This keeps the color in balance.

The pair of artichoke paintings are by Sarah Graham. I don’t know the exact size but I am guessing 42′ wide by 54″ high. Bold of scale. This designer is not afraid to go there, and it certainly creates drama. I encourage people to use larger scaled accessories than they think will work. Take what’s “appropriate” and double the size. Do this once or twice in each room and see how it makes you feel.

A front view of the brown velvet sofa with its nail heads and narrow arms, shows a display of loved appliqued fabrics. The wall color is repeated here, which enhances both the wall and the fabric. The other major bright color in the room is this lovely mango/orange. Notice the very high oversized urn behind the sofa, and the large contemporary metal sculpture on the wall to the left. The brown picks up the sofa’s color. This kind of color repetition makes us happy (I’m not joking) and is one of the reasons this room is so great.

This is a view of the other end of the room. The golden/mango fabric on the dining chairs beautifully echoes the sisal rug and throw pillows and even the honey colored floor. Of the size of the bookcase, Williams said “You’ve got to get your proportions right… I had the fireplace and the big strong botanicals, so I wanted the other end {of the room} to have the big strong bookcase.” The room itself has great bones including an extremely high ceiling which the designer wanted to show off to its greatest potential. Hence, the large scale and tall furnishings and the pale gray paint above. This next view shows us another angle of the dining table with its extraordinarily tall planters.

Pulling off an interior like this really takes confidence and vision. Extreme color. Extreme scale. And a fascinating combination of furnishings, antique and new.

Photos from House Beautiful August 2009

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.

Look how gracefully curved this white canvas wing backed chaise is. The arm shape seems to repeat the lines of the vases. Its’ uncomplicated design element plays off the busier pattern of pealing painted furniture and smaller objets d’arte (lots of shells from local beaches in Sag Harbor, New York).

The dining room features a reproduction table treated with a whitewash to add character. The 1920′s lyre-back chairs once lived in an old hotel in Maine. The black cabinetry came from a local hardware store that went out of business. The designer turned them dark ebony which is a fabulous backdrop for still more white graphically shaped ironstone and earthenware.

The piano is another big curved shape, this time in black to give extra punch to the black cabinets. When a color is repeated like these dark accents, it emphasizes itself. Using a color just once (I call this a “widow” because it’s all alone) can make us feel out of balance. Repeating the color….even in a small way… makes us feel more peaceful somehow.

I just had to show you the daughters’ charming bedroom with it’s Porthault bed linens and wire chandelier holding shells.

The bathroom slipper chair and upholstered bench are two more lovely examples of the dreamy curved shapes that wind their way through the house, holding it together as they repeat themselves in almost every room.

Photos from House Beautiful July 2006

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.

Here’s a head on view of the wall. Each clock is different in some ways but the same in others. Repetition and variation. That’s the key to an interesting collection!

Each private dining room is set apart from the next with a partition made up of one or more collections.This one features red laquerware .

Bowls and trays stacked up…all the same delicious color. Lovely shapes, aren’t they? I have always admired the elegant simplicity of these everyday dishes. And… they are in no way expensive collectibles. They are ordinary garden variety dishes that make an impactful design statement, especially when grouped together.

This partition is made of a collection of clock innards on the left and building materials and scraps on the right, all held in place by a pine wood frame.

Here are yet more common objects. A large grouping of antique tools seem to float in the air. Actually they are hanging upon metal pegs attached to a glass panel for a see through effect.

In the lounge guests gather around a stone hearth which warms their tea in an iron pot. The wall to the right displays a collection of glass bottles of varying shapes and sizes.

Simple wooden shelves hold earthenware jars, urns, pitchers, vases and pots of similar shape and size. Consider how the repeated shapes add impact to the display.?Most of the partition components were gathered locally within a few miles of the inn and by the restaurant owners. It is easy and fun to make collections out of common and uncommon objects. Buddhas, buttons, pine cones, beaded purses, vanity mirrors, old hockey sticks and tennis rackets, terra cotta dishes, antique metal toy trucks, shells, crystal candlesticks, copper things, silver things and more.

For lots more interesting information on making your own collections click on these other Design Like The Pros articles:

Accessorize With Collections
The Mother of All Collections
Accessorizing With Wow!

Photographs are from Interior Design Magazine June 2008

Featured here is a sumptuously minimal, sensually textured desert home near the San Jacinto Mountains of California. The interior designer, Sam Cardella, is clearly someone who appreciates architecture (the work of Ana Escalante). The furniture, accessories and colors do not interfere in the least with the low profile but majestic one-story structure. Instead, they are there to provide warmth and comfort, and to complement the homeowner’s art collection. In the entryway above, the polished concrete floor is left bare creating a dramatic stage for the quirky sheep that graze there. The home’s neutral color palette is that of rocks and rattlesnakes, occasionally accented by bold blues as seen in this enormous Charles Arnoldi painting.

There is something so pure about this ab-so-lute-ly simple outdoor hearth. I am swept back in time to the cooking fire of a plains indian when life was about what to eat next and how to stay warm. The unique pebble stone ledge (yes, it’s an ottoman) with it’s basket of tangerines create a vignette which is not just beautifully composed, but speaks to our deeply primitive level of survival.

The colors of the natural environment reappear in this seating area overlooking the pool. Asian accents are sprinkled throughout, such as this 6-paneled piece of Japanese calligraphy and shoji screen sliders…blending beautifully with the minimalist style.

The bedroom is effortlessly eclectic. It combines contemporary and mid century modern. But the element that brings this space to life is the natural bleached tree root pedestal. It says “I’m real and I’ve been around for a long time.” There’s something comforting about that.

A cantilevered desk in the master suite features mid century lamp and vintage armchairs.
All-together a remarkable home. All is comfortable. All is peaceful. All is serene. And oh….how I would love to live there!

Above from Shelter Magazine – July/August 2007.

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