THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE: DEEP BLUES & NATURE

THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE: DEEP BLUES & NATURE

We all need DEEP BLUES and a good dose of NATURE right now to get us through what will be an arduous year for sure. Nothing like a stroll through the outdoors which offers greenery and blue skies to uplift our spirits in this challenging time full of so much confusion and uncertainty.

CLASSIC BLUE really does seem like a great Color of the Year for 2020.   Not just because it is almost NAVY which is a classic, but because it evokes depth and stability. And that is something we all really need right now.

BLUE is the color of the sky and the sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It also symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth and heaven. BLUE is considered beneficial to the mind and body.”

                                                                                                     – Color-Wheel-Pro.com

Pantone Color #19-4052 is a little more vibrant and hopeful than NAVY.  And it is not a color you’ll tire of as quickly as other Color of the Year  hues like last year’s Living Coral, 2018’s Ultra Violet, Rose Quartz, Tangerine Tango, Emerald green, Turquoise, or so many other colors we’ve seen over the years.

We all need some stability in light of our first quarter kickoff for 2020.  BLUE does the job. And frankly, the only silver lining in all this Covid 19 mayhem is the fact that it just might save the planet.  This new reality has forced us to slow down and face the true forces of nature that ultimately dominate our existence as humans.

PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a a sense of place and tranquility to the human spirit; offering refuge, aiding concentration and bringing laser-like clarity. Classic Blue re-centers our thoughts and fosters resilience.” 

Besides BLUE, GREEN seems to have center stage this year in the design world. Greens are always pleasing to the eye. In fact green is one of the most calming colors for humans, as we can all attest after a romp through the woods or surveying a grassy field. Nature has offered us a refuge in this era of uncertainty.  The return of Spring is a comfort as we all venture to leave our homes. And a crisp blue sky is always invigorating.

“At this particular moment in design, the presence of plants, botanical motifs, and deep, emerald hues is breathing life back into interiors. In culture at large, the green world is everywhere:on screen, in literature, and in art. The exhibition TREES at Fondation Cartier in Paris, for example, was so well attended it extended its run. A tour-de-force of aesthetics, philosophy, and science, the show was pure visual regeneration, advancing the tree as an emblem of art and design’s power to combat ecological devastation.”

– ALISA CARROLL, Editor-in-Chief, HENRY

I pulled this mood board together as I was playing around with the color GREEN, botanical prints and CLASSIC BLUE.  Besides white, and other shades of blue, I really like the greens in the mix.

1. LAMP SHADE     2. FABRIC     3. WALLPAPER    4. LAMP     5. PILLOW    6. PAINTING     7. SECTIONAL     8. RUG     9. PLATE    10. DRESS     11. TRIM     12. PALETTE

 

FARROW & BALL has a wonderful wallpaper called HELLEBORUS that comes in several wonderful colorways.  The green is just yummy though and look how gorgeous it is with that blue ceramic lamp.

TONIC LIVING has a gorgeous new embroidered floral that feels like a walk through a field of wildflowers.  It comes in two lovely colorways and will be available in MAY.  I think these would make beautiful curtains.

 

METALLICS & CRYSTALS IN LIGHTING

Brass and other metals are still on trend. I am loving these light fixtures from VISUAL COMFORT and KELLY WEARSTLER’s lamp line.

A few fun suggestions:

ART

SERENA & LILY has a revolving selection of both original paintings and prints.  Always worth a look.

Loving this leopard print (above) and the embroidered trim (below), both from SCHUMACHER.

FASHION used to always be ahead of HOME DECOR but it seems like they are more and more aligned.

This palette above is from STUDIO TULLIA and includes a lot of long time favorites with our customers.

I hope you find this little diversion of a blog post to be inspiring and refreshing. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my news. I am still getting into a routine of writing more often and welcome any feedback, suggestions for subjects to cover, or anything else you want to share in the comments section below.

Get outside when you can, breath the fresh air, take in the beauty of the outdoors, and breathe. And don’t forget to #STAY HOME, #STAYSAFE and #STAYSANE !

FALL 2018 ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, week 6 DINING ROOM – FINAL REVEAL!

FALL 2018 ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, week 6 DINING ROOM – FINAL REVEAL!

At last we have made it to Week 6! I’m excited to share some pictures with you below.  When you have a chance, there is a plethora of fabulous ORC Rooms by Guest Participants and Featured Designers (click on the two boxes below to get there). Now that I am done with this dining room, I plan to spend some time there myself…

 

So, here goes. This dining room has proven to be a great challenge. The sun was spotty today in Portland so I did my best to capture the natural light in the room.

SKY MURAL

There is one accent wall where (with the help of my daughter and husband),I have painted a decorative sky painting.

 

My dear friend and floral designer Joann Andriese helped me to go for the large scale branches which I trimmed from my backyard. I reupholstered our existing dining chairs in Miles Redd Tumbling Blocks by Schumacher.

The chalkboard was created using a Portland flea market find (the carved frame), that I placed a chalkboard inside.  I am not sure what it was before, but it seemed to have been built into a wall and was apparently salvaged and sold at an auction, per antique dealer, LOOKS & BOOKS, from Milwaukee, OR.  The carving looked old world and reminded me of Italy. My daughter has been wanting a chalkboard for awhile.  It has to cure for a couple more days when I initially posted this.

 

Here is a shot of the built-in which was painted a pale aqua paint to compliment the sky wall.  It is full of various heirloom and contemporary dishes as well as crystal, vintage paintings and vases, an old clock and books.The chandelier is from FEISS. The plant from PORTLAND NURSERY.

Here is a more panoramic shot and you can see that I have panels flanking the bay window.   They are custom made out of linen blend fabric called BUTE in Ivory from Cowtan and Tout, which is super wide and so gorgeous.   The two pleats on the leading edge are striped cotton called ULLAKARIN from IKEA.  The woven jute rug is also from IKEA.

This heirloom rocking chair I had reupholstered when I had twins out of a leopard velvet (like Jamil Natural).  It was my great grandfather’s.  The blanket is from salvaged PENDLETON.

 

 

I’ve been playing around with table placement so here you can see that I moved the table and chairs so they are horizontal to the bay window.  It works both ways.

 

The abstract artwork is from TARGET.  The heirloom loveseat was also my great grandparents that I had reupholstered in striped ticking.

Here’s a close up of the vintage dinner plates I found at an estate sale.  The runner is also from IKEA.

The little lumbar pillow is FANTASY FOREST by SCHUMACHER , made by STUDIO TULLIA.

A detail of the curtains, also made by STUDIO TULLIA.

Here’s another shot of my kids’ favorite spot along with fabric Sonora by SCHUMACHER and a custom faux snow leopard throw which is also a favorite in the house.

The kids aren’t the only ones who like this spot.

If you look above the door there is another found painting that was framed locally by I’VE BEEN FRAMED, my go to local art store and framer.   They frame most of my found art and prints as well as family art, photographs, etc.

Here is a detail shot of the rug and chairs.

And accessories.

And a shot of the table with candles lit earlier in the day when I had no sun.

I thought this brass napkin holder and napkins from IKEA were fun to add to the mix.

Here are a few before shots just so you can appreciate how far we have come from the original orange dining room.

 

Here the kids are priming the chalkboard for the first time with white chalk after it cured for three days.

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The kids have been having fun writing menus and such on the chalkboard:

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So, that is a wrap.  The sources with links are listed at the end of this post.

I could not have pulled this off without my highly skilled husband, Shiloh.  I am so grateful for all his electrical, construction and installation work.

Thanks so much for following along!

 

SOURCES

BENJAMIN MOORE – chalkboard paint

COWTAN & TOUT – Bute in Ivory for curtains

FEISS LIGHTING – Chandelier

IKEA – Lonholt jute rug

IKEA – black linen and Goddag woven table runners

IKEA – Tillstallning brass napkin holder & napkins

IKEA – Ullakarian Striped Fabric on lead edge of curtain panels

I’VE BEEN FRAMED – frames for vintage paintings

MILLER – gray paint by Joanna Gaines

METRO PAINT – Mountain Snow for custom paint mixing and base coats

PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS – salvaged Pendleton wool for throw

PORTLAND FLEA – antique carved frame

PORTLAND NURSERY – houseplant

SCHUMACHER -Miles Redd Tumbling Blocks on Chairs

SCHUMACHER – Sonora white fringe fabric on pillow

SCHUMACHER – Fantasy Forest on accent pillow

STUDIO TULLIA – throw pillows

TARGET – abstract framed embellished painting Project 62

WS HOME – black candlesticks

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