Grey Palette Makes for 'GREYT' Rooms!

Designer Thom Filicia

If you love a neutral grey palette for a room, check out these 'GREYT' designs by Thom Filicia.  Thom appeared on Bravo's Queer Eye and recently launched a line of fabrics for Kravet.  He has a signature style that's a combination of modern with classic touches.

The spice brown base cabinets add warmth and texture to this modern kitchen.

The gilded mirror is a spectacular focal point that shows off well against the steel grey walls.

Mix it Up - Cool Grey with Warm Neutrals

Grey is a popular color this season and I've fallen in love with the combination of cool grey paired with warmer neutrals! The warm tones add a cozy feeling to the soft cool grey in a room.  Take a look at these images to get ideas about how you might like to use this color combo in your home. 

WebbMarsteller
Atlanta, GA

These icy and warm grey geometric accent pillows mirror the colors of winter. They work great with warm browns and other rich colors.

Artist Stephanie Wheeler at WebbMarsteller
Atlanta, GA

Artist Stephanie Wheeler used a cool grey, blue and warm brown palette in this abstract painting.  The colors blend harmoniously and the dark frame adds the contrast needed so the art pops against the geometric wallpaper.

Robert Abbey

This cool grey lamp can be paired with any color to blend or stand out.

If you love grey, I'd love to help you find ways to bring this color scheme to life in your home.  Tell me how you've mixed it into your world so I can share your ideas with 64inthebox.com readers.

Rich Red with Golden Tones

Cooler weather is here so keeping warm with color helps make a home cozy.  Try using rich reds and golden tones to warm up your space. 

Photo: apartmenttherapy.com

The red and golden damask upholstery blends well with the antique grandfather clock and knotty wood-grained door.

Photo: designsponge.com

Touches of red and gold bring warmth into this room. The bold colors and patterns are mixed with pastels and earthy tones to create interest.

photo: apartmenttherapy.com

Reclaimed wood adds an element of warmth so this space isn't stark.  I love the red, geometric rug with the subtle hint of gold.  The room makes me dream of a fire burning in the next room.  I'd like to spend a relaxing, fall evening with friends here!

What are some ways that you like to use red and gold to warm up a fall day?  Please post your ideas!  I'd love to hear from you.

Susan

New Orleans Designer Karyl Pierce Paxton's Dramatic Dining Room

Photos: Kerri McCaffety
Painting: David Harouni

Karyl Pierce Paxton creates a perfect blend of contrast with dramatic orange draperies and the painting by David Harouni against a buttery cream wall.  Your eyes focus in on the painting framed the draperies.  The mix of traditional furnishings and accessories including figurines from Africa and New Guinea adds interest to the dining room.  Kerri McCaffety who is a talented photographer and author captured it perfectly.

CANDY CORN ORANGE AND LIQUORISH BLACK

Photo: desiretoinspire.net

Think about using a vibrant color to highlight areas of a room that deserve to be noticed.  It's also a great way to add life to a space.

This Candy Corn Orange fireplace wall demands attention and becomes a fabulous focal point.  The Liquorish Black floors and white walls add contrast creating a powerful color combo.

Photo: desiretoinspire.net

Check out this Halloween inspired kitchen with a Candy Corn Orange table and accents.  Love the spiderweb placemats!

The white cabinetry and walls help balance the bold use of orange and black.  The Liquorish Black mosaic tile adds texture and a small scale pattern to a room filled with larger geometric shaped objects.

Photo:  apartmenttherapy.com

Candy Corn Orange used in small doses brings an element of warmth, excitement and energy.  A small accent tray and several oranges transform and give life to this neutral inspired room. 

Email Susan at susan@64inthebox.com to find more ways to use orange and black in your space. 

Shake It Up With Chartreuse !

Manhattan interior designer Amanda Nesbit loves to use chartreuse in her designs.  Here are some of her fabulous designs that might inspire you.  So shake it up with chartreuse!

New Week, New Color, BIG Statement!

Chartreuse is a 50:50 mixture of bright green and yellow and the French liquor made by Cathusian monks give its name to the color.

Not many are daring enough to use chartreuse in a room.  It's BIG color so you don't need much to make a BIG statement.

I think it's a great color when balanced with the right color combination.  It can be combined with turquoise, pink and other vibrant colors to create a bright, cheerful ambiance.   If you want to make a trend-setting statement, my recommendation is pairing it with grey, the biggest color forecasted for 2011.

Stay tuned for great ways to use chartreuse this week.  It's going to be exciting!

Designer in Color - Jamie Drake's Lavendar Bedroom

Jamie Drake designed this soothing bedroom using lavender-toned grasscloth, Italian lanterns and luxurious fabrics.

The textured throw at the foot of the bed is Indian-inspired and its smaller scale pattern adds variation and interest to the tone-on-tone rectilinear pattern of the quilted spread.  Jamie adds a larger scale pattern with the checkerboard Edelman leather rug.

Though the room is predominantly lavender, it's not over the top because he's added grey-tones with the art along with the light walnut stained wooden nightstand.

Photos courtesy: Traditional Home

Lovely Lavender

Lavender Color Box

I love the fresh scent of lavender and the natural beautiful of a field full of lavender.  For this entry I let the aroma of lavender oil take over my mind, traveling back in time to a lavender farm in California's Russian River Valley.  The smell and sight soothes the mind.

The use of lavender in a room can have the same effect.  For a soft, wispy feel, add a misty-grey hue like you would see on a foggy morning.  For a little contrast and interest, add touches a darker pansy-colored purple along with cool-toned white.

Now relax and enjoy your new lavender filled room.  Don't forget the lavender oil infused candle or neck roll filled with dried lavender!

For more information about this Color Box, click here to contact me.

South of Market Yellow

Here's a cheerful vignette at South of Market near ADAC West. It's a great example of using creamy white slip-covered seating mixed with daffodil yellow pillows, decorative spheres and art. The lighter toned natural wood gives contrast to the upholstery.

Designer in Color - Amy Lau's Yellow

Designer Amy Lau used vibrant daffodil yellow along with turquoise in this contemporary space.

The focal wall is painted in abstract color blocks mixed with textured creamy white.  The curved sectional is upholstered in natural, golden tan tones; and its shape reinforces the asymmetrical curvilinear design on the wall and in the textiles.

She cleverly contrasted darker stainted wood tables against the sofa and I love the organic shape of the large end table.  Small pops of yellow and turquoise are throughout the room - notice the pillows and draperies.

It's a bold room that's perfectly balanced using asymmetrical elements. Well done!

Click here to learn more about Amy Lau.

Images from www.amylaudesign.com

Daffy Over Daffadil Yellow

Daffodil Yellow Color Box

I'm daffy over Daffodils because these vibrant yellow buds are some of the first to awaken in spring.  They signal that more color will burst into our lives before we know it.

Daffodil yellow is cheerful and has the power to give any room a refreshing boost. A little yellow can make a big impact so don't over do it with too much yellow.  

Color forecasting for 2010 suggest mixing yellow with neutral tans, fresh from the farm.  For inspiration think about hay, burlap or a ball of twine.  

I think milky white textures are a great combination with daffodil yellow.  Consider giving your place a fresh makeover by slip covering chairs in creamy white linen or cotton.  Add yellow accents with patterned pillows, art or accessories to complete the look.

For more information about this week's Color Box, click here.

Photo from www.flowerduet.com

Perfectly Balancing Blue

Check out how designer Celerie Kemble used just a little robin's egg blue to create two beautiful spaces.  Each room has the perfect balance of blue.

The first is an inviting, energetic living area with upholstered chairs in a blue and yellow-orange stripe.  I love the addition of even more yellow-orange in the space with the art and the pillows.  This room has real pizzazz!

I'd love to stay in this dreamy Palm Beach home.  What a great place to relax, read a book or take a nap!

Photos: www.kembleinteriors.com

Fly with this Color Box - Robin's Egg Blue

Robin's Egg Blue Color Box

Robin's egg blue mixed with tweed brown, creamy white and lighter blue create a natural, soothing color palette.  It's a color box that's harmonious and brings balance into anyone's life.  I also like the intensity that the more saturated robin's egg blue gives to this mix of calming colors.

I suggest using this color scheme in a bedroom or any place that you're wanting to reflect about life and the world in which we live.

For more information about this week's Color Box, click here.

Photo Credit: www.hearttoartonline.com

Melon Abstraction

Designer Kelly Wearstler used melon painted in an abstract design at Hillcrest Estate to create a real sense of drama.

The graphic pattern is pleasing to the eye because the melon color is semi-transparent over the soft white walls.

The black iron banister coupled with the black and white linear patterned runner on the stairs make this a show-stopping space.

And for the perfect focal point, the sculpture does the trick.

Photo from www.kwid.com

Fresh Melon Straight from the Color Box

Melon Color Box

I've pulled melon from my Color Box this week.  It's a bright and cheerful color that can liven up any room.

Consider using it with green to create an organic feeling for your space.  For a soothing look, try it with subtle green mixed with pale pink.  If drama is what you desire, punch up the color scheme with a dark tinted olive green.

If melon is all you desire, contrast it with just black and white.  This will make a bold statement!

For more information about this week's Color Box, click here.

Designer In Color -- Spring Green

I love how event planner Keith Robinson used spring green in his Atlanta home that's featured in April's Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.  One of his signature colors is green.  And he gets his best inspiration from nature.

This space shows how nature can influence design just like I mentioned in this week's Spring Green Color Box.  The color combination is lively!  He successfully used red and orange to add interest to the soothing green walls.  White and black give contrast to the mix.  The lamps on the credenza add a touch of deep, red-violet.  

Photos courtesy of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and Erica George Dines

Spring Sprouts from the Color Box

Plants are sprouting and we're beginning to see vibrant spring green appear in the landscape.  Nature provides beautiful color schemes that allow us to bring the outside in.

Spring Green Color Box

 Photo - Clearwater Lodge

I'm inspired by lilac flowers mixed with fresh, green leaves along with the orange hues in a Monarch butterfly's wings.  Yellow-green complements red-violet.  Adding red-orange and yellow-orange creates a pleasing color scheme that's full of life.  Paint your walls a delicate white and add ebony to the mix for contrast.

For more information about this week's Color Box, click here.

Need an Attitude Adjustment? Yellow Might Help.

If you're feeling like the glass is half full, consider adding yellow to your interiors.  Yellow is a joyful, happy color and could help you feel more optimistic.  It's also known to stimulate thinking and benefit digestion.  Look at this inspiring yellow room designed by New York designer John Lyle.

Photographer: Jack Thompson

Flower Power!

Olena Zvyagintseva's oil on canvas paired with a tufted bench upholstered in a powerful red velvet caught my eye last night at Tew Gallery.  Talk about flower power!

I love her use of a split-complementary color scheme -- red-orange, green and blue hues painted onto the canvas in bold blocks of color.  Details etched into the paint with the end of a brush contrast with her use of white.

Corky Davis with the gallery told me that Olena gets her inspiration from flowers in her garden and from traditional tapestry fabric from Ukraine.

Consider stopping by the gallery tonight, February 19 for the opening or check it out at www.tewgallery.com.

Red-ee for Cupid!

For the person who loves the color red so much that they want to be Red-ee for Cupid every day of the year, consider adding cool red wall decals from www.decorettestore.com.  

It's so cool that you have to click on this link to see the copyright protected images.  It's worth the extra click.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/decorette/3532740620/in/photostream/

Bold Color! Fresh Look!

My friends at M2M Designs created a fresh looking Louis XVI reproduction side chair by applying a bold, colorful striped fabric to its hi-gloss painted frame. The colors pop making it a real head turner. Check out the dazzling, silver nail heads around the back and seat.

Color Trends: Plunge In!

DK Living Color with Paint

Home Texco Hello Sunshine!

Cyan Design Vivacious Violet

Global Views Orange Anyone?

Showrooms at AmericasMart International Gift & Home Furnishings Market invited designers to plunge into uplifting, bold colors for 2010.  That's my interpretation after exploring for several days.  Color on upholstery, on accessories, on walls, and in rug designs dazzled the eye!

Here are a few safe, simple ways to add color to your space:

• Plunge into color by painting the walls.  One of the least expensive changes you can make.
• Explore color by adding accessories like pillows.
• Select a great piece of original art with colors that inspire you.

For more ideas, contact me and I'll help you jump into more color!