Showing posts with label interior design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interior design. Show all posts

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Decorating with Tartan and Plaid

I have a weakness for tartan or any kind of plaid. 

It conjures images of warmth: sweaters, mufflers, mittens, a steaming cup of tea, and snapping fires. No matter the season, when colors are criss-crossed on fabric, music is created. Indeed, tartan is the textile world's version of a symphony.

I love the tartans in Scot Meacham Wood's interiors--he's a fantastically talented interior designer in San Francisco. In one of his designs, earthy greens collide with rich, elegant navy.
Another view of the room.
Traditional Living Room by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Scot Meacham Wood Design

An unfitted kitchen has undeniable charm. From the plaid draperies to the antlers, this space
is teeming with personality and style. Little tartan touches--red plaid dishes, napkins, and vintage thermos--add a big impact.
Traditional Kitchen by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Scot Meacham Wood Design

The main features in the bedroom are warm reddish-orange walls, a faux gold ceiling, blue/green plaid. Talk about personality and elegance.
The colors and patterns in tartan fabric are orderly yet a tiny bit chaotic. The pattern itself contains all of the wildness, and the repetition is soothing. My fondness for tartan and plaid just can't be restrained, nor would I try.
Traditional Family Room

Cool blue tones are warmed up with small bits of red in a room that has neutral bones.
Traditional Bedroom by Boston Architects & Building Designers Patrick Ahearn Architect

Checks are kissing cousins to plaid. Again, a neutral backdrop comes to life
with cherry reds and French blues.
Mediterranean Living Room by Wichita Interior Designers & Decorators Tiffany Farha Design





I hope to incorporate tartan or plaid into the Man Cave.


I'm participating in Metamorphosis Monday. Thanks for visiting today--please grab a cookie before you go.



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Sunday, July 27, 2014

The Secret Diary of a Paint Sleuth

 
If you are obsessed with paint colors, you may study shelter magazines, looking at walls, ceilings, and trim, searching for that perfect shade of (you fill in the blank). One afternoon in 1988, while I read Veranda, I saw the softest, prettiest shade of yellow. I flipped to the end pages and scanned the resources, only to see the word "mixed." 
No, wait, I told the magazine. Aren't you going to give a hint? A jumping off point? Why taunt and tease me? On that long ago day, a paint sleuth was born. Unfortunately, I lacked the ability to detect undertones, which means I'm a loser sleuth. 
That doesn't stop my obsession.
 
 
                                                                                                                   
                (Image Source: Houzz http://www.houzz.com/pro/lisadf/l-k-defrances-associates)

Today, I'm sleuthing colors in a Florida cottage. Even if you aren't T.P.O. (Totally Paint Obsessed), I hope you'll come along.

The designers call this style "Bahamian." It has a low roof and large operable shutters (they are painted a deep green--Charleston Green?--and shutters around the entry are brown (stained or painted). The exterior is white stucco.
 
The house is sprawling, with garages at one end and ample guest parking.


Luckily, in the living room, no detective work was required to learn the paint colors. According to comments on Houzz, the walls are BM White Dove, and the ceiling is ICI (Glidden) Cloud Nine.

Let's do a little gumshoeing and look at the swatches. 

According to the comments on Houzz, RH's Silver Sage may be a close match to Cloud Nine.


It pairs well with Benjamin Moore's White Dove.


BM White Dove


It's possible that BM White Dove was continued in the navy and white dining room.


A closer look.

But a mystery develops when we step into the kitchen.

Is it safe to assume that the cabinets were painted BM White Dove?  In this kitchen, warm Calcutta Gold marble was chosen for the counters and backsplash, so my vote goes to White Dove. It's warm, with a touch of gray. But since no official color was listed for this room, it's a cliffhanger.


Let's move into the hearth room. No paint color was listed for this charming space, but when the walls and ceiling colors were mentioned on Houzz, the designer left a note, saying the color was "Benjamin Moore's Super White," but she didn't specify what went where. I wonder if Super White went on the ceiling, and, in keeping with the rest of the house, the planked walls were painted BM's White Dove?

BM Super White has a reputation for being very white. It performs beautifully in spaces that have an abundance of natural light (but pouts in darker areas). It gives a clean look. No yellow undertones. This color is a popular choice as a background for modern decor. But it looks warm and cozy in this eclectic den. Of course, the planked walls lend a sense of history, and the beams add architectural interest (and they're gorgeous). Accessories add warmth and break up the white.

I have a feeling this color was chosen for the room, perhaps to make certain that nothing competes with the view.



Here's a different angle of the sitting room. Does it look like the same paint color was used on the walls and trim? Or two colors? The mantel seems whiter...but I just don't know. Light is such a tricky thing.


Shall we look at the bedroom? Creamy, planked walls. Green and cream fabric. An abundance of natural light. When many designers choose a trim color, they run it through the whole house for continuity. So I'm guessing that the walls were painted BM White Dove...but was the trim painted BM Super White? The ceiling is a mysterious, muted green.


Another part of the room. The white-white mirror hangs on a creamier wall. 


I can't begin to guess the exterior color. It remains a whodunnit.
But don't you love the windows and golden lights?

A Few Unsolved Mysteries....

An unknown paint color, a rich navy.


The blue walls in an oceanfront condominium merge with the setting...but the paint color is an enigma.


Love this unknown color in a guest room. Could this be a mix of BM's Wythe Blue and Palladian Blue? Or one of Sherwin Williams's pale aquas? Something else? Who knows.

A pretty, unknown pale lime in a guest room.


I will leave you with a few solved mysteries:



The peachy pink in this bedroom is SW Mellow Coral.

 I'll return with more paint mysteries. Thanks for sleuthing with me today!
A Metamorphosis Monday  contribution.
 
Sources: Interior Design by L.K. DeFrances and Associates via Houzz.
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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Shipping News

The door is open. Come on in and let's talk about shiplap.

When it comes to trends, I'm always behind the curve. In fact, I miss most of them. But I've always adored planking, beadboard, and shiplap. Years ago, when we renovated a 100-year old Four Square, we found shiplap behind the drywall. And one of the bedrooms had wide, vertical planks on the walls. I still think about that sunny, happy room and hope the new owners enjoy it.


Planking and shiplap have been on my mind ever since we began remodeling the 90s Georgian. The two-story foyer walls were covered with wallpaper. After looking into several options, I opted for faux beadboard sheets in the foyer and loved the results.


I'd hoped to plank the guest room walls. Maybe this little white box could somehow acquire a touch of (faux) history. 



On Houzz, (when I'm not on Pinterest, I'm searching at Houzz), I found a charming home with just the right amount of shiplap. Alix Bragg designed this warm, inviting foyer.

For the paint color, she chose Benjamin Moore's Cloud White, which looks much warmer in the Carolina afternoon light.


A peek at the kitchen.



I've seen photos of this hallway everywhere. In fact, I've got it pinned. It seems to be a new
home, since no art hangs on the walls and no rug is underfoot. A lovely antique mood is created by simple (nothing froo froo here) architectural details. I'm betting that the hall is breathtaking in person.


Here's another coastal room where horizontal planks add character and detail in an all-white room.


The planked walls in this dining room haven't been painted, and they are as warm and alluring as butter melting on a biscuit.


The shiplap doesn't get out of hand. The white trim and ceiling keep everything calm and balanced.



A winning combination: Blue-gray beadboard on the kitchen ceiling and shiplap on the island.
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This kitchen uses shiplap as a backsplash rather than tile--a marvelous idea.


This photo reminds me of the old bedroom in our Four Square. Here, the shiplap is used as wainscoting. Just enough.


I could stay a while in this lovely planked room.

When used judiciously, shiplap is a clever way to add character to a new home. It lends a certain patina and coziness. And, unlike wallpaper, you don't have to peel it away. For me, shiplap just takes me back to the old Four Square, to that sunny bedroom. So if it becomes a tired old fad, that's quite all right. It can come sit by me.




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