Get Ready for Pantone Living Coral in 2019

Once again, all design industry professionals wait for the announcement of Pantone’s pick for color of the year.  This week Pantone revealed their color choice for 2019.  The award goes to Living Coral.  One may think that coral is just for showcasing in the summer months, but oh think again!

Living Coral is described as emitting animation and life with a hue of golden undertones.  This color is also defined as welcoming carefree, cheery and relaxed activity.  Pantone also describes Living Coral as sociable and spirited. Thoughts and feelings, we all need to get us through these cold New England winter months for sure. 

Joy and optimism can be added to everyday life using the color coral.  After Pantone’s announcement came, I took to the showrooms of the Boston Design Center to see how they started to use Living Coral in their displays.  Here are some ideas to promote the use of 2019’s Color of the Year in your home creating contrast by adding a pop of color with coral.

JD Staron, designer and makers of fine rugs displayed many choices using coral.  Beautifully handmade wool and silk content rugs stood out among other display samples with the bright coral color. 

If you’ve never visited the showroom of Liz Roche, it’s worth the trip into Boston.  Her displays of colorful creations are bright and beautiful with the enhancement of light that pours into her space, Liz displayed some of her larger creations of different shapes using the color coral, black, gray and white for a more modern style.  Visiting Blanche Field, Boston’s premiere lamp shade provider for fine custom lampshades and hand-made ceiling pendant fixtures since 1905, was truly a treat. 

What caught my eye was their focal wall, painted in a coral color from Farrow and Ball.   Once inside the showroom, a little gem display of light fixture finials in all colors and shapes was fascinating.  Looking for that pop, coral was again used in this decorative accent. 

If making a statement in paint color of coral is not your style, adding coral in smaller doses may just do the trick.   Such as a lamp shade on a table lamp.  On display was an intriguing pleated lamp shade with the color coral tucked into the pleats of the shade and finished off with top and bottom trimming in a mingled colorway incorporating coral.  One could not pass by Robert Allen’s window display.  Living Coral was a showstopper at this showroom.  Enhancing the imagination perfectly and how to incorporate coral into a living space was showcased well in their window display.  A coral upholstered accent chair, throw pillows enhancing an off-white sofa and a beautiful display of fabric was just striking.  This vignette was the perfect visual and would appeal to all wanting to use coral in their décor but afraid to make the plunge.

Heading back to my studio at the end of the day, I also noticed how the color coral was being used in magazine advertisements, a painting in the studio by artist Dorothy Primm and fabric sample books.  One element noticed in these pieces was the use of blue mixed with coral and how the two colors combined worked so well together to create warmth.

Looking forward to seeing all the ways Living Coral will be used in design, fashion and accessories for 2019.

5 Interior Design Trends to Add Bling and Sparkle to Any Home

If you’ve been thinking about adding a bit of sparkle to your home décor you’re not alone.  That thought of possibly diving into the glitz of some of Architectural Digest’s pages, could be reachable in your own home.

Consider a few possibilities such as adding some shine and sparkle to a powder room bath.  Meeting with clients recently, they wanted to do just that.  They purchased a mirror with chunky mirrored pieces to replace the builder’s grade sheet mirror over the pedestal sink in the powder room.  The sheet mirror had no frame and came with the house they recently purchased.  Since the tile floor in black was staying.  The suggestion of adding some spark to bump up the powder room’s look was offered by way of a metallic wallpaper.  There are many different paper’s available today and the trend of mixing metal finishes is a popular way to go.  Sourcing some options that would work with the black tile and newly purchased mirror was easy.  The style was more contemporary.  A simple gold metallic dot on a gray neutral textured background was purposed along with a metallic geometric 3D square in square pattern.  One favored was the charcoal background paper with a metallic dot in a Moroccan style pattern.  For the traditional style, try a metallic background natural grasscloth.  All these choices would work perfectly with the chunky panel mirror as well as add that bling the homeowners were looking for.

Another way to dress up a space and add some sparkle to a foyer entry or dining room would be to step the look in your lighting over the table.  Step out of the box and make the chandelier crystal.  Go as ornate as your heart desires or as simple and conservative but add the crystals.  This is a statement piece that will enhance the whole space.  Even if you’re not that formal fancy kind, try it you won’t regret I promise.  I’m a huge fan of the crystal chandelier, crystals can be found in every metal finish to go with every style of your room.  Even industrial with a bronze metal base finish and just a hint of crystal will do.

For another large change, mosaic tiles with metal embellishments in the design is a big trend today and seems to be around for the long run.  Try installing a focal wall in a bathroom with a mosaic design that is white and neutral but with just a hint of a metal accent.  Adding some chrome sconces with crystals to the sides of the vanity mirror as well as a mirrored vanity cabinet will give a Hollywood appeal to that boring bathroom that’s been calling for a makeover. 

Mixing metals in hardware in another way to add some bling to a kitchen.  Cabinet pulls, hinges, metal details on the range hood and even the hardware on the cooking range is a current trend that really gives an updated look to a kitchen.  As much as we like to shun the brass as of late, news flash, brass is trending in many finishes, from polished to brushed, shiny and distressed.  Embrace the brass as long as it is mixed with other metal finishes in a space. For more examples of mixing metals in a kitchen space, luxury kitchen designer Matthew Quinn’s book Quintessential Kitchens is a fantastic resource for new kitchen remodel ideas and trends.

Ways to add some bling to your home’s interior

·        Wallpaper with a metallic accent design

·        Crystal chandeliers in all finishes for all styles

·        Mosaic tiles with metal accents

·        Mirrored cabinets for bathroom vanities

·        Mixing metal on hardware

5 Tips for Organizing the Garage for Fall

Fall is a good time to become more organized in your home.  As we spend more time inside with the colder weather, noticing items left in corners of rooms and items that really don’t have a place to live can become a look of clutter.  This can also happen more often in the garage.

The garage can be a catch all if not careful and mindful of being organized when entering and returning home for the day.  Instead of bringing items into the house and properly putting them where they belong, it’s easier to leave them in the garage for organizing later, like tomorrow.  For some of us, tomorrow never comes.  Although the intention is a good one, time somehow seems to never be on your side.  A recent move of our design studio has proven the garage to become just that, a catch all.  Never the intention but somehow it has happened.  The busy work schedule doesn’t allow enough time to organize.  Putting a time schedule on the project is a good way to rectify the problem to becoming more organized in your space.   Not only has it become a problem in the garage, but also flowing into the bathroom/mud room renovation project.  Decorating props such as pillows and artwork that doesn’t have a permanent home is temporarily hung by the laundry area on stripped walls waiting for a place to live. 

Here are a few ways to become more organized and focus on the task at hand.  Categorize items and where they should go.  Creating a plan for each item will make the organizing project go smooth.  Consider renting a storage unit for furnishings to be used later.  Doing this will free up space in the garage.  This will also allow your car to fit into the garage with that dreaded New England Nor’easter decides to land on your doorstep.  The next solution is to have a yard sale for the items that have no use to you anymore.  Doing this while the weather is cooperative is more desirable.  However, the use of the garage to conduct the yard sale can be called “garage sale”.  This will also eliminate the moving of items out of the garage, inviting buyers to enter creating less work for you.  Donating unwanted items to the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Salvage Army, Goodwill and even your local boys and girls club is another way to eliminate items not needed.   Lastly, let it go.  Something we all have a hard time doing.  The “I will use this one day” thought is imbedded in our minds.  Who are we kidding, out of sight out of mind as they say, it’s time to throw it out.

Finding the time to commit to a large organizing project is usually the reason why the task never gets done.  By putting your organizing project on the calendar, you will be committed to becoming organized.

Tips to categorize items to become more organized

·        Schedule your organizing project

·        Storage Unit – Pod – Storage Shed

·        Yard Sale – Garage Sale

·        Donate – ReStore, Goodwill, Salvation Army, boys and girls club

·        Trash – throw it out

Five Easy Tips to Refresh your Kitchen

When a Dracut couple wanted to update their kitchen, they decided to go at it on their own.  What they thought would be and easy feat turned into a conundrum when choosing a new granite countertop. The conflict came when a more dramatic look was desired by him and a lighter look by her.

 Upon my first visit to the house to view the kitchen, there were more details to this refresh.  Finishes that we’re staying were the existing darker oak cabinets and the existing laminate vinyl marble look floor tiles. The paint color on the walls was Pratt and Lambert Indian Ivory.  Working with these elements in the kitchen the obvious choice for granite was to bring in a deeper more dramatic piece of stone for the countertop.  However, the process of elimination needed to happen to convince that the lighter stone in the countertop would be too much of a contrast.  Especially when a wow factor was the goal.

 The search was on visiting the granite supplier and walking the warehouse with a sample tile and cabinet molding in hand.  These pieces were placed next to every slab of granite dark and dramatic to lighter and less interesting. By conducting this process choices were easily made to include in my presentation to the couple.  Photos were taken of the slabs as most often the exotic stones won’t have samples to borrow.

Handmade ceramic backsplash tile

Next selections to be made were options for backsplash tile and window treatment fabric.  Because a lighter look was desired by her, this could be achieved by the backsplash tile if the right piece was found.  A handmade ceramic tile with shade variation on the edges was the perfect bridge between the granite countertop selection and the darker cabinets.  The gradual shading of grays, whites and a bit of rose was a nice compliment to the whole look.  On to what I like to call the icing on the cake.  Fabrics to me are like gold.  The completion of a space and is always the tie-in to making the whole space jive no matter what type of surfaces are in a space.

Linen embroidered fabric for window treatments pulls the new look together

 A gray linen background with multi colored embroidered leaves was the pattern selected to complete this refresh presentation.  What was so great about this fabric was that it had every color in the kitchen woven into the design of the material.  Indian ivory from the walls, rose from the backsplash tile, and a bit of green from the granite with a little shimmer. Kitchen refresh was complete.

Existing laminate floor tile

 Five Tips for a Kitchen Refresh

·        Keeping the same layout of the kitchen is most economical

·        Stone solid surface countertop can be the focal point and not just white for updating

·        Look for the unique and unusual to bridge the style of the existing kitchen surfaces

·        Backsplash tile can be interesting as well to update the look of older cabinets

·        Finish the space with a window treatment fabric that joins all colors of the space together

Las Vegas Summer Market Finds

Attending Las Vegas Summer Market was a bit different than attending High Point Market in North Carolina.  Normally, I wouldn’t have traveled during the summer to a dessert where temperatures reach 112 degrees, but when your very good friend and fellow interior designer, Wendy Glaister from Central Valley California, invites you to join her in a speaking presentation to other interior designers during Market, of course I was on board. 

Las Vegas Market is where furniture manufacturers and artisans showcase their new and upcoming products for the year to retail buyers and interior designers.  Market happens twice a year in the spring and the fall.  I was curious to walk the showrooms in Vegas to compare the difference between east coast market to west coast market.  Searching for what was different and new out in the western part of the country.  What I noticed was a lot of bling in lighting, pillows, and rugs.  Metallic threads running through hand-made area rugs.  The MASTOUR showroom featured fine handwoven silk and wool Tibetan carpets.  A few eye-catching rugs were two from their Modern Couture collection.  Both having neutral gray tone backgrounds of mottled color.  The interesting detail in these rugs were the metallics used to create the design woven into the rug.  The silver metallic makes the design.  The Tib400 with star-like sparkle pattern won the purple ribbon for Best in Show.

Another interesting showroom was Howard Elliott.  Just loved their twist on their collection of furniture and accessories.  Represented by, interior designer and brand ambassador, Justin Shaulis.  Justin’s spring 2018 curated collection has a classic and modern feel.  Combining some of the classic details with beautiful finishes.  The Howard Elliott selections can also be customized in color.  Their featured wall of glossy and colorful painted mirrors displays some finishes to choose from.  The mixing of metals and Lucite was also a big show stopper.  Colorful artwork in this collection was most definitely one of my favorites.

The Four Hands showroom caught my eye with their mid-century furniture designs, however, with something different.  I’m not one to drool over mid-century modern, however, there was a softness to their pieces.  Enthralled with the mixing of finishes such as the round white dining table paired with textured upholstery, black iron framed seating made this vignette interesting.  Also, a favorite of the olive-green velvets that covered their upholstered framed sofas.  Definitely worth a look for those who would like to test the waters in mid-century design.

Of course, I had to stop by the Visual Comforts showroom to see what was new and exciting in their line of lighting and to catch a glimpse of the wall of Kate Spade lighting designs.  Noticed in not just the Visual Comforts showroom but also in Currey and Company’s lighting showroom were larger scale and very colorful table lamps.  One spectacular ceiling light fixture displayed by Currey and Company was with the large gold leaf and new gold leaf blue ceiling light. 

If interested in seeing more of what Las Vegas Market had to offer in these showrooms, check out their web site.

·        Howard Elliott, www.howardelliott.com

·        Four Hands, www.fourhands.com

·        MASTOUR, www.mastourgalleries.com

Currey and Company, www.curreyco.com