Here’s a really good example of how a whole room can be shaped around a single item. It’s pretty clear that they designed the room around the cushions. I’m pretty darn sure they chose the wall colors last…I could be wrong (NOT).
photo courtesy Elle Decoration
Just wanted to share this picture with you. I love the scale in this room. It’s obviously quite spacious with very high ceilings, and the designer has done a terrific job making it seem warm. The the large piece of art (as a dog lover, it really appeals to me) and the huge vase with tall branches brings everything into proportion.
photo by Virginia Macdonald via Shelter blog
Can you hear me sighing with relief? It’s finally summer! Although the sun isn’t shining here, we’ve been promised a peak at it later in the week. When I think of summer, I think of color, so what better post than one on color in decor? I’ve collected an eclectic assortment of colorful rooms.
My inspiration for this blog is a bungalow designed by a fabulous Canadian designer, Jonathan Legate.
Photograph by Stacey Haines for Style At Home
I can see myself living happily in a room like the one above. The combination of warm buttery yellow walls with just the right red–especially the striped chair–and the gorgeous black toile drapes is such an inviting combination! Just the right degree of cozy & drama.
photograph by Stacey Haines for Style at Home
I think I finally get it…fabric is king! Look at how fantastic this room looks with that fabric. I might not give it a second look if I was leafing through swatches, but a designer like Jonathan has the experience to see the big picture and understand how it will make a room shine. Yet another example of why it pays to hire a designer.
photo courtesy Benjamen Moore
Pottery Barn’s summer paint colors for Benjamin Moore are really interesting. As paint chips, they don’t jump out at me, but once I see them in a vignette, they’re fabulous. The brown, blue and red in this room somehow manage to seem light and airy. Go figure! At this point, I think you’ve got a sense of how color-challenged I really am…lettin’ it all hang out here on the pages of this blog.
photo courtesy Benjamin Moore
I just think this cozy turquoise room with the gorgeous-smorgeous bedding is the cat’s meow! I’d never leave my bedroom if it looked like this!
photo courtesy Lonny magazine
You know me…gotta get a little orange in here somewhere. This appeals to the modern side of me.
photo courtesy Midwest Living
For some reason, I’m craving a mojito and a fan! I doubt that Mark would actually join me on this verandah for a drink…hmmmm…wait a minute..!
photo courtesy Elle Decor
This rosy red is “in” right now. So if you want to be super cool (just like me), rose is the color for you! I just can’t decorate with it, ’cause it would be a major clash with my red hair–I’m a big believer in decorating with the colors that flatter you! My mom would probably claim that horizontal stripes on chairs make you look wider…hmmmm!
photo courtesy Benjamin Moore
photo courtesy Lonny magazine
The boldly colorful couch and the gold gilded picture frame remind me of some of the decor I’ve seen in Britain. It just says, “sit down and we’ll have a really good chat”.
I’m hopeful that this summer will be full of color. Full of friends. Full of fun!
Looking for a great weekend project? I just love these photo/picture collages. Who doesn’t have photos stashed away that need to be framed and hung?
This one is quite unique. I love that it wraps around the corner!
photo by Blount Architectual and Interior Design via Houzz
The collage wall is just so impressive in this setting. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on that table and chair set too!
photo by Coburn Architecture and Interiors via Houzz
photo courtesy blog.designpublic.com via Houzz
photo courtesy Houzz
And just when you thought you had to paint all your walls white…
photo courtesy Domino magazine via Houzz
What I want to know is who climbed up the ladder on this one…
photo by Tracy Murdock Allied ASID via Houzz
Who says it’s hard being green? Not me! Next to pink, I think my favorite color is green–particularly Kelly Green and Chartreuse. It’s just lucky for me that green is hot right now (not that’s I’d really care if it wasn’t). Here are some examples of wonderful uses of my second favorite color. Brandon Barre is a talented photograper, and I love, love, love his work. He gets to work with some of my design crushes (including my BFF Candace Olsen. Candace, call me. Let’s do lunch). This is one of his exquisite shots. I love the acid greens with black–drama, baby, drama!
photo by Brandon Barre
Oh, okay…I’ll show you another one of his amazing photos! Isn’t this divine? The dark flooring is the perfect contrast against the seafoam walls.
photo courtesy Brandon Barre Photography
This is such a gorgeous wallpaper. When it comes to decorating, one of the most important principles is to choose your upholstery fabrics first and choose your wall color last. I always believe in exceptions, and, in this case, I would choose the wallpaper and then work in the rest of the decor around it. Don’t ya just love that sweet bamboo-esque chair? Bamboo is hot, hot, hot right now. (I have the feeling that somebody’s going to email and say “That isn’t bamboo, you twit!”)
photo courtesy York Wallcoverings
Tobi Fairley is very talented designer. She puts a fresh twist on traditional design, and I’m always giddy when I see her rooms in magazines and websites. Green and silver is a fantastic combination, but leave it to Ms. Fairley to come up with the brilliant idea of using both metals as accents with kelly green!
photo courtesy Tobi Fairley
And what would a blog be without a little jhooshing from Designers Guild? Nottin’ I tells ya! Ahhhhh…green and pink…sigh! Wouldn’t a beautiful little silver aluminum table or a mirrored table look goooooorgeous between these little glamour girls?
photo courtesy Designers Guild
Okay…so we’ve now established that I love green, but let me qualify my appreciation a little. I can hate green too (hey, Gemini, can’t help it). I just want to be clear that I can HATE every single color on the spectrum if it’s used poorly. This is an example of the type of design that draws strong negative reactions from me (I apologize to everyone who loves it). If this is your cup of tea, that’s great go for it, but I just won’t be able to visit 
photo courtesy House Beautiful via Lipstick on Your Teeth
Now that we got that out of the way, back to something divine. This lovely room from Country Living magazine.
photo courtesy Country Living Magazine
Now get out there and get some green!!!
Dear Silver,
Don’t go changing, to try and please me. You never let me down before. Don’t imagine you’re too familiar, and I don’t see you any more!
Forever yours,
Jennifer
Some things just never go out of style, and silver is on top of the list! I always follow trends with interest, but I don’t always go along when things are declared “over”. Although the design pundits declare it “in” and “out” regularly, it really never goes out of style. I figure, if you love it, then it’s in style…at least at your home it is!
(Nobody panic! Silver has not been deemed “out”. I’m just sayin’, if that were to happen, I’d have to deem “them” stupid.)
photo courtesy Coburn Architecture
photo courtesy Laura Hardin via Houzz
photo by Designs by Shoshana via Houzz
photo courtesy Country Living
photo by Amoroso Design via Houzz
photo by Celia James via Houzz
photo courtesy Apartment Therapy
Call me crazy, but I doubt everyone is going to freak out and change all their fixtures to bronze, just because someone decides chrome is so “last season”. In my opinion (and really that’s all that matters, right?), I think silver is a versatile neutral that packs a style punch!
If you read my posts regularly, you know that I think I’m pretty funny (Jen, Jen, Jen…head shake…sigh). I love to laugh until my mascara runs down my beet-red cheeks (I’ve got some great people in my life who elicit this kind of laughter). I go through each day looking for the humor in everything, even when I’m cheesed off (like the other day when I found two hole punchers not 24 hours after desperately searching for one so my daughter could hand in her homework–stupid universe).
I love to see humor in design too. If a room takes itself too serious, I’m outta here! Whether it’s subtle, or in-your-face, I like to be able to guage a person’s sense of humor when I walk into their home (I take pride in the knowledge that people are probably laughing their asses off when they walk in to my “disheveled” home, and not for the right reasons!).
When I buy products for Nicole Jane Home, I try to find things that are unusual–something that’s going to make people smile. Hopefully that cheerful little silver bird will bring a smile to their face every time they see it sparkling on top of a stack of books. The pin-up girl matchbox will elicit titters (giggle) every time someone lights a candle. The silver stag head is a playful twist on a rather stuffy design icon. It makes readers do a double-take in a Canadian House & Home article (and you thought it was the cutie-patootie designer, Yanic Simard).
photo courtesy Canadian House & Home via Toronto Interior Design Group
I love a good design twist. Those are the things that I look for when I pour over my catalogues and meet with my sales reps. This British crown candleholder caught my eye because it’s unusual and it’s a nod at funky British style (Hey ‘Liz…bet ya never thought about using yours to hold a candle. Snap!)
SIDE BAR: Mark snuck up and accused me of being too “talky” in my posts…hmph…imagine that! It’s the evil eye for him for the REST OF HIS LIFE!!!!
You get an “A” if you guess which piece tones down the ladder and the chairs. Betcha I could reach the top shelf!
photo courtesy Susanne Dimma's House & Home blog
Can you spot the chuckle in this room? How come I can never find a “J”? Isn’t anyone else called Jennifer? I can never find “Jane” on souvenir mugs and keychain racks either!
photo courtesy House & Home
Know how I know it’s almost Summer? Nautical-themed designs start popping up! I’m not a huge fan of theme designs, ’cause they can be WAY over done and look matchy-matchy. Just one too many lighthouses or (gulp) seagulls , and nautical becomes “no, no, please no”. Designers who can take a tricky theme and give it a subtle treatment get my stamp of approval.
I love the simplicity of this DIY rope treatment for a table lamp that was demonstrated on House & Home’s online TV show. I also love the retro wallpaper pictures–easy peasy to make and just the right degree of campy nautical. As for the pillow–very cute, but too fussy to make. I’d just go out and buy one.
(remember: if you click on the photos you’ll go right to the URL for the source).
Kphoto courtesy House & Home online TV
This room doesn’t actually have anything overtly nautical. Instead, it suggests the theme with the standing lamp, the dark navy, light blue and off-white color treatment. The stripes and the dots also give it that cruise liner feel. I could do without the birds on the wall, but hey…if sea birds are your thang, go for it.
photo via Houzz by Celia James
If anything says nautical, it’s a room by Ralph Lauren Home. It’s that wonderful mix of navy blue, white, wicker and reclaimed timber! Makes you think of the old tall ships with rakish men wearing blowsy sleeves and looking toward the horizon with furled brows. Of virtuous women with long curly auburn hair blowing in the sea breeze with unfurled corset laces ….I should write a Harlequin romance! Wow!
Notice how there’s only one sailboat reference, not fifteen?
photo courtesy Ralph Lauren Home
Restoration Hardware is no slouch when it comes to nautical either. Although it’s not really subtle, the theme isn’t garish, so they pass muster (get it?). (I can hear their designers shaking their heads and sighing at my complete lack of insight! I get it, you’re trying to sell gorgeous products. I’m a retailer too…we should do coffee!)
Their nautical lighting is over-the-top beautiful, and I love the combination of “reclaimed” wood and shuddered doors on the cabinet. I must have that desk!!! Anyone got about $20K I can have? Huh? Come on.
photo courtesy Restoration Hardwar
Country Living and nautical seems to like an oxymoron to me, but it works. Perhaps a titch overboard (Get it? See how easy it is to get carried away and just become annoying?), but I like elements in the room. The zebra print footstool keeps it from getting kitchy, but I’d lose the framed poster and the lifebouy pillow. I’d probably substitute with the DIY wallpaper prints (see above) and anchor pillow. I’d also add some silver sea life from my own store, Nicole Jane Home .
photo courtesy Country LIving
photo courtesy Nicole Jane Home
These wall decals by Blik are nerdy adorable. If my hubby had his way, our whole house would look like this!
photo via Home Designing
photo via Home Designing
photo via Home Designing
I am in love with Lamp Cage! I discovered the Toronto designer’s website through Julia Black on Arren Williams’ style blog. According to Julia, Lamp Cage’s designer, Dean, uses salvaged materials to create his gorgeous lighting pieces. He does custom lighting too!
These are a few of his pieces…sigh!
photo courtesy Lamp Cage
photo courtesy Lamp Cage
photo courtesy Lamp Cage
photo courtesy Lamp Cage
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