Orange + Purple: Color Study

The obsession started with this photo:

image

Which I sort of fell in love with....immediately.  Orange and purple.  Such an unexpected color combination - outside of Halloween decor that is.  I love everything about this room.  From the lavender grasscloth wall paper, the black quatrefoil mirror, gold coffee table, vibrant sofa, patterned purple throw pillows and side chairs, and natural wood end tables. Add in the graphic black and white rug and black lampshades and it's over for me.  

Yeah, I fell. Hard.  

See for yourself.

You can go super fierce with it:

  

(eyes, style, door)

Or get all trendy and ColorBlock it!

(style, invite, bag, tights)

Orange + Purple can be subtle...

Or BOLD

and BRIGHT

You could wear it....

...to play in

...to work out in...

or to just be hands down fabulous in!

So if it's desirable enough for the Tory Burch flagship store in NYC...

and breathtaking enough for nature to forever paint with...

Well, then it's certainly good enough for me.

I'm hooked!

-Kate

(all photos can be found here)

A night out with Retropolitan

A night out with Retropolitan...

It was our pleasure this past week to style up a lovely Gulch-view unit at The Icon.  We were invited, along with several other stores and design firms in town, to be featured in their resident open house called Inhabit.  Armed with a truck full of merchandise from the store, a trio of strapping lads with furniture dollies, and just a few hours' time, we answered that invitation with a little set-up called "Uptown Holiday Modern."  Hope you like it!      

Beautiful art from Tinney Contemporary served as the inspiration for our design.   The furniture and accessories were mostly neutral, but diverse, so symmetry was a great way to unify all the different styles and keep the overall design on the modern slant.

In working with neutrals like this, pattern and texture were an integral way to create dimension and interest without veering from the serene feel of the palette.

   

Keeping accessories pared down, well chosen and bold made them really show up.  They told the story of the people who live there...

  

...they created intrigue and invited conversation... 

...they expressed personality, value and artistic taste.

It was a festive night at The Icon, complete with wine, hors' deuvres, and inspiring design.  Thanks to Bristol Development for including our little store and design team in this lovely event.  Retropolitan and The Icon...a lovely, holiday pairing we think!  

- Amy 

Design Study: White on White Part 4

Adding Pops of Color

Start with a white base and throw in your favorite colors - wild fushia, bold cerulean, deep purple - and watch them jump from their blank canvas. Even nature’s colors from right outside your door, when brought inside and set against a white background, immediately show off their intricate shapes, textures, and grain. Notice how the white also acts as a unifier, giving order to even the most diverse collection of accent colors. 

With white as the stage, let your colors do the talking!

sources unknown

- Amy

Design Study: White on White Part 3

Uplight With White

I’ve often joked that everyone needs their own personal “uplight” to accompany them throughout their day.  We all look fabulous when uplit, you know?  Dressing a room in white achieves the same effect.  Why?  Because white reflects the entire visible color spectrum; whereas all other colors only reflect a portion.  So a white on white palette bounces the most light possible around the space.  And when you use that white on the floor as well…wow. You get that uplit glow from every angle and an infinity effect that makes the corners of the space recede.  It’s clean, enchanting, inspiring and once again, your textures and patterns pop with modern sophistication.  Of course, you have to keep the dustpan handy, but you just can’t have everything now, can you?

- Amy

Design Study: White on White Part 2

Benjamin Noreiga-Ortiz's "Emotional Rooms"

Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz is one of my favorite designers. He has a gift for creating emotional rooms (hint, hint: check out his amazing book aptly titled Emotional Rooms). Here are a few photos from his body of design work. These spaces are blanketed with a certain serenity, achieved by his diverse use of texture and material. Note the mix of natural woods, slick lacquers, lucites, organic cottons, wools, capiz shells, marble, and glass. The unifying factor is the sophisticated white palette. 

photos here

- Amy

Design Study: White On White Part 1

Layering Whites

White on white is catching my attention these days.  Maybe it’s the need for something bright and fresh after a long, chilly winter.  Maybe it’s that my sophisticated side needs to flex its muscles a bit.  Either way, I’m captivated by the layering of beige on white, cream on bisque, and soft taupe on flax.  Texture and pattern become intriguing, and the subtle palette creates sophistication.  The overall effect is quietly stimulating.  

People often have difficulty with whites, feeling like they all have to be the same tone.  But don’t be afraid to play with it.  Use the “whites” section of a paint deck as your guide, with all of its various shades. Gather up an armload of accessories and pile them together.  Rearrange.  Add things with textures and different levels of opacity.  You’ll create an interesting vignette like the one we’ve set up here in our design office.  It’s a great way to expand your design eye and inspire yourself!

- Amy