“COLOR IT FABULOUS” – A Color Game to Play and Learn!

After last week’s Color of the Year observations, I furthered the subject regarding the importance, influence and value of colors.

I don’t know the science behind how individual’s eyes perceive and translate color… rods and cones and the anatomy of the eye as it speaks to the brain…but what I do know is that COLOR and the context of COLOR MATTERS even if it is not perceived exactly the same by everyone. 

My parents were coincidentally both apt to notice, remark about and describe color specifically.  To them, and ultimately to me, colors were something to regard and absorb, for better or for worse, and all colors deserved acknowledgement and specification. 

I distinctly remember their descriptions, “Parrot Green, Sapphire Blue, Lemon Yellow, Fire Engine Red and Brown as a berry” – a compliment which indicated that you had tanned sufficiently! I think it was a result of our island home-away-from-home that prompted many of these titles. We, for sure, had no parrots making their presence known in Virginia! But for some reason, colors in the islands prompted unusual appreciation and scrutiny. This parrot green was like grass green but a bit more intense – saturated – not a dark green and certainly not a spring green – just a brilliant, clear, secondary green! The result of true, primary blue and yellow mated to make GREEN!

Color is a communication tool to convey – color. But what color? What type of color? What specific color? Is your version of a color the same as mine? Do we “read” color the same way? Do we express the description of color the same way? How might you explain a color to a person who is blind?

I’m writing this today from the tropics and it seems worthy to note that colors are abundant here in brilliant evidence through all seasons. Whereas in a decidedly changing seasonal and climate, colors come alive in spring, progress through changes and pretty much crash for the dormant winter months. Contrarily, the topics meld their rainbow of blooming floribunda, bounty of fruits and palette of these brilliant colors year round. 

Maybe it is because we straddled both worlds. The lush, verdant, colorfully blooming and always reliable tropics countered by the decidedly and distinctly changing seasons through dormancy in the northern climes. There must be an appreciation for the change. The lovely, yet possibly monotonous climates that produce blooming color all year round might dull the senses to the seasonal reemergence and staggering beauty of new growth and blooming abundance and mute the verbal expression and appreciation thereof. 

For example, my color antenna is always up and running. As I struggled with my pair of carry-on luggage monstrosities clearly in excess of 75 pounds (good thing there is only a size and not a weight limit!!), I came upon 2 art pieces in the Houston Hobby airport. The colors beckoned me. Although I had noticed them in swift passing, I couldn’t help wanting to see more. So I stopped and dashed back, disassembled my cumbersome haul and quickly took photos of these two paintings on exhibit, in the concourse, in order that I could enjoy them a bit later. Initially attracted by the color, they arrested me allowing and inviting an opportunity for  further examination of their subject matter and detail later, when I had the luxury of time. 


The wildly organic plant life, featuring an animated orchid that tangled and writhed on the painting’s surface in a variety of verdant green’s set against a perfectly selected fiery orange table surface, was brilliantly alluring and seemed to set the stage as a  precursor to my soon-to-be-destination in tropical Mexico.  ARTIST: Lucas Johnson Still Life with Schomburgkia

A bit further down the corridor of the concourse another piece caught my attention. Similarly with its colorful invitation, but with entirely  different subject matter which upon closer inspection was quite intriguing, a patchwork quilt of batik fabrics and collage with applied letters beckoning the viewer to wonder what might be beneath was magic. The woman or child and beloved pet in the center of the action nestled under a cozy and colorful quilt, wrapped in a cloak of starry darkness which might suggest clinging to each other against the foreboding imaginings of the night.


The intense collection of the brilliant colors contrasting against black was dramatic, mystic and inescapable in this powerful piece, It Helps to Think We’re Sleeping Underneath the Same Big Sky by artist Joo Young Choi.

Watercolor artist extraordinaire, Susan Weeks,  captured this crate of mangos at an exotic market somewhere very south of here. Peru? Ecuador? I don’t remember. Susan gets around. And, Susan sees color and detail and renders it with remarkably exacting precision. 

As I greet the day, I’m taking my stash of mangoes out onto the balcony to be seen and photographed in context.  Reminded of how Susan rendered this succulent sweet fruit, with the delightfully “hairy pit” (nods to Tricia), I celebrate this colorful collection of nature in a sensational setting! These gorgeous tones of warm golden yellow, baby iguana green and yes, 2019’s rosy warm coral (Pantone’s “Living Coral”) are nature’s color scheme. The orbs are sensuous and the colors are excitingly bright and luscious. 

Mango colors of rosy coral and warm, golden yellow are paired in this arched interior entry.

Here a similar scheme featuring one of our favorite Company C rugs illustrates the bold, effective power of color selection.

Try this exercise with color. I have no idea what your eyes see and your brain translates, but walk around and look at things in your world. Notice color. Notice individual items…book bindings to fresh fruit. Evaluate each color’s effect. Does it evoke any emotion…good or bad? If you wanted a painter to paint a wall that color and you didn’t have the paint selected, how would you describe that color in an attempt to get it on the wall as you desired?

In a more thorough test, you might be prepared with actual paint – like tubes of acrylic from the craft store. Get a print-out of a color wheel to illustrate the primary, secondary and tertiary colors. https://bit.ly/2SVKUMg Buy red, blue, yellow and white and use them to attempt to create the color being described. This could be a party game – but you would need to also have paint chips from the home improvement store or paint store to use as the prompts that would have to be described and used to match the success or failure of the person attempting to create the color.

Noticing color brings appreciation to the details and nuances of our color-filled world.  The little exercise/game, to try to convey a color to another person based upon similar life experiences and references, is interesting.  Please share your thoughts and experiences, dilemmas and frustrations with this project through the blog’s email.

I hope this encourages you to go forth with a new-found appreciation of color and how it adds layers of depth and interest to all that you see. Examine the natural world, or man-made creations in film, set-design, architecture, graphic advertisements, fashion design or interior design. See why color matters!

DETAILS Found at Hillwood Estate This Christmas

The world is full of detail. From the wonders of nature and the perfection of a flower, to the man-made creations that come from inspiration of all sorts. The combined influences that result, in interesting and good design, are limitless and we now have layers of platforms upon which ideas are presented. The access to creativity is staggering.

Take Etsy and Pinterest. There the ideas abound. Everyone has access to creative ideas unlike ever before in our world. In the past, a keen eye observed and discerned. The clever managed to find inspiration in the most obscure places, analyze observations and interpret them for their own purposes. Creativity was spawned from observation paired with original thought. Yet, that observation was generally first-hand. Therefore, those that got about more, saw more and had greater exposure to more (and there you have it) were creatively stimulated more!

We (perhaps I should say I since it is from my own vantage point and experiences, from whence I speak/write), often are so busy observing that we don’t take the time to dissect and catalog the information we discover. I am so very guilty of that as I am so captivated by design and creativity that I forget to  remember!!! Ha – yes – forget to remember or record!!!!

I constantly find myself regretting to have taken a photo of something (some who know how many photos I take might want to take exception with this point), but it’s true. I regret not taking a photo or studying something which, retrospectively, I recognize as something quite special. In the rush to experience the entire scene, I fail to notice or retain the details. Have you ever felt that you were so caught-up in a new experience that afterward you feel you should have paid closer attention? I forget to remember to store the observations or I forget to take a photo – regretting it afterward.

The breakfast room aat Hillwood Mansion where Marjorie Post rarely entertained, but was always set to do so. Pink poinsettias are the seasonal choice.

This can be from a class lecture to a theatrical production. I wish I had focused more closely rather than getting distracted by my own imagination which  often runs rampant with the encounter. However, the stimulation can be so great that the imagination kicks in and causes diversions, in the attention, resulting in a deficit of detail gathering. Hence a clear case of un-diagnosed ADD!!!

With all of this having been the prelude to my thoughts for the day, I have elected to pick out a few details from a recent tour of the Hillwood Estate and Gardens nestled on magnificent wooded grounds in the heart of northeast Washington, DC. And how wonderful to have had the opportunity this week to stroll through the mansion, now museum, of the late Marjorie Merriweather Post during the Christmas season.

As previously mentioned, I would have, could have, should have taken more photos, but was so enchanted at every turn by the beauty and gracious luxury that unfolded, I was too busy darting from one magnificent scene to the next to capture more than I share here. I apologize.

Her favorite color was pink and this tree greeting visitors upon arrival is a precious jewel among many beautiful Christmas trees and decorations displayed in the mansion.

 

From the reflection on the polished floors of the little white lights to the shimmering crystal punctuated with pink blossoms bedecking the tree was undeniably elegant.

The railings ascending the staircase at the reception desk were draped with garland and strung with simple gold painted discs which were repeated in the coordinating tree which also featured a collection of blue reproduction Faberge eggs.

 

Marjorie Post was a discerning collector of all manner of artistic beauty including exceptional Russian decorative art. The actual exhibit of Faberge currently available for view on the property is nearing its end. Many dazzlingly detailed pieces from her own collection and others on loan for the exhibit are being shown.

If you are in Washington this month, please treat yourself. This exhibit of Faberge pieces is outstanding.

The gold leaves on this magnificent tree in the dining room would be fun to replicate. Could have easily been dipped in gold leaf. Like lime leaves – or from your garden perhaps photinia or laurel even rhododendron – maybe go faux with silk from the craft store – spray ’em gold!!! Paint magic!

And if you have ever installed a dangle of mistletoe…check this out! This elegant bundle suspended, from the towering heights of the entry hall, puts all other sprigs to shame!!! In the opulent foyer, this grand ball of gilded ribbon-clad mistletoe invites those to tempt the fates of love and superstition, with but a kiss!

Whether it is a theme of gold or a snowy season of white, find details and enjoy the creative opportunities that present themselves to you in passing or from the depths of your imagination and create your own holiday magic!!!

Creating fantasy, festivity or seasonal celebration, gather the details every day from observing all the particulars around you.  It is amazing from where you can collect ideas and be inspired to create your own festive fantasy!!!!!! Then be sure to take some photos!!!!!!!

 

Relocating – Making a new house a HOME

Thirteen or so years ago we designed the interior of a home for a young family complete with a toddler. The desire was to bring color and modern accents while still selecting durable materials and hopefully timeless elements.

Fast forward these many years later and this same family now with two beautiful daughters is relocating to another city, another state and a new home. This home was well furnished and much, of what was shown, stayed with the house. The trick was, after having adopted so much from the previous owners, how would they make this house their home?

The point of arrival – the front door – was a tasteful charcoal grey, but by changing it to a bit lighter smoky green, it made a significant difference.

It’s tough to be up-rooted anytime in your school years…these girls missed the only home they had ever had, friends, activities, groups and familiar environs. This challenge was to help all four of them – parents and kids – get settled and assist in making this new house their true home.

As I flew to consult with them, I imagined the scene having seen photos to get somewhat oriented. I made the natural assumption that paint would make new statements to alter the previous owner’s selections and introduce the new family’s preferences. However, despite the change we made to the front door, it wasn’t all about paint once I arrived.

In the previous residence all those many years ago, we punctuated the interior with paint accents. Good design transcends trends and the years. Who would think that this interior was created thirteen years ago?

 

The dining room in the new home was painted entirely charcoal – trim and walls. Oppressive was an understatement and before I even got there they painted all the trim white to match the rest of the home.  However, they left the fireplace charcoal – waiting for a discussion as to how to proceed.

 

 

Notice the dining room furniture having moved from one home into the next. We decided to paint all the wood trim surrounding the fireplace area white to match the rest. But it produced a startling brightness that will be absorbed once a new painting is selected for above the mantle.

They inherited the chandalier with the home and although it is quite different from their previous dining room fixtures, they are making it their own by mixing their chairs, table, rug and sideboard.

The framed lounge chair found a home in the new living room alongside the large sectional that they acquired from the previous owners of the house.

Here in the previous home, the painting over the fireplace has a prominent position, yet also has a place of prominence in the new home along with the chair and a half and the arm chair in the foreground.

 

Checking out a sample of a rug to add further color to the otherwise neutral scene.

The simple placement of custom throw pillows initially designed for the banco in the kitchen are now colorful accents in the living room, on the newly acquired sectional left by the previous owners, are a remarkable save.

 

These pillows had seen their share of spilled milk and ground-in cereal over the years. But with periodic cleaning, they maintained their appearance perfectly.

Here the pillows are the perfect accent on the camel-colored sectional that came with the new house. The painting has been a family favorite for years.

The rest of the collection of throw pillows from that original breakfast nook are being re-purposed on the sectional in the lower level media room/office.   They add the necessary splash of color in this neutral scene.

The fully upholstered chair-and-a-half also transferred from old to new. Previously in the family room, now in the music room/office. The master bedroom transferred completely. The girls’ rooms have a mix of their things and some new features. All in all it is beginning to take shape.

It pays to buy good materials that maintain well and take proper care of them. Not only will they offer years of enjoyment, in this case they bring the familiarity, to the new house, that is beginning to make it feel like “home.”

Sure, some might like the opportunity to start new without remnants of the previous life – but in this case, they cling to that which was comforting, familiar and theirs. Moving to a new home and being able to mix existing pieces so well with new ones to make this new house a home is a design success story!

 

 

Paper Airplanes – Happy Joy

This week, upon arrival at the Denver airport, as I navigate this architecturally dramatic facility, I’m funneled with the masses making our way, from the gate area, to the trains, to the terminal. When suddenly, gracefully overhead as we ascend the escalator, large versions of paper airplanes hover above. Probably steel, but with the familiar fold and form of the simple paper origami originals, they were a whimsical attention divergence.


When I arrived at the top of the escalator, I realized that they were also above the escalator across the way so I walked over there (to the surprise of the masses with whom I had been funneling along). A couple in the crowd even called out “hey” or “ma’am” …I turned to see some were concerned that I had lost my way and expressed concern that I follow the pack. I waved to these helpful strangers indicating with my phone in hand that I was stopping to take a photo of these wonderful suspended planes.

This ignited a curiosity that led me to investigate a bit more. I have since learned that they are part of the Denver International Airport’s Arts & Venues Denver: Public Art Program 1994. There are 140 of these suspended would-be-paper (steel alloy) planes and they are the work of artist Patty Ortiz titled Experimental Aviation. A well-recognized artist and curator of contemporary art with decades of art management experience she “believes that art intrinsically is a social object and when placed as an action in relationship with the viewer ad participant that art carries a profound interconnectedness within real experience.” And there I was experiencing the simple loveliness and joy that these airplane sculptures conveyed, in context with the often monotonous air travel experience.

Kids who love paper airplanes never seem to grow up. I’ve written about this before, in the blog about Federico Leon de la Vega’s TEDx Talks a couple of years ago. Watch his Talk and see the final scene as the planes fly through the audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9j_pLgCr1U

Paper airplanes are timeless tools of communication set flying from one person to another often with a secret note inside. Unfold and discover the message. Like passenger pigeons of days gone by…but unlike their obsolete and ultimately extinct message-delivering cousins, paper airplanes are timeless.

Never taking up the art, it has fascinated me forever. Origami seems to be originated from the Japanese word for folding – ori – and paper – kami = Orikami. Japanese art is so fine in all of its forms. And back to the paper airplanes, San Francisco hosted a competition Origami-Palooza complete with education and presentation of many facets of origami work including the Paper Airplane Challenge. Last month “The Paper Airplane Guy,” John Collins, the world record holder for paper airplane distance was there to assist in honing your paper airplane folding skills to insure greater success with your paper airplane flying! https://japancentersf.com/events/origami-palooza-great-paper-airplane-contest/

My happy observation of this past week and my advice with it – grab a piece of paper and try your hand at folding and flying a paper airplane!!!!!

FLOWER POWER – A Marketing Imperative

While in Park City this weekend, I pondered what might the subject of this week’s story be. Dazzled by the smart presentation of this hidden little jewel of a town, I was continuously remarking about the fresh abundance of flowers, well maintained facades, manicured lawns and medians and the obviously collective appreciation for what draws patrons to want, if not need, to invest in property, art, clothing, home decor and food! Yes, need – it can become an imperative!

Here a restaurant has dressed their facade with brilliant red flowering boxes beneath the sidewalk window.

Oh – oops…do you think it might have been the Ferrari that was drawing attention?

Imagine your patrons being drawn into your establishment as an imperative – a must see, or must buy here, or must try this place, or must check out their wares, or must taste their food or drink their craft beer!

The patio of this brew pub is surrounded by fresh flowers in rustic wooden boxes.

Preparing to open for the day, this pub also has light strings to animate the patio at night.

You see this charming presentation potential in small resort communities and those who have cultivated their assets to the max, reap the benefits of their vision, smart development and on-going maintenance.

 Another brew pub sees value in an eye-catching floral frontage. Courtesy – Heather Harrell

The architecture is decidedly mountain themed, vintage 19th century colorful and textural, but interestingly punctuated by modern elements and fresh ideas. The practical pitched roofs, quaint scale, textural wood trim and detailing, all contribute to this charming scene.

Courtesy – Heather Harrell

To dismiss the value of flowers in marketing is to ignore the Flower Power!

Some places take a little more work to grow seasonal sprays of abundant color in pots, buckets,  bowls, barrels and boxes, but the effect of drawing people is undeniable.

 Courtesy – Heather Harrell

From Key West to Anchorage, the results are proven. Beauty, color, nature sells.

It’s a combination of color being a visual POP amidst concrete and brick, but it is also the positive life-affirming statement that it projects.

We know color in advertising is a draw and we know that anything that adds animation is a draw – flowers colorfully animate the street-scape and draw customers to them.

Here the passers-by are drawn to the menus posted in the window by the red geraniums that brilliantly are placed in planters in front of them.

 

Courtesy – Heather Harrell

They infuse the built environment with nature.

 

Like hummingbirds swiftly hone in on the finest blooms or like bees collecting pollen, we are drawn toward that which speaks visually from the surrounding foliage.

 

Courtesy – Heather Harrell

Texture is another element in this mix. We know that good design is about balance. Flowers balance the otherwise hard surfaces in their periphery. The finishes on a streetscape or sidewalk scene are generally, if not exclusively, hard. Flowers soften the surrounding surfaces and also balance the smooth and hard with random shape, texture, flexibility and even movement.

Whether a casual bar or fine dining restaurant, retail shop or any business wanting to attract and invite the public to them, flowers are an asset.

I feel about flowers similarly to how I feel about twinkling lights on a patio or in public trees. The advantage in the lights is that they can survive the frigid elements and make their statement in all seasons. Lesson here – once the plants are spent for the season, keep the lights on!!! Both elements are valuable draws and enhance the atmosphere of any establishment or environment. (Go back and notice how many photos have visible stringed lights in them!)

And if possible, plant those past-season pots with hearty pansies, ornamental kale or evergreen shrubs to keep the life calling from the sidewalks.

An art gallery has boxwood in steel vessels at the entrance.

A potted evergreen will add life to the paved surfaces when the flower season has passed.

And  for the sake of broadening the reach on this subject, to include not only the flowers and the mention of stringed lights, is the inclusion of creative signs, banners, flags, umbrellas and other elements that contribute to the festive nature that attracts peoples interest and draws them into your business.

Courtesy – Heather Harrell

 

Rooftop bar with flowers, flags and umbrellas – King Edward too!        Courtesy – Heather Harrell

Celebrate the the power of flowers!

 

Southwest Style – What is it?

Arriving for the first time in our American Southwest, one might feel like they have entered a different country, if not a different world!! To fly from anywhere else where there are rolling green hills, or green fields or dense green wooded landscapes, not to mention tropical environs and cruise over America’s Southwest, it looks like the moon – or some barren planet. Everyone remembers their first impression. Whether exotic or scary, lonely or seemingly uninhabitable, once you get on the ground and explore the beauty and variety of what’s here, you’re bitten – even smitten.

In all fairness, this is a completely defoliated winter shot!! Many now know how lush this magnificent Sandia Mountain can be at the top, in the summer. Yes, I said lush.

No other region has the distinct architecture and tri-cultural identity of what has become the elemental design style and flavor of this magical place. From “sea to shining sea” New England to Southern California you will find nuances of regional distinction – but not to the degree that the American southwest is set apart. Architectural influences from colonization have been the standard guiding style nationwide. Yet the ancient, practical elements, of civilization that long preceded the Europeans discovering the New World, is at the roots of this enchanting design style.

Tri-cultural architecture and interior design results from the remarkable history combining Native Americans carving out of stone walls, building with mud (adobe) bricks, devising simple, practical designs to capture heat and insulate in cold while minimizing solar gain in the warm weather months, with the conquering Spaniards and their colonial influences, and finally the pioneers from the east with their colonial English influences.  Now more often replicated, with frame construction and stucco facades, this unique melding is the core of Southwestern architectural design.

When one hears the term “earth tones” setting a design trend in the 70s, it suggests the brown, tan, orange palette that was terribly limiting. Certainly to label it earth tones, it became a curse of a color scheme. Sadly to link it to a representation of southwestern design was misplaced and unfortunate. And how sad to think that it was so broadly accepted – like lemmings following blindly – everyone adopted this as a truism. So often the case with trends.   The 70’s also spawned a diametrically opposite color scheme of blues and greens to refresh that which had been so mired in the “earth-tone” movement.

However, real earth tones are limitless. Earth tones are all colors…look down…look around. Even if you confine your interpretation to the dirt beneath your feet – the colors are vastly more than the brown, tan, rust, orange that became the rage. Soft pinks and grays, pale blue and whites…look at dirt. It might be more clay, might be more peat – from soft terracotta to dark espresso – dirt is earth and the colors and tones are limitless.

Tom Glover captured the beauty of the natural landscape through his artistic photographic medium that Georgia O’Keeffe and others have depicted through their artistic media.

 

Georgia O’Keeffe saw it and captured it in her own enduring style.

Nature offers color. Natural dyes have riddled that art world through time. Synthetic dyes took it a level further. But nature is at the core of all we have in this world.

http://www.quilthistory.com/dye.htm

Turquoise being a natural mineral in the American Southwest became a signature accent color punctuating the soft earthen tones of the adobe design palette.

Artist Victoria Martinez Rodgers paints a valley apple orchard and the turquoise wall is the perfect backdrop.

Color was always there for those who cared to notice. The great painters of this region presented it well. Their recordings of everything from the many colors of the rugged windswept landscapes to lush green mountain forests with shimmering golden aspen groves – and bosque cottonwoods screaming with yellow brilliance capture and convey so much more.

In autumn, bosque cottonwoods explode with color sending a streak of brilliant yellow all along the Rio Grande. Federico Leon de la Vega create this commissioned oil painting from a photo provided by his clients.

There are the natural and also synthetic dyes that were woven through the magnificent textiles of the Native Americans – blankets and articles of clothing were not limited to buckskin animal hides.

Ernest Blumenschein was the founder of the Taos Society of Artists capturing the color and textures of the realities that he encountered in this Land of Enchantment.

Sunsets everywhere play a part in the imagery of the landscape – here we see vast landscapes with brilliant fiery skies and those exciting corals and lavenders, soft pink and blue wisps provide inspiration for wall colors and backdrops to our richly embellished interior designs.

Yet spare, understated neutral interpretations also offer elegant representations of southwestern style.

So what do you visualize when you think of Southwestern Design? Please don’t say a turquoise wooden cutout of a howling coyote! Death by Southwestern Style – the overdose resulting from overdone clichés and trends that have spoiled the real art and beauty.

It doesn’t have to be all about cow skulls and pelts…but these cow hide butterfly chairs are pretty  cool!!!

Perhaps you see a Mexican influence which is also part of the melding of the regional style – like food, we have a fine line sometimes with certain traditional dishes that when adopted and adapted by American Southwest kitchens took on a unique identity all its own – differing between Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. We all enjoy bringing art and craft from our southern neighbors into our designs.

Borrowing, sharing, combining so many design elements such as adobe architecture, colonial wood trim detailing, fired brick technology, Mexican Talavera tile and pottery,

Native American textiles and so many other handcrafts

The owners of this interior have an intimate relationship with each of the artists that they have collected down to this magnificent mount of a buffalo. They knew him and his name and why he was put down.

from punched and tooled tin, paintings and pottery – southwestern interior design is rich with color, texture, artistic detailing and true soul. The connection to the earth is undeniable and nature always plays a key role.

So how might you introduce southwestern influences into YOUR design scheme? You could tile the wall(s) of a powder room in Talavera Tile. Maybe just a mirror surround?

You might paint an accent wall – or all walls in a room or some other bold color inspired by a regional image

Mango watercolor by Susan Weeks splashes coral against the golden yellow wall with a lime green lighted cabinet showcasing old, traditional, low-fire Talavera tableware. classic Talavera blue and white tile frame the bar opening and on through out the kitchen.

and collect art pieces such a punched tin crosses, wood and straw,

landscape or still life painting, hang a blanket or drape a bed with a beautiful woven textile…introducing different styles speaks to last week’s story about eclecticism. Don’t be afraid to mix things that you like. What brings you joy?

 

 

 

Eclecticism in Design – What Does it Mean? What Does it Say?

Looking back (to both sides of the turn of the 20th century), eclectic interiors were only cultivated by the very rich. Those who had the discretionary income to take vacations abroad, had diplomatic ties or nomadic adventuresome types who took precious time off to explore different locations and  cultures other than from whence they came. Others of means might have merely hired decorators to create interiors that suggested such adventure and access, without leaving their drawing rooms. Expensive eclecticism catapulted status.

Leaf through decades of Architectural Digest – THE authority on design for examples and inspiration of fabulously eclectic interiors among all the varied styles they have documented for us!

A surge in eclecticism occurred with the many military personnel and their families who were stationed overseas and were able to transport containers of belongings along the way.

Recognize a meter tray? A meter size diameter of solid brass tooled with hand detailing and pressed/formed/hammered designs. From table tops to wall hangings, they are statement pieces!

They brought back fine and fun arts and crafts from around the globe. These homes were distinctively punctuated with art that was recognizable in those circles – you could tell where people had been stationed by the decorative elements in their homes.

A souvenir from 1970s South Vietnam! Ceramic elephants were the rage!!! From stand-alone accents to end tables and bases for larger cocktail tables supporting glass slabs, these animated novelties of artistic expressions continue to bring joy decades later!

As the original owners handed down these nostalgic treasures, the history of the discoveries was diluted if not lost but the appreciation for many of the collectibles remained and was passed down to younger generations starting their homes. Inherited interiors spawns eclecticism.

Antique collection Rose Medallion passed down in a family.

Many homes have been assembled with the elements gifted by others resulting in a nostalgic, familiar collage of decorative accessories.

Vintage pink glass salad plates, family antique chairs, and a china cabinet of new and old collectibles used and mixed with love and affection.

Pier One capitalized on this decades ago. Their slogan was something like “we shop the world so you don’t have to.” In lieu of experiencing great world travels, the buyers sought exotic, interesting, affordable, mass-produced items and eclecticism expanded exponentially. They actually set seasonal decor trends with their ability to influence the market with their sweeping design reach to international artisans and fabricators, massive buying power, focused design team and extensive marketing campaigns.

Some, in order to create that sense of eclecticism, haunt thrift stores and antique markets. “Thrifting” is today’s trend for gathering eclectic “finds.” From antiques to current cast-offs, the sport can be quite satisfying, cost-effective and can result in some amazing acquisitions!

“Thrifted” antique table and eclectic crystal decanters contrast sweeping contour of limestone hearth.

Eclecticism means varied interests and experiences, an appreciation for what is good and fun rather than merely coordinating. It suggests independence, personal taste and style, with a freedom from convention and changing trends. A successful eclectic interior still requires balance and proper placement and distribution of the varied objects. Have what you like. Be surrounded by things that make you feel good, productive and bring you joy.

Discovering Patterns

This week began with a juicy fabric presentation. I say juicy because it got my design juices working and I was inspired to take photos and imagine the opportunities to insert these wonderful colors, patterns and textures into upcoming projects.

Take the chicken and the egg scenario. Do YOU often find that exciting design elements invite thoughts of projects for which to use them?

A fun exercise is to take your camera and search for patterns to photo…patterns are everywhere from cast shadows to fabrics, signs and graphics to fallen leaves.

Seeing these exciting new fabrics – you had no intention of changing all your throw pillows, but these stimulating samples might make you consider changing your entire collection!

The opportunity to offer unique fabrics for clients who would otherwise never be exposed to the samples – not know of the possibilities – is exciting. Being able to make this introduction is a treat.

This first batch was of clean, sophisticated, woven, geometrics in blacks, whites and charcoal tones.

Whimsical patterns and textures, with splashes of color, offer more possibilities.

Now see these rich woven patterns and colors in this next series. An explosion of color and pattern  with a decidedly native direction – prime for New Mexico and design projects looking to evoke the elements of the southwest and other opportunities inspired by indigenous art.

With all this freshly implanted in my ever-swirling brain of design fragments waiting to be assembled, I traveled north this weekend for an enchanting New Mexico wedding that further fed the theme of indigenous art, pattern and design.

The lobby of Buffalo Thunder was riddled with magnificent pueblo pottery. The designs were wonderfully intricate and I saw them as stand-alone elements that could easily be fabric motifs. Here on pottery – but so fascinating to consider as possible inspirations for fabric patterns and designs.

Anasazi Buffalo Pot – Acoma Pueblo

Suggestive of a court jester, this expressive piece tells a figure story. The bold patterns make a powerfully beautiful statement. Who loves bold stripes? Do you wear them? Do you upholster with them?

Evening Star by Katherine Wall from the Jemez Pueblo

Cut-outs on lobby lounge chairs, with geometric upholstery, atop bold zig-zags of the area rug proves combining patterns creates a fine line between exciting juxtapositions and pairings – and risking possible disturbing disruption of order. Comedian Steven Wright uses dry wacky wit delivering hysterically funny observations to convey a sense of the obvious with a twist. I’m paraphrasing one I remember from years ago… “You know that feeling that you get when you lean way back in a chair…way back on the back legs…back so far that you are just about to fall…I feel like that all the time.” That’s like that feeling with challenging design. It goes just far enough to get your attention…designers get that feeling as they push the theoretical limits of design – all the time!

Ok- this is not perhaps THE most outrageous example of this theory – but a fun, eye-catching combination nonetheless!

Buffalo Thunder resort was the jumping off point to then venture beyond into the thrilling landscape of La Mesita Ranch.

Mixing different colors of brick make this random patterned walkway very pleasing and interesting.

The setting was natural, organic and inspired.

Simply lovely centerpieces

See a lovely, intense example blooming blue and white and much more in Nantucket on the cover of the new June 2018 issue of Architectural Digest.  http://www.theenglishroom.biz/2018/05/29/nantucket-beauty-by-markham-roberts/

So look for patterns all around. Discover exciting opportunities to mix patterns and textures.

Be brave – play with patterns!

 

 

Bring Elegant Functional Pottery into Your Daily Life

Powerfully, pretty, porcelain, pottery graces the urban storefront window this month, of the east gallery of PATRICIAN DESIGN, with elegant, functional inspiration.

The opening of this the second  installation of the Resilience exhibit features a collection of porcelain pieces that is intended to be an entirely functional  ensemble of art.

It’s been refreshing to have these well established artists paired with exciting emerging artists presenting their expressive talents, in the form of something that you can use and enjoy, to enhance the aesthetic connections in your daily life.

Resilience, conceived by Helen Atkins, an exciting emerging artist herself, is the manager of consignment art at PATRICIAN DESIGN.

Her concept was to “explore the experience of local female artists at various junctures if their careers.”

As a recipient of the Makeshift Grant Project, “Resilience” is funded by the downtown Albuquerque Arts & Cultural District and the Albuquerque Community Foundation. The name of this project suggests that the strength and flexibility of clay as it is formed is an analogy to similar characteristics in the course of a woman’s life. Strength and flexibility – resiliency and tenacious fortitude are the features the two share  and which are celebrated with this show.

In addition to this relevant topic of women, the functionality of this collection is what is even more expansive. No gender specific appeal to this wonderful work, the idea that pulling in from the disposable practices of everyday life, strikes a universal chord.

To pull in and focus on what  you have and use in your daily life is the beginning. Evaluating between pure function and added beauty being introduced as an enhancing element is the trick. Then discovering individual pieces that bring enjoyment  while contributing to the function as well as the aesthetic of the scene,  from an interior design standpoint, is wonderful.

Your “scene” should be exclusively personal to you and your life experiences.  It is personal and wonderful to incorporate handmade artwork in all aspects of a design project. To appreciate the detail and have the opportunity of taking that artwork all the way to daily tableware is pure joy. These and other potters that we feature at PATRICIAN DESIGN offer just that – the opportunity to incorporate art into the simple functions of eating and drinking.

Artist  Kathryne Cyman is a master of the 400 year-old Japanese process of Arita pottery.  Please read more about Kathryne’s journey at http://art.unm.edu/kathryne-cyman/   Showing alongside her capable student Jordyn Bernicke, the two present simple, elegant, affordable pottery pieces for you to bring into your  daily life.

Imagine the soft, delicate yet durable cup in your hand from which to sip and relax. Even to toss o.j. on the run – the basic action of drinking from a handmade vessel, in a color and finish that makes you smile, is an enhancement to the day.

Sensory perceptions ignited by the feel and the look of a beautiful piece of pottery is restorative.

We are privileged to have this exhibit and to meet these fine artists. We are privileged as a community to have this program at UNM.  It appears that the natural beauty of New Mexico, life lived close to the earth and celebrated by Native Americans for generations is a parallel practice to the Arita process by the artisans in Japan.

This exhibit proves that to admire the techniques that produce beauty is to acknowledge the importance and value of including these elements in our daily lives.

Inspiration Aroused in a Fantasy Pleasure Ground

Like gardens? Like ornate, ornamental, architectural fantasy structures? Do magical forms and colorful design elements arouse your creative juices?

Memorial Day and the holiday weekend offers festivities with family and friends, time to honor in memory those who have performed with honor to preserve and protect our freedom, reflective moments away from the rigors of the work-week, and in our case this weekend an extraordinary encounter with one of the country’s most magnificent “pleasure grounds!” Yes, an introduction to Tower Grove Park (thank you Ali-bali) and the awesome written description of its inception and extraordinary design in the 1860s was our sensational, design stimulating, multi-sensory, experience.

Perhaps these photos will provide ideas for your fence or railing detail or even a backyard gazebo!

 

If you would like to enjoy the language of the beautifully written original intent of this property in a manner and style that is not often experienced, please follow this link and be enchanted with great vision, joyful optimism and intimate appreciation.

https://www.towergrovepark.org/mcadams1

Art and nature intertwine in these magnificent verdant grounds of Tower Grove Park with its wonderful gardens, charming Victorian pavilions and significant statuesque monuments. Conceived and donated by the visionary, Henry Shaw, in 1866. The writings of David MacAdam (found in the above referenced link) reference taking “ramblings” in the park – originally designed for driving in and through but with emphasized encouragement to go afoot to observe closely, in one’s casual time, these wondrous fields and arbors, around ponds and through gardens.

He writes “A visitor who takes a summer ramble in the park starting from the east entrance and noting the objects of interest we have mentioned, must certainly admit it is a most interesting and agreeable place. Every few steps will open a different view, ornamental structure or some work of art.”

Peeking from pockets of this enchanted scene are fanciful pavilions each with a singular identity.

We hear that winter scenes in the park present a wonderland of snow frosted evergreen trees, quiet pavilions, sculptural dark trunks, statuesque bronze figures and serene blankets of white dotted with the dormant shrubbery that comes alive once again each spring.

MacAdam further notes, “The artist of the graceful and cultivated style pursues, then, a middle course between the picturesque and the formality of the purely artificial, aiming always to preserve the harmony of natural forms and scenes.”

While the landscaping is magnificent, the architectural detail is captivating – conjuring up fairy tale scenes of dancing and romance. MacAdam writes further, in thoughtful detail, about the concept of encouraging the public to experience this grand property with all of its engaging ornament and ultimate beneficial consequence.  “To do this thoroughly they can hardly avoid walking a part of the distance, and the attractions of the place should induce them to do this contentedly, recollecting that one of the objects for which it exists is to invite persons of sedentary habits to healthful exercise. ”

I was so excited about the fretwork and fancy  details – the sunlight dappled across the frames of these sturdy yet delicate structures.

Inspiration around every corner with design elements that are timelessly graceful. Grill-work and column lines present powerful progressions.

It was as though these structures were attempting to emulate giant confections of fondant and frosting, carving and detail just shy of excess.

Realizing these structures are over a century and a half old, preserved by the enjoyment and appreciation of their patrons – which are all the people of St. Louis.

“The worrying command, “keep off the grass,” writes MacAdam “when the feet are aching to tread the carpet of youth’s memories, does not harass the visitor by springing out on his eye as he turns each curve. Music too is thrown in free in summertime, and thus all elements of pleasure and beauty are woven together in lightness and brightness for the general good. It is on the fact of this freedom in the use of a public park, the hopefulness it indicates in human nature, an the equal consideration it shows for all classes, is based in faith of those who believe in its refining and elevating influence. Such a place does not sermonize dogmatically, nor does nature. She exhibits a truth instead of voicing a doctrine. It unfolds fair spectacles, without restraint or an air of patronage, for all who care to see, and it thus tends to refute the selfish theories of either extremes of society, to reconcile  divergent elements, to encourage the gentler ideas and tastes, and to promote innocent recreations and purer manners. The poor are forced to see that wealth beyond their control, and without their asking, has created a resort free for the enjoyment of all, and the rich, by the equality in its use, are reminded of the artificial origin of class and the everlasting kinship of man.”

It was a glorious afternoon of optimism, inspiration and enjoyment. Happy Memorial Day weekend to all and may you find art and inspiration around every corner!