Jul 08

Everyone Needs a Little Country Sometime

By pattisays In architecture, artistic expression, beauty behold it, color trends, context of interior design, country living, creativity, custom design interior design, decorative arts, design, design tips, design trends, DIY design, exterior - outdoor design, fireplaces, floral arrangements, floral designs, furniture finds, Garden, handcraft, inspiration, interior design, interior design trends, landscape design, lifestyle, natural designs, nostalgia and design, party themes, personal expression, re-purpose, Refresh, remodeling, rural design, stone, summer, timeless colors, window dressings /  

I would like to share a treat of a house in a magical setting along a quiet waterway in the lush rural lake community of Edgerton, Wisconsin. A most talented friend has created a riverside home from a modest rambler. What was a dated structure with limited interior appointments, low ceilings, tiny high windows, and ordinary fixtures is now a soft, sophisticated, space outfitted with treasures gathered in the countryside, filled with history, character and antique charm.

Hands on and knowing exactly what she wanted to achieve, she began collecting interesting fixtures and hardware, furniture pieces and finishes. She hired a remodeling contractor, but worked closely with him and his architect to detail every facet of this home. Unwilling to compromise certain features, she enlarged all window openings, reconfigured the entry, gutted the kitchen, redesigned the bathrooms, ripped out the ceiling exposing structure – increasing volume exponentially – and added a garage.

Exposed beams, new white-washed tongue and groove boards applied to raised ceiling, a found wooden column used for structural support, new crown molding, bead-board wainscoting, re-designed fireplace surround, and creatively concealed storage closets, have re-shaped the entire character of this interior so dramatically that all who entered, not having yet seen this incredible transformation, were awed.

Hearing their comments as they passed through the spaces was amusing in their commonality. Everyone was amazed at the amount of work done, creative elements incorporated, fun finds she had collected to transform this modest house into this cozy cottage. Her two cats have wonderful vantage points to watch the activities in the rooms below as guests gathered to celebrate the weekend’s family wedding festivities.

Daylight streams through windows and floribunda gardens around the house are now communing beautifully with the interior.

Ever-so-soft blues, with whites of every shade, create a soft backdrop to collections of fine china to vintage scales and myriad eclectic antiques.

Outside a recently completed multi-tiered pond emits soft trickling background sound which wafts inside through the many open windows. Not to be reticent about being hands-on, this tenacious designer personally packed 23 loads of boulders and large stones into her truck, off-loaded and placed around the periphery of the pond. She planted tiny creeping vegetation among the stones, water plants, multiple trees and perennials to establish instant-gratification landscaping in her expansive backyard, which is a lush verdant botanical expression that grows abundantly right down to meet the river.

A great get-acquainted bonding of disparate family and friends occurred when we collected buckets of roadside flowers to make arrangements for the reception venue.

Wild bouquets punctuated with spectacular domestic flowers from the gardens surrounding the cottage provided fun activity and contributed to the charm of the scene.

Everyone needs a little country sometime.

Read More
Mar 04

10 Tips for Spring Refreshers

By pattisays In art and interior design, color trends, context of interior design, design, design tips, design trends, inspiration, interior design, interior design trends, Japanese design, joy, Marie Kondo, organization, Pantone, pinks and greens, Refresh, Spring, trends, Uncategorized, updating, upholstery /  1

Like bears coming out of hibernation, people start to stretch and yawn and look around and ask me “What can I do to refresh my interior for spring?” It’s similar to the fall preparation for hunkering down for the winter…”What can I do to cozy-up my house?” as the leaves drop and a chill wafts through the air.

Spring is the season for re-birth and starting fresh. Fresh – what does that suggest? This year we are very fortunate that Pantone set forth the color direction for the entire year – greenery. I have great enthusiasm for incorporating this bright verdant living color throughout the seasons – yes, a color for all seasons – but we are not limited to green in its various forms. I give you permission to add color that makes you feel good. Pick your favorite color…any color!

Now let’s get to that question about “What can I do to refresh my interior for spring?.” Here are 10 tips to change your world and bring joy as spring approaches.

  1. Color POP: Speaking of your favorite color…”paint magic” as its often referred is the practically instantaneous positive reinforcement that you need to make a quick, effective change in your interior! Pick an accent wall – preferably one that is framed by inside corners (rather than stopping a color on an outside corner) and take the leap of painting it an entirely different color than your norm.  Bear in mind other color cues in the room so as not to create a discord of color or completion between your design elements – but don’t be afraid either. The idea is a pleasing POP! and an extra pointer, if your room is already painted a decisive color, white can be the accent. Yes, white can be an intentional color accent and not the lack of color that it can often seem to be.
  2. Live Plants and Flowers: Spring suggests flowers and greenery – to watch them grow toward the warm weather, bulbs inside can be fun, bouquets of your favorite flowers, sprigs of greenery in a small vase can even be enough. A bud vase on your bathroom sink counter, a statement piece at your entry or coffee table, a flowering plant with young buds to last a few weeks, a fern to add feathery freshness. – any and all of these can add life to your interior spaces.  If you have flowering trees or bushes outside, this is the time to cut a few branches and bring them inside, place in a vase with water and the warmth of your interior will “force” the buds to bloom – Voila!
  3. Reupholster to Refresh: Do you have a tired piece of furniture that might deserve a new fabric? A favorite comfy chair, a hand-me-down of sentimental value, a good frame (bones) that can be salvaged to new with a change of printed fabric, leather, or woven textile. This furniture facelift is just the trick to give new life to older pieces.
  4. Change It Up: When you move things around and rearrange your furniture, artwork and accessories you will be surprised how you can refresh without adding anything new. Take a look at your furniture arrange. Can the same pieces be rearranged in the same room and create a new look?? Might you move one piece out to another room or bring in a different piece from some other room?
  5. Pillows to Toss: Throw pillows…throw them out! Well, I exaggerate a bit, but cycle them into a bag in the closet for another time or place or “recovery” and find some fun new pillows to brighten and refresh your interior. What an effective change a few colorful pillows can make in a room!
  6. Add Art: DIY or find something to cheer you! Dressing your walls with new work can lift your  spirits!
  7. Fresh Fragrances: Like Votive’s Pink Mimosa or Skeem’s Current Mangosteen scented candles, or Vance Kittera incense will add a dimension of sensory appreciation to refresh the stale, stagnant air of winter.
  8. Wipe and Dry: New dishtowels are a great and simple boost to change seasons! Find some fresh and uplifting colors to brighten your kitchen and make wiping up more fun! They make a great gift too!
  9. Stash Your Throw: What’s that afghan on your sofa or that blanket on your bed? Switch out the dark colors of winter with fresh new accents to add color and cuddle in too!
  10. Get Tidy: Marie Kondo has written books about it- she knows the “life-changing magic” that getting organized and tidy can do for you! Spring cleaning is a great therapy and introspective look at the things you own, how much you have and what is clutter beyond your ability to enjoy it all.

 

Read More
Dec 11

Color of the Year 2017 Greenery!!

By pattisays In beach, beauty behold it, color and temperature re: interior design, color forecasting, color trends, colors, context of interior design, Contrasting colors, design, design tips, design trends, drama of color, exterior - outdoor design, Garden, inspiration from nature, interior design, interior design trends, joy, lifestyle, Lilly Pulitzer, natural designs, naturalist, nature, nostalgia and design, Pantone, patterns, personal expression, pinks and greens, seasonal interior design, summer, timeless colors, trends, winter /  1

Ta Da! Pantone announces its color of the year for the coming 2017…drum roll please…and the color is Greenery!! Yay!!! Last year there were two  – yes, imagine that – they couldn’t decide so they slurried Rose Quartz and Serenity resulting in a pale, cool, wimpy blend of soft rose and lavenderesque shades into a blended wispy pastel dream. Non-committal, in my opinion…lacking confidence.  Last year the rationale was stated by Pantone’s Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman as…

pantone-color-of-the-year-lee-eiseman-quote-2016

But this year they have it with this fresh organic hue in a yellow-ish shade primed for this year’s rationale from Ms. Eiseman which is:

pantone-color-of-the-year-lee-eiseman-quote-2017

I have always loved green. I grew up in a Virginia jungle of a suburban neighborhood inside the Beltway surrounding my hometown of Washington DC. where the first signs of spring were the tiny tips of dogwood leaves poking forth from the delicate branches of those beautiful under-growth trees. The dogwoods were the graceful, human-scale layer beneath the towering canopy of the immense, rigid, vertical tulip poplar and white oak trees that commanded the woods.

Soft mosses, lacey ferns and perky lily of the valley carpeted the hidden pockets of our backyard. New growth is that prediction of amazing renewal and promise of the start of summer. So it is a prime observation that as Eiseman states in her 2017 rationale “greenery…bursts forth…with a reassurance we yearn for…” although I do not feel this is peculiar to this year as winter always makes me yearn for greenery and the reassurance  that spring and summer will return.

My mother also loved green and that probably influenced my childhood perception of comfort and context of it in interior design. She had and still has an eye for color. In 1959 she selected an amazing sculpted wool pile carpet in a warm, dark, neutral, taupe tone and built upon it a color scheme of pinks and greens that was subtle and relaxing, organic and contrasting, blending beautifully in our wooded setting of verdant lushness in which we were cozily situated.

That was upstairs where we felt like we lived in a flowering tree house amidst the dense collection of green leafy between the trees and surrounded by all shades of pink and white azaleas. Downstairs, where we retreated in the winter months, her greens were mixed with gold tones creating a warm interpretation of the greenery around us.

When so many in that era, between the 60s and 70s, were styling interiors with heavy oranges, browns and golds,

orange-and-brown-f934b00ae8a8aabb9fa7d7d8e3ccec30

my mother gravitated toward Lily Pulitzer’s fresh, tropical palette of lime green and hot pinks, clean crisp turquoise and citrusy lemon yellow – both in her wardrobe and her interior accent colors.

most-popular-lilly-pulitzer-prints-no-names

Our beach house was turquoise and teal, navy and tan – the sea and the sand.

Following color trends is a slippery slope. I have blogged about it in the past. Adopting that which is often a combination of colors instantly records a place in time when everything from bath towels and shower curtains, bed dressings to draperies appears in the marketplace and inserts its predetermined obsolescent combinations into the lives of so many who would rather catch the wave – often behind the crest – to own and participate in what is conveyed by the market to be the “in” thing to do and to have.

It is best not to embrace and adopt the combinations that the market presents. It is better to select color and combinations that transcend the trends – skirt them so as not to fall into the trap of dated color schemes and tired combinations. Some avoid the trap by staying neutral. The safe, timeless colors of whites and grays mushrooms and taupes- but where is the risk and fun in that?

“Too bad for them” I often remark. It is such a missed opportunity…a limitation to select colors that you think you are supposed to like rather than those that truly bring you joy. I say “go for joy every time.” Color is such personality. It is a stage-setting element. It is a backdrop or foreground. It is a theme. It is an atmosphere.

With all that having been said, I for one am thrilled with this fresh selection for the new year. A bright beginning full of hope and new growth, fresh starts and positive forward movement – organic and life-affirming. So seek the colors that brings you joy and go forth with color in this new 2017 soon to arrive. My personal schemes will always have greenery!!!

Read More