Color Trends - Part 2

We left off on "Color Trends - Part 1" with how to incorporate color - especially "trendy" colors - into your space.


Rather than just write about it, I scanned some photos from some of my already mentioned fave magazines to give you an idea of how Honeysuckle - or any of your favorite colors - can be used.


This is a room in a Capitol Hill (DC) row house completed by designer Barry Dixon.

House Beautiful, Sept 2011, p85

He kept the major elements in the room neutral - creams, tans, browns. The wall color is a soft cream and he has applied it to all of the painted surfaces. The floors are deep brown wood. The alcoves are upholstered in a brown, button-tufted Bergamo fabric. Lovely, right?


However, what makes this room extra-special is the use of the color pink. He has used varying degrees of light to deep shades of pink so the room appears elegant and mature. He has sprinkled it around the room so your eye can move from one element to the next with plenty of space in between for a relaxed and un-fussy effect.


I must admit, if someone had said they were working on a room with pink accents I would assume it was a nursery. But there is nothing nursery about this room. After seeing it used to finesse the room in such a way, I'm hoping one of my clients will want to try it out. (Hint, hint.)

Veranda, Oct 2011, p117

Which brings me to the next room I wanted to show you. This was a room featured in Veranda October 2011 issue and is part of a renovation done to a 1920s Nashville estate, and by coincidence, it was also designed by Barry Dixon. Perhaps my new idol... This is what I would call minimal with punch. The entire room is done on a variation of creams, golds and tans to beautiful effect. So the impact of the one element of pure color - the salmon colored daybed - is fantastic. It doesn't take away from the incredible moldings and architecture of the space, but it does make you want to get cozy right in front of the fireplace. Love it! 

What seems so simple in this room, adding one element of real color - is actually very difficult to do. It speaks to the amount of restraint the designer used; not adding pops of the color in other areas of the room. It's perfection!

Traditional Home, Oct 2011, p 118

Finally, while it has just a touch of pink, I wanted to show you this room done by another DC-based designer, Skip Sroka, from Traditional Home, October 2011 issue. It is a beautiful, soft cozy bedroom. The neutrals in this room are the creams and whisper blues that are being used throughout. The upholstered bed is so gorgeous - it makes me want to curl up and take a nap on it.


Once again, our featured color is the pink, used very sparingly in the broad stripe of the chair. Because it is used so sparingly it takes nothing away from the star of the room which is of course the bed. Again the temptation is there to want to throw a pillow or blanket on the bed that has a bit of the pink in it. But that would take away from the overall softness of the room.


So what can you take away from this Blog posting today? Basically, using color (any color) as an accent and using it sparingly adds more beauty, elegance and impact into a room. Keeping your background and main furnishings neutral helps to create the perfect backdrop for the color to shine in the room. 


If you need me to source any of the items that are featured in the magazine, let me know and I will do my best. And as always, don't be afraid of color and trying something new. You can do it!


If you have any pics or comments, don't be afraid to post them!