Turquoise + Tangerine Dream

Yesterday it was announced that Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year would be Tangerine Tango. I just had to repost some of Erin's (House of Turquoise) great shots of the sassy hue. Apparently it's one of her favorite colors. (Of course turquoise, the 2010 Color of the Year, will always be her number one.) Looks like my client isn't alone in her love of this hot color combo. 

Lonny

This room is basically perfection in my mind. Those lacquered walls, the artwork, the velvet on that amazing sofa, the cocktail table with those ikat pillows... But remember (I know I say it over and over): Wall prep and plaster perfection are key before spraying lacquer. Imagine a trace of orange peel under this color. A true tangerine nightmare!

 Lonny

 Morgan Harrison Home

Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon makes a reappearance. Haven't seen this once superstar of the blogosphere in a long time.  

Ashlee Raubach and Caitlin Wilson

Lonny

La Samanna Villas

EJ Interiors

Morgan Harrison Home

If you like these cheerful images, you'll LOVE Erin's blog(s). Check out all of them. They'll brighten up your inbox everyday!

Deco Delight!

Once in a while the universe hands you a golden nugget on a silver platter. By that, I mean this spectacular inspiration photo handed to me by my francophile client. I mean SPECTACULAR! How can I even begin to recreate this periwinkle bedroom fantasy? I literally gasped when I saw it.

Okay, maybe you've seen it, but I hadn't. So, excuse me while I discuss it ad nauseam! Who did it? When? Is that ottoman Ralph? Or a vintage find? I think the mirror is Vaughan. And the fabric? Custom? Sources please...!

It is, in fact, the boudoir of Jeanne Lanvin of the famous House of Lanvin, completed in 1925! I can never emphasize enough that beautiful design is timeless. After researching it a bit further, I found these other images and this fantastic article by Eloise Moorehead:

"Jeanne Lanvin, one of the most illustrious Paris couturières of the twentieth century, hired Armand-Albert Rateau to create an elegant... Art Deco... bedroom suite in her [Paris] townhouse. Lanvin was so delighted by the results that Rateau was commissioned to design her two country homes, her boutiques, her theater and her iconic Arpège perfume bottle, as well as named head of the Lanvin-Décoration department of interior design (established in 1920).

Perfume advertisement, 1927

"The dominant motif of the room is the daisy (Lanvin’s daughter was named Marguerite, the French word for daisy). The flower appears throughout the suite, heavily stylized in fabrics, carved in wood and cast in bronze.

"Cornflower blue was Lanvin’s signature color, and it appeared so frequently in her clothing designs that it became known as 'Lanvin Blue.'...The white-silk-embroidered fabric used on the walls, draperies and bedding was made by the same seamstresses that embellished her robes de styles."

"The tufted low-slung Louis-Louis chairs nod to 18th-century France, and the bronze furniture (torchère, low table and coiffeuse) hearken ancient Pompeii (a major influence on Rateau’s style)...Curtains called portières hang over the doorways, a popular design element up to the 19th century."

In a word, spectacular.

Jeanne Lanvin, painted by one of my favorite painters, Edouard Vuillard, 1933.

What I'm working on...Breakfast Room

Tonight I'm up too late thinking about a breakfast room for one of my clients. One of her inspiration photos is this Tobi Fairley image, which, I agree, is just beautiful. However, it's a bit too traditional for our tastes, or for the rest of the house. Here's what she's really responding to (I broke it down with her):

• soft color scheme: aqua with pops of peachy coral
• touch of walnut, mixed with painted wood
• graphic patterns, mixed with light florals

She wants fun, "updated," and kid friendly. We're already having a round walnut table made for the space. Three active kids will be eating, crafting and spilling at it, so I'm covering all seating in either an ivory faux leather or an aqua "snakeskin" vinyl. (I have some beautiful embossed vinyls that you'd swear were the real thing. And they're totally kid proof!). 

I did some very quick mood boards tonight. Hopefully they'll convince her to add some deeper teal to flow with the intensity of the rest of the house.

A slightly refined, yet eclectic version. (Remember the kids can rub cranberries into those chairs.)

Would love to snag something like this artwork for her. I don't care where we put it! Couldn't you just see it over a brass bar from Society Social.

A more casual, global version. I love this chair from Layla Grace. I know, they are getting a bit ubiquitous, but I still love them. Cushions, of course, would be covered in something wipeable.

Okay, just a quick episode of 30Rock with the hubs and a glass of wine, then it's off to bed.

Good night!