Albuquerque Summers usually promise at least one good storm and this year, while hot and dry, has proved faithful. I shot this photo the other night as the sun was setting and clouds were building. I had been in the house, and I looked out the window, and although I couldn’t see the sky, I could tell from the color of the air. Does that seem weird? Sometimes you can just tell that the day’s color is changing. My heart takes a little leap when that happens and I run outside to see what kind of show the sky is putting on tonight. Sometimes it’s hard to capture the glory of… Keep Reading
Whole House Palette
Today I’m bringing you a slightly different kind of color palette. Rather than taking my inspiration from a photo, I’m using my own house. These are the colors I’m currently surrounded by in my own home. (Sadly, most of them aren’t on the walls yet. I’m actually surrounded by paint cans with the colors inside.) But here’s the plan. I would call this a Modern Farmhouse Palette. While it has many of the light neutrals of a traditional farmhouse style, I threw in a couple of vibrant colors to keep things interesting. Here are the colors by the numbers: Benjamin Moore Gray Owl OC-52. Hallways and Entryway. This is one of my… Keep Reading
What Nobody Will Tell You About How to Pick the Perfect Gray
Today I’m going to take off my amateur “DIY Blogger” hat, and put on my professional “Designer and Color Expert” hat for just a moment, because I want to share with you some information that’s been bugging me. And when I say bugging me, I mean on a deep, anxiety-producing, sleep-disturbing, personal level. Today I want to talk about picking the right gray color for your home. Gasp. Why is that so personal, you ask? Well, it’s because I feel like my reputation is on the line when I’m picking colors for my house, and right now I’m having the darnedest time picking the right gray. As I’ve been going through… Keep Reading
Fresh Citrus Palette
Today was the last day of school for my kids, which means it’s now officially summer! To celebrate surviving another school year, as well as to procrastinate on making plans for a productive and healthy summer, I thought I’d share this summery palette with you. Doesn’t this photo make you want to go out in your backyard and pluck a ripe, juicy orange off your tree? Well, me too, but I have no orange trees. I have a half-dead cypress, but that’s another story. Guess I’ll swing by the farmer’s market and pick up my oranges that way instead. While I wouldn’t recommend wrapping a room in these bright hues, I’d… Keep Reading
Hidden Flamingo Palette
As I was looking around for some color palette inspiration today, this picture caught my eye. How can something be so beautiful and awkward at the same time? I mean, this pose does not look comfortable to me, but this flamingo sure seems to be sleeping peacefully. And then there is the color contrast. He (or she?) is so delicately pink and each shaded feather is exquisite, but the water beneath looks so drab and gray. This hidden flamingo reminds me that in art, as in life, it’s the contrast… the balancing act… that keeps things interesting. So here’s to sleeping on one leg, and to the beauty of awkwardness. Photo credit: Loimere… Keep Reading
Summer Fruit Palette
Today I’m sharing a palette with ulterior motives. We’ve moved into our new house and started painting the walls, at least the ones we’re not planning on removing anytime soon. I’ve fallen in love with a deep dark teal and gray theme, and am now trying to figure out if I want to accent those colors with pink and coral. Does that sound crazy? Here’s how it looks in a palette: Looks good enough to eat, right? But I’m not sure whether I can translate it to my house without visitors thinking I’ve gone off the design deep end. Here’s a little preview of our living room, from the kitchen. (Don’t… Keep Reading
Spring Blossom Palette
Spring is teasing us here in New Mexico. The last few weeks have been unseasonably warm (no complaints here!) but I know we’re in for at least one more big freeze. Personally, I’d be happy if it would just get hotter and hotter from now until Summer, but apparently I don’t get to make the rules. Instead, I’ll just enjoy all the budding plants and trees, and hope they won’t all be killed if the temperature does plummet again. By this time of year, I’ve had it with winter, and am ready to start seeing all the spring color, both inside and outside my home. So in honor of Spring,… Keep Reading
Ancient Arches Palette and Furniture Restoration
I know I promised you baseboards this week, but since I’m currently in the process of working on those very baseboards, I’m just dropping in today to share some color inspiration and a great infographic on restoring furniture. I’m a big fan of dark and broody photography, and this one caught my eye for its gorgeous patterns of light and shadow, as well as its colors. These warm neutrals have their roots in natural stones, timber and minerals, and would be great foundation colors in a room, or for a piece of furniture. Speaking of furniture, Alan from Crowe Sawmills shared this furniture restoration infographic with me, and I thought it was… Keep Reading
Night Sky Color Palette
As promised, I’m returning this month with a non-Christmas-y color palette. (How did red and green get chosen as the official colors of Christmas anyway?) Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and everything about it. The smells of cookies baking, the sounds of snow crunching underfoot, the mounds of wrapping paper all over my kitchen table for weeks at a time. OK, maybe not that last one. But the thing I love most about Christmas is the Why. Why do we stuff ourselves, rush around getting the perfect gifts, and max out our schedules trying to attend every party? Actually I don’t know why we do those things. But… Keep Reading
Sunny Field Palette
With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I feel like everywhere I turn I’m surrounded by oranges and browns. And while pumpkins and leaves look perfectly radiant in orange, I must admit it’s not one of my favorite colors. So I just couldn’t bring myself to do a “Harvest” palette, as I feel the season dictates. (If that makes me a party pooper, wait till you see how I feel about red and green next month!) Instead, I found inspiration in this photo of a sunny field. It feels like summer is on it’s way out, but the light is still warm and the flowers are still in bloom, and that… Keep Reading