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
Outdoor Palette
Today I’m joining a few other bloggers over at Remodelaholic, chatting about how all our kitchen cabinets have held up after painting them several months ago. Be sure to check out the reviews if you’re thinking of painting your own cabinets. But before you head over to see them, I want to share with you a little color theory, and how it can help you pick colors for your home. We have been trying to get motivated to paint the exterior of our house for about 10 years now, ever since we moved in. Let’s just say that the home’s exterior is not what attracted us. But I’m a firm believer that a… Keep Reading
Blueberry Palette
I know that fall is approaching because this is the first week we haven’t been in the 90’s all week, but I’m still clinging to summer in my mind. While most folks are putting up their fall decor, I’m still trying to coax the last bit of life out of my spring colors. That’s why, when I saw this blueberry picture, I just had to use it for something. When you’re building a color palette to use in your home, it’s usually a good idea to include a version of a contrasting color to offset your dominant colors. Here, the blues are obviously the dominant color, and that soft straw… Keep Reading
Soothing Nursery Palette
When my blogger friend Pamela, of Haartfelt.com, asked me to help her design a nursery palette for a series she’s writing on building self-esteem in children, I jumped at the idea. While my babies are almost as tall as I am now, I have several friends who are preparing to welcome new little ones into their families, and my creative juices are positively sizzling for them. I mean, babies are great, but an excuse to redecorate a room in your house? Even better! (Just kidding, kids. I love you, not just your cute rooms.) The soft greens, gray, and yellow of this palette make me really happy, and I know… Keep Reading
Misty Beach Palette
When I think of the beach, I tend to think of it as I knew it growing up in Texas. Once as year, when we could, my family would get together and visit the beach along the Gulf of Mexico right around July 4th. It was hot, muggy, and so sunny it would sear your eyeballs, not to mention the bottom of your feet if you tried running barefoot on the crushed shells that made up most of the beach and surrounding streets. We didn’t care. It was paradise and still is, in my mind. So when I saw this picture, it seemed like such a different experience that it caught my… Keep Reading