Color Texture Pattern: Soothing Blues

So, apparently it is now mid-August and a lot of us are wondering where the summer went. Consensus is that the various heatwaves drove us all indoors seeking air-conditioned relief. While we were burrowing, June and July slipped away. All I know is that I want my 39th summer back! 

Since it is unlikely summers will get milder in the years to come, here's to homes that are built for this sort of thing. Where you can linger indoors and enjoy the feel of cool tiles, in soothing shades of green and blue, arranged in orderly patterns of squares and rectangles. Calm, soothing relief...

timeless kitchen in brussels: high ceilings, shimmering tile, sconces that fade into the walls, rustic wood floors and the slate blue ceiling and chimney wall
source: maison francaise  photo: francis amiand

Color Story: Ice Pink & Mocha Revisited

The sight of the new House Beautiful cover both thrilled me and threw me for a loop. On one hand, it sizzles (as do all their covers, am I right?). The earthy tones jibe so well from the salmon pink title and throw pillows, to the cool brown wallpaper and that wonderful pink painting. On the other hand, this cover took me back about ten years to when I first started thinking about decorating my apartment properly. 

After visiting for the first time, a friend suggested my little studio was juvenile and in need of a full upgrade. Her plans were too much for me at the time, but that discussion did pique my interest. I started looking at design magazines and considering furnishings. For a few months it looked like some lovely Oriental silk bolsters from ABC Home store were going to be the inspiration. (If you're a New Yorker, you know that quite often they carry very affordable items and have great sales.) The shiny cool shades I deemed "ice pink" and "mocha."

Since that color scheme was never put in place, who's to say if it would have been right for me? But man was it pretty in my imagination. And now House Beautiful not only brings it back, but breaks it down! 

Source: House Beautiful