Timeless Tuesday Number Eighteen

Welcome to Timeless Tuesday #18. I'm still in the mood for color palettes so I am devoting this week's timeless classic to black and white interiors ~ perhaps with a splash or two of pops. These delicious features are compliments of Houzz. Take a look...

home design by 2.bp.blogspot.com

traditional kitchen design

modern kitchen design by other metros architect Ilija Mirceski

eclectic bedroom design by los angeles interior designer Tracy Murdock Allied ASID

Love Tracy Murdock's work!

eclectic bedroom design by los angeles interior designer Tracy Murdock Allied ASID

contemporary living room design

Black and white occasionally with a splash of color ~ always timeless, always classic!

Now it is your turn to share your posts about classics or trends you hope become timeless...

1) Add your permalink below ~ not your blog's address in general but the specific post you want people to visit. To obtain the actual post link, click on the title of your post once you have published it and copy and paste the URL into Mister Linky.

2) Leave your name and say a couple of words to describe your post (e.g. "Coco Chanel suits" or "Classic interior design for children" or "Delicious meals in a snap."

3) Copy and paste the Timeless Tuesday logo button (on my right sidebar) to your Timeless Tuesday posts. This is a sure way for your readers to know you have joined in the party.

4) Link back to the host blog, that's me ~ Paula Grace Designs Blogspot Timeless Tuesday ~ so all the bloggers that joined the party will receive many interested visitors.

Monday's Method

This Monday's Method will focus on selecting a color palette. I have received several emails asking how I select a color palette. One reader in particular is loving the turquoise and blue/greens that she is seeing in the marketplace but is struggling to select other hues to compliment it.

Well, I usually start with some type of inspiration piece. Most often it is a piece of art, a fabric, or color found in nature. This is actually a very good way to develop a palette since an artist has already selected colors that work together or a fabric company has put their stamp of approval on it or Mother Nature has crafted beautiful scenery.

I get questions a lot on paint colors. My first question is always "What are we basing the colors on?" Usually after this question, people stare me with a blank expression. I smile and say "First we need to find something that can animate that blank expression ~ something that you love." First find a piece of art, a fabric, and place that you love. Let's take the fabric above as an example. This fabric is from Beacon Hill ~ Verlander in Tourmaline. You can see there are four colors in the palette of this fabric. These colors may begin a palette especially if a blue/green is one of the colors you are enjoying these days.

I must admit, I tend to shy away from placing a great amount of a trend color in a room. I like to develop a 'canvas' of neutrals and then add color in smaller doses. First, I love neutrals; second, if one would like to change out the pop color, it is easier if it is in a pillow versus a sofa. Unless you absolutely love the color and have for years uninfluenced by trends, then I would place a color on a large piece of furniture or on the walls. Accents though is where I place the majority of color.

Here is a piece of art entitled As One by Victor Klauss represented by Art and Frame Source. I love Victor Klauss's work. I have him in several places in my home. The one above, I have in my bedroom (of course!). The palette of the room came from this painting.

It is a simple palette of neutrals (yum!) and red (vavoom!) Hey, it's a bedroom ~ remember ;)

Recall the tweens rooms I am doing... one of them was completely influenced by wonderful scenes in nature. If you don't have a place that can draw from ~ look at great photos captured by a great photographer's artistic eye...

Byron Jorjorian's fantastic work above.

Art, fabric, combinations found in nature are all great places to be inspired for color palettes.

Hey, let's help each other ~ do you have a favorite palette? Share for those looking for inspiration!

I am linking with these fabulous blogs. Each deserves a nice, long visit...

Monday ~
Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Little Red House Mosaic Monday

Thursday ~
The Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday

Saturday ~
Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

See you tomorrow for the Timeless Tuesday link party!

Monday's Method

Welcome to Monday's Method! This is the day of the week I answer interior design questions. Today we have two for the price of one :) Sweet Sheila (wonderfully sweet ~ she's the type I'd hug upon meeting!) of the lovely blog, Note Songs, writes in with this question...

Hi Paula,

Well, I got to thinking about us asking you questions, so I will. My living room is still a work in progress. I love my Ralph Lauren sofa. It was a discontinued line and we got a fabulous deal. Anyway, I have two winged back chairs covered in a tapestry fabric that I was going to have recovered. I've changed my mind and am going to keep my beloved wings and put them in another room. I'm going to be on the lookout for new chairs for the living room. Well, to make my long story short, I would love an accent color for some pillows on the sofa and am having a hard time deciding. The walls are painted a soft mossy green, I made my drapes in here and like them. I have a center entry with the living room on one side and dining room on the other and this color of green is on both walls. The drapes are the same also just a different beaded trim. I'm not finished with the wall behind the sofa either. I'm thinking of hanging a couple of small prints on either side of the big picture or maybe hanging some little wall shelves I have.Any advice you can give me would be great.

Be a sweetie,

Shelia ;)

The photo at the top if of the beloved Ralph Lauren sofa. Here are a few more photos to give you a sense of Sweet Sheila's style...

Sheila, you have a lovely traditional style. The color palette of reds and greens is classic. Beautiful! I see how an an accent color may be a bit tricky. If you accent in a darker green, it may look a bit Christmasy all year round.

My choice for an accent color would be blue. Fabrics that incorporate a hue already in the room and blue would be an excellent choice. Here are a few samples from Robert Allen / Beacon Hill to illustrate...

The two are a rich, highly saturated blue. The left is a Beacon Hill fabric ~ Arno in the colorway Berry Blue. This fabric has the red and the cream of the sofa. The right one is from Robert Allen ~ Aigrette in Navy ~ but also incorporates a nice green hue. Note that the patterns are an organized geometric yet traditional. This would be a nice contrast to the curvy motif on the sofa fabric.



These two are a medium tone blue. The left is from Robert Allen ~ Barnyard in Twilight. It incorporates the green and the cream plus the toile-like motif would marry well with your style. The right is Betty in Navy. This is a lovely, sweet fabric incorporating all three color in the room (red, green, and cream) plus adds the blue.

With the addition of a blue, the accessories that you spoke about adding may incorporate blues. This will enhance the harmony in the room. You already have fabulous unity with style and color. Adding blue would bring in a pinch of diversity for added interest. How wonderful!

This is a French Country design I did for a lovely family. The color palette is yellow, red, blue, gold, ivory, and a hint of green. The pillows incorporate most of the colors. The green comes in the form of topiaries and lamps. What do you think? Do you like the way the pillows marry all the colors and then there is a different hue ~ green ~ in the lamps? That just gives the room a bit more interest. By the way, the lumbar and chair pillows are reversible. See how the chair pillow has an ivory background and the lumbar ones on the sofa has a gold background? Each has the other fabric on their flip side. This is an easy way to get more bang for your buck. You may change out the room based on season or your mood by simply flipping the pillow over.

I hope this helps Sheila! I'd love to see what you do!!

Jane also writes in...

Hello, Paula --

How kind of you to offer decorating help! I have a family room sofa that sits off center on the wall. I have a small group of large canvases I would like to hang on that wall ... do I center them on the wall or specifically over the sofa?

Thank you for giving some thought to my design dilemma.

Jane

This is a very good question. One that many struggle with. The art needs to be in relation to the sofa ~ meaning that canvases need to be centered over the sofa. Also, they should not sit to far above the sofa either. Take a look again at the French Country design above. See how the art follows the line of the sofa back? The art is in relation to the sofa. Here are some other examples from my portfolio...

Note the art centered over the sofa and practically sits right on the chair rail as these pieces are quite tall...

Again, not too far off the back and centered on the long side of the L shaped sectional...

This vignette has the art as the focal point. Literally all other pieces surround the art.

Centering it over the sofa may then leave the room feeling off balance. You may need to augment by adding a tall furnishing(s) to the side of the sofa that has more exposed wall to provide balance. This would be an asymmetrical balance done by the eye. In the last vignette ~ the floor lamp was placed first. There was a wall expanse to the left of the art so I added the large scale vase. The lamp backed by the ivory silk drapes is nicely balance by the large scale textured ivory floor vase.

There you go Jane! I hope that helps. Let me know how it turns out.

If you have interior design questions, don't hesitate to leave it in a comment. If you have questions about a specific room or space, email me a couple of pictures to paula@paulagracedesigns.com. Please note 'Monday Method Question' in the subject line.

I am linking with these fabulous blogs. Each deserves a nice, long visit...

Monday ~
Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Little Red House Mosaic Monday

Tuesday ~
A Soft Place to Land DIY Tuesday

Thursday ~
The Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday

Saturday ~
Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

See you tomorrow for the Timeless Tuesday link party!

Same ol', same ol' ~ NOT!

My head is spinning a bit as many new projects have come my way. When writing this brief post, I was practically walking out the door to my latest ~ two tween bedrooms. I am so looking forward to it too! These are ongoing clients whom I adore. So far I have done their kitchen, family room, sun room, powder room, porch and deck. The next room was to be the dining room (I actually already found the table in my other travels) but a call from the lady of the home reported that plans have changed ~ its the tweens turn. It's interesting these client have a similar color palette to the one above but the end results are so different. I posted on them ~ just the powder room ~ so far.

A while back, I showed you the Robert Allen Larry Laslo fabric above as the inspiration fabric for one of my latest projects. I have done this color palette many times. Folks just love it. Why? It's classic. At the top is the inspiration fabric with it's family. These will be in the family and keeping rooms (see furniture plan below). The Laslo fabric will be pillows; the wide silk stripe is the drapes. The solid neutral fabrics and leather are large furniture pieces; the solid green and other patterned ones (herringbone and coral-like) are accents. This palette will never retire as there are so many fabrics to select from. Each design remains fresh and unique.So what do you think of the palette? What other favorite classic palettes come to mind for you?

Fun Friday ~ Before and After

I thought it would be fun to come full circle this week and see before and after pictures of this powder room. This is in the home of the client that I spoke about in my Monday blog. She loves the green and orange mix and has for years. Nicolette did a blog on copper a while back and I commented that I am using a copper sink vessel in a project. I said I would take some pictures. Here they are ~ with my little Canon. When Bob comes, my professional photographer, I am sure he will know how to shoot a powder room with two big mirrors and perhaps use a wide angle lens so you may see more of the room at one time. I on the other hand was a bit challenged. I am even in some of the shots ~ mirrors ~ what can I say.

First, before shots. This is before we did anything at all....



When we painted the public spaces, we painted the powder room the lovely pale green we used in the family and sun rooms. I took more pictures as we were getting ready to design it....

We added a beautiful vanity with storage and copper sink vessel, chrome fixtures and accessories, the lovely aluminum vases (still awaiting their sprigs), large scale art and mirrors (one full length & one for the vanity both custom framed in copper), and a fabulous pendent (there was no ceiling fixture previously), and an area rug atop their beautiful hardwood floor. After.....

I actually took these pictures today. Just a few more touches and the powder room will be done. We started discussing the design for her dining room ~ I am excited!

Happy weekend!

Outdoor Wonderland in Detail

I am so sorry I did not post yesterday. I had to finish up an outdoor project for a Monday morning meeting. Speaking of outdoor projects, as promised here are three color palettes from projects. These are the fabrics I used. Most of them are from Robert Allen / Beacon Hill. The same principles and elements are applied to outdoor spaces - pattern, color, texture..... Let me know what you think.

Palette #1


Palette #2


Palette #3