Few architects venture into the territory of color with the bravado of  Luis Barragán.  One of the Mexico’s most influential 20th century architects, he was a master of form, color and light.

Luis Barragan

Luis Barragan via Arch Daily

Luis Barragan

One of my favorite subjects of study is the use of “color planes” in both interiors and exteriors.  Local Washington, D.C. architect, Mark McInturff often integrates blocks of color in open contemporary spaces with great success.

McInturff Architects

Here, color is injected into an open floor plan in the form of  framed rectangular gypsum panels.  They not only define space within, but draw the eye through it.

McInturff Architects

McInturff Architects

And here, color and form marry with great success on two exteriors.

McInturff Architects

McInturff Architects

Modern, open spaces can be transformed using color this way. Often the perimeter color is a white or neutral.

Donald Kaufman

Color planes can also be used in a more traditional setting. The “plane” may not be a free-standing wall, but a floor or door.

via Living, etc.

Susan Sargent

Color is integral to design. I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with a like-minded architect or designer to use color this way.

Full speed ahead updating a family room in my own home and must share some great finds.

photo Lacefield Designs

I’m all for the ease and gentle price point of “semi-custom”, especially when it comes to decorative pillows. Of course,  my eye always seems to settle on pricey fabrics–  and with minimum yardage requirements for ordering plus labor this can bring the cost of a single pillow well into the triple digits.  So what is a girl (or guy) to do?

photo Lacefield Designs

Go online !    I found several great resources and just what I was looking for after spending about an hour surfing the web.  One of my favorites is Lacefield Design, where you can view fabrics and finished pillows by color.   Beth Lacefield offers textiles and pillows at a great price point.  Her pillows are finished beautifully and have an artisanal feel.  Another plus is that they are designed in Lacefield’s studio outside of Atlanta and are made locally.

photo Lacefield Designs

And then there is Etsy. You’ll find great offerings here. Seems there are plenty of  people out there with a good eye and a sewing machine.  Many of the pillows are finished simply though– three seams and a zipper– no fancy trim.  But designers can churn out (and sell)  several pillows per yard, so offer them at bargain prices.  And you’ll find gorgeous to-the -trade fabrics used as well as vintage textiles. Here is stylist Emily Henderson’s ” Etsy Throw Pillow Roundup” .   Apartment Therapy also has a few hand-made Etsy favorites.

photo Apartment Therapy

And moi?  I was just ready to head out to the DC Design Center today to check out a gorgeous woven fabric from the Celerie Kemble Collection for Schumacher:

With a few keywords and clicks… look what I found:

Wow…  so PillowMood (who has an art background, great taste and is from Boston)  has already made me just what I need.  I would have probably added some trim, but at $69.00 (!)  it is a steal.

Surf, click…. done.   Now this leaves me more time to obsess about something else.  Like rugs.

: )

photo Pinterest

~Happy Weekend ~

Chances are, if you have meandered over to this blog, you may also have wandered onto my Pinterest boards.   If you are new to Pinterest,  dive right in.

Fabulous tool for curating, organizing and sharing images and inspiration with friends, colleagues and clients.  What I love most about it is that the images always take you back to the source– eliminating all of that filing and bookmarking.  And, of course, you can scroll across hundreds of images (viewing others’ boards) –at warp speed. I find my mind just buzzing with visual overload, +  it is addicting. And like much of social media, just as we conquer the learning curve of one thing, something newer and more clever comes along. So just today, I noticed that there is another new toy (and new verb) on the block.

Meet  “Chip It”, curtesy of  Sherwin Williams:

I’m not sure how I will use this new app, but it is super easy and lightening fast. I “chipped” (and repinned) these images in 5 minutes flat:

photo Holly Dyment / palette Sherwin Williams

photo via Color Sizzle/ palette Sherwin Williams

image via Remodelista/ palette Sherwin williams

image via House Beautiful/ palette by Sherwin Williams

image via Helen James/palette via Sherwin Williams

“Chipping”…. you might have heard it here first.

“The advantage of white is that is saves the curator from having to choose” ~  Jonathan Jones

Takada Gallery

One of my favorite subjects– how is color best used to complement art?

Smithsonian American Art Museum

I live in a city brimming with art museums and galleries and have written about the brilliant use of color on the walls of The National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. The painting of gallery walls is most certainly an intellectual exercise and a subtle art. And the debate over whether or not the use of anything other than a neutral or white paint is simply a distraction… continues on.

MoMA

MoMA, which set the standard for the display of contemporary art (in the 1930′s the walls were lined with a neutral beige monk’s cloth) recently initiated a repainting effort for a focused installation.  The color chosen was a greyish-beige– Benjamin Moore’s Big Bend Beige.

In an article about the history of MoMA‘s use of color,  Eleonore Hugendubel writes that its “adoption of the white-walled space set a pioneering, if not uncontested, international standard for exhibiting modern and contemporary art, one that to this day, by virtue of its chromatic simplicity, has remained somewhat of a norm. MoMA’s “white cube” galleries have been fertile ground for many critical debates and the subject of several not-so-neutral arguments.”

At the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, walls were recently “coloured” … the Museum noting that ,

“White kills all painting apart from 20th century and contemporary art. When you put an Academic or an Impressionist painting against a white background, the radiance of the white, its indeterminate aura around the work prevents the sometimes very subtle contrasts of values from being revealed.  In [our] view, white is the enemy of painting.”

The Guggenheim in NYC weighes in on the subject:

“Each time the Guggenheim mounts an exhibition it embarks on an elaborate design process to plan the gallery ambiance. Wall color is often used to convey a particular time, place, or culture, and must highlight the works of art without competing with them. The choice of wall color can influence how a museum visitor experiences the artworks, so this process is crucial to the presentation.”

The Guggenheim has recently collaborated with Fine Paints of Europe to offer a curated collection of  50 colors, culled from its exhibition design archives and intended to guide homeowners in the showcasing of art.

And  more examples of palettes chosen by museums abroad… these from Aalto Colour of New Zealand:

For over fifty years, white has been the choice and integral design element of the work of the modernist, Richard Meier (The Getty in LA). Speaking on the subject, he says,

“There is plenty of color, and…  white allows us to appreciate that color. It intensifies our perception of color, and the way that color changes throughout the day the way nature changes.”

The High Museum in Atlanta

My thoughts on the subject?   I simply appreciate that color has become an integral part of the exhibition design process.  That said….. white is a color.

Your thoughts?

Color,  fun,  and….  whimsy alert ! Fine Paints of Europe has collaborated with local Richmond, Virginia designer Susan Jamieson of Bridget Beari Designs to create an exciting new signature paint collection.

photo Bridget Beari

The collection, Bridget Beari Colors,  is a set of 76 custom wall colors formulated by the designer.  Susan says that the “motto” of the collection  is “inspired by the ones you love, created for the way you live” .

photo Bridget Beari (with Lulabelle)

And the way that Susan lives?  With dogs!  She walks the walk--  each of her paint colors is named for a dog (or something else four-legged)– beloved pets of friends and clients. Is there anything more fun than that?

photo Bridget Beari

I recently had the opportunity to interview Susan about her  fabulous color collection:

J: As a designer with a certain aesthetic, do you find yourself actually using an edited collection of “tried and true” colors time and again?

S: Yes, I do use certain colors over again, especially a good white or a perfect tan.  All the colors in my Bridget Beari fan deck are colors that I  have used throughout my 20 years in interior design.

J: You state that “good design comes from the ability to visualize the potential in every space.”  Does the “potential” of a space have limitations in terms of color? Lighting comes to mind.

S: I believe that every room has potential.  It is a talent to be able to see what the positive characteristics are in a room and what design changes can really bring it to life.  I also believe that if something is lacking, then create.  If a room seems dark, then add light by physically adding a window, by lighting changes or by changing the tone with color.  The room will always tell me what it needs,  then I have to mix that with the client’s taste and my Bridget Beari touch.”

J: Your saturated “brights” really caught my eye. These are easy to get wrong.  Are your choices the result of trial and error or do you simply have that “eye” for what looks great up on a wall?

S: I think it is a little of both.  The strong colors need very specific settings.  This is a mistake most people make when choosing paint colors.  They think the stronger and brighter, the better.  They forget to take into account all the things that make up a room.  Having a design plan is so important when starting any project.  My clients like to call me the “Queen of Color” because I can pick colors quickly and with good results.  That said, sometimes the lighting in a room throws the color way off.  I always put up samples before a room is fully painted.

J:  I’m loving  the hot pink “Trixie”.  In what sort of space have you used this color successfully? And don’t tell me that “Trixie ” is a dog!

S:  Trixie is a horse from my childhood.  It is a great accent color.  I have painted chairs as well as the back of a bookcase.  I’m geting a lot of positive feedback on “Trixie” from other designers.

J. I’m also wild about your range of warm neutrals.  Do you have a favorite?

S: I am a neutral girl at heart.  I could do a whole chart on just neutrals, so I really have a hard time paring down to a favorite.  N.62 “Biscuit” is probably my favorite because it is the perfect base color for any room but it must be paired with a crisp white like “Snowball” for real impact.

Here at The Painted Room,  I’m a huge fan of “signature” paint collections.  The color choices of good designers are useful to me.  I  use them as a guide, but tweaking color to perfection depends on many variables in a space, most importantly…light.  Keep that in mind when sampling paint colors.

Where can you find Bridget Beari Colors?   Fine Paints of Europe retail locations and The Rue in Richmond, Virginia.

*  *  *

My personal fav?

Woof?

Old Town, Alexandria… in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Just giving you a glimpse of how we “do the holidays”  in this quaint little part of the world.  Yes, we do have inflatable Snoopy snow globes and blinking reindeer displays on the “outskirts” of town but in the historic district, the decor is more of the natural variety.

Fresh and dried greens and fruit are used in abundance… think Colonial Williamsburg.

A store window festooned with pine and heather (love this one)

Magnolia, lemons and clove-studded oranges

Clustered green apples play off nicely against a red door

A nautical theme with bleached starfish, shells,  and pine cones

A simple swag of scotch pine and pepperberries

A chartreuse ribbon complements the black shutters

More magnolia love…

Sprayed gold pomegranates

And how sweet is this?

~

If you are ever in the Washington, D.C. area over the holidays….  Old Town (on the Potomac River) is a short ride on the metro but a nice step back into history (and away from…  the glitter).

Todd Healy

Travel … I always welcome change and a new perspective. Which is why I never default to the mundane and safe.  When heading to any big (or little) city,  I usually look for something a bit outside the box.  I’m always willing to take a chance and relish spending just one night in a space that  really inspires me.

I’ve done The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs….  though did not don the burlap Sherpa’s robe provided.

There are NYC’s “boutique” offerings.  Fun to ride the chartreuse escalator at The Hudson… just once.

Le Meridien Philadelphia was a visual treat.

via Remodelista

All of them just seem to be trying too hard.  So…  just came across images of Ian Scrager’s new “Public Hotel” in Chicago on Remodelista. The interiors really caught my eye.   A study in neutrals with infusions of color in small doses.  Trying…but understated.

via Remodelista

A vertical slice of brilliant yellow in back-lit shelving at the bar

via Remodelista

A splash of purple on white

via Remodelista

A horizontal plane of grass green in a sea of  textured neutrals

On Remodelista,  ”Schrager describes his new venture as a “paradigm shift”; with a focus on value without sacrificing style.” Sounds (and looks) good to me.

What a visual treat!  I  recently had the pleasure of spending a few nights at Le Meridien in Center City, Philadelphia.

lobby, le meridien

This hotel, which opened just 2 years ago, is an adaptive reuse project of the original 1912, Horace Trumbauer-designed, Georgian revival-style building.  It was formerly a YWCA.

YWCA..1900s

Blackney Hayes Architects was responsible for the redesign. The lobby is simply grand and references old tradition with its soaring arches and rich floor to ceiling paneling.

The vibe and decor, however are decidedly  hip, plush and moderne.

The rich wood-tones in the lobby are the perfect backdrop for bursts of rich red, persimmon and saffron color in the carpeting and upholstery.

It was fun exploring the hotel’s private art collection. Large, contemporary abstracts hold their own in the soaring spaces. The lighting fixtures are sublime.

In the evening, the lobby is hushed and dark with a swanky back-lit bar and flickering votives (football, too).

le meridien

On the upper floors, the color scheme is subdued gray with accents of red and orange.

sliding door, le meridien

The surprise was a large plane of color on the sliding bathroom door, in a yummy cherry red laminate.

An updated tone-on-tone medallion wallpaper graces the bath.

Woman in Blue, Henri Matisse

And for a jolt of reality, from the  lobby windows you have a great view of the tent city that is “Occupy Philadelphia”.  The hotel is just across from the magnificent City Hall.  It’s also within walking distance to the fabulous food markets and The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

And  I knew I was in the right hotel with this reading material in the lobby. I read it cover to cover.

*   *   *

Le Meridien Philadelphia…. your coffee could be warmer but you’ve got my vote~

It’s here!   Benjamin Moore has launched its new line of 240 full-spectrum colors online. Welcome “Color Stories” !

Colors are organized by hue  into “volumes”…Fluid Blues, Golden Fields, Violet Twilight, Fiery Sunset, Elemental Greens, Earthen Hues, Naturally Neutral and Shades of Gray. I’m most intrigued by the grays. Imagine grays without a drop of black pigment added…complex, nuanced, luminous.

Here are some screen grabs of  the “Gray Volume”…

“Ally’s Earring”  …..”A single, heirloom pearl inspired this beautiful, warm neutral.  Radiant, elegant…both formal and casual in nature. ”  Absolutely beautiful imagery… professional designers may not need “stories” to inform their color choices, but I’m betting the busy consumer in the market for the perfect gray will be inspired by them. The images and descriptions do evoke an emotional response… “Tweed Coat”  is easier to recall than BMCC-315.

Is gray already on the way out?  NO… the perfect neutral will always be at home on the walls of our homes. It is classic, enduring and the perfect backdrop for other more vibrant hues like chartreuse, yellow and orange.

The paint deck (actual painted samples) will be available in November.  But for now, “wet samples” (pint-size cans in Aura eggshell finish) can be ordered online.

And take a look at “Bellbottom Blues”… hard to resist!

For more background on “Color Stories”, see my previous post, “Full-Spectrum Yum”,  here.

Moving further east across the Maryland Eastern Shore to the Atlantic … another little slice of paradise–  the home of my twin sister, Janet.

Janet lives on the water … a western view across the bay with killer sunsets.

She is remarkably talented at just about everything– decorating, photography, food, entertaining, gardening, and…gutting + filleting a fish on the dock in under 10 seconds.

She has a lovely gallery showcasing the spoils of her husband’s deep sea fishing exploits…blue marlin, white marlin… big game fish

Gorgeous summer slipcovers  (designed and sewn by Janet)

Fish and fowl…

A beautiful collection of  bronze wildlife sculptures by William Turner … blue heron

Maryland blue crab (my favorite)

LOVE her powder room… totally relevant Ralph Lauren wallpaper (extraordinary nautical detail) with trim in Benjamin Moore Maritime White

And a photo of her beloved dogs Molly and Hector at the bow.

~~~_/) ~~~ _/) ~~~_/)~~~

More Eastern Shore love….next post will be a little ode to Chestertown, Maryland.

Real Sot-Weed Factor territory.