Room Gallery ~ Life Without Colour?

I’m having a colour moment today.  Perhaps it’s the drab and dreary grey day (has anyone else had enough with this rain already?!), and so I thought I’d treat my eyes to some wonderful colour from my design library, and share with you not one but four featured rooms of the week, all with different layers of colour, texture and feel.

Colour encompasses life, with all its feelings and moods. It has infinite possibilities and manifestations and it can awaken or subdue our desires. It can refresh or it can relax. Not many of us think in depth about colour. Yes, we often have our favourite colour or a colour we naturally gravitate to, but few take time to understand the complexities of colour.


{via eastmanimages.com}

Colour can play hide and seek between the candid and the vulnerable, it can be both nostalgic and noble, luxurious and sophisticated. The complexity of colour can be explored through its multiple layers of shade, tone, and saturation.


{via chateaudemoissac.fr}

The absence of colour creates an immense void ~ imagine a white sheet of paper. It contains every possibility and flirts at what could be, and is a foundation on which to build up your scheme.


{via housetohome.co.uk}

A singular colour can be powerful, dazzling, striking and intense – often monochromatic schemes are very masculine. Paired with a complimentary colour, you can create a balances or you can also ‘clash it up’ to make a loud statement.

 


{via coco+kelly}

How does colour revive your life and influence your lifestyle?

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Room Gallery

I just love mixing and matching surfaces. If done correctly, you can create a dramatic visual impact with very little fuss. DKOR Interiors created this bathroom with blue agate.  Agate is known for its interesting strata formations, fineness of grain and bright colours.  Pair with a warm wood as they have done here to get you started.  I’ve highlighted some areas for this room that can be upgraded to make a really chic look.

What other hard surfaces do you like mixing?

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{via MHZ, Elle Decor, Mary McDonald}

Romantic bedrooms for all to see, what would you do to sleep in this fantasy?

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Feature: Hallways


{image via Modern Exposures}

Today’s Room of the Week Feature focuses on this casual yet chic hallway.  This is not a difficult look to achieve, and the visually appealing palette and layout would look as good in a cottage by the seaside as a country retreat.

What does your hallway look like?

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I love this home office recently featured in the NY Times.  The colours! The fabrics! The furniture! Delightful…

How do you have your home office?

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Monday’s Room Of The Week ~ Top 3 Pick


1. David Collins    2. Architectural Digest   3. Loft Life Mag

These are my top 3 kitchen picks for this week.  Each has a slightly rustic element which I just love at the moment.

Which is your favourite?

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{via tumblr}

I love the simplicity of this kitchen.  It’s a great use of a small space, and the monochromatic scheme gives the room space to breathe.  I love the idea of taking a bookshelf and library ladder and converting them into kitchen shelving.  The hanging pendants at different heights gives perspective to the room, and the light weight kitchen units keep the space airy and welcoming.

What does your kitchen look like?

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Room Gallery ~ Palazzo Margherita

The infamous movie director, Francis Ford Coppola bought a grand but decaying villa, and renovated it with the help of renowned French interior designer Jacques Grange.

I recently read a  piece covering the transformation, and I just fell in love particularly with suite no. 9 of the Palazzo Margherita.


{via WoI, March 2012.}

This suite overlooks the palazzo’s private gardens and it was previously a covered terrace.  Coppola installed glass into the windows and painted the vaulted ceiling.


{photographs by Tim Beddow}

The bejmat floor tiles were designed by Grange, as was the headboard’s inlay which follows a traditional Syrian geometric pattern.  Grange also designed the bathroom tiles, and the overall feel is one of a bohemian Morocco set in Italy. As Coppola says, it is “authentic, quality, pleasure with a dash of the exotic”.

What’s even more exciting is that Ford Coppola has opened the Palazzo’s doors to paying guests wishing to stay.  The next time I’m in Bernalda I shall certainly be booking myself into here as a treat!

What other beautifully designed location would you like to stay in?

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Room Gallery ~ A Bit Blue


{via LiveBreatheDecor}

I love blue. If done well, the classic blue and white combination is crisp, elegant and not at all ‘beach house’.

I’m pretty sure this is a Ralph Lauren ‘Bel Air Apartment Sofa’…

Most of all, I love that this home owner has colour coordinated the books on the shelves, giving warmth and depth plus a hint of fun to the room.

What is your favourite colour?

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I’m really into neutral and restrained palettes at the moment…perhaps it’s the grey weather. But this bedroom above is anything but dull.  I can just imagine retiring from the blazing sun for an afternoon siesta or reading a good book.

Where do you like to retire to read (or cat nap)?

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