The Bold Side Of An Autumn Decor

In my last post, Create An Autumn Color Decor, I introduced a Design Seed color palette and had created two decorating design boards using the subdued hues of autumn colors. But autumn also brings with it new bold and exciting colors of yellows, golds, reds, and oranges, such as those shown below in the leaf colors:

Now I must express my disappointment in finding very few interior designs that reflect the bold vibrant colors of fall. There are of course decors for other seasons of the year with these bold colors. What I did discover were examples of yellow and white decors and orange and yellow or white decors that could easily be translated into fall colors by adding accessories. There are many such examples under the heading fall decorations and are loaded with pumpkins and gourds.

Where fall decors were identified or referenced as such, lots and lots of wood elements were in the decors, flat dark browns and traces of dark reds and oranges. It was as if someone turned off the lights.

Here is my one marvelous example of a living room that beautifully shows off fall colors. Yet, it is a room fabulous for any season with just a little change in decorative items. (Yes, it is accessorized in autumn colors.) Everything about this room exudes comfort and warmth. It works well for these reasons:

Light, light and lots of it. Even a gray day would have a hard time dampening the lovely mood of this room with its white walls and slip-covered chair and sofa reflecting every bit of light. The absence of window treatment gives clarity to the room.
Orange painted wood work around the windows. The designer was quite daring to paint the window trims a happy orange. You do know that orange is a happy color. Right? I write about orange in my post titled Decorate With Orange.
Multicolor blanket and throw bring in the layers of colors we see in fall.
Natural elements found in nature are reflected in the wicker chair and what appears to be a sisal or jute rug. And then there is the dark wood chest. But notice too that the dark elements are used sparingly.
The stone mantle and surround, well, I just love it. It’s height suggest grandness without the pretense of grandeur. A fire in a fireplace is classic love, romance, coziness, intimacy and a home for the heart. But too, the yellow and red flames without a doubt reflect bold colors of autumn.
Contrast! Dark and light colors are paired to create interest, even drama.

Rustic Living Room by Seattle Architects & Building Designers Bosworth Hoedemaker

If your home decor is missing some or all of the glorious bold colors of autumn, you can definitely bring them in as accenting decorations.

Greet your guest with a collection of colorful gourds:

Traditional Spaces by Fishers Landscape Contractors The Windowbox Gardener

Traditional Entry by Lake Bluff Landscape Contractors Greenhaven Landscapes Inc

Wow your guest with a orange (or yellow or red) splash table setting–or why not just your family!

Traditional Dining Room by Detroit Interior Designers & Decorators The Yellow Cape Cod

You love your white room? I would too if it looked like this one. Imagine what a tiny bit of fall colors would do when strategically placed throughout the room!

Farmhouse Living Room by Atlanta Architects & Building Designers Historical Concepts

The living and dining room below is absolutely lovely. But how would you give it a more autumn appeal or would you leave it as is?

Tropical Family Room by Frisco Interior Designers & Decorators Kevin Twitty- IBB Designer

Or this one?

Modern Living Room by Vancouver Interior Designers & Decorators Treoma Design

What’s your take on decorating a room in bold fall colors? Would you want it all year? Or would you just prefer accessorizing with fall colors? Oh please, do tell!

Create An Autumn Color Decor

Well, autumn is creeping its way into the Northern Hemisphere! After sweltering summer days here in Wilmington N.C., autumn is a welcome relief from those hot humid days. Of course by December, we’ll probably sing a different tune gazing outside and breathlessly waiting for beach days. But for now, we’ve looking for orange pumpkins, silvery gourds, and yellow leaves. Bringing those lovely colors in doors is a wonderful treat.

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite places for color scheme inspiration is the Design Seeds. The one is called “autumn hues” where colors are beautifully drawn from a collection of pumpkins and fall gourds.

Design Seeds 'autumn hues' — Design Seeds ‘autumn hues’

The soft hues of autumn were chosen for this palette and they’re absolutely gorgeous: soft blue, silvery gray, beige, a very light orange paired with a darker, muted orange and then a beautiful deep gray. They invite you to just curl up on a sofa, read a good book, drink hot tea and take a nap. From my Polyvore site, I was inspired to create a couple of design boards to bring these lovely colors indoor.

Autumn Colors by annsliee featuring japanese home decor

The darker autumn hues from the color palette were chosen for the focal theme here. A dark gray sofa and angus leather ottoman contrast with a deep orange rug.

Autumn Colors II by annsliee featuring contemporary table lamps

Here, I reversed the selection for a color theme by choosing the lighter hues of autumn in the color palette. For drama, I chose a dark gray wall. Depending upon the size of the room and a desire to not darken it, one wall such as this would be the focal wall. Choose a lighter gray for the other walls.

You know of course you don’t have to change your whole decor just to bring in autumn colors. Right? Just select a few of the colors that fit your scheme, store some of your summer color decor items. You can bring them back in the spring or summer. They’ll feel like new by then.

I can see a few other autumn colors that can be added to your decor. Can you? Oh please . . . do tell!

10 Monochromatic Rooms With Shots Of Color

You’ve seen them: rooms decorated in a single color in varying shades. And they are most often gorgeous or calming or . . . dare I say it . . . boring. What if you like monochromatic rooms but not sure of how to pull it off. Or perhaps you find one color a bit too understated, calming to the point of making you feel comatose? Here’s 10 beautiful monochromatic rooms with shots of color that keep the room interesting. Can you guess what secrets interior designers used to do this? (Not to fret, from Design Rulz, three tips are listed at the end of this post.)

From Design Rulz.com, Design Dilemma Monochromatic Rooms

Discovered on Luster Interior Blog, interior design by Mary McDonald

Homedit.com Dipped In Banana: Monochromatic Rooms

Pink Door Designs.com on Rhapsody, a book by Kelley Wearstler

Well, did you discover how the interior designers kept these monochromatic rooms interesting?

Design Ruiz offered three easy steps to follow:

Keep things to the same palette, but choose variations on a color.
Inject lots of texture.
Break your scheme with a shot of color.

Do you have a monochromatic room? Or a favorite color you would like to use for one? Please, do tell!

Decorate With Brown: Afraid?

Afraid of brown? Feel indifferent about it? Hate it? Love it? Considering it? Well, I hope you may at least be considering it. Yes, yes, I know its often viewed as plain. That’s really a cultural view that has wrongly evolved in western countries, such as the United States. This is so unfortunate. The various shades of Brown, adored by nature, is reflected in many of the most beautiful natural landscapes, animals and birds in the world.

Zion National Park from GloHoliday and found on Pinterest

From HGTV.com 10 Ways to Decorate With Brown

The above image as you can see is from HGTV. I love its description for this room and will quote it here:

“Layered Interest

When designing an interesting space, layering can add visual interest to a room. Unified by color, a mixture of stripes, patterns and solids are all displayed in this sitting area. It’s important not to focus on each piece individually, but to understand how they all work together collectively. Design by Donovan Swick”

— HGTV.com

This gorgeous Christmas setting was found on Thrift Decor Chick Blogspot.com

If brown is your favorite color, your are definitely a wonderful person. Well, that’s at least how your personality traits are summed up from Empower Yourself With Color-Psychology.com. Here are just a few traits attributed to you (the list is really much longer):

“ You are honest, down-to-earth and wholesome, salt of the earth people with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
You are steady and reliable and quietly confident.
You are friendly and approachable, genuine and sincere.
With a personality color brown you have a keen sense of duty and responsibility – you take your obligations very seriously.

You are a home body – family and family life is extremely important to you.
You like physical comfort, simplicity and quality.
You are a loyal and trustworthy friend, supportive and dependable.
You are sensitive to the needs of others and sensitive to criticism by others.”

— …Color Psychology.com

I once painted guest bedroom walls the color of Hershey chocolate, from Ralph Lauren paint collection. The name has since changed since he now offers a range of this very rich color. The trim was painted a very light caramel.

Let’s look at more wonderful examples of decorating with brown.

From House Beautiful article on Bay Area Browns

Also from House Beautiful article on Bay Area Browns

Are you now interested in brown? But maybe you’re wondering what colors would work well with it. Just about any other color. In the mixing of paint pigments, brown consists of equal parts yellow and red and varying part of blue for intensity. These are the primary colors. As you saw above, brown comes in a wide range of hues. Personally, I love the deep rich browns contrasted with whites and cream which makes both colors dramatic. Some browns appear flat and perhaps this is why some consider it boring. But I find that this often happens when brown is not paired with another color in the right hues. Sorry, I try to stay away from the bad examples so will not show them here.

An excellent source for developing a color palette with brown can be found on Design Seeds.com. I really love this one for showing the range of other colors that love being with brown.

So have I inspired you to consider the color brown or have I helped to confirm your desire to use brown? Would love to hear from you – xo

About Color: Communication And Symbolism

Without a doubt, color is one of the keys to a successfully decorated room. You may think that color in home decor is not your forte, that just a few important furniture pieces appropriately placed and an operating kitchen and bath in neutral is sufficient. I assure you color sends a subliminal message to us all and our selection of it reflects upon who we are. Centuries of our respective culture has influenced what we think of different colors, such as “blue” meaning we are sad. Or take for example, how Pantone 2014 color of the year is viewed in western cultures to mean “…royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.” (From Bourn Creative)

The subject of color is much more complex than we think.

I happened upon this fun, informative video on Color In Motion, communication and symbolism by Claudia Cortes. It was created in 2003 as a Thesis project for her Master’s of Art in Computer Graphics Design, Rochester Institute of Technology. I like it for its simplicity in understanding something about color. So grab a cup of coffee or tea or glass of wine or …. Click on the picture, sit back, and enjoy:

This is an update, re-post from September 2011 of the now retired Annsliee-Blogs. I thought it important enough to redo. Hope you thought so too. True?

What is your favorite color and where do you use it? Oh please, do tell! Love to hear from you.

Decorate With Lilac

Lilac is such a beautiful color! It’s a pale violet. (Violet is a color on the light spectrum, or rainbow). Other descriptive names for lilac are mauve, light purple, light to bright lilac or French lilac. I find that lilac has an ethereal quality, soft and comforting. It suggests harmony and peace. Yet, its power to influence is subtle. Perhaps that’s because it inherits some of its cultural and psychological characteristic from being in the family color of purple. What do I mean by cultural and psychological characteristics? An example would be that some cultures denote purple to be “associated with royalty and the nobility, creating an impression of luxury, wealth and extravagance.” (Empower Yourself With Color.com) Though often relegated as an accent and in a bouquet of lilac flowers sitting on a table, lilac does find its way in interior rooms and even in a very dramatic way.

In her very popular blog, Design Seeds, Jessica gives us several beautiful color palates from which we can draw inspirations for an interior room. Here are a few:

Isn’t that one of the most beautiful colors you’ve ever seen? Shades and tones of lilac with a hint of orange. This next one takes us to spring but we don’t have to limit our color thoughts to that as you will see in the image that follows.

Let’s look at a few lilac rooms. The bedroom below was created for teenage girls but it’s also quite suitable for an adult.

Kids rooms aside, lilac is also for the grown ups as these next images dramatically and poignantly illustrate.

Stunning lilac wall mural found on Pinterest.com

Found on Pinterest: Interior Designer Kate Coughlin :: New England Home Magazine :: photographed by Robert Benson

The unexpected, when found in interior decor, is always fun and exciting to the visual experience. Living in it can only be more poignant. This next image with lilac chairs nestled under a variety of mirrors and lights is a perfect example of what I refer to.

If lilac is a color that interests you, you may want to try your hand with a Polyvore set. Here are a couple of sets I had created.

Lilac, blue and white. Pillow by annsliee at www.shop.annsliee.com — Lilac, blue and white. Pillow by annsliee at http://www.shop.annsliee.com

Design board by annsliee. Pillow from www.shop.annsliee.com — Design board by annsliee. Pillow from http://www.shop.annsliee.com

Want to explore using lilac in your next interior decorating project? Prepare yourself for a most pleasurable and peaceful venture. Expand your search to the color family of purple.

Did you know that the difference between violet and purple is that the latter is simply a mix of red and green? (from Empower Yourself With Color.com)

Decorate With Yellow

Caution: Yellow is a happy color. It can make you so happy that if you paint your bedroom yellow, you can toss and turn so much that you won’t be able to sleep. (a little sarcasm here) I know because I did this once. The yellow was just too intense! After four days of little sleep, I placed an emergency call to my painter, sobbing over the phone that I couldn’t wait another week for him to repaint. What a doll! He came later that day with a bucket of paint containing very soft, light beige paint. Beige has an undertone of yellow. And he didn’t even charge me for an emergency service. I still love yellow . . . in some else’s home!

Here’s an example of the shades of yellow (from the Wikipedia, Shades of Yellow):

Notice the soft yellows in this example are punctuated with my golden yellow dupioni silk pillow, gold accessories and chandelier, and the strong red in the side table:

The Golden Vignette by annsliee featuring Jonathan Adler

This is a great example of creating a deep yellow palette–and in a small space. I think the art-wall gallery, side chairs and other accent help to balance yellow.

Image from Shoebox Decor. Design by Brockschmidt and Coleman

Some other deep yellow decors:

From Varrell.com which collected in a post 55+ Yellow Futuristic Spaces Design Ideas

I have to stop here and confess. I love yellow, it’s a great color on me. BUT when I even look at so much deep yellow in a room, I feel like it’s screaming at me and I just want to run far, far away! Hope I haven’t offended anyone. Now, yellow as an accent color is simply outstanding.

White yellow is prominent in this room and commands attention, the deep sea foam green, white, pinks and beige colors literally straddles the yellow, keeping it under control.

Also on Varrell.com. What a lucky child to have such a beautiful bedroom!

This is yellow so bright and fresh, made so by it’s stark contrast with the stark white.

I have a friend who painted her garden condo walls a very soft buttery yellow. To my surprise, I loved it. If you too find the strong yellows a bit more than your vision and disposition can handle but can’t free yourself from the idea of a yellow wall, the softer tone may suite you, such these examples:

As you can see, found this on House Beautiful

There’s lots of interesting reads about color, especially the psychology of color. From her website, Empower-Yourself-With-Color-Psychology, Judy Scott-Kemmis, writes

“This color relates to acquired knowledge. It is the color which resonates with the left or logic side of the brain stimulating our mental faculties and creating mental agility and perception.

Being the lightest hue of the spectrum, the color psychology of yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun.”

The Color Yellow

Perhaps, just by adding the color yellow to a decor we can improve and uplift our general disposition, maybe even our outlook on life. In any case, it is a lovely color.

Is yellow your favorite color? Oh please, do tell! Would love to hear from you.

Decorate With A Neutral Color

Thinking a neutral color scheme but not sure where or how to start? Afraid it will look lifeless and boring? A successfully decorated room in neutral colors can be achieved by using various textures; contrasting light and dark shades; and incorporating a variety of shapes and sizes. (For an ultra modern look, see how these elements are paired down in the third image below.) If desired, however, a warm color can be added to give the room just a little pop. Let’s see how decorating with neutral colors works.

I started here with a black and off-white zebra pillow as a “color-spiration” for a city apartment:

Urban Chic In Neutral by annsliee featuring Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

Obviously, black and gray are the primary neutral colors. But note the statement piece, a divider screen with enlarged photo print of New York City. Shapes and texture play a major role in making the room interesting: the faux fur pillow vs the smoothness of the black chair fabric and the pile-textured rug vs the smooth silver metal chair legs. The gold bowl and the wood base of the lamp add a touch of warm natural colors, along with the green-leaf candle holder. The silver pouf is a lovely, feminine touch. (Learn more about using poufs in Spice It Up With a Pouf, April 23, 2014)

In stark contrast to the black as the primary neutral color above, here is one in white:

White is very calming and can easily be “taken up a notch” with dashes of colors, such as the black pots contrasted with the beautiful pink hydrangeas and the magenta color small bowls on the table. The warm color is repeated in smaller and larger amounts in the background room. Again, texture and shapes play a key role in making the room interesting. Here’s another white room but it’s truly stark, very modern. But notice how the long linear lines are iterated to give it interest like repetitive notes heard in lovely song or music:

I love the room above but if it’s too stark for your taste, here’s another one of my favorite decorated with a neutral color scheme. It’s bold and dramatic, and it has “pops” of color in the rug to warm it up.

Do take the tour, found on Apartment Therapy, of this very modern DC Home.

The next one makes fabulous use of neutral as a monotone color scheme. Here again shapes are repeated but pattern and contrast give the vignette drama.

You’re thinking the martini warms up the room in this design board below? You may be right! (Writer smiles.) Along with the martini, texture, pattern, variation in shapes and neutral colors renders the scheme interesting and a space to want to be in.

Warm Minimalist by annsliee featuring tufted furniture

The rooms in the images below work very well in the neutral scheme. Any idea why?

On Pinterest from the blog This Is Glamorous.

There is always something romantic about an all white room that I find so very inviting.

So what exactly are neutral colors? Ask.com describes it like this:

“Neutral colors include hues like beige, black, gray, ivory, taupe and white. Neutral usually means without color, but these hues sometimes have faint undertones of blue, gold, peach, pink, tan and yellow.

Neutral colors do not show up on the color wheel. People in fashion, decorating and other professions that use colors prominently refer to neutral colors as earth tones. These colors have a flexibility and visual balance that works in a number of settings. They also have a classic, subtle feel in rooms, clothing and furniture that also make use of bolder and more vibrant colors in their designs.”

It’s important to remember that neutral colors do have undertones and thus should be carefully selected, particularly when adding other colors to the decorating scheme. And don’t forget, lighting source will very definitely bring out or mute these undertones.

Considering a neutral color scheme for a decorating project? I’d love to hear from you!

Decorate With Turquoise

I simply love the color turquoise. The color is fresh, vibrant and just down right inviting, as you will see from the great photos below of homes that decorate with turquoise. In interesting fact about this blue-green hue is that the name originated from the French word for Turkey because it (the gem) came from there. The first recorded use in English for the color name was 1573. (Okay, so this is a bit of trivia, I found it in Wiki.) Another piece of trivia, you may think, is the meaning of turquoise, as culture would have it:

The color turquoise is associated with meanings of refreshing, feminine, calming, sophisticated, energy, wisdom, serenity, wholeness, creativity, emotional balance, good luck, spiritual grounding, friendship, love, joy, tranquility, patience, intuition, and loyalty.

Bourn Creative

To which I can only say: take me there! Alright, back on topic. You don’t have to live in the Caribbean, in a coastal town or beach house to enjoy this beautiful color. Country and urban life styles can employ this wonderful color whether in large amounts or accents.

The following group of photos I discovered on a site called Shelterness, a wonderful place to rummage through for its fabulous DIY project ideas. Each of the rooms below use turquoise boldly in both large and small quantities on walls to home accessories. For example, the turquoise (wall paper?) on this powder room wall contrasts boldly with the white cabinet , the dash of black and yellow chair. The combination is just class to the nth degree.

Turquoise beautifully provides accent in these rooms. Wouldn’t you agree that turquoise is such a refreshing color?

Paired with yellow, turquoise is striking! Here, it even enhances the gray sofa.

If you’re bold or wanna’ be, try the combination below: strong, deep yellow and a deep turquoise. Sprinkle it with silver and reds.

Turquoise really pops when paired with white!

Here’s one more idea for decorating with turquoise to send you on your way to thoughts of using it.

To create drama with turquoise, choose a complementary color (one that is opposite turquoise on a standard color wheel), such as red to orange. Or just a deep turquoise. If, however, you want to create a visual monotone scheme, select a monochromatic color (one that is positioned on both sides of turquoise on a standard color wheel). These colors would be forest-green, emerald, celery, cyan, blue and ultramarine (What Color Looks Good With Turquoise? Juniper Russo). Ms. Russo goes on to explain that metallic minerals found naturally in the gem turquoise can be translated to pairing the color with other earthy and natural mineral color hues as “bronze, copper, penny and rust.”

Well, it’s been four years since turquoise was announced the Pantone color of the year, it’s still a popular and desirable color to use. It allows us to emotionally, if not physically, transcend to a dreamy and relaxing place as we recall the comforting blues of the sky and water and the earthy greens.

If you love turquoise too, raise your hand and let me know!!

Living With The Color Blue

Pillows from Annsliee

It can make us feel calm and sedate when we use it or view its use by others. Blue suggests trustworthiness, dependability, and commitment. It’s not “gender specific” being favored equally by both men and women. Its hues and shades range from a light blue sky to an aquamarine to navy blue to the deep blue-black water.

As the collective color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming.

From color expert, Kate Smith, she goes on to say that

…not all blues are serene and sedate. Electric or brilliant blues become dynamic and dramatic — an engaging color that expresses exhilaration. Some shades or the overuse of blue may come across as cold or uncaring.

Indigo, a deeper blue, symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery, and spiritual realization. While blue is the color of communication with others, indigo turns the blue inward to increase personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings.

Indigo blue, as Ms. Smith suggests “increase personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings.” (Now you know where to hold your next staff meeting. Look for an indigo blue room!)

A classic collection of blue and white ginger jars accented with blue and neutral nautilus seashells and white coral, accented with feathery green found in the long grassy-like leaves. What does this setting evoke in your emotions?

From William Sonoma Found on Pinterest

Here, a touch of blue in these accent throw pillows adds its warmth and calmness to the warm tones of the wood table and server.

Warm blues, such as denim and ocean blue, contain hints of red. The red in the color comes towards you and makes the room feel cozier. (From Real Simple, Decorating With Blue). While cool blues in shades of cobalt, turquoise and ice blue have a yellow tint. The yellow in the blue makes it appear to recede, making a small space look bigger. Referencing color experts, Real Simple states that the cool blues encourage calmness.

From Pinterest

What do you think the bold use of blue in the two following rooms say about its occupants? (Note the use of light, medium and dark blues.)

From ARKpad.com.br

Too much of a dark color, in this case blue, can make a room feel crowded, closed in, even depressing. But the room below works well with the dark blue walls and sofa. It’s balanced with the wash of bright light from the window; the white heat register; the white ceiling and the scattered white in the wall paintings and accents. The yellow pentagon in the painting becomes a bright, happy punctuation demanding visual attention. The bold black and white zebra pattered rug anchors the room.

From ARKpad.com.br

Here are some inspiring uses of blue in the various tint, shades and hues (Click on images to make them larger). Can you pick out why the blue works so well in these rooms?

Found on the blog Daily Cup of Couture From Sandra Morgan Interiors From Amanda Nisbit From Amanda Nisbit From blog Design Indulgence Found on Pinterest A fabulous idea: Blue denim period chair found on Mia Linnman’s blog, Solid Frog. I would LOVE, LOVE to have such a chair, given my decades-long romance with blue jeans!

The color blue has a long and ancient history. Try your knowledge on a few of the more modern facts: True or False (Answers are at the end.)

1. Pink was the generally accepted color for boys while blue was worn by girls from just before WWI and up to WWII.

2. President John Kennedy made popular the two-button blue suit.

3. Blue suits became more popular than black suits for men in the mid-20th Century.

4. The color blue is a common color found in many foods.

5. Blue is a primary color.

6. Tints, shades, and hues of blues are not generally perceived differently.

7. Blue is favored equally by both men and women.

Do you think the blues in the flatware below are cool or warm?

1. True. See “When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink?”

2. True. From the Wikipedia, Blue In the 20th and 21st Century.

3. True. Source from Wikipedia as in #2.

4. False. It is the least common color in foods. Can you think of which foods they are?

5. True. Of course it is, along red and yellow.

6. False.

For example, dark blue can be seen as elegant, rich, sophisticated, intelligent, and old-fashioned, royal blue can represent superiority, and light blue can mean honesty and trustworthiness. See Bourn Creative, Meaning of the Color Blue.

7. True.

So, are you now inspired to use the color blue or just use more of it? Would love to see your comments of what you think of the color blue.