Composition Of Greys, Blues and Whites

This lovely home of Faye Toogood, photographed by Henry Bourne for T Magazine of the New York Times is a composition of greys, blues and whites. A lovely home by the creative force of Studio Toogood.

I first started seeing and reading Fayes' work when she was an editor and contributor for World of Interiors. There is a section in the magazine called "Swatch" which had samples of the latest textiles, fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, furniture and accessories that was always artfully arranged.  At the time when I was designing textiles, it was especially inspiring seeing the juxtaposition of contrast textures, patterns and colors. Today with her studio for retail spaces, installations and visual materials for fashion houses, she continues to inspire us all.

Her home, beautiful, calm and full of les objects trouve, composed and elegant.

A Luscious Blue

There is a very luscious blue linen duvet in the new SS13 catalog of Bodie and Fou. I saw this preview that was posted on Pinterest today. A beautiful picture, charming shot of the camera on the tripod, but the blue, that beautiful blue that seems to sing, that has the quality of cobalt blue coming out of the tube, deeply dyed into linen. Getting into a bed with that color and fabric would be like going to heaven each night.

The photo and styling is by Francois and Karine at Bodie and Fou.

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Pink and Blue

I was lured into the website of Carma a company of lovely wallpapers, each more lovely than the next. But the pink and blue, so pretty... it will be sunny and warm in London today, have a good weekend.

A Preview

I had a sneak preview at some of the new products to be exhibited at Design Junction in September:

Dare Studio

Pinch Furniture

Helen Yardly

John Galvin

And looking forward to seeing more at Design Junction.

Still Life

Nature Morte Devant la Fenetre, by Raoul Dufy

I find the best ideas come from paintings.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July

More Progress

This  weekend I taught myself how to tile a wall. I couple of months ago I stripped out the bathroom of tiles, shower door, bathroom sink and flooring. With still the window and flooring to finish I made some progress on renovating this flat in London Town.

I now have so much more respect for tilers, a lot of thinking, planning and skill goes into tiling, arithmetic, visualizing, pattern and playing with shape, pattern and color.

Although I used only white, I want to alter the proportions of the room. The ceiling is higher than it is wide, the previous tiles were white 6"square. I have taken the large white ceramic tiles, 13 1/2 " x 9 1/2"  or 33 cm x 25 cm and placed them horizontally. The result is a room seeming wider, larger and much lighter.

Still needing to be grouted, but so pleased with the the illusion of a wider, bigger space. I also learned a new sense of awesome: when you cut a tile and it breaks perfectly, each time I was saying "awesome".

 Some other amazing tiling, with patterns and color:

I like the random selection of new and old, geometric and abstract all held together by green.

I like the mix of vintage tiles with modern white tiles and placed in a row, simple and elegant.

A very pretty arrangement and mix of blue and white, and the brass tap, just the right contrast.

 A simple arrangement and subtle use of color.

But the most beautiful and inspiring tiles for centuries have been the Islamic tiles of the 15th and 16th centuries.  The interlocking designs of geometric and floral patterns are exquisite, the turquoise and cobalt blues sing out against colorless lead glaze.

They have influenced designers from Louis Comfort Tiffany to William De Morgan and are collected today.

Spare Beauty: The Cuban Kitchen

"The Picture Show" is a page on the NPR website of photo essays, photos from around the world people submit with a comment to explain their story. I look at it fairly frequently, it is intriguing and always fascinating. Yesterday I saw a collection of photos about kitchens in Cuba by Ellen Silverman.

There were many reasons I was so attracted to these photos having designed many kitchens, some posh and great, some humble and old, just getting a new coat of paint. Another reason is I am in the middle of renovating my kitchen, my apartment is in an old building and with the change of the boiler, cabinets removed and striping off old wallpaper, my own kitchen looks similar to these humble and human kitchens in Cuba.

But more than the similarity to my renovation is the beauty and simplicity. I often find beauty is from within, for a kitchen is where we cook and prepare food, it is more than yards of exotic granite and powerful appliances it is where we sit and nourish ourselves and feed our loved ones.

Ellen is a food photographer and in her travels to Cuba over the past couple of years she was captivated by the elegant but decrepit old buildings. After being invited in, from her statement she explains:

"I began to see the beauty of these sparse kitchens created from necessity by the people who live in these exceedingly difficult circumstances. It forced me to confront the profound difference between what my eye saw, my desire to make beautiful, strong images, and the reality people’s situations."

The composition of Ellen's photos are beautiful, she captures in her frame a balance of light, the "natural and organic arrangement" of vessels and utensils and the color of faded paint. Her images are strong but so touched by humanity.

I grew up in Miami where there are many Cuban emigrants and one of the delights is their food, I can so easily imagine the rice and black beans cooking, the cafe con leche and tostadas. And also when my daughter lived in Tulum Mexico, when I visited her we made guacamole in a sparse kitchen.

This photo reminds me of the movie, A Street Car Named Desire.

What more do we need, nourishment and a song. Please view this poignant collection of photos from Ellen Silverman's website

Blue Patterns

Fabrics, wallpaper and rugs from the Designer's Guild showroom on Kings Road. I was there recently looking for something green but saw these pretty blue and white patterns that reminded me so much of a William Morris pattern but updated, less color and less layering of pattern but same overall flow. Pretty, fresh and lovely hand painting, looks almost like gouache on paper.

From the new collection: Kasuri and Kimono Blossom

A Special Home

What makes a home? A place to live, relax and enjoy time with loved ones? Why do we decorate our homes and make them beautiful?

This past week, having spent the time with my mother, I always walk into her house and feel it is a true home, comfortable, beautiful, well arranged and so many things well thought out. It is comfortable in the sense that there is always a table at your elbow to place a drink and a book, there is always enough light to read but never glaring or overhead. It is comfortable in that how the furniture is positioned it is best for conversation and sharing. There is color and there is light.

It is my favorite house, my favorite home and I always feel best here.

Ikats

Mu Raspberry

Stripes Sunburst

Mu Saffron

Stripes Celery

Mu Blue

Stripes Iris

Ikat is a way of creating pattern with dyes in textiles before the fabric is woven. It is an ancient technique that was discovered and practiced around the world.  It is done when you are making the warp and the weft by binding sections of the yarns with rafia to block out or resist the dye when it is soaked in the dye bath.

It is different from tie and dye we see on t-shirts because that is done after the textile is woven and the garment sewn.

Both techniques of tie and dye create beautiful patterns and can make wonderful play of color.

Madeline Weinrib atelier has created from this ancient technique of pattern making a collection of fabrics, rugs and pillow covers with astonishing vibrant colors and patterns. They are simple, graphic and bold, modern and colorful. They would be a welcome splash of color to many modern interiors of whites and taupes. But imagine how beautiful they would be as curtains or blinds against a fashionable charcoal wall.

Take a moment to enjoy the colors and patterns on her website http://www.madelineweinrib.com. The fabrics and rugs are available at ABC Carpet and Home and in Harrods in London.

Purple

Source: imgspark.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Purple, the complement to yellow, made up of red and blue.

We have a long weekend in London, have a good and relaxing time. I am celebrating my son tomorrow, his birthday. Happy Birthday William. xxx

Blue and Green Still Life

Source: google.co.uk via Kelly on Pinterest

Matisse, gosh what more can be said about this painter. His influence is profound. I still go back and look at the interior paintings particularly for ideas, the use of space, the patterns and the color, always color.

What do you love more about this painting the color or composition?

Some Details

Source: flickr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

As much as I like the clean lines and unadorned materials of minimalism, the embellishments of the last century in architecture and furniture are beautiful.

Fireplaces with Robert Adam elegance or scrolls along the cornice, covings with patterns along the outer edge of the ceilings give rooms style and what many love in these spaces, character.

I have to admit, the decorations are pretty. In London and New York where so much of the housing stock is from the 19th century and early 20th, there is much of these lovely decorations in the old buildings. I find it a treat to work with these details and blend them with contemporary colors and lighting schemes. Above are some details.