Aqua

Aqua is between blue and green, a mixture of green and blue. Farrow and Ball's Blue Ground, number 210

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This color has caught my attention several times this past week. I was looking at colors to work with a deeper blue, more toward red. But this aqua kept catching my eye.  I saw it in fabrics and shimmering in wallpapers and looked at Josef Albers layers of colors. It was used much in the 60's and today a whole range of surfaces are using the mix of blue and green. It is cool, definitely, but how elegant.

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Plains

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Plains, the selection of fabrics that don't have any print or pattern, just plain weave and in arrays of colors. I like to work with plains, it is like a box of crayons, a paintbox or color charts. Whenever I see a book of fabric swatches of all the colors I want to use them all.

The trick of using all the colors is keeping them in the same tone, no color brighter or darker that the other. They look very good in family rooms, in a bright and funky restaurant or children's room and make the space lively and fun.

This past season of plains from Manuel Canovas was a great selection.

Orange and Pink

Hand blown glass lamps, Porto Romano

Orange and pink Ikat and tie and dye patterns for chairs, curtains and sofa for a beach house.

I like to have the lamps part of the color scheme and hand blown glass, the best.

Sample Boards

I was delighted yesterday while searching for fabric samples at Chelsea Harbour Design Center to come across this sample board at Marvic Textiles with a hand drawing of chairs and a window. "Who did the drawing?" I asked. Terri Pomeroy said she did as we fell into a conversation about drawing, the drawing board and how we were taught: on the drawing board.

Knowing how important computer drawing is, particularly for alterations and on large projects it is necessary. But a hand drawing reminds me how it  can evoke a scene with as much imagination and a touch of what?  heart, soul.

A lovely drawing and a lovely sample board at Marvic Textiles by Terri.

Indigo

Indigo... a deeply moving color.

Ralph Lauren Spring Collection

 

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I had an invitation to visit the new spring collection from the Ralph Lauren showroom on Bond Street last week. California Romantic is the new theme for this season and it indeed evokes the dream we all have of that big state of mountains, deserts, vineyards, endless shore, long drives, pleasant weather, good food and wonderful wine.

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From this photo you can imagine the vineyard this balcony must over look.

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And from here you can imagine the Pacific outside, maybe even hear the waves breaking.

Ralph Lauren as a design company has developed an element of design that is my ethos and in my heart: design is about imagination. This company delves deep into our imaginations and can take us to a city, a time, a movie, a book, a region. It does this with the use of materials, colors, patterns, textures and furnishings that create the ambience of that period or place in our mind.

For the California Romantic collection a selection of leather and suede covers chairs and pillows that create that feel of the west, a 40's style club chair covered in leather attached with nickle studs and whip stitched like an old buck skin jacket. A snake skin pillow thrown on it for extra comfort and texture.

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Another evocative theme in the showroom was the Urban Loft introducing a pallet of sophisticated tones and teamed with a handsome and masculine selection of fabrics of men suits:

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Source: ralphlaurenhome.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: ralphlaurenhome.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: ralphlaurenhome.com via Kelly on Pinterest

A herringbone that would look marvelous on a wing back chair, a large white sofa covered with pillows of gentleman's fabrics for an apartment overlooking the the stock exchange or a city flat that has the dome of St Paul's in view... easy to fall into the narrative of an Urban Loft.