Things That Inspire

Shades of grey

Grey is a versatile neutral with a broad tonal range from silvery white to charcoal. While grey may have immediate associations as being a cold and dreary hue, it can quickly move into the warmer tones with even the slightest touch of red or yellow. Grey is also a shade that is very sensitive to the quality of light surrounding it.  In a northern facing room with little natural light, it will lean toward the cooler side of the spectrum.

Photo by Jonathon Kambouris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) painted with a palette comprised mostly of grey tones.  He is best known for his paintings of interiors, which are spare and quiet, often with only the back of a lone figure. He was known to have reclusive tendencies, so most of these paintings take place in his 17th century house in Copenhagen, and the figure is usually that of his wife Ida.

Hammershøi expressed the elusive quality of light and shadow with subtle gradations of color.  While he seemed to rarely veer from his grey palette, the range of tonal variation and intensity feels infinite.  These paintings remind me of the intricate link between light and color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paintings by Vilhelm Hammershøi in order:  

Dust Motes Dancing in the Sunbeams 1900, Interior Strandgade 30 1901, The Tall Windows 1913, The Sunny Parlor 1901, Sunshine in the Drawing Room III 1903




 Shades of grey in today’s interiors:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interiors in order:  John Saladino  via Splendid-Sass, photo by Tria Giovan, via 1st Dibs Introspective magazine, Mathew Patrick Smyth, Jean Louis Deniot,  Tom Fox and Joe Nahem of Fox-Nahem Design via Elle Décor, Steven Volpe via Elle Decor

 


Kitchens; a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll

When kitchens are, “ a little bit country, and a little bit rock-n-roll,” they marry rustic and contemporary elements without hitting any false notes.  The look is unique and timeless.  It is not simply about the choices in materials, but the way the finish details pull everything together.

S.R. Gambrel design

In this Steven Gambrel designed kitchen, the stainless steel on the traditional La Cornue range recurs in the the industrial style refrigerators, while the brushed brass finish is balanced by the creative touch of the nail head trim around them.   The yellow-gold of the brass is subdued by the juxtaposition of the muted wood cabinetry, and the soft finish of the wood floors.

The cabinets in this island have the look of an old-fashioned ice box with the modern twist of stainless steel feet.  The black hinges integrate with the dark finish of the traditional style bridge faucet, and the top of the range.

Ken Pursley design

This kitchen by architect Ken Pursley has what he called, “an early american language,” (via article from House Beautiful) with furniture like details on the cabinetry.  While Pursley references the style of  a colonial kitchen, nothing about the design feels like a textbook imitation.

Ken Pursley design

The antique style sconces above the range look right at home under the contemporary hood.

Ken Pursley design

Michael S. Smith design

Bates-Corkern design

photo by William Waldron

Barry Dixon design

via AJ Barnes blogspot

Mick Jagger's Paris kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Quiet elegance

Rose Tarlow

These spaces have a quiet elegance about them.  They are simple, restful compositions with  a finely tuned  balance of shape and scale.  Subtle variations in tone and texture allow the details to play off one another in a way that feels effortless and inviting.

 

Photo by Richard Powers

John Saladino

Axel Vervoordt

John Saladino

John Stefanidis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axel Vervoordt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bobby McAlpine


Mossy shades of green

The hazy, earthy color of moss is a yellow-green with grey undertones.  While it is a color often found in nature, it is a difficult color to capture inside the home.

In an updated 1950s villa originally designed by modernist architect Harwell Hamilton Harris, interior designer Kay Kollar used many tones of this color to great effect;  ”…..her vision of a subtly varied palette of earthy greens and browns, which would articulate the structure, strengthen the sense of enclosure and bring the outdoors inside. She tried out 250 tones and selected 15 to use consistently on walls, ceilings, mouldings and frames.”

Harwell Hamilton Harris was an architect born in southern California in 1903.  While his name may not be widely known, his work was influential in the world of modernist architecture.   He designed houses, ….” that straddle the divide between the organic expressiveness of (Frank Lloyd) Wright and the machine imagery of Neutra.  None better achieves that fusion than the bold composition of interlocking volumes he created in 1950 atop a ridge in Beverly Hills.”  all material in quotes written by Michael Webb

1.  Little House in a Garden by Charles Lacoste, 1905 2.,3. and 4.  from The World of Interiors, June 2008, Photographs by Richard Powers, Chu and Gooding architects, interior design by Kay Kollar 5.  Office by Martyn Lawrence Bullard 6.  via photokunst, photographer unknown  7.  Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana Thomas House, Springfield, Illinois from Carol M. Highsmith archives

 

 

 


The front porch

“Porches are as synonymous with American culture as apple pie. While not unknown in colonial times, they rose to nationwide popularity in the decades before the Civil War, and remained in fashion for almost one hundred years. Ironically, the very social and technological forces that made them both popular and possible were eventually responsible for their decline.”   from Preserving Porches, by Renee Kahn and Ellen Meagher 1990

The front porch in its heyday seemed to foster a sense of community, acting as the transitional space in a house  where neighbors would socialize.  It was also a place to have an iced tea and catch a breeze in the days before air-conditioning.  Today outdoor living spaces are popular in the world of design, but are usually created in the back yard. But if you are lucky enough to have a front porch, there is no better place to while away a summer afternoon.

credits in order: from Coastal Living via love of the sea blog, from Martha Stewart magazine September 1999 issue, via Southern Living, Evan Sklar photo  and Martha Stewart Living porch via musings of a night owl,  Annie Kelly and Tim Street-Porter’s Connecticut house via Country Living


Coral in color

Coral is a pinkish orange color that hints of the tropics. A color that has a luminous affect when used in the home.  It has a wide range of tonal values depending upon the amount of white or yellow used.  When shades of orange and pink are used together, they are an alluring and unexpected combination.

credits: India Hicks’ Bahamas home from (House Beautiful, June 2002) via hibiscus hill harbour island designed by her late father David Hicks, the  british interior designer (25 March 1929 – 29 March 1998)  who had a striking way of using bold and intense color combinations in his interiors.  His work greatly influenced modern design and continues to inspire..   Bedroom also by David Hicks via decor 8 blog.

Painting,  Shapes of Spring, 1952 by Milton Avery (American artist, 1885-1965) via bjws blogspot.  Avery was influential in the world of modern art, “…the gift of being a great colorist is not a matter of selecting beautiful colours but rather of selecting a range of colours…which cohere and complement each other like notes in a chosen key.” as quoted in Adelyn D. Breeskin, Milton Avery (Washington, D.C.: The National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1969) via tfaoi.

Circle Work, print from Castle and Things.  Fendi runway from spring 2011 ready to wear collection via style.com.  Color swatches from the varese design fabric collection from Designer’s Guild.


Pale blue

When pale blues subtly merge into green they have an ethereal quality that is hard to capture.  Elusive and airy, soft blues are soothing colors that are especially elegant when paired with light woods and other muted tones.  In the heat of the summer they are especially appealing.

bowl by Nathalie De’rouet, Timber glen flooring in thatch from Dal Tile, Colors:  Palest pistachio from Benjamin Moore, Pale smokefrom Benjamin Moore, Light Blue from Farrow and Ball, Paper white from Benjamin Moore, Serenata from Benjamin Moore

kitchen via Alice Lane blogspot, bathroom by Jeffrey Alan Marks via Elle Decor, Talis blanco tile from Porcelanosa, Iceberg paint from Benjamin Moore, Palest pistachio from Benjamin Moore, Great White paint from Farrow and Ball, Floors by Walker Zanger

 


 




Alfresco dining

al·fres·co  [al-fres-koh]  –adverb

Alfresco/ al-fresco is an italian word that essentially means in the fresh (air) or in a cool place, but it was adopted into the english language to mean; out-of-doors; in the open air: to dine alfresco. It simply sounds more romantic to dine alfresco than to just eat outside.  However you want to say it;  it is one of the true pleasures of summer.

In order: design by John Saladino via design 4 living blog, Maisons Cote’ Sud via aesthetically thinking blog, design by Axel Vervoordt via Veranda, design by York Street Studio, Sister Parish’s home in Maine by Libby Cameron via architectural digest


Black (and white)

Black and white is chic and graphic and never goes out of style.

 

 

 

1.  Industrial hanging lights with milk glass shades 1920s gallery L7 via 1st Dibbs 2.  Deborah Harry, 1978 by Robert Mapplethorpe via The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation 3.  Walnut and beveled glass screen by  Claudia benvenuto via One Kings Lane 4.  Madeline Weinrib Black stripe ikat pillow  5.  Pair of Modernist Grey leather Barrel Back Swivel Chairs American Circa 1970 via High Style Deco 6.  Elegant Back in Black, vintage illustration 1957 by Carl Oscar Erickson, Conde’ Nast prints via One Kings Lane 7.  antique gold and black mirror by Ferrick Mason via One Kings Lane  8.  Resin ornaments on black wood base @ Belongings 9.  Lucy chair @ Gore Dean


Getting organized

article written for Examiner.com

When I am organized I feel like I am more in control of my life.  I actually like helping other people organize their homes, yet in my own life I still can’t (so to speak) see the clearing through the trees.  I decided to get some insight from a guru of organization, Mikki Lesowitz Soliday, owner and founder of the professional organizing service Divine Order.  Mikki has a great sense of humor, but when it comes to organization, well let’s put it this way, her license plate reads, “Organize.”

Mikki’s home is by no means minimalist, but it is immediately apparent that every item is arranged with purpose. “ I have created systems in every area of my life to manage what I have and what comes in,” she says,  “It gives me the freedom to spend more time with my family and do the things that I love.” Coming up with a system to organize our belongings can seem daunting, but Mikki advises starting small; one room, one closet, one drawer, one pile at a time. The feeling of relief and accomplishment in conquering one small project invariably gets the process in motion.

Organization is often about making decisions; being selective and making choices about what to keep and what to let go of. What is the point in holding on to things we no longer need, use or love?  Mikki believes that things only have value if we can find them.  Being organized means that we can find things when we need them, not a week or two later. It means that we don’t re-buy things we forgot we had, nor do we waste time rummaging around on virtual treasure hunts.

The biggest obstacle in organization is often the daily stream of:  junk mail, bills, newspapers, catalogues, magazines, pills, keys, etc. The objective is to give these things a place to land or a home where they belong so that they don’t turn into piles and manifest more clutter. Having convenient, logical and attractive places to keep our things helps us to better manage our busy lives. “But,” Mikki says, “ in order for any system to be effective it must work for the individual or family or it will not be maintained.”

Start by labeling some boxes:  keep, donate and sell. Throw away the obvious.  Group like items together and put them in labeled and appropriately sized containers until they can find a home. The container store offers great storage solutions for every thinkable item.

Like anything we do that’s worthwhile, getting organized is a process that takes time.  When we establish an effective way to manage our possessions and the daily influx of things, everyday tasks become easier to accomplish, and ultimately we free up our time as well as our mind.