Color Your World-One Gemstone at a Time

It seams like everybody has a color of year or month...Pantone, Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and so on, and so on...usually these selections are driven by public opinion, surveys or votes on what people feel are popular and a great deal of research goes into what's hot in any particular season.  I view color as a very personal and subjective element in any color scheme albeit, interior design, fashion, and art. So, just for fun I decided to run a twelve month long feature based on the birthstone gems, "CGD Color of the Month" and explore how the beautiful colors of these stones can be found and used in our everyday interior environments.  Hopefully you'll be inspired by what will be presented and how you can incorporate more color into your world!

CDG Color of the Month

January 2017

GARNET

Gemstones have been valued for their beauty and supposed powers dating back to biblical times. Much later in 1912 the Jewelers of America adopted an official list of birthstones which has changed a bit over the years.  The Georgian calendar has poems matching each month and the famous Tiffany and Co. published the first "Georgian Birthstone Poem" in 1870.  For this series I'll stick to the traditionally known birthstone gems of the 21st century.

"By her who in this month is born, No gem save garnets should be worn; They will ensure her constancy,True friendship, and fidelity."

Red of any shade is definitely a bold color choice for any interior environment, so if thinking about using this color you may want to use it sparingly.  

I also find it interesting how color in fashion and interiors play off one another. Usually the fashion industry colors will dictate current themes and trends found in home decor.

Although usually found more in a traditional decor style, here in this contemporary vignette Garnet, used as accessories, pairs nicely with a medium gray and earthy green palette.

I used this gorgeous Duralee fabric recently on a client re upholstery project.

The deep red background is brightened up by the rich gold, yellows and greens and looked fabulous on the chase lounge.  My client calls this her "happy place"!

Another great complement color to a deep red is turquoise or blue.  These colors are opposite on the color wheel so make an excellent combination. I love to use color combinations found in nature because they are "perfectly and wonderfully made" Using a little or a lot of one or both colors will definitely make a statement, Beware, the interior photos  following are not for the faint of "color heart"!

 When considering this Garnet or any deep red color for any interior decor project you may have, remember all the great complementary colors that can be used with it.  Use more if you want a bold statement, or plan on using garnet in accessories like lamps, artwork or pillows for a more subtle look. Use as much or as little of this bold color as you can mentally take, and have fun!

Until next time,

Tina

Friday Favorites-Built In Storage

Clever Storage and Shelving for Every Room

I'm currently working on a large family room makeover for a client.

The room is large and has a vaulted ceiling, a fireplace, four windows and a sliding patio door. There are no skylights, however  light floods in from three sides of the room.  The fireplace is the only architectural element of the room as is rather plain with a nice oak mantel.

Entering the room the first thing you see is a massive wall that creates a triangle affect because of the valued ceiling. The client wanted more storage for books and photos so I wanted to design a  focal point on that large wall that would meet her needs as well as be an architectural feature.  A large built in shelf unit, wall to wall would be the answer.  I had a beginning vision, shown in the drawing below, however, as many designers do, I started researching photos and built in designs for more inspiration. 

I found so many interesting and clever designs for every room and want to share them with you!

The first set of photos are solutions for those nooks and crannies of wasted space that every home has, like under the roof line and crawl spaces, under the stairs and at the top of stairs.

 Dining Rooms

Around The Doorway

The Bathroom

Around The Bed

Around the Windows

So whatever your storage need is, think about those unused, wasted spaces in your room that could become a custom built in design!

I will be posting more about this current family room project and the progress of the built in wall unit, so stay tuned!

I hope you received some design inspiration here. Photo sources can be found on my Pinterest boards, Stylewise and Built in Designs 

Thanks for visiting, Until next time,

Tina

Transformation Tuesday-Cabinet Stencil Reveal

Stenciling-The Ultimate Solution

A few weeks ago we worked on refacing our kitchen cabinets with the leftover bead board from the ceiling project.  Although there is still more work to be done on the lower cabinets, the uppers are done!  After giving the cabinets a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore Simply White OC 117 inside and out, I decided that that the interior of the glass front cabinets needed a little something to enhance the white dishes I collect.  After considering many different options like wall paper, fabric and paint, all of which didn't give me the color selection I needed, I decided that to get the right color, I needed to paint my own pattern. Stencils are a perfect solution because you can select the paint color you want. 

I was looking for a soft pattern and color that would not be too busy with all the other elements in the room.   I selected a small arabesque pattern that has a fresh contemporary look. After trying an earthy green color that I have in the tile backsplash, I decided it was a little too much color and too much contrast.

the wall color, Carrington Beige, seamed to be the right choice. 

The great part about stencils and paint is that if you don't like the result simply paint over it and try something else!

I am happy with the result, and as my hubby says

" if you're happy, I'm happy!"

The soft paint color highlights the dished nicely without overpowering the dish displays.

Now it's on the next phase of this, "kitchen makeover on a budget, the countertops and flooring...stay tuned!

Do you have a transformation you'd like to share?  If so e-mail me photos for a feature on "Transformation Tuesday"

Until next time!

Tina!