6 Ways to Use Emerald–2013 Colour of the Year

 

Emerald – the Pantone colour of the year for 2013 is a bright, bold shade of green, that you will see incorporated into many interiors over the next year or so.  Will it work?  That depends.

Source: Pantone – www.pantone.com

This colour is a strong one and unless you are in love with it, you are not likely to paint your walls with it.  However, if you are trend conscious, there are plenty of other ways you can us this colour in your home. 

Here are 6 ways you can incorporate Emerald into your home decor:

1) Throw pillows are one of the easiest ways to refresh your decor and incorporate a new colour.  Depending on your colour scheme you could add bold emerald pillows, or you could go with patterns that incorporate a touch of emerald.

Eclectic Family Room design by Atlanta Interior Designer Cristi Holcombe

Source:  Better Homes & Gardens

 

2) Add an area carpet.  An area carpet is the foundation of every room.  Use them on hardwood or over wall-to-wall carpeting to set the tone for your decor.  Using an area carpet with emerald allows you to pull that colour throughout the room without it looking out of place.

 

Source: laylagrayce.com via Grace on Pinterest

Source: updatedallas.com via Update on Pinterest

3) Put emerald on your table.  Adding emerald accents to your dining table is a lovely way to incorporate the colour.  Pair it with a crisp white and you will have a bold clean look that will have you dreaming of springtime!

 

Source: inspiredbythis.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: Tobi Fairley’s take on an Emerald table via At Home Magazine via www.redoitdesign.com

 

4) Add accent furniture pieces in emerald.  Either in hard furniture or in upholstery, a pop of emerald will catch the eye and allow you to incorporate other elements, such as accessories or throw pillows in complementary colours.

 

Source: hgtv.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: homedesign.marthastewart.com via Susan on Pinterest

5) Use greenery.  Whether flower arrangements or houseplants, real or imitation, greenery can bring the outdoors in.  And during the cold winter months it is a gentle reminder that spring is just around the corner.

 

 

Source: so-much-more-than-nl.blogspot.ca via Caroline on Pinterest

Eclectic Living Room design by Dc Metro Interior Designer Lauren Liess Interiors

6) Add emerald accessories or artwork.  Again that bright pop of emerald will catch the eye and add a wonderfully unique element to your home.

 

Eclectic Bedroom design by Orange County Interior Designer Domicile Interior Design

 

Eclectic Family Room design by Atlanta Interior Designer Cristi Holcombe

Source: Room designed by Amanda Nisbet via La Dolce Vita blog

However you do it, have fun with it.  Try a combination of the above, and where it make sense use groups of 3 or 5 (as in your accessories) so that the colour does not seem out of place.

If you do add emerald, I’d love to hear about it!

Happy decorating!

Merry Christmas!

Lots of News!

It's been a busy fall here in this household!

We have been spending a lot of time with our 2 year old grandson, who has just become a BIG brother to the worlds most adorable baby boy - Rhoen!

We've been assisting in wedding plans, you know venues, decor, flowers and dresses,  for our oldest daughter, who has also just moved into her first home!  Sooo exciting!!

Apart from all of this wonderful family activity, I have been very busy with another venture - namely The TBBs.  As part of this talented group of local decorators I'm contributing to what we hope to be a great resource for local wine-ing, dine-ing and design-ing!  Our three favourite things!!!

Source: The TBBs

We have been busy trying out restaurants, sourcing design goodies and tasting wine – all of it for our readers – sigh, the sacrifices we make!  We`ve also had a couple of local television segments, with a couple more coming up giving tips on decorating your home for Christmas!  Check them out on the blog - www.thetbbs.com.

And to top it off I was featured on the Ottawa Citizen Style magazine website.  My thanks to editor Jennifer Campbell and photographer Wayne Cuddington!

Source: Wayne Cuddington

Check out the interview here.

So, it's been an

˜”*°•.¸”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”¸.•°*”˜

. . ★★★ AWESOME ★★★ . .

¸.•°*”˜¸.•°*”☆ ★ ☆”*°•.¸˜”*°•.¸

fall!

Bring on Christmas!!!!

Mini Loos

We love our home.  We love the location, the style, the age (+50 years) and the back yard with it’s 35 year old grape vine arbour … well that’s what sold it for us.  And I’m not even going to mention the large attached garage that has been re-dubbed “The Lounge” which now doubles as a music studio, bar, surplus furniture warehouse.

One of the few things we don’t love is the fact that there is no washroom on the main level.  There’s one on the second storey and one in the basement, but you’re out of luck on the main level.  Not only is it a convenience we miss, it is an issue for guests who find stairs a challenge.

So, what to do???  We are currently in the process of planning an addition of a covered front porch.  The plans include a future enclosed entryway.  When that happens we will convert the current front closet into a mini powder room.  And when I say mini, I’m talking 36”x43”.  Yup – miniscule!

This got me searching the wonderful wide web for a “little” inspiration *snicker*.  I guess we’re among the minority because I couldn’t find too many mini loos as inspiration.  But here are the few I did find:

Traditional Powder Room design by Burlington Architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

There is so much I love about the one above – the wallpaper for one and the built-in book case (for the all-necessary reading material).  But the best is the mirror – did you notice it?  The snowshoe is a mirror – genius!!!

Traditional Powder Room design by Toronto General Contractor Norcon Home Improvements

Ours will be very similar in size the one above, although I don’t think we will have room for a pedestal sink.  I like how the floor continues into the powder room.  But, people, when you are taking pictures of your work, take note of the little things … like the extra roll of TP – really????

This next one really IS in a closet!  Love it!

 

 

Source: room-galleries.myhomeideas.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: ideastosteal.com via Donna on Pinterest

I like this one for the size of the fixtures, and how they’ve built around the tank and heater.  Not quite sure what’s going on behind the toilet – looks like the cover may have been pushed back through the wall – oops…

Here’s a couple of examples show how to make the room seem bigger with wall treatments:

Eclectic Powder Room design by Detroit Interior Designer Dunlap Design Group, LLC

Traditional Bathroom design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath Stonebreaker Builders & Remodelers

Modern Powder Room design by Toronto Interior Designer Croma Design Inc

I did manage to find some neat fixtures – like the sink above – and these next ones too …

Source: digsdigs.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: blog.thebathoutlet.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: astonmatthews.co.uk via Donna on Pinterest

And finally, hubby has his vote in for this one .. me, ummmmm, not so much …

Source: scooper.com.au via Donna on Pinterest

However this turns out, I’ll guess I should  just be happy if I don’t have this :) …

Source: bing.com via Tammy Lenover on Pinterest

So, have you a mini powder room?  Or have you seen or used one?  If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears :)….

Colour of the month for July–{chartreuse}

Don’t you love saying chartreuse?  It’s even cool to spell, and I have to admit in my younger, pre-design conscious days, I didn’t even know what chartreuse was *gasp*!

Source: thepinkpenwordstudio.wordpress.com via Donna on Pinterest

Being a blonde with hazel eyes, chartreuse is one of my favourite colours to wear – especially in the summer when I have some actual colour to my skin. 

Source: estherboutique.wordpress.com via Donna on Pinterest

I have several tops in chartreuse, even a purse (or two), and there’s a green pair of shoes (suede shoes I might add) that if forced, I could say they are chartreuse, but in reality they are really lime green.  I still love them though ….

Source: bynowshop.com via Liz on Pinterest

I sat down recently with Chartreuse and had a chit-chat – here’s how it went….

dh:  So, Chartreuse, what can you tell us about yourself?

Chartreuse: Well, dh, I’m actually a 500 year old herbal liqueur. I’m produced by the Carthusian order of monks in the French Alps and my ingredients are a huge secret – HUGE!

Source: proof66.com via Donna on Pinterest

dh: I knew I liked you!  Liqueur you say … well well, let’s talk about that for a minute …. what are you served with?

Chartreuse: I come in two varieties – yellow and green – and both pair well with desserts.  My green self really goes well with chocolate.  You can have me straight up or on the rocks and I lo-o-ove cocktail parties – some of my favourites are: 

• Everybody’s Irish where I team up with whisky and creme de menthe,
• the Iguana where I party down with my Mexican pal Tequila and some fruits & veggies
• and one I think you’ll like where I add a little tang to a classic – the Chartreuse Martini – yup vodka, vermouth and me – all swirling around with some ice!

dh: Wow, I think I’m in love …. I will definitely be trying that last one!  So you say your ingredients are a mystery – how so?

Chartreuse:  Well, originally back in the olden days I was distilled as the “elixir of long life” and as such my ingredients were a secret.  Then there was like 500 years of upheaval where the recipe was copied, hidden, sold, bought, and finally returned to the Carthusian Monks.  Today there are two monks who know the ingredients and they’ve sworn a vow of secrecy... so don’t even ask!

dh:  Cool … hmmm … next trip to France, there will be some time in the Alps required…  So, I’m guessing the colour Chartreuse is based on the green liqueur?

Chartreuse: Yes, you’re right, but there are really two colours of chartreuse; chartreuse yellow and chartreuse green.  And there are dozens of in between colours that are derived from chartreuse.  From a light greeny yellow down to a darker olive green!

Source: Uploaded by user via Donna on Pinterest

dh: Wow, I didn’t realize there were so many variations on the colour.  So I guess those lime green suede shoes I have really are Chartreuse – sah-weet!!!  Now, as a colour, what other colours do you like to hang with?

Chartreuse:  Good question.  Because I’m used mostly to make a bold statement colour, I go with many colours.  As they say a picture tells a thousand words, here’s a few pics that should give you the idea…

Source: coastalliving.com via Donna on Pinterest

Eclectic Living Room design by Richmond Tile Stone And Countertop Charles Luck Stone Center

Contemporary Living Room design

Contemporary Dining Room design by Austin General Contractor Texas Construction Company

Contemporary Dining Room design by New York Media And Blogs Vendome Press

Source: houseandhome.com via Donna on Pinterest

dh:  I see what you mean about being bold!!  These are awesome interiors, but now tell us the truth, how do you hold up on the exterior?

Chartreuse:  Is that a challenge?  You’ll be amazed – I’m actually very present in nature from algae to moss to grasses and many many plants.  Here are some examples…

Landscape design via Houzz 

Traditional Landscape design by Boston Landscape Architect Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design

Traditional Landscape design by Philadelphia Photographer www.KarlGercens.com

Contemporary Exterior design by San Luis Obispo Landscape Architect Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

dh: Ughhh Algae …. our pool was that lovely shade of chartreuse a couple of years back … ick!!!  So, I get it that you do nature well… but how about as exterior colour on or around a home … in the non-natural elements?

Chartreuse:  Geez….It’s like you don’t believe me … I actually add a really nice pop of colour in a lot of exteriors – here… check it out…

Source: Uploaded by user via Donna on Pinterest

 

Contemporary Porch design by Austin General Contractor Texas Construction Company

Contemporary Patio design by Burlington Architect TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design

Eclectic Garage And Shed design by Portland Maine Kitchen And Bath Robin Amorello, CKD CAPS - Atmoscaper Design

dh:  Well, I can certainly see you have all the bases covered as far as interiors and exteriors go.  You are quite the versatile colour!  Thank you so much for agreeing to talk with me, it’s been really great getting to know all about you – from the ancient monks to the cocktails to the algae.  I’ll be looking for you as I browse through my Food and Drink magazines as well as through my home decor magazines.  And I’ll salute you as I have my very first Chartreuse Martini!

Chartreuse:  Thanks for having me dh, it’s been fun!

So folks, now we know a little bit more about chartreuse.  If you’d like to see more examples of using this colour check out my Pinterest board and my Houzz Ideabook.

How have you used chartreuse – the colour, or the liqueur???  Share….