Interiors: Red & White

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would track down some photos of red-and-white themed eye candy. For some reason, I've never included much red into my decor. But these photos prove that the red & white combo works as well for sleek and modern interiors as for spaces that fit the pleasantly cluttered English cottage style. Having just endured a six-week snowathon on the east coast, I can imagine being cheered to come home to this color palette. The red dining chairs are so inviting that they could almost cure me of eating on the fly and draw me back to having meals at an actual table.

Images: At Home with Country: Bringing the Comforts of Country Home by Christina Strutt, photography by Edina van der Wyck, published by Cico Books, 2010. Lonny magazine, Aug/ Sept 2010 issue. Casual Living: No-Fuss Style for a Comfortable Home by Judith Wilson, photography by Polly Wreford, published by Ryland, Peters & Small, 2010. Simple Style by Julia Bird, photography by Hotze Eisma, published by Friedman/Fairfax, 2003. House & Home magazine, August 2010 issue.

Interiors: Red & White

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would track down some photos of red-and-white themed eye candy. For some reason, I've never included much red into my decor. But these photos prove that the red & white combo works as well for sleek and modern interiors as for spaces that fit the pleasantly cluttered English cottage style. Having just endured a six-week snowathon on the east coast, I can imagine being cheered to come home to this color palette. The red dining chairs are so inviting that they could almost cure me of eating on the fly and draw me back to having meals at an actual table.

Images: At Home with Country: Bringing the Comforts of Country Home by Christina Strutt, photography by Edina van der Wyck, published by Cico Books, 2010. Lonny magazine, Aug/ Sept 2010 issue. Casual Living: No-Fuss Style for a Comfortable Home by Judith Wilson, photography by Polly Wreford, published by Ryland, Peters & Small, 2010. Simple Style by Julia Bird, photography by Hotze Eisma, published by Friedman/Fairfax, 2003. House & Home magazine, August 2010 issue.

Interiors: Tiffany Blue

This post is inspired by the gorgeous homes featured in a blog I check out regularly--Erin Olson's House of Turquoise. Call it what you want--Tiffany blue, turquoise, aqua, robin's egg blue--it can be a soothing shade that references beach living or a vibrant shade that suits cosmopolitan living. So many of my favorite home accessories over the years have involved a variety of aqua--my headboard doors (above), a lovely lamp that I sold on etsy but nearly kept for myself, throw pillows and a pair of white cotton curtain panels with a turquoise paisley design. Paired with white, aqua can be serene and feminine. Paired with bright colors (like my current favorite--coral), it is re-invented for a new season. Like the little blue box that is synonymous with Tiffany & Co., turquoise is a gift any girl can appreciate.

A few fun etsy finds (clockwise from top left): pair of slipper chairs from Fabulous Mess, octopus pillow from Zen Threads, teal blossoms wall hook from Memory Bean Designs, vintage Russian mechanical alarm clock from Clockwork Universe, vintage linen pillow from Robin's Egg Blue, and vintage sewing machine drawer from Myra Melinda.

Images: Molly Frey Design, Inside Out magazine January-February 2007 issue, House Beautiful magazine September 2010 issue, House & Home magazine August 2010 issue, and Living etc magazine May 2010 issue.

Interiors: Tiffany Blue

This post is inspired by the gorgeous homes featured in a blog I check out regularly--Erin Olson's House of Turquoise. Call it what you want--Tiffany blue, turquoise, aqua, robin's egg blue--it can be a soothing shade that references beach living or a vibrant shade that suits cosmopolitan living. So many of my favorite home accessories over the years have involved a variety of aqua--my headboard doors (above), a lovely lamp that I sold on etsy but nearly kept for myself, throw pillows and a pair of white cotton curtain panels with a turquoise paisley design. Paired with white, aqua can be serene and feminine. Paired with bright colors (like my current favorite--coral), it is re-invented for a new season. Like the little blue box that is synonymous with Tiffany & Co., turquoise is a gift any girl can appreciate.

A few fun etsy finds (clockwise from top left): pair of slipper chairs from Fabulous Mess, octopus pillow from Zen Threads, teal blossoms wall hook from Memory Bean Designs, vintage Russian mechanical alarm clock from Clockwork Universe, vintage linen pillow from Robin's Egg Blue, and vintage sewing machine drawer from Myra Melinda.

Images: Molly Frey Design, Inside Out magazine January-February 2007 issue, House Beautiful magazine September 2010 issue, House & Home magazine August 2010 issue, and Living etc magazine May 2010 issue.

Interiors: Going Global with Maps

Despite a constantly changing global landscape, with boundary lines moving and nations renaming themselves, globes are a classroom staple that have changed very little over the years. Even when barely legible from the effects of time (such as the one above that I sold on Etsy), they are a reminder of where we've been and where we're going. Grouped together, they beckon like toys and few can resist setting them spinning.

Old maps or pages from atlases are a graphic way to remember a favorite place or to earmark a destination yet to be visited. Considering the effort required of the cartographers who charted them, they are works of art worthy of framing and hanging in a prominent location. Yellowed pages from atlases are a subtle way of adding interest to everything from furniture to lighting.

One large map is all that's needed to bring

 color to this white dining room.

Atlas pages paper the panes of a soft blue wardrobe.

Neighboring atlases form a base to this modern

 coffee table from Family of Sam.

Taking a page from globe lamps, 

maps are made translucent as lampshades.

A vintage globe is upcycled into a 

light pendant from Anecdote Design.

Silk Aviatop Map Cushions from Atelier 688.

Decorative letters from Little White Dog.

Images: Inside Out Magazine Jan-Feb 2009 issue, Christmas 2007 issue, Jan-Feb 2008 issue, May-June 2009 issue; Apartment: Stylish Solutions for Apartment Living by Alan Powers, photography by Chris Everard, published by Ryland Peters & Small, 2001.

Interiors: Going Global with Maps

Despite a constantly changing global landscape, with boundary lines moving and nations renaming themselves, globes are a classroom staple that have changed very little over the years. Even when barely legible from the effects of time (such as the one above that I sold on Etsy), they are a reminder of where we've been and where we're going. Grouped together, they beckon like toys and few can resist setting them spinning.

Old maps or pages from atlases are a graphic way to remember a favorite place or to earmark a destination yet to be visited. Considering the effort required of the cartographers who charted them, they are works of art worthy of framing and hanging in a prominent location. Yellowed pages from atlases are a subtle way of adding interest to everything from furniture to lighting.

One large map is all that's needed to bring

 color to this white dining room.

Atlas pages paper the panes of a soft blue wardrobe.

Neighboring atlases form a base to this modern

 coffee table from Family of Sam.

Taking a page from globe lamps, 

maps are made translucent as lampshades.

A vintage globe is upcycled into a 

light pendant from Anecdote Design.

Silk Aviatop Map Cushions from Atelier 688.

Decorative letters from Little White Dog.

Images: Inside Out Magazine Jan-Feb 2009 issue, Christmas 2007 issue, Jan-Feb 2008 issue, May-June 2009 issue; Apartment: Stylish Solutions for Apartment Living by Alan Powers, photography by Chris Everard, published by Ryland Peters & Small, 2001.

Interiors: Ticking Fabric

Whenever I happen upon scraps of vintage ticking fabric in my travels through flea markets and antique shops, I add them to my stash of goods. To me, striped ticking fabric is the home's equivalent to a great summer dress. Light and airy, it makes a great slipcover to hide away winter fabrics that no one wants to cozy up to when the temperature hits 90˚ and up. I've used it many times in combination with vintage feedbags to create accent pillows or to re-upholster chairs (like the one above that recently arrived at The West End Garage). Originally intended as mattress and pillow covering, ticking fabric is sturdy enough to be used in a variety of ways.

A thin hand-buttoned mattress is hung from

 a curtain rod to create a soft headboard.

A ticking fabric chair is perfectly at home in a beach

 cottage with bleached furniture and gray drapes.

These blinds add a hint of blue to

 an elegant white bathroom.

A ticking fabric lampshade is an unusual, 

but successful, mate to an alabaster lamp.

Not fabric at all, but these painted stones carry

 the essence of ticking cloth outdoors.

This striped bra as wall-hanging is too cheeky not to include. The chair is casually slipcovered in a variety of blue and white fabrics that can easily be replaced when the temperature drops.

Images: Contemporary Country by Emily Chalmers, photography by Debi Treloar, published by Ryland Peters & Small, 2006. BBC Homes & Antiques Magazine, June 2010 issue. Flea Market Style: Decorating with a Creative Edge by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead, published by Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1998. Marie Claire Idees Magazine, March 2010 issue.