Black and White done RIGHT!!!

When I saw these two images in House Beautiful I almost gasped. Okay, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but I took time to absorb every little detail.
I love black and white and in my book this is black and white done tastefully……

Designer Gideon Mendleson as seen in House Beautiful

There is nothing in this room that I would change, I could move right in and feel right at home.

Designer Gideon Mendleson as seen in House Beautiful

This is such a clever way to display a mural by making separate panels and placing them in individual frames.  It adds so much interest to an already beautiful piece.

I just had to show these two beautiful images. If you would like to see the rest of the house be sure and go to the House Beautiful website.

There is something about black and white that always excites me and draws me in.

Do you have a color combination that always makes you stop in your tracks and makes you take pause?

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Finding rooms in your favorite color combination!!

Kathysue

Traditional Blue and White made CURRENT!!

Since I am going to add more blue and white to my home this year I have been looking at more rooms with this wonderfully classic color combination.

I am a traditionalist and always will be, but I also want my home to look fresh and somewhat current.

In looking at different room images I noticed what made the classic color scheme look fresh and current was the use of a brighter or a strong contrast  color combination added to the mix.

I also noticed the pattern choices made a huge difference in the look.

A more current looking piece of furniture, accessories, or even a more modern piece of art added to the traditional look made the room look fresh and current also.

I have found a few images that took the classic traditional look and made it look fresh and new.

See if you agree……

Designer Gideon Mendleson as seen in House Beautiful

Love the wallpaper and the drape in the buffalo check, both very traditional. The  console table with it’s clean lines and bright yellow paint just make this vignette look new and fresh. So does the great drum shade on the traditional brass floor lamp.

The majority of the pieces in this room are very traditional. By adding the high contrast black and white zebra pillows, and the modern grid wallpaper this room takes on a very current room of today.

Also notice the lamps. The lamps on the console are very traditional, but the end tables with the chrome reading lamps are more contemporary.

Decorpad

A very traditional chair in a stripe that has been given new life with a bright coral high gloss paint. The addition of black and white here is also a nice pop of high contrast that grounds the room. Even the slight touch of bright yellow flowers makes this room look more today!

Samantha Pynn & Virginia Macdonald photography

Just look at the shield back chairs and the soft pink tufted chair, both which are traditional in feel, and yet this room looks totally current due to the addition of the pink and the blue and white striped drapes.

I also like the way they used the classic color of blue on the console topped with pretty white gourd-like lamps. The addition of the capiz shell chandelier is also very today. I love flowers and the group of mini bouquets is a fun touch.

T. Keller Donnovan 

Everything in this image is quite traditional and yet it feels like it was done today. I think the addition of the lantern light fixture is wonderful.

The upholstery with its contrast cord welting in white makes this dining room look fresh. I think a black table would have been stunning and maybe the chairs painted bright gloss white.

I do love a high contrast color combination  in the mix, and it is almost always going to be black and white for me.

So what do you think? Can a traditional home, or room done in classic blue and white look current?

I have more images to share with you all and I will do another post on this subject in the near future. I am pulling together images of wallpapers that I am attracted too. This should be fun!!! I love sharing all of this with my readers!! I hope you all enjoy it also!?

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Finding new ways to make a traditional look more TODAY!!

Kathysue

The Trend Train!!!

Throughout this post I will be showing images of trends some current, some from the past, and some that are no longer a trend because they have stood the test of time and have become classics in their own right.

I will let you all be the judge on which ones you feel belong in which category. The dialogue that you are about to read will not always have to do with the image you will be viewing. I will be placing them at random in most cases. 

Are you ready to ride the, “Trend Train?" 

Trends come and go, as we all know only too well.

 

Being in the design business for thirty some-odd years I have seen many come and go and then come back again.

 

I think we all realize by now that we as consumers need something that feels new and fresh, and inspires us from time to time. I know I do!!

The retailers do a great job with their advertisements making us feel that if we don’t purchase certain items our life will be incomplete.

 

I spent a great deal of time with my clients talking with them to really get a pulse on what they truly loved, not what they thought they loved because of the current trend.

 

Case in point! Remember when the red dining room was the newest kid on the block?  Everyone wanted a red room, or so they thought.

The brave would paint the whole room red, and the more timid would do just one wall.

Those that were true red lovers kept the rich color up for about 5 years and some still  have it, and it will always work in their lives and in their homes because they truly love it. Those that were jumping on the “Trend Train” lost interest in about a year and a half and finally after two years painted over the rich color.

 

As long as we have homes and homeowners to purchase, we will have trends. That is why it is so important to KNOW what you love. I developed a couple of exercises that would show me clues to what the homeowner would love for years to come.

 

If you click HERE You can go to the post I wrote called,

 “An Informative Vignette.”

Another post you might be interested in is:

Who’s Personality does your Home have?

 

 

I like to add some trend pieces to my current base, but I try to never change the feel of my home.

I think it is so important how your home “FEELS.”

We have all been in beautifully appointed houses, but they lack a feeling or a personality. That is usually because the homeowner decorated it according to the trends not their own personal taste.

 

I use to say, “I have been in many houses, but very few homes.” The reason I said that is because so many never decorate their homes in their own taste, it is based on what someone has told them to do or actually done for them. There is nothing  about the house that represents the homeowner.

I have known many homeowners that never get in touch with what they truly love. It is a bit sad to me, because I view my home as my family’s respite from all the craziness the world has to offer.

 

Sometimes our homes will be on Trend just because of what goes around comes around. For those that stay true to what they love, even after the “Trend Train” moves on, will stay grounded  and keep it for many years to come.

So, where do you fall? Do you like to ride the “Trend Train” because, let’s face it, it is new and exciting, or do you stick with what you love ?

I hope you realize I will find a trend or two to add to my own mix, but it is only an addition too the already established foundation of my home.

 I think trends are a good thing. They keep us on our toes and also make us step back and take a look at our interiors more subjectively.

 Sometimes they can be the impetus to moving forward. I just don’t like when a trend is what defines our style or our home.

 

After reading  the comments on my post  “The Demise of the Duvet?” I came to realize the majority of my readers were very solid in their love of the duvet and could care less where the “Trend Train” was headed.  I loved that!!

 

 

All this dialogue to open another question to you all. I am noticing more and more a trend that is revisiting us again, wallpaper!!

I will let you know up front, I love wallpaper and always have, when done right. I will not take offense to any of you that do not subscribe to the same feeling. After all design is subjective and always will be. I just really want to know how you all feel.

I will be doing some up-coming post on wallpaper so stay tuned for that.

How do you feel about Wallpaper as a current Trend?

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Finding some trends that you love, and still keeping your home true to your own personality.

Kathysue