Color of the Month: Radiant Orchid

What better way to kick off the first 2014 Color of the Month than with Pantone's Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid?  I'll show you how to work with the hue if (1) you're a less-is-more kind of person, or if (2) you're a more-is-more kind of person (because who isn't at least some of the time? :)

So, here it is: the first Optimism + White Paint's Color of the Month: Radiant Orchid!

Sources:

1. rug | 2. vase | 3. chair | 4. table | 5. pillow | 6. wallpaper | 7. lamp | 8. suspended lamp | 9. credenza | 10. chair | 11. rug | 12. feather headdress | 13. pillow | 14. wallpaper | 15. lamp | 16. end table

Time Designed Series, Part 2: Design Like an Egyptian

Here's part two of the Time Designed series (see part one here).  I was really inspired by the motifs of ancient Egyptian art and design: mostly the exaggeration of the eye, the reeds along the Nile River, the pyramids, and the x-base benches.  The Egyptian palaces were incredibly luxurious with they're rich colors and use of gold, but there's an interesting contrast with hard, geometric line movement in the hieroglyphics.

So here it is, Ancient Egypt:

Sources:

1. white gold chevron wallpaper  |  2. velvet curtains  |  3. floor lamps  |  4. rug  |  5. x-base ottomans  |  6. nightstands  |  7. pendant lamps  |  8. Egyptian cotton bedding  |  9. blue pillow  |  10. gold pillow  |  11. green pillow  |  12. bed frame

The amazing bed frame is from Kelly Wearstler on 1stdibs.  The carving reminded me of the way the reeds along the Nile River are portrayed in hieroglyphics.  I chose the nightstands for the beautiful wood carving - it reminded me of the way the ancient Egyptians wore their eye makeup.  The pendant lights from Lamps Plus are shaped like pyramids, so I couldn't resist!  I knew I had to include some x-base benches, as the design was originally invented by the ancient Egyptians to be used as folding chairs.  It was love at first sight with the gold leaf floor lamps.  They reminded me of the palm fans Egyptian servants used to cool down the Pharaoh on a hot day in the Sahara.  Finally, the bedding is made from Egyptian cotton, of course.

And as for the inspirational Egyptian art, from left to right, is the funeral mask of King Tut, a scene from the book of the dead of Hunefer, and a gold, glass, and lapis lazuli sculpture of Isis, Osiris, and Horus.

Time Designed Series, Part 1: Caveman Chic

Let me start by saying this: I'm an art history nerd.  I love learning about history through the lens of art and architecture.  Learning about time periods' creative achievements show how people of that time were interpreting what was happening to them, and designers today can look back and reinterpret what was influencing our ancestors.  How cool is that?  Our past is a gold mine for design inspiration.

To jump off this idea, I'm starting a series called Time Designed, where I'll take great works in art and design history and create mood boards inspired by them.  Think of the possibilities!!  They're endless! Are you excited?  Because you should be!

First up, Paleolithic times:

Sources:

1. cotton curtains  |  2. ceramic and walnut table lamps  |  3. petrified wood end tables  |  4. hanging rattan chair  |  5. resin tables  |  6. leather chair  |  7. Finn Juhl sofa  |  8. Mongolian lamb fur pillow  |  9. crewel pillow cover  |  10. chevron crewel pillow cover  |  11. ikat pillow cover  |  12. red leather hide pillow  |  13. teak mirror

I love how this mood board came out.  My fear was that the palette would feel heavy, unbalanced, and too masculine - you know, too much Fred Flintstone not enough Wilma Flintstone.  But the palette is surprisingly light.  I chose pieces that showed off the inherent beauty of their components, so I stuck with earthy, natural materials like walnut, teak, leather, lamb fur, clay, linen, cotton, and rattan.  I think this really drives home that caveman look, since things like plastic were (obviously) not available in Paleolithic times.  My favorite pieces are the resin tables - they look like contained molten lava and add a lot of drama.

And in case you were wondering, the cave paintings on the bottom, from left to right, are found in the Lascaux Cave in southwestern France, the Cave of Altamira in northern Spain, and Lascaux again.

Now I'm in the mood for a giant turkey leg.

Optimism and White Paint

"I always use plenty of optimism and white paint." -Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950)

I love the idea of optimism and white paint: the phrase evokes new beginnings, fresh opportunities, a blank canvas - an excitement, a hopefulness, a plethora of possibilities. This is what I'm feeling as I launch Optimism + White Paint, a blog named for a quote by Elsie de Wolfe, the founder of the interior design profession and lover of the color white.

Speaking of white, as I'm writing this, New York is expected to experience a blizzard starting any moment now.  Remember those childhood nights before a snow storm, when you'd eagerly wear your pajamas inside out and place a wooden spoon under your pillow in hopes of a snow day?  (Or maybe it was wear your pajamas inside out or place a wooden spoon under your pillow, or else you'd cancel it out?  I can't remember, and now I feel old.) Anyway, to start this blog off, here are some beautiful white interiors.

 

(via Lonny)

(Architect John Pawson's home via minimalissimo)

Happy 2014!