Pink!

I love color.  But one color especially.  Pink.  I've loved it all my life, I never tire of it.  If I don't have pink in my environment, I'm not happy. I love all shades of pink. Pale pink looks great with hot pink. Want to convince your husband to paint your walls pale pink? Then add masculine touches, like lamps or large graphic art. Or add gray, black or brown and something metallic or industrial. Or all of the above! As I've said a million times, pink is not strictly a girly color and can be used in a thoroughly modern way

Pale pink looks great with metallic punches as this gorgeous room proves.  Image via Eurostyle Lighting.

Seemingly disparate objects are brought together skillfully in this sitting room.  A pop of pale pink on the ottoman adds a luxury.  A metallic touch comes from the beverage table.  I love the scale of this room.  Low scale balanced by a large work of art.  And dig those white floors.  Swoon.  Image Suzanne Kasler via Mr. Goodwill Hunting.

I've shown this picture before, but it fits in nicely here.  Love the gray accent wall with the pale pink sofa and white floors.  I am itching to paint a gray accent wall!  Image vtwonen.

You can add a small amount of pink by using pillows.  This decorator has gone a little further by adding pink curtains, which look gorgeous in the sunlight.  One of my favorite color schemes - gray, pale pink, aqua, black and white - is done very skillfully in this room.  Metallic touch added with coffee table.  I love that the top is glass so the beautiful rug can be viewed to full advantage.  The room reads soft, yet has graphic punches from the cross pillow, striped pillows and large art.  A fine achievement in modern, sophisticated decor.  Suzannah & Jason's Did-it-themselves Townhome via Apartment Therapy.

Pink looks great with gray.  Here a hint of hot pink from the pillows adds drama to the gray headboard, perfecting balancing feminine and masculine elements.  Even though the pink is bold the overall look is soft. Also Suzannah and Jason's Tomehome.  Really, you must check out this home tour, it's fabulous!

Reminds me of a home on the French country side.  I love the look of all white furniture and pink walls.  The look is not overly fussy or girly because the floors are rustic.  Great balance.  Room designed by the great John Coote.

Still afraid of what the hubby will think of pink?  Just add a pillow.  This pink pillow from Urban Outfitters looks great on this masculine tweed sofa.

My Apartment....For Today

My apartment.  It's small, it's humble, it's noisy.  But I love it (except for the carpet).  True, I wish I could paint it, but it's still my place.  My personal space is very important to me.  I love changing the look of it with accessories. After looking at the post below, I decided my living area looked too busy so I decided to lighten it up a little. When I make changes,  I never spend much money. Oftentimes, I am just pulling stuff I already have from my closet.  I want my place to be girly, with an edge.  And I want it to be simple and uncluttered.  I love beautiful things, just not too many.  Too much stuff makes me nervous.  And - oh yeah - you can never have too much pink!

 These photographs were taken today in the early morning sun.  My place is often drenched in sunlight.

Eastern morning sun drenching my kitchen.  I used to have 100s of books, now I have just a few.  I like having them below eye level.  Even though I love books, I don't like all the busyness from all the colors.

Three pink vases.

Gray tea set by ASA Selection.  I got this for $3.00 at the Goodwill!  Score!

Two new little paintings in the kitchen.

My bedroom.  I hate making my bed, so that's as good as it gets.  Luckily, I don't mind imperfection.

New Art

I've long been fascinated by hand made paper art.  A new fascination for me is origami and faceted paper works.  I'm planning a post on this topic in the near future, in the meantime be sure to check out my Art/Sculpture pinterest board.

This weekend I decided to experiment with a technique I actually learned in grade school. I had the most amazing art teacher in elementary school - I still remember many of the projects we did and I still use many of the techniques she taught us. One of which was wetting paper and gently crumpling it. Next you carefully uncrumple it and lay it out to dry. We used this technique on brown paper bag to make paintings that looked old. But it works on any type of paper, and is a great trick if you want texture in your work. For these two pieces I used plain old poster board. This was fun so I'll probably do more of these.

After pasting pieces together, I painted them with watercolor. Whenever I am painting the sky, I still think of the beautiful Lake Erie Sky and get a little homesick. I hung the second work over my sink, since I have no window in the kitchen. I dream of a vacation to a faraway, restful place. Now when I wash my dishes I have a tool to help me visualize.

Each piece 8" x 10", water color on paper, 2013.

My Apartment .... For Today

I love experimenting with color in my apartment.  I change my accessories on a whim, and I do it on the cheap.  For Winter, I'd like to create a cozy, dark romantic girl cave.  I'd love to paint a gray accent wall! Here's a look at some happenings in my apartment....for today.  I'm contemplating a couple other changes.

 

Here's how it looked yesterday.  I know the rug is not scaled properly, and even though it's pretty something about it bugs me.  Maybe it's because I can't keep it straight.  Maybe it's the fact that I hate carpet.

I'd love to have a new sofa - the Rue Petal Sofa from CB2 to be exact - but it's just not in the budget.  I wanted my sofa to be more padded and comfy, so I bought a memory foam pad and put it under the cover. Big deal, I know, but I'm not very good at DIY, so this is an accomplishment for me!  And it is really comfy. Almost too comfy.  If I lay down to watch a movie, I'm asleep in five minutes!

Here's the living room without the rug.  I like it better.  Looks a little cleaner.  I'm not much of a pattern person.

I decided to use the rug in my bedroom, which is such a luxury!  It's so comfy on my feet when I get out of bed.  Here's a secret:  I hate making my bed so this is how I do it.  I have pretty bedding and pillows and I just throw them on.  Good thing I embrace imperfection.  I love the low scale of my bed.

New Stuff

I wasn't supposed to be thrifting...but there I was in a thrift shop.  Abbey Ann's to be precise.  I almost didn't stay, the smell of cigarette smoke was suffocating.  Then I saw it.  The most fabulous lamp. I couldn't stop staring at it.  I knew it would be coming home with me, I was smitten.  And I knew I would deconstruct it, turning it into a vase.  Here it is in my home.  I love it!  Love its size, shape, and most of all its matte finish!

Remember my all time favorite vase that I broke long ago (see previous post here)?  This vase reminds me of it, even though the shapes are different.  I've never seen that vase again (except one time on a Danish blog), but if I ever run across it in a vintage shop I will snag it!

In the meantime, my new vase looks gorgeous.  I rearranged my little bookcase again and I'm really happy with it.  It just might be perfect.  All the pieces are matte finish.  Matte finishes make the collection look a little more upscale, less mass produced.  A few of the pieces are vintage.

I know I've already shown you my new opalescent bowl, from Sweet Lorain in Cleveland.  Please humor me, I must show you again.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Catches the sunlight so beautifully.

I'm a little embarrassed that I've been on a buying spree lately. In my defense, I do everything on the cheap, and it's about to stop!  My apartment is near perfect.  My pottery collection started to bother me.  I wanted a less mass produced look, and I wanted more vintage pieces.  I craved simple shapes, matte finishes and more sophistication.  And - oh yeah - I wanted more pink!  I just can't live without pink!

I believe these vases are all vintage Haeger.  They came from the following Etsy shops:   Queen Cotton Fabrics,  Cherry Berry Vintage and Happy Day Antiques.  Each shop owner wrapped these beauties very carefully so they arrived in perfect condition!  I so appreciate that.  I love ordering from Etsy, so much easier than Ebay. You can interact with the buyer and everything ships so quickly! I guess because there is no middle man.  And sometimes you get a cute little thank you note from the shop owner.  Such a nice touch.

The little painting is new, and reflects my love of the color scheme gray, brown and pink.  I custom mixed the brown, and I must admit it is the perfect brown.  Kind of like chocolate ice cream.  Oh gosh, I wish I could paint my apartment!

I almost forgot - I got these perfect salt and pepper shakers at Abbey Anne for $1.50!  I gotta thing for shapes.

Square Peg, Your Curator: Gray

Today's tour in my virtual gallery is all about gray.  My love for gray developed over the years of living in Cleveland. The Lake Erie sky is always changing, always so beautiful. Especially when it's gray. Gray is easy color on the eyes and very soothing. Gray is a wonderful color to use in your environment if you are living an overly stimulated, harried life. Decorate with gray and come home to rest and relaxation. So you live in a rental, you crave gray and you're not allowed to paint? Make a statement with art. Create a serene, mysterious, romantic and ethereal environment with gray art work.

Photo of Cleveland skyline by Peggy

 

Dreamy island paintings by Haley Litzenger

Image source unknown, please contact me if you know this photographer

Stephen Hancock

Above two etchings by 88editions

Reductive Gray Landscape by Matthew G. Beall

Inspiration for Fall: Gray, Pastels, Neons, Organic and Industrial

Good morning dear readers!  Hope you had a great weekend.  I have a lot of pictures in my inspiration file to show you.  For fall 2013, I am highly influenced by gray.  Gray looks fabulous in a light shade, and in dark shades.  It looks great with pastel colors and with bright colors.  It also looks great with organic accessories, and works well in an industrial chic vibe. Think all of these elements are disparate?  Think again.  The key to skillfully and flawlessly mixing these elements to create a gorgeous environment is balance. As long as you love everything you choose to have in your home, and exercise a little restraint to avoid clutter, your home will be gorgeous.

I don't use the word eclectic when I am describing decor.  It sounds non-committal to me.  Instead, I like the word collected.  That's what we do in our homes.  We collect beautiful objects.  Here are some beautifully collected rooms.  Hope you enjoy!

Seventy Nine Ideas

This room proves that gray can be light and airy.  Love the pink rug and pillow.  I need that coffee table.

Jelanie

Light gray sofa and light gray wall paper look gorgeous with the pastels of this room.  Add gray for an instant update on the 80s vibe.

Purple Area

These colors make me swoon.  Almost saturated, but not quite.  Almost pastel, but not quite.  These colors would be fabulous in a room painted a dark gray.

Muuto

Here is another light and airy room.  I'd love to get in there with some gray paint and paint those walls. Almost any room that is beige or white can be painted gray to add sophistication.

Muuto 

Same here.  Love that sofa.

Margrethe Myhrer

I'd love to see this room painted a pale shade of gray as well.  I'm in love with that flooring.

Living Etc.

Here the palest of grays on the wall and floor are soft and airy.  Love the high gloss artwork.

Apartment Therapy

Love the pop from the hot pink chair in this pale gray room.

West Elm

Gray can be very sophisticated.

CB2

Love the pop of blue from the pillow.  Pillows are a great way to add color or change color on a whim.

Paper & Stitch

I am definitely doing a slate gray accent wall in my next place.  The swan chair and ottoman look fabulous in this environment.  Love the mix of old and new here.  Love how the white plates pop off the wall.

Above three images The Style Files

Diego Querol

Earthy, cozy and sophisticated all at the same time.  Quite an accomplishment.  Looks like a great place for a get together.

Kevin Busta

A beautiful loft featuring the works of Kevin Busta, an industrial designer from Cleveland.  I could live here.

Margrethe Myhrer

Here's another place I could live.  Gorgeous.

Femina

A monochrome dark gray bedroom is cave like and very restful.  I'd love to take a nap there.

Living Etc.

Bright colors look fabulous with dark gray walls.  I think this is going to be my color scheme for Fall and Winter.  What about you, dear readers, are you going to be using gray or industrial elements for your Fall/Winter look?  Want more inspiration?  See my pinterest board here.