Color Inspiration for Spring

I know this is old news, and I never really follow color trends....after all, color never goes out of style. But, as you know, Pantone's color of the year for 2013 was Emerald.

And for 2014 Pantone's color of the year is Radiant Orchid.  Shown here with a few colors it looks great with.

And guess what?  Not surprisingly - Emerald looks fab with radiant orchid!

Whether you call it orchid, lavender, lilac or just light purple - it's a gorgeous color for Spring!  No one does lilac better than Jamie Drake (see previous post here)  I've been planning to add more lilac to my apartment.

Okay, you like these colors but you don't feel like painting, or you're already committed to another color scheme.  How about a fabulous throw pillow in aqua, emerald and lilac?  Available at DelindaBoutique.

Periwinkle has long been one of my favorite colors.  (Remember my periwinkle kitchen in my studio apartment? See previous post here.)  Periwinkle is such a mysterious, romantic color. Not quite blue, not quite purple. If you're like me, you never get enough of this color. Here's a beautifully curated Pinterest board featuring periwinkle.

I love this picture, not so much for its country style. I'm not much into rugged, or shabby chic, but just look at those colors!  Pale blue, aqua, turquoise, light purple. A beautiful color story that is speaking to me.

New Painting

Untitled, 36" x 36", acrylic on canvas

Here's my first large painting for 2014. I haven't been painting much because I need a studio space. This painting is highly influenced by my desire for more calm and healing blue in my apartment and my love of the Lake Erie sky. It's hard to see in the photo, but it actually has some texture to it and a few colors, ranging from baby blue, to violet to periwinkle.

Painting Vases

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know I have the vase sickness. I prefer vases in simple, modern shapes and in a matte finish. I also love painting them. I haven't been buying many vases lately, as I'm trying to keep my possessions to a minimum.  Not easy - humans sure make a lot of beautiful things. I recently ordered a modernist vase from West Elm. The vase is actually made in Vietnam. I love Vietnamese pottery! And I've got a lot of Asian-influences going on my apartment. But I just wasn't happy with the rugged finish.

No problem. I decided to paint it! Since it had a textured surface, I could get away with sponge painting. I used Glidden Gripper for my primer.  I like to use interior wall paint for my projects because of its self leveling qualities, and Behr is my longtime favorite. This color is called Blue Surfer. I love it! It's influencing my color choices for Spring.

Yellow in My Apartment

Hello dear readers!  I hope you had a great weekend and are staying warm!  I want to continue talking about a couple of my favorite things this week - my apartment and color!

Until recently, I had been using a lot of yellow in my apartment.  I think it's because I was missing the sunshine.  Yellow is a color that can be used in small doses - a little goes a long way. I love yellow, but I don't think I'm going to be using it in my home for Spring.  My place is taking a surprising turn. Stay tuned.  The yellow vase to the right was a gift from Jessie, who is bravely simplifying her life.  Thanks Jessie!  I love it!