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.

Hard and Soft: Mixing in Wood Pieces

Here's a look I've been seeing a lot of lately, and loving it!  Mixing in wooden or organic forms with clean lines or light colors.  Love the balance of hard and soft.  Here's a particularly great example:

This beautiful dining room combines hard and soft elements very gracefully. The room is airy, soft and a little bit funky.  Because the well chosen objects are graphic in shape, there is still a simplicity to the room which adds a peaceful feel.  The soft painting and white walls lend an airiness to the room.  The lovely and simple table runner looks like a cloud on the dark table.  The table also grounds this airy room.

Here's another view of dining room.  Love the balance of the old with the new.  The light and dark.  The simplicity of the Eames chairs is perfectly juxtaposed with the heaviness of the table.  The unexpected mismatched chairs  provide a rugged touch while remaining airy as they are painted white to match the walls.  In the corner a proud ethnic piece has gained prominence by not having to compete with a jumble of art.  The look is skillful and perfectly balanced.  There is also a perfect balance of masculine and feminine in the room.

As you know, my preferences always lean toward the simpler, uncluttered home.  But I do love beautiful things, color and texture as well.  To satisfy these needs and yet remain uncluttered is what I strive for in decor. This type of restraint is all about balance.  It may look simple, but it's not easy.  However, if you are able to pull it off, the peaceful feeling you enjoy while spending time a room like this is so worth it!   This couple managed to pulled it off in their entire home and with a child and dog!  Proving it can be done.  A fine achievement in decor.   I highly recommend the rest of the home tour.  To see the rest of this gorgeous home:  Courtney & Michael's Scandinavian Comfort via Apartment Therapy.

The beauty of an unexpected material

Concrete.  It can be the ugliest thing.  Living in the ghetto, there is so much concrete.  There are few trees and it holds the heat in an excruciating way.  Squeezing an already squeezed populace.  Tempers flare easily when there is an abundance of this material covering the beautiful Earth.  But....  Concrete becomes something else under the hands of skilled artisans.  Taken out of context, used in an unexpected way, concrete is a thing of beauty.  It is particularly striking when used in simple, organic forms.  And, of course, it's gray, my new favorite color.  Here are some lovely uses of the material.

Stunning zen-like simplicity.  I am dying to touch these pieces.  Above three pieces designed by Berezki.  I think these would look fabulous with the clothes by Jenfashion in the post below.

I need this!  Love the purity of its form.  Via ConcreteRing.

Gorgeous minimal pendant by Marta Bialy.

These beautiful beads have been lovingly hand crafted.  Love the concrete combined with the shades of blue.    DanidotDesigns.  Of course, you need a cute organic vessel to hold your lovely piece of jewelry.  Any of these would do nicely, or would work well on a coffee table in a minimal room.

roughfusion

springhillstudio

Also roughfusion.  I am not participating in the holidays this year for many reasons (subject of a later post), but any of these would make a thoughtful and unique holiday gift.  Please consider supporting the hand made movement and artisans if you are buying gifts.  I am always interested in supporting artists, please let me know if you any items from Etsy as a result of this post.

Pottery Jones

Hello dear readers!  Well, I said I wasn't going to do it - but I got some new vases for my apartment.  Oh well, it's an addiction.  One from the Goodwill, one from Marshalls, and one was a gift.  Now I'm busying rearranging pottery in my apartment and I must admit it is one of my favorite things to do.  Display is an art form.  Beautiful objects need beautiful display.   I wish I owned a pottery store!  I scoured the Internet looking for some inspiration and found plenty.  Here's a few beautiful displays of pottery.

Love the pale gray vases!  Gray is one of my new favorite colors.  I'd love to decorate a room in all soft shades of gray.  Dreamy.  Image via Bolig Magasinet.

I love this monochromatic display!  One of my favorite ways to display vases is by color.  I also love all the simple shapes.

Drool worthy display of German op art pieces.  Above two images Roger's Carefully Curated London Home via Apartment Therapy.

Another beautiful display.  Love the pop of gray and the pop of orange.  Also love the frames as art, great use of negative space.  I love when beautiful objects are displayed and the overall look is still clean and simple. 

I need these vases!  Matte finishes are my favorite!  That yellow chair is not bad either.  Above two images  Rachel and Marc's Bright, Beautiful London Home via Apartment Therapy.

I love vases paired with art.  Cute organic cut paper art by Tiel Seivi-Keevers.

Art of Artisans

Funny how the cosmos works.  Just when I was bemoaning the lack of local artisans, Wall Eye Gallery presents an exhibit called The Art of Artisans.  Saturday I went to check it out.  The show featured  regional artisans and craftsman.  According to Wall Eye's website, the event was created to promote excellence in design and craft as well as to fuel the public’s appreciation and interest in art and fine workmanship.  The show was amazing.  Here's a few photos I took.  Right in line with the organic and upcycled art I've been writing about lately.

Credenza by Michael McMillin.  I've been obsessing about a credenza.  I think I need one of these for my pottery collection.  Love those hair pin legs.

 Freddy Hill.

  

Not sure who made this fab light.  But I'll find out and I will update when I do.

PJ Doran.

 

One of my favorites was the Mouse Desk by Jason Radcliffe of Forty Four Steel.  Its perfect geometric proportions are reminiscent of one of my favorites - the Parsons Table.  The Mouse Desk is functional as well as beautiful.  The entire front of the desk pulls out to become a large drawer.  Perfect for those of us who abhor clutter.  You can hide your notebooks, pens, bills and a whole lot of post it notes in there.  I think I need one of these for my office.

Robert Knauer.

This is only a preview.  There's lots more at Wall Eye.  The show is by appointment until September 4.  I highly recommend it.  You'll never want to purchase mass produced furniture again.  Sadly, this is Wall Eye's second to last show.  Their next show - entitled Playing House (September 23 - October 14) - will be their last.  I'm really going to miss them.

Funky, upcycled, organic and industrial lighting

When it comes to decorating your room, lighting is probably the most important feature.  I know I talk a lot about color, but it's just because I love it so.  Lighting is just as important, if not more so.  But that doesn't mean it has to be boring.  I am really loving all the industrial, upcycled and organic lighting I've been seeing lately.  Like everything else in your room, be sure to have fun with it.  There's only one rule - make sure you love it!  Here's some lighting that I'm in love with, any of these would fit well in the romantic, edgy, neutral schemes that have been occupying my thoughts of late.  Hope you enjoy!

 

I've featured architect/designer Victor Vetterlein on this blog before (see previous posts here).  He never ceases to amaze.  This is his upcycled egg carton lamp.  Victor's lamp was part of the Inhabitat and Philips Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition.  It is also being featured in MoMA's collection this Fall.  Congratulations, Victor!

This artisan goes by the name CrudeOil.  I adore these lamps made of chicken wire so much that I had a hard time featuring only a couple of them.  I could see these in a edgy, modern, urban loft.  Wonder how they would look with pink bulbs.  I kinda like that idea, the pink might be a nice foil to the edginess of the wire.  Kind of yin and yang.

 

I adore these burlap creations by Splurgeavl.  These would really work in the romantic, organic, neutral spaces I've been describing lately.  I adore the flower shaped chandelier, and I got so excited the cord was wrapped in the same fabric, well... suffice it to say that I am swooning.

Love the geometry of these pieces.  Love them hanging in multiples and at staggered lengths as shown.  Khalima Lights.

My friends think I'm crazy because I'm always noticing (and photographing) lighting at restaurants.  Just kidding, to be honest, my friends are used to me.  They often take my design advice, and no longer think I'm crazy.  In fact, they have all developed the habit of looking thoroughly at the unexpected.  It's contagious.  And fun.  Have you ever been in Chipotle?  I love their chicken burritos, and the industrial vibe of their restaurants, although I wish they'd vary it up a bit.  They all look the same.   I've always wanted to experiment with putting corrugated steel on a wall, and I love how the sockets are exposed on these lights. Image by Peggy.

Swoon.  As you already know, a pop of pink fits in any room.  This is a nice subtle way to achieve that pop, yet still be thoroughly modern.  I'd love to see this globe hung in multiples.  Fizz sphere pendant at ABC Home.

I love this lamp!  I think I need to start making hanging lamps.  Image Lo Bjurulf via Agent Bauer.

Here's another one I'd like to attempt.  Love the strips of fabrics, and the tiniest smattering of embellishment provided by beads.  Image via Annaleenas Hem.

The block lamp designed by Harri Koskinen, has always been one of my favorites.  It's a little witty for my own personal environment.  I'd love to design an edgy teen bedroom around this lamp.  Available at MoMA.

The Akari Beehive lamp by Isamu Noguchi (one of my favorite designers) has been my long-time favorite lamp.  It would look great in a neutral scheme, or indeed, in any room.