Tag Archives: color

Design Notebook: A Roundup of Quirky Mid-Century Modern

19 Jul

It occurred to me recently that some of my posts on quirky and eccentric interiors may make some of you interested in what I think is quirky.  Now, mid-century modern decor can often run the gamut from retro to ultra-cool (think Mad Men), but I prefer a more interesting look.

It’s often a mix of MCM pieces with some contempo/neo-trad thrown in for good measure,  tastefully mixed prints and patterns, and the home owner usually just has an eye for collecting vintage pieces with a bias towards MCM.

So, here’s a round-up of Quirky Mid-Century Modern homes:

Let’s start with this living room.  With its Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, it has loads of color, yellow Foo Dogs, a glass coffee table and a zebra print rug.  You can never go through with zebra or cowhide.

via estate eclectic

I clearly never tire of Eames.  Here’s a yellow Eames RAR Rocker in a colorful living room, with mostly yellow accents.  It’s an adorable mix of mid-century modern and vintage pieces that make this space great.

modernica, via desire to inspire

This space leans a bit towards retro, what with that orange refrigerator, but I love the color and playfulness of a copper Poul Henningsen Artichoke Lamp and William Platner Table and Chairs (orange!).

via porterhouse designs

This is quirkiness subdued.  Yellow Panton S Chair + white secretary desk + cute floral accents?  Very understated.

via hosue of anais

Finally, there’s Kyle DeWoody’s apartment that was recently featured in Vogue. That was the inspiration for this post.  It’s certainly not everyone’s taste, but her eclectic NYC home has pieces I’m sure everyone would love.

via vogue

So what do you folks think about quirky mid-century modern decor?  Yay or nay?

House Tour: A Colorful, Modern Georgia Townhouse

25 Nov

Georgian townhouses usually conjure up images of family heirloom rugs, gilded window frames, and lots of 18th and 19th century furniture upholstered in damask.  But that isn’t the case with this gorgeous 3-sttory townhouse in London’s De Beauvoir Town.   The lines are clean and contemporary, the furniture is modern and the art is bold and fun.

living room

Another view of the living room reveals a fireplace with clean modern lines and a concrete frame, plus lots of fun toys for little children!

another view of the living room

A pink runner lines the stairs, while an Eames Hang It All and pieces by Danish-modern furniture designer, Kai Kristiansen, furnish the hallway.

hallway

Don’t you just LOVE a yellow kitchen?

kitchen

I am really in love with the brightness and modernity of this dining room, aren’t you?  A marble-topped Saarinen Tulip Table is surrounded by Eames DCM chairs.  And while a vintage chandelier adds a touch of sparkle, I’m thinking a Giogali Chandelier would look just as sparkly.

the dining room

This bright, yet cozy, bedroom is a mix of vintage and modern pieces.

bedroom

The doors of this wardrobe are painted with a high-gloss green lacquer, which, again, love. And look at that… an Eames RAR Rocker.  These people have great taste!

the children's bedroom

I always love spaces like these because they take the best of midcentury modern and contemporary design, and make it livable with bright colors and clean lines.  It’s not too retro, not too beige, not too aesthetically-boring.

More pictures available at House to Home.

Photos by Tim Cook.

Design Inspiration: Hello Yellow

11 Aug

“Yellow is a color that says ‘Hello,’”

~ Robert Couturier”

And this post is about yellow.  Yellow accents, yellow furniture, bright, sunny and beautiful yellow.

image via veneer designs

image via architectural digest, photo by michael moran

image via marie claire maison, photo by roland boufre

Yellow Marais A Chairs…nice!

image via apartment therapy

image via apartment therapy, via retrouvius

Design Inspiration: Art Wall

24 Jun

Inspired by Twitter convo yesterday on adding color into your home, I’m posting a few of my favorite inspirational art walls.  Since art is a great way to introduce color into your home, an art wall takes that a step further and allows you to play with different, not to mention contrasting, colors, pattern and scale.  

You could frame a grouping of solid colored paintings as in this living room.

image via nest egg, via elle decor

In this Tampa home styled by Nate Berkus, the color palette is mostly softly toned browns, chocolate, gray and tan with a bit of navy here and there.  But a single painting in bright, sunflower-yellow adds a refreshing pop of color to this great room.  The painting is by José María Yturralde.

image via elle decor

 And what an ingenious idea this is:  framed vintage Vogue covers in this apartment styled by Jonathan Adler for Liz Lange in Domino Magazine (RIP).

image via passing open windows, via domino (rip)

Finally, you could go for an oversized vintage poster to add some color and intrigue to a blah room.

image via apartment therapy

 So, what are your thoughts?  Do any of you have art walls?

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 69 other followers