Decorating with Color
While I was traveling to Atlanta last week, I bought the new issue of Domino at the airport. I loved the fresh look of the color and when I saw that this issue's central theme was color, I was excited to delve into it. In her editor's letter, editor-in-chief, Michelle Adams recounts the story of how she and creative director, Robert Leleux came up with a list of the most inspiring colorful places they'd ever visited and just how enjoyable those spaces might be day after day. I love to use color in my design work, but completely understand what Michelle meant. While a brightly lacquered library dressed in rich color upon color might be gorgeous to stare at, not everyone can commit to living with such a bold use of color. The new issue of Domino has several great examples of how to live with color in various ways.
{Bold, Saturated Colors: While the walls in this living room by Nick Olsen remain neutral, he has fully embraced color in everything from the fabrics and pillows he's selected to the opaline lamp and pink shades on the crystal sconces. Throughout this Manhattan apartment, Nick has used color as a bright accent and focal point. While several colors commingle in the living room, the other rooms in the house each have a dominant color-- pink in both the dining room and master bedroom and blue in the guest bedroom.}
{A Bright Pop of Color: Design duo Suzanne and Lauren McGrath of Good Bones, Great Pieces were tasked with the challenge of converting Style Me Pretty founder from being a self-proclaimed "colorphobe" who had decorated exclusively with neutrals prior to moving into her family's new home. The McGraths took an approach that I find is most attractive to the majority of clients-- creating a mostly neutral palette accented with a few pops of color tied throughout the home to make things feel cohesive. While pink and a few shades of green appear throughout Abby's home, the most noticeable pop of color comes compliments of a sunny shade of yellow. The dining chairs pictured above are covered in Kravet's "Dublin in Harvest". The rest of the room is completely neutral, but the yellow chairs provide a focal point and conversation piece. It's just enough color to add interest, but not so much that it could overwhelm someone who was once "color phobic".}
{Neutral, Light, and Layered: My sweet friend, Lauren Liess shared the big reveal of her new home in this issue and I was most impressed with her vision and the way she was able to transform a house that felt quintessentially 1970s and not in the good "Halston meets Warhol" way, into an architecturally interesting, airy abode. Lauren is known for her love of neutrals and the result is anything but boring in her home. The key is that Lauren has a great eye for mixing patterns and textures, making each room visually interesting without the need for brighter color.}
{Black as a Neutral: Designer Ron Marvin also opted for a neutral palette, but instead of using white, cream, and camel like Lauren, he selected a rich, saturated palette of black with a few touches of grey and brown. Paired with brass and gilt accents throughout, the look is tailored and glamorous. I love the polished, masculine aesthetic of his work.}
Have you read the new issue of Domino? What were your thoughts? When it comes to decorating with color, do you take a similar approach to any of the designers mentioned here? For me, it all depends on the project. In my own home, our house is rooted in neutrals-- rich chocolate brown, white, black, and grey with touches of pattern and pops of color throughout. For clients, I've done everything from super rich, tone on tone color to decorating with a predominantly neutral palette featuring a single pop of color. It really just depends on the person's comfort level with color, but it's great to see that so many different approaches can yield such beautiful results.
