Meet Janie
August 24, 2015
Seeing Red
At last season’s home furnishings markets we were thrilled to spot a few daring product designers giving a brave shout out to the color red. Red conjures up strong visuals and strong opinions. Think love, lipstick, Bloody Marys, Nancy Reagan’s wardrobe, and red geraniums (you may not want them in your garden but it’s a happy Spring day when your nursery is stocked with them). While we have clients who love red and others who worry that it may not be restful, for me it’s the happiest of colors. I have had a red room in every place I have lived beginning with the childhood bedroom my Mother let me design (red and white ruffled gingham curtains and red shag carpet…yikes!). Important to note that for some, a little red goes a long way. If a red lacquer dining room is too adventuresome for your taste (albeit very flattering in candlelight), try smaller pops of red in accessories as in the pillows below:
We love World’s Away’s coffee table introduction last Fall:
A vintage version in similar materials from 1st Dibs:
An antique “throne” settee is revved up with a red cabana stripe.
Nantucket Red on a guestroom floor at The Ship’s Inn:
A red vanity and graphic wallpaper in a small bathroom:
Wearing red and channeling Bill Blass’s quote, “Red is the ultimate cure for sadness”.
June 1, 2015
Collections (and what to do with them)
Organizing and displaying collections takes careful thought. I always encourage clients to group whatever they are collecting en masse. It is visually stronger and more interesting to display a group of similar items in relation to each other. Most anything can constitute a collection. I rotate my own collections which range from sort-of special to especially […]
January 30, 2015
A Client’s Love for Blue
My client came to me with many great attributes- good taste, decisiveness, and a love for all shades of blue. Her favored palette choice ranges from dark indigo, sapphire, cobalt, to sky blue. (In this case she’s a North Carolina native so it’s a clear Tar Heel sky blue). Blue and white was our jumping […]
December 31, 2014
Simple Tabletop
I have very talented friends whose brains I pick about flower design on a regular basis. To me it is as if they step into the backyard or garden, clip some errant branches and voila, an uncontrived tablescape masterpiece appears. I have to put a little more thought into these things, but I always look […]
December 18, 2014
My Christmas Tree
A few times over the years I have tried to have a simple thematic Christmas tree…one color of ribbon, all the ornaments unified by style or color with coordinated presents wrapped below. I put up a second tree for handmade kindergarten ornaments and those other ornaments of questionable good taste. I quickly realized that the […]