Color Report: Canine Camo

Our Basset Hound, Ben, provided a beautiful color story yesterday.

Ben is a lover not a hunter, but he was definitely showing his roots as he blended into the landscape. White and tan is such a classic combination, and camouflage is an interesting color strategy.

I must also make note here of John's winter garden. He is replacing our lawn with wild grasses, and not only do they need less water and attract wildlife, but look at that winter color and texture. They provide interest in the garden all year long.

Color Report: Hot

If color trend is any indication we are in for a hot summer.

                                                                                                                  

It all started in Milano in April, on Via St. Andrea where they were selling these patent leather goodies...

... and then I started spotting bright colors all over town ...

... and it seemed to follow me home ...

So here it comes. The summer hots, to love all year round. There are so many incredible colors to invite into your life.

Color Report: Iridescence

My holiday display take-away was full-spectrum and glittery:

Color Report: Thankful Red

My travels this month took me to Sewla, a monastery high in the Bhutanese Himalayas.                    
                                                                                                                                                                   

I am very thankful to our friends Michael Reynolds and Eric Hoffman for bringing us on this incredible journey. We hiked 5 hours, uphill, to get there. We stayed at the monastery for two nights and despite the simple life the monks lead, it was a sensory immersion for this designer from New York - the chanting, the silence, the stars, the butter candles, the incense, the mountain light, and the honest food.  It was here that I found my new favorite color, the deep burgundy red of the monk's robes. It is a color that will never look the same to me again. Morning and evening prayers featured a sea of red robes set to a score more minimal and haunting than a Phillip Glass symphony.

The red played beautifully against the minimal  Himalayan backdrop for music practice.

This deep shade of red is now, to me, the color of compassion and duty. While I was travelling a good friend became very sick. Edward James (Barney) Brown was an artist, an art restorer, and one of the most magical people on earth.  My new friends at the monastery helped me honor him by hanging some prayer flags. As they wave, the flags are said to send prayers out over the mountains and valleys. 

Barney was not very religious, but I am sure he would have been inspired by the monks, in their red robes, helping us hang the colorful flags. Barney might have gotten out his water colors and done a painting of the red robes or the flags waving. Barney died on November 13th, as I was returning from my trip. 

I know a thankful red color story is a bit of a stretch, but somehow it made sense to me. Color takes on meaning. This year, in addition to the myriad of things I have to be thankful for on a daily basis, I wanted to give a special shout out to the red monks of Sewla for their hospitality and thoughtful ways. I also wanted to thank Barney for everything he taught me about art, and color, and enjoying life. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Harry's Travels: India #2 Color Report

As luck would have it, we arrived in Varanasi just in time for Chhath.

Varanasi is the holiest Hindu city on the banks of the Ganges River. The sights have been amazing and we hit it right for Chhath, a festival during which women make offerings to the sun god in honor of their sons. We were up at 4:30 this morning to fireworks and thousands of women lining the banks of the river with baskets of fruit and flowers and incense. It was beautiful. Most of the women wear fluorescent orange stripes on their foreheads in addition to their bindis.

























It all made sense when the sun appeared above the river.

I am in awe of India's spiritual use of color.

Color Report: Chartreuse

Much of my color inspiration comes from John's garden. This chartreuse Kniphofia is having a second flush of blooms (because John is such an amazing dead header!) and it made me stop and contemplate its yellowish-green hue. Colors from nature are hard to incorporate into our lives, but Shirley's recent report on the colorful work of Luis Barragan made me realize that color can be a powerful tool. I'm growing bored of neutrals. Chartreuse bathroom anyone?

Color Report: Reflective Pigs

This season we have gone hog wild with the colors on our Bank in the Form of a Pig:

                                                                                                  

It all started with a Christmas-ball red limited edition by Toby Wong as few years back, but it has been hard to stop. This week at the New York International Gift Show, Areaware had this colorful group of colored chrome piggy banks on display. The combination of our standard chrome and gold pigs with and an array of Limited Edition colors made a big impression. Not sure how we will follow this one up.

Color Report: GREY BUG

I spotted this fantastic vintage VW Bug on the Bronx River Parkway last week - it was primer grey.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I know, I know, no photographing while driving, especially in the Bronx, but I had to capture it for this color report. The bug was almost entirely grey, including some of the original chrome details. I say spray all the chrome grey.

Maybe this car is headed for restoration, or maybe this guy took his auto paint repair into his own hands. I've seen more than one spray-painted matte black car in NYC, and I love the concept. In this age of the super-sleek finish, a matte car is a breath of fresh air. 

In addition to the color, I just like the whole notion of extending the life of our consumer goods. Of hacking them, and re-thinking them and extending their life rather than sending them to the trash heap. 

Of course this is my blind interpretation, no interviews were conducted while driving. The guy behind the wheel might have a very different tale to tell, but he looked pretty happy in his grey bug.

Color Report

I love this image for a few reasons.

1) It demonstrates how well our platinum grey kitchen sets off other colors.

2) I believe in design dialogues and I love when two inanimate things in my life start communicating. Our rosé was definitely talking with our snapdragons this evening.

3) In order to really appreciate a color you need to dance around it. On first glance these snapdragons are orange, but when you get into it they are yellow, orange, and light pink. The wine's subtle blush color and transparency compliments the flowers beautifully. Sometimes it is nice to experience a color in all of its variations.

Color Report

It's a roadside weed, but what a beauty.

The pale blue violet  flowers of wild Chicory (Cichorium intybus) line the roads near my home in Bedford NY at this point in the summer. It is a color sure to induce nostalgia.

When I was kid, we called this plant Flax. I only just now learned via a web search that it is in fact Chicory. This explains the murky results I got from an attempt to make linen. Somewhere I learned that linen was made from Flax plants. Further research revealed the manufacturing process that involves soaking the dried stems in water. Apparently if Flax plants are used, the process dissolves the pithy part of the plant and leaves the linen fibers. If one uses Chicory it just makes a smelly bucket of goo.

My childhood disaster notwithstanding, it is a color I would love to use on an interior project at some point. I see it paired with dark woods like Walnut, or a dark steely gray.

Color Report

I was inspired by the mounds of fresh strawberries at the farmers market yesterday. Red is delicious.