Jaquelin and President John F. Kennedy – Pink and Vivid yellow made unforgettable and alluring.
Some people just make it seem so simple….Jackie Kennedy’s radiance and effortless sophistication seem to dare the photographer to penetrate even the superfluous wrappings of her unflappable grace. Sheathed in vivid fuchsia, she has tamed even this out-spoken shade completely – without so much as a hair out of place she seems mocks this impetuous color‘s submission by painting it across her lips in apogee.
She seems to challenge the camera, with the unspoken reproach – “fuchsia be just for little girls”.
My daughter years ago with a cabbage rose
The truth about canons of unyielding sophistication is that most of us don’t have the time, budget or let’s face it – the desire – to achieve Camelot. Canons of perfection whisper to our inner voice – I could never pull that off….
It seems to me that there are a great many ways to step out of the shadows and enjoy sophisticated color in context to the casual lifestyle we all are groping for, to sustain us in our over-extended and complex lives.
We tend to turn our backs on rainbows and imagination as immature nostalgia whose only place in decor is in childrens’ rooms – but I think we ALL need a pony.
Let’s step out of our jaded and timid adult comfort zones to consider inviting our inner child to express some long-lost passion for color and wonderment in our home design concepts.
Old San Juan – Flicker image by Steve Grundy
Did style icon Kate Spade‘s inner child visit Old San Juan in Puerto Rico and inspire her to envision the floor of her Miami boutique? Maybe….
Kate Spade’s boutique via Ish and Chi blog
Imagination, vision, and a few cans of colored porch paint for durability are all that stand between you, a tired floor, and this affordable celebration of your color. Picture this over the rainbow application boosting your curb appeal and wowing guests who encounter your front porch floor!
Floor from Kate Spade’s Palm Springs Store – Ish and Chi blog
Look at Kate’s floor and close your eyes – envision the fearless walls that might accompany this colorful floor… The image below is my technicolor answer to that invitation to dream. This graphic teal horizontal stripe and a transparent florescent yellow chair seal the deal, with a good-night kiss in lipstick red at the night’s-end color of that marble fireplace – if I close my eyes,
Jodi McKee via emily henderson
all I am missing is Dorothy’s ruby slippers….
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HRa4X07jdE&w=640&h=360]
Over the rainbow
Zoey Murphy chest of drawers from her bespoke furniture collection
way up high…
Jodi McKee via Melissa de la Fuente’s Pinterest Board
skies are blue…
Happy Blue bird paper – Emili Henderson’s blog
Happy little bluebirds move over for the joyful yellow canaries flying over that stunning pop of vintage cadmium yellow. A small powder room can pack a huge punch of color, and are the perfect places to make big statements, requiring less of that wish-list wallpaper pattern.
Imagination, sheet acrylic and Chicago screws are all it takes to combine tools and inspiration for an over-the rainbow color statement!
Ludmila Crigan-Mihajlovic via Pinterest
Try a 1 – 2 design punch to create knock-out color impact – here’s how:
1) Paint doors a bright, glossy enamel color that beckons you and your to enter, keeping the walls light and bright…
image from Crystal Gentilello on Pinterst
2) Doors draw attention in, and up – now that they’re in, make your color statement on the ceiling instead of the walls…
Ludmila Crigan-Mihajlovic Pinterest
This is a color KO that even the timid color lover can live with.
Are you color shy? Your inner child exists, as well. It just needs a bit of safe haven. A colorful light fixture illuminates your space with a condensed rainbow of color.
Paris Hotel Boutique blog
Flowers are the easiest way to bring in pops of color, and displaying them in unexpected ways channels the imaginations of even the color phobic without fear.
thesweeteroccasion blog
Up-cycling is the best way to re-envision interior elements on a limited budget – you can create a rainbow of color with a few cans of spray paint!
Ludmila Crigan-Mihajlovic via Griottes Pinterest board
Remember, you don’t have to be a legend to make your statement.
Marilyn Monroe in Red
You just need to reinvent the way you see the box.
Petunia wall from BrightNest blog
Raise your glass, and drink up color this summer….
A colorful cocktail from Bright Nest Blog
You’re never to old for vision.
A tree wrapped in rainbows – Boabab on flickr
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Love this!
I had you in mind
Reading your blog post has given me the most fabtabulous start to my morning. I love colour, and I love your pictures. Particuarly the big yellow doors, the amazing cloud wallpaper, and of course the Kate Spade floor! Thanks for sharing
Thank you – but armed with color alone anyone can be Kate Spade! I don’t know whether you rent or own your doors, floors or stair risers, but wooden chairs, trays, trunks and a thousand other details around you offer you an invitation to dine in color! You just have to accept