Pantone View Home + Interiors 2014 – image via Pantone advertisement; Pantone.com

Pantone View Home + Interiors 2014 – they’re here again! The nine Pantone View Home + Interiors 2014 color palettes. I have been too caught up in designing to post as of late, but as spring comes upon us and color returns, so will I post with more frequency – starting with the newest Pantone palettes or new, as new comes.

I pouted all week that life intervention prevented me from attending the seminars by Pantone’s Leatrice Eiseman at The Chicago International Home + Housewares Show, but there is so much about this year’s colors at large to share, that this deficit may be over-looked.

Before I set about comparisons, contrasts, what appears to be long or short lived in trends going into 2014, I will as every year begin at the source with Pantone’s own vision of the year in color to come:

Pantone View Home Interiors 2014 Colors – image via Pantone.com

“Consumers are becoming increasingly color savvy and color aware. With consumers seeking distinctive styling and considerable substance more than ever before, is critical that retailers and designers be aware of future color trends. To successfully entice consumers, colors and color combinations must be appealing, evocative, transformative and most importantly, on-target.” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

In case you are not familiar, Pantone sets the standards for color in the print, fashion, automotive, Home + Housewares, and a myriad of other industries. If everyone had their own version of a particular color, no two prints or images would be the same. Standardization raises visual communications to a plateau that transcends barriers of language or other interpretation. In other words, Pantone creates the primer for the visual language of color, so it can be applied and interpreted correctly by all. Forecasting is a more recent Pantone initiative. Pantone has made it its mission to keep their finger on the pulse of color, staying ahead of the trends and actually forecasting what most industries will be doing, looking forward at least three years. Pantone View home + interiors 2014 is a forecasting book that provides color and trend direction for home furnishings or interior spaces. So what does this mean for you?

Knowing what will be available and prominent in the industry helps design enthusiasts to make choices that are both timely and long-lived, but that is not why I share forecasts here. Color is an area of tremendous trepidation for many people. The benefit of having color gurus in your pocket, narrowing some 26,000 shades and their endless derivatives to a mere 9 palettes guaranteed to play nicely in the sand-box is a tool you can’t put a price on – but you don’t need to! Here it’s free

The nine palettes for 2014 are (drum roll):

Pantone Technocolor palette – L- R – PANTONE 14-5002 Silver, PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald, PANTONE 18-4537 Methyl Blue, PANTONE 19-3638 Tillandsia Purple, PANTONE 19-4125 Majolica Blue, PANTONE 16-0435 Dark Citron, PANTONE 17-1349 Exuberance, PANTONE 19-0303 Jet Black

Innovative Techno Color acknowledges the advancement of technology – how it is impacting the world of design and expanding the color universe through a melding of both vibrant and deep hues, frequently executed in reflective surfaces. A range of shades, including a multifaceted emerald, an exuberant orange, a turquoise-like blue and a strong, vital purple, plus true blue, jet black and dark citron, are intertwined in intriguingly inventive color combinations.

Pantone 2014 Physicality Palette – L – R – PANTONE 19-3907 Forged Iron, PANTONE 16-3800 Satellite, PANTONE 18-3220 Very Grape, PANTONE 16-3310 Lavender Herb, PANTONE 18-0724 Gothic Olive, PANTONE 16-0840 Antique Moss, PANTONE 18-1512 Rose Brown, PANTONE 13-0607 Fog

As the name implies, Physicality speaks to the colors of power and energy counterbalanced by the presence of hues that express the necessity for introspection and calmness. The stamina of forged iron, satellite gray, antique moss and Gothic olive are inter-played with the healing shades of herbal lavender, grayed grape, rosy brown and a quieting, ephemeral foggy gray – all presenting a challenging, yet invigorating, game change.

Pantone 2014 Sculptured Simplicity Palette – L-R – PANTONE 11-4800 Blanc de Blanc, PANTONE 19-4007 Anthracite, PANTONE 18-3912 Grisaille, PANTONE 18-1306 Iron, PANTONE 18-1807 Twilight Mauve, PANTONE 15-1114 Travertine, PANTONE 15-1506 Etherea, PANTONE 14-5002 Silver

Sculpted Simplicity recognizes how important shape, form and structure are to the end product and/or environment. The colors are unassuming and do not take center stage. The sophisticated tones elegantly harmonize with distinctively nuanced undertones, including travertine, anthracite, blanc de blanc and twilight mauve, supported by an anodized brown, ethereal gray and a suggestion of silver.

Pantone 2014 Fluidity Palette – L-R – PANTONE 18-3949 Dazzling Blue, PANTONE 16-4725 Scuba Blue, PANTONE 14-6329 Absinthe Green, PANTONE 17-1744 Calypso Coral, PANTONE 16-1543 Fusion Coral, PANTONE 16-3416 Violet Tulle, PANTONE 18-3533 Dewberry, PANTONE 14-0851 Samoan Sun

Gliding gracefully through watery channels, Fluidity is the palette that understands the inevitable human need for life-sustaining cool water tones, rendered largely in dazzling blues and blue-greens. These cooling hues are underscored by shimmering sea grass shades and undersea-creature colors, such as absinthe green, violet tulle, blazing Samoan sun, dewberry purple and two eye-arresting orange-coral tones.

Pantone 2014 Intimacy Palette – L – R: PANTONE 11-0604 Gardenia, PANTONE 14-1905 Lotus, PANTONE 14-1313 Rose Cloud, PANTONE 16-1220 Café Crème, PANTONE 16-1510 Fawn, PANTONE 15-3910 Languid Lavender, PANTONE 14-3904 Evening Haze, PANTONE 16-3801 Opal Gray

Intimacy implies a certain affinity and relationship expressed in tints and tones that are inviting in nature and softly tactile – closely connected, yet subtly different – a happy marriage of adaptable warm, cool and neutral tones. The combinations effortlessly offer an understated color collection. Gardenia white defines a lotus blossom pink; rose cloud, fawn and café crème are delicious together, while pale lavenders and opal gray are effectively approachable.

Pantone 2014 Moda Palette – L-R: PANTONE 17-0840 Amber Green, PANTONE 15-0533 Linden Green, PANTONE 18-3828 Corsican Blue, PANTONE 18-2525 Magenta Haze, PANTONE 19-3325 Wood Violet, PANTONE 19-3520 Blackberry Cordial, PANTONE 19-1555 Red Dahlia, PANTONE 16-0836 Rich Gold

Both svelte and voluptuous, Moda speaks of attention to detail and the drama of high fashion when translated into interiors. Combinations can be theatrical in nature, displaying fashionable or whimsical flourishes, but always done with tasteful finesse. Red dahlia interacts with blackberry cordial and wood violet, all accented by a yellowed amber green. Corsican blue meets with magenta haze and an expressive linden green, while rich gold waits in the wings for the appropriate moment to add a glimmering finale to any of the combinations.

Pantone 2014 Tribal Threads Palette – L-R:  PANTONE 13-1008 Bleached Sand, PANTONE 16-1010 Incense, PANTONE 18-0920 Kangaroo, PANTONE 18-1630 Dusty Cedar, PANTONE 16-1441 Arabesque, PANTONE 18-4011 Goblin Blue, PANTONE 16-0928 Curry, PANTONE 18-1409 Peppercorn

We are all members of tribes, whether through cultural background, religion, political affiliation or community. The colors in Tribal Threads are as varied as the tribal diversity they represent, yet they construct a universal linkage of artistic appreciation rooted in personal expression. Color combinations may be disarmingly simple or as complex as inter-woven threads. Neutrals, such as bleached sand and kangaroo brown, highlight an exotic arabesque burnt orange, while goblin blue is flavored by curry and peppercorn. A rose-dusted cedar shade is set off by taupe-toned incense.

Pantone 2014 Eccentricities – L-R: PANTONE 13-0756 Lemon Zest, PANTONE 15-0146 Green Flash, PANTONE 16-1360 Nectarine, PANTONE 19-4151 Skydiver, PANTONE 18-1755 Rouge Red, PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle, PANTONE 16-1720 Strawberry Ice

There is always room for an eccentric palette with a personality that defies the established rule book of design and color, bringing with it a sense of adventure, wit, experimentation and discovery. Eccentricities is tongue-in-cheek in attitude with color juxtapositions that are highly original and cleverly conceived in evocative combinations. A flash of neon green radiates off of zesty lemon or nectarine combines with a daredevil skydiver blue. Fudgesickle brown is rendered sweeter with strawberry ice. A warm red coexists with its cooler counterpart, while black and/or white can be drawn into any combination.

Pantone 2014 Collage Palette – L-R: PANTONE 16-1620 Tea Rose – PANTONE 19-1652 Rhubarb, PANTONE 18-1163 Pumpkin Spice, PANTONE 14-1122 Sheepskin, PANTONE 14-0116 Margarita, PANTONE 14-5713 Cascade, PANTONE 17-4919 Teal, PANTONE 18-4220 Provincial Blue

Collage is a gathering place for found objects that are well worn and somewhat nostalgic – a charming mélange of artfully constructed designs that demonstrate ingenuity and resourcefulness. There is poignancy in the color and design of the palette that sounds a familiar chord. Tea rose, deep reddish rhubarb, warm pumpkin spice and cozy sheepskin, are refreshed with margarita green, provincial blue and cascading tones of aqua and teal.

There is an awfully lot to say about all of this, and we certainly will be exploring the in and outs of using these colors to create a look that puts your own stamp on the colors of 2014 – but there’s also allot to be said for digesting one meal at a time. Join me next week for dessert, coffee, and how-to’s that make it all work in your own space!

A sneak peak at Pantone Shades in the forecast for 2014 / 2015 inclusive of a test palette I created from sampling Pantone’s image.

The best way to find your style is to identify what you like. Finding your style may be harder than you think!

A reader wrote to me last week and asked me what a transitional Japanese style room might look like. This was an interesting question because it was very specific. Design styles are like that wall of candy bars you faced as a kid in the grocery check-out. Mom invariably limited you to a single choice – but limiting your style choices in your own home puts you right back in front of that candy with no clear limitations other than your budget constraints – narrowing your choices gets harder now. Jennifer’s question was a perfect launching point – she likes Japanese style, less the limitations implied by a literal translation.

To find your style think of creating a transitional style like a painter creates abstract art. The abstract artist in nearly every case began with a firm understanding of conventional ways and means. The measure of their success lies in the choices they made in how and where to bend the rules.

The best place to consider finding your style is to expand on a specific theme by adding or subtracting the best and least that you love.  Transitional or eclectic style is created by blurring the distinctions between specific styles. Begin by making a two-part bullet list of :

a) Attributes that define the style you are drawn to
b)  reasons that you find this style appealing

The Shinto Buildings at Ise, Japan via pitt.edu

When I think of what defines Japanese style for example, 3 mental images push their way to the forefront of my impressions…

1) The Shinto shrines at Ise Japan.

These shrines are built absolutely by hand (no power tools) only to be dismantled every twenty years by new ones built on an immediately adjacent site. The Shinto monks believe the site is purified and building materials renewed in this manner, while preserving the original design from the third and fourth centuries. The new shrines albeit seemingly identical to the old ones are not considered replicas but “Ise re-created.” The-creation process reveals Shinto’s understanding of nature which does not make monuments, but “lives and dies, always renewed and reborn.” At least one imperfection is intentionally built into each recreation, so as not to be so arrogant as to attempt to imitate perfection.

The empty site of the previous shrine (called the kodenchi) is strewn with large white pebbles. The only building on the empty site, which retains its sacredness for the intervening twenty years, is a small wooden shed or hut (oi-ya) inside of which is a post about seven feet high known as shin-no-mihashira (literally the august column of the heart, or more freely translated as sacred central post). The new shrine will be erected over and around this post which are the holiest and most mysterious objects in the Ise Shrine. They remain hidden at all times.

What draws me to this style: I was mesmerized with this place and its phoenix life cycle many years ago when Charles Kuralt visited the shrine for its reconstruction on CBS Sunday Morning. I loved the hand-hewn craftsmanship with clean lines and its embrace of imperfection.

George Nakashima Conoid bench

2) The wood-works of George Nakashima are sonorous of a Japanese aesthetic in my mind. I could not find Kuralt’s interview, but the video below provides the jist defining an impression of an icnic style.

I love the blending of Nakashima’s clean aesthetic and its similarity to Bauhaus era iconic furnishings – a place to begin finding your style?

But I am a true lover of color – to get color inspiration I might look to the forms and colors of a Japanese style garden and that connection to nature, or….

Japanese Garden image via Houzz

…another iconic symbol of Japanese culture and style that flies in the face of minimalism.

Geisha image with Chip it applied

Tailored, yet anything but minimal, the Geisha tradition adds a whimsical burst of unexpected yet controlled frivolity and drama to the Japanese aesthetic. This departure provides a vivid and unforseen color palette to pave any of several paths to a transitional departure…and is echoed in Pantone’s coming trends for 2014 / 2015 as seen in the image up top!

Jananese style reading room by Marsha Schrank Interiors – designshuffle.com

Japanese style is married above with a traditional aesthetic – the color palette, tailored clean lines and jute rug suggest rather than broadcast a Japanese influence.

Maybe you Find your style hidden in the shapes or suggestion of Ming porcelain in a minimal format that speaks less subtly to a Japanese influence. But a bit of sparkle sharpens this minimal landscape, giving a nod to that feminine yet disciplined drama of the Geisha…

kitchen with Japanese flair – Marsha Schrank Interiors

As does the room below, showcasing a whimsical Swarovski crystal branch chandelier reminiscent of the Geisha hair adornments. The room itself draws obvious inspiration from nature and that Japanese aesthetic that erases the lines drawn between in and out of doors.

Interior Designs Inspired by Nature – hotnickcom

When blending styles, take a nod from the Shinto monks – pay homage to your inspiration rather than trying to copy it verbatim. No matter which styles you blend to find your style, the same rules apply:

• Pick a color palette that speaks to your inspirational muse and then put blinders on to reinvention or addition – discipline creates master pieces!
• Suggest connections to your theme through similar shapes and furniture styles – think themed, not theme park!
• Blend styles that have some relationship – think of it like a dinner party you are giving for friends you love, who don’t necessarily love one another. Don’t put styles side by side that have absolutely nothing in common or worse yet, compete.
• Create no more than three focal points – otherwise the eye has nowhere to rest and the brain feels anxious in such a space.
• Experiment!!! It’s design, not brain surgery or a corporate tax return – finding your style will cost no lives nor result in jail time if something goes wrong. Make the list I suggested above about what and why you like the design styles you hope to marry – knowing where you want to go is key to getting there!
• Don’t forget to have fun finding your style

The Pantone Fashion Color Report Fall 2013 – image via Pantone.com

The Pantone Fashion Color Report Fall 2013 is here and they are calling it “a palette of many moods”

A truer statement I have not yet heard in 2013, but before my own reflections on the color palette, I always like to begin with Pantone’s own vision of the spearhead targeted to influence entire industries and all of us on the ground with their branded color vision.

True, this is a design blog focused on residential color and design. But I intend it as a tool that you can use to better identify and apply your inspirations to differentiate your own space. Wardrobe is one of the key areas of self-expression – the clothing you choose expresses 80% of the first impression you make on the world – it therefore stands to reason that your wardrobe palette speaks volumes about who you are and how you hope to be seen – at least in a perfect world. If this statement is less that representative of what’s in your closet, it’s probably falling short at home too.

In Pantone words:

“…colors come together to create moods that range from sophisticated and structured to lively and vivid, encapsulating our inherent need for wardrobe variety to reflect emotions that run from thoughtfully introspective to irrepressibly elated.”

“Just as the leaves change in autumn, the consumer will enjoy the ability to change their ‘look’ and try a new approach to their wardrobe for brisk days ahead,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “The fall 2013 palette allows for that versatility and experimentation.”

With the changing season, the greens from spring evolve and develop. Multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate, bringing luxury and elegance to the palette, while yellow-toned Linden Green brings a lightness and brightness to the deeper shades of fall. Try pairing both with Mykonos Blue, a bold, meditative blue, for a classic and relaxed fall look.

 

Exotic Acai adds mystery and richness to the palette, and can be incorporated with the other colors to create a number of powerful fall combinations. Pair the elegant shade of purple with Emerald for a regal disposition, or spirited Samba red for an expressive and dramatic look.

Koi, a decorative orange with dazzling and shimmering qualities, is a statement color that serves as a pick-me-up for your wardrobe. Vivacious, an unruly and wildly deep fuchsia, adds an ebullient sensuality to the palette.

Pair Vivacious with anchoring Deep Lichen Green, a naturally lush shade of green, for a dynamic juxtaposition that captures both ends of the seasonal spectrum. Rounding out this season’s cornerstone colors, Turbulence, a dark mercurial gray, and Carafe,

a rich, glamorous brown, provide more interesting and sophisticated alternatives to the black basics usually worn in colder months. Both staple neutrals pair gracefully with more expressive colors within the palette, such as Samba, Koi and Vivacious.”

Ok…so what can we draw from Pantone’s wisdom? At this question my hand might be the first raised – I see allot of reinvention, and confirmation of the ground gained by gray tones in the new year.

This all speaks longevity and style that endures. No need to toss those honeysuckle or Tangerine Tango accents of ’11 and ’12.  This palette is built on a platform of safety with only slight variations on the eye-popping colors of the year of the past two years. Koi and Vivacious are kissing cousins of Tangerine Tango and Honeysuckle. While Koi in contrast to Tangerine Tango is a shade with the air let out, but we have not lost orange’s less than subtle influence. This may be due in part to the dominating role played by the PC in viewing media – I think it was Thomas Paul who corroborated the love relationship enjoyed by orange and the camera. Orange enjoys great impact as an accent in small proportion, so it’s fun and safe. the same can be said of fuchsia, turquoise, lime and bright yellow – particularly in combinations including black, white or both.

If you don’t believe it, have a look at the lead color in 2014′s Pantone Magic card’s ad – hmmm…color of the year 2014 perhaps?

MAGIC Color Card Spring / Summer 14

And no, that’s not Koi – I sampled it, and while it’s close, the variation in blue in this orange’s RGB (percentages of red, green and blue in the mix) is too great to be a screen faux paux.

While I have been quite busy on projects as of late, I have stayed tuned in to what is hitting the market and selling with the greatest velocity. Due to work stemming from burst pipes thanks to bitter cold, I actually missed NYIGF for the first time in years – but I have noticed that on member-based shopping leaders like One Kings Lane, Joss & Main and fashion site Rue la la that Emerald Green lacks the voracious sell-through that Tangerine Tango enjoyed. While people are buying it, it’s not with the piranha type frenzy that red-orange items created on taste-maker sales. I think it is for this reason that orange will persist and that the addition of a Samba makes sense.

Color is only 50% of a winning design equation – it’s what you do with it that makes or breaks trends. Next time we’ll drill down to see what is truly trending in 2013, and whether these looks are fads or future. Come and see!

To find future trends, simply look back – inventing abstraction exhibit at the MoMA

Inspiration is the caveot of creation.

Color and Home Trends serve as period-specific canons intended to inspire us to model after them to yes – make money – and aspire to a tasteful aesthetic….but Re-Do it Design is a blog about inspiration. I tell everyone who will listen that trends are resurrected classics that have worked before and provide a great foundation for finding your own style. Trends inspire us to reinvent convention to fit our vision of ourselves…and none of this is new…but all ideas were shining and new once upon a time. At great effort and expense, the MoMA has pulled together an amazing exhibit about one of those watershed moments in design and color history when amazing new ideas flourished, providing us with a fabulous launch point to consider the impetus of true inspiration.

I sat up the morning before New Year’s Eve and decided the path to inspiration for 2013 by climbing into the formidably colorful shoes of the experts at Pantone to imagine the task of intuiting the pulse of inspiration that will define the voice and vision a year in color and style trends. I began my quest by braving incoming traffic to Manhattan for New Year’s Eve, to attend the MoMA’s acclaimed exhibit: Inventing Abstraction.

No, don’t leave!!!! I know that abstract art can really push the boundaries of conventional understanding, and convey the impression of a less than inclusive club – but the inspiration of these revolutionaries laid the impetus for ideas that influenced everything in your closets and much of what is in your home – and these artists’ cliques were the precursor of what you know today as Facebook – really!

Don’t believe me? Click on the image below to follow the link, and mouse over the name of the trend setters of the inspirational watershed years between 1910 and 1925. Check out who had “friended” whom:

This Abstraction flowchart of ideas moving through a nexus of artists and intellectuals working in different media and in far-flung places. Its pioneers were more closely linked than is generally understood. This diagram (by the exhibition’s curatorial and design team and Paul Ingram, Kravis Professor of Business, and Mitali Banerjee, doctoral candidate, Columbia Business School) charts the relationships among the artists represented in Inventing Abstraction, all of whom played a significant role in the development of a new modern language for the arts. The vector lines connect the acquaintances within this influential group documented during these years; the names in red are those with the most “friends” within this group.

Watch this as a starting point -  the ideas shared by this first “social community” gave shape to a creative web that changed the  everything thought about style and color up to that point in time!

Although I have told you maybe a thousand times that there is almost nothing truly new in design trends, this was not the case between 1910-1925. These were new and untried creative ideas, amongst a far flung world group of “friends” who did not tweet, carry cell phones, or post their works on Facebook – yet shared, influenced and inspired a group vision.

a map of paul klee’s influence on contemporaries of the day

You may have heard of the Bauhaus school of art, even if you have not heard much about Paul Klee…we’ll get back to that…

The Paul Klee Notebooks, a collection of his Bauhaus lectures and essays on art, have been heralded as being to modern art what Leonardo’s A Treatise on Painting was to Renaissance artists.  Pantone can thank Paul Klee for sewing the seeds that grew into the refinement and standardization of color.

From Paul Klee’s notebooks on color

It was Klee who modified the circular color wheel, positioning compliments at opposing sides of the color wheel – what is so inspirational about this? This innovation is the epiphany to color that braille text was to Helen Keller, and is foundational to demonstrating that compliments or opposites of equal intensity blend at the center to create gray – the absolute neutral range in color – and much, much more.

It is not coincidental that the cheat sheet color of interior design (as you well know if you have read Re-Do it Design before) is grey….because it is truly fail-safe.

grey backdrops showcase bright color seamlessly – image via peppermintbliss.com

Gray is also the color that was chosen for the wall color as you enter by The MoMa for many moments of the Inventing Abstract exhibit, providing the background that showcased the era’s revolution in color, and its signature exhibit image by František Kupka that the MoMa has used to brand the exhibit.

Localization of Graphic Motifs II. 1912–13. Oil on canvas by František Kupka is MoMA’s signature image for inventing abstraction, on loan from the National Gallery

The courageous colors colors you admire today found their roots in abstract art.

via BACHELORETTE GLAM – desire to inspire blog

But all that admirable color can intimidate, too. Gray takes away the fear factor; a revelation that evolved from Klee’s organization and experimentation with principles of color theory….

A Kandinsky painting I snapped a phone image of, entering MoMA’s Inventing Abstraction exhibit – before being told there were no cameras at the show…

Grey is the only absolute neutral. Most people will tell yo that beige or tan are the most neutral shades, but that simply a misnomer. Grey has a completely equal RGB (red, green and blues in the mix) distribution, and is the only true neutral.

A painting I snapped a pic of in the Inventing Abstraction exhibit by František Kupka

As Leah Dickerman, the exhibition’s Curator at The MoMA captures in the video (above) the idea of abstraction was a big a departure in the visual language of expression as the Renaissance was to the dark ages.

So what does all this mean at day’s end to your room design?

Modern Bright on white living space showcased in Interior Design Magazine

Pretty much everything! In a world where the design revolution between 1910 – 1925 had not occurred, we might all still be sitting bolt up-right in some facsimile of a traditional Victorian parlor.

Consider a few relationships that grew from Bauhaus’s prelude to Facebook friendships….

The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar. Gropius was an architect although the Bauhaus did not even have an architecture department during the first years of its existence. But it was founded on the principle of creating a ‘total’ aesthetic and art-centric environment in which all arts, including architecture would eventually discover common ground. The Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in the new (and enduring) tide of Modernist architecture and modern design.

The Bauhaus had a pivetal influence on the developments in art that followed – architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, typography, and the auto industry. The school existed in three German cities (Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932 and Berlin from 1932 to 1933), under three different architect-directors: Walter Gropius from 1919 to 1928, Hannes Meyer from 1928 to 1930 and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe from 1930 until 1933, when the school was closed due to pressure from the Nazi regime.

Germany’s loss was our gain…

The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House; image courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

chair by Mies van der Rohe

Mies van der Rohe, Dessau, Walter Gropius, and his protege’ Marcel Breuer who later worked on the grounds of the MoMA for a time designed and built the the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City. Their collective modern furnishings are replicated today, and may be in some form in a room in your home….

classic Dessau

chair by Walter Gropius

These designs in turn influenced the work of Florence Knoll and Herman Miller, and …..you get the jist….shaping so much of what you see in today’s trends, magazines and even indirectly the aesthetic that has evolved on Pinterest.

knoll sofa re-covered in periwinkle velvet featured in elle decor magazine

Amongst the MoMA highlights, were pieces that seem like obvious inspirations for the trend focuses of 2012 and for 2013 by Pantone, in forms of Pantone’s Fashion Report and Home + Interiors.

Henri Matisse – The Dance – in pre-pantone emerald and cobalt blue

emerald vignette via Lonnyny blog

Abstract inspired Greens have emerged again in the 2013color forecast.

Emerald is back – Interior Design Magazine

the brighter tones of 2012 – 2013 are all here…

Shades of Emerald and Tangerine Tango first inspired Matisse

and the pastels of 2013…

Top Ten Pantone Women’s Shades for Spring 2013

periwinkle – British HG

Did the abstract painters completely turn away from the impressionists vision?

A pastel detail from Monet’s Water Lilies

Maybe not…This is a a real departure from Mondrian’s blocked canvases in primary colors – inspired perhaps by Monet’s impressionist pallet? And why not – great ideas and great design have profound influence on one another, then and now.

A real departure by Mondrian’s from his signature blocked canvases

There is so much more, and there will be plenty of opportunity to continue sharing this and more inspiration for your design projects in 2013 – but I ended the day resting my tired feet at Pazza Notte for an inspired cappuccino and the best Italian meal I have had outside my own kitchen in years!

cappuccino at Pazza Notte on 56th St

Today is an excellent occasion to get inspired!

Let’s raise our glasses to a bright and shiny New Year in color, style and design! Every new year is a journey capable of channel who you are through the way you choose to live. Thanks for making Re-Do it Design a stop on your road of discovery in 2012!

We will be checking out new destinations in 2013 – stop in to check out the itinerary this week!

Happy 2013!

An image snapped out front of my house as the storm began

I have been taking a long winter’s nap for the holiday, well-deserved or otherwise in our freshly-minted winter wonderland. You know it’s a slow news week, when every major network descends upon Syracuse to take pictures of the snow; it’s rather like watching rabbits eat carrots in unanointed amazement…

Syracuse snowed in; you can see that the locals take this in stride – image via Syracuse post standard.

I live near Syracuse in upstate NY, and quite frankly this was a rather lack-luster event; but maybe they were unable to show up for events of 2010, when even jaded locals raised eye-brows (and shovels) to unprecedented snow fall with particular emphasis on the Oswego area…

dvxcskier.com

…yes, that was a road. One of many good reasons not to live in Oswego….

So what is a snow-bound design aficionado to do?

candle display from my Christmas table

Style candle displays on mirrors while sipping cocoa? Well, maybe…

Admire my prized and most unexpected and stylish gift from my husband and kids….I am considering building it a shrine; it’s so gorgeous!!!

But after much genuflecting over the Pantone honeysuckle mixer it’s time to prepare for a new year in color, color trends, and design!

To do some research and get inspiration, I will be heading out of the snow for a jaunt to Manhattan to re-charge at the MoMA for their Inventing Abstraction event, and whatever else I can cram into a day-trip.

I’ll be back in the new year, with what’s new in style, color and design to share ways to make it all work in your home – see you next year!

]]> http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/29/winter-wonderland/feed/ 0 http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/25/a-very-merry-christmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-very-merry-christmas http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/25/a-very-merry-christmas/#comments Tue, 25 Dec 2012 06:12:13 +0000 klatimer http://www.redoitdesign.com/?p=7319 Continue reading →]]>

May all your holiday wishes come true, and I wish you health, happiness, style, and the pleasure of the company of those you love to enjoy all that 2013 has to offer.

Thank you for reading Re-Do it Design in 2012, and I am looking forward to sharing a grand new year in color, design and ways to make it all work in 2013 and beyond!

Happy Holidays!

Handmade Christmas Ideas – image from Pinterest – Lisa Hewitt

There’s nothing like a handmade Christmas to put the spirit into the holiday. Doing something from the heart to show people who are your core that you care costs less, but rolling up your sleeves is not only good for your wallet – it’s food for the soul. Hand-made decor, gifts and food pull at the heart-strings of all that we hold dear, rather than tugging at our VISA or stretching our budgets.

Usually for Christmas, I share some of my favorite handmade stores, and offer shopping tips – but this year, I am making a departure and we are sharing loaves and fishes design instead.

image via trettien.com

Below, are some of the Handmade Christmas ideas I have come across during 2012, and just when I think we need some DIY the most.

Christmas used to come in December; not before Halloween. I have nothing against a strong economy, but it has all become so mercilessly commercial. More significant than my personal objections to tasteless over-consumption are incidents of loss and tragedy attributed to climate change-driven storms, and events that can only be attributed to pure and unadulterated evil that have punctuate 2012. It is enough to shake the most stalwart of hearts and question our most foundational beliefs.

A handmade Christmas won’t fix life’s tragedies, but I think the end of 2012 may be the perfect opportunity to encircle those we love with handmade symbols of generosity and good tidings. So gather your kids, friends and family, toss aside your credit cards and pull out your glue guns, scissors and assorted supplies – and let’s get creative! It’s inexpensive, painless, and best of all – it’s fun!

Here are 10 of my favorite Handmade Christmas ideas for the 2012 Holiday Season; put them all together in one celebration with the people you love and watch the holiday magic happen!

1. DIY Birch Bark Pendant Lamps from ruffledblog.com -

Handmade Christmas Ideas – Gorgeous DIY Birch Bark Lamps from RuffledBlog!

This pendant from The Ruffled Blog has all the timeless handmade Christmas elegance of Scandanavian decoration, and this project really elevates the concept of a simple lamp-kit!

2. Oh, Christmas Branch…

Handmade Christmas Ideas – yournestdesign.blogspot.com

image via fancyflours.com

I was sixteen when I discovered Christmas branches. My had family relocated to Mexico for a year, where there was no such thing as a Christmas tree – and we felt a little displaced without this traditional symbol of Christmas. But necessity is the mother of invention; not being one to allow Christmas to go unheralded, my mom took up tin scissors and cut up soda cans in imitation of the local Mexican tin Christmas ornaments. I found a good tutorial on this at inspirewild.com. This project is not for everyone; it’s rough on the hands – but as always, and ahead of her time, my mom incorporated the printed aspects of the soda cans in her designs. You can use the guidelines below and flip the cans…

Handmade Christmas Ideas – image and project via inspirewild.com

3. Faceted DIY Vase – If tin shears and sore patties are not for you, try vintage ornaments instead. You can suspend your branches (as seen up top) or (as above) support your branches in a vintage container with floral foam and fill in around the container top with floral moss – or make your own container and ornaments!

Handmade Christmas Ideas – ohhappyday.com faceted vase – DIY template

4. Neon Felt Christmas Ornaments – This is a sweet table topper from ohhappyday.com is perfect if you don’t have a collection of vintage ornaments on hand, or call home an apartment that places a real premiums on storage. They cost very little, store easily in flat sandwich Tupperware containers, take up no space, and are perfect projects to pull kids into your design plan!

Handmade Christmas Ideas – make neon felt ornaments from purlbee.com

5. Ice Lanterns - No Holiday table story is complete without candles to put the ambiance into entertaining – but ice lanterns add true je ne se qua to your design story!

Handmade Christmas Ideas – martha stewart ice bowls

Martha Stewart was first to popularize the idea of frozen floral ice bowls, and her version has all the flawless elegance embodied in her brand.

But I love the more primative look of the version from Design Sponge, incorporating frozen herbs such as rosemary that can’t help but release a scented bouquet as the ice begins to thaw…

No matter your personal preference, he directions are always the same, though the ingredients you choose to freeze in the ice are as limitless as you imagination.

Handmade Christmas Ideas – ice lanterns via Design Sponge

You will need two containers, one smaller then the other.

Pine greens, herbs or flowers or……

Fill the larger container half full with water.

Place the smaller container inside it and place some rocks or something heavy to keep in in place.

Add more water, the water level should be to the top.

Add your herbs or what have you to the sides of the bucket.

Design Sponge recommends using tape to keep the small container in the middle of the bigger one, but I prefer placing cut dowels just above the water line; the tape adhesive may freeze and come loose before the water can properly freeze

Climate permitting you can set the whole thing outside to freeze, but if not, keep it freezer-sized.

Once frozen, just the small bucket first and then the large one and voila!

Place a votive candle inside the ice lantern right before you expect guests to arrive. You can place some on the table in frozen dishes, and put some on the porch for magical curb appeal!

6. Handmade Place settings are at the heart of a memorable handmade Christmas.

muscatels in beeswax cones – kararosenlund.com

I love the setting from karroselund.com, incorporating a beeswax cornucopia. But if beeswax is difficult to locate, but paper plates are not.

paper plate angels by letop blog

7. Paper Plate Angels - Le Top blog provides a template to create these lovely paper plate angels to welcome your guests to Christmas dinner.

Handmade garlands are amongst the more delicate mechanisms for distributing splashes of color, or shape around a holiday table.

origami garland – witandwhistle.com

8. Origami garland – is one of may favorite additions to table stories or holiday decor. Wit and whistle provides concise instructions that makes it easier than you might think, or perhaps you fancy that growing trend towards the simplicity of handmade design coming out of the Netherlands.

Moose garland by woonideen

9. Handmade Irish Cream – Woonideen offers a tutorial to create a baked paper clay moose garland that is just beautiful, and a fun activity to go with some cookies and cocoa (look for the translate option on their site)…or some handmade spirits!

HomemadeIrishCream via skiptomylou blog

10. Make Peppermint Meringues – Yes, the skiptomylou blog provides directions to make homemade Irish cream will put that spirit in your holiday! and what would a Christmas table story be without a bit of peppermint?

Minty-Meringues via Kiptomylou.org

The peppermint meringues are candy cane confections that say you care – recipe also from skiptomylou blog.

We have just set an entirely handmade table with loads of budget to spare to fulfill those holiday wishes. Eat, drink, create and be merry!

]]> http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/20/10-handmade-christmas-ideas/feed/ 2 http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/14/why-emerald-green-pantones-vision-2013/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-emerald-green-pantones-vision-2013 http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/14/why-emerald-green-pantones-vision-2013/#comments Fri, 14 Dec 2012 01:50:28 +0000 klatimer http://www.redoitdesign.com/?p=7231 Continue reading →]]>

An image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

We’ve already done allot on Emerald, the newly announced color of the year 2013, but as soon as the pronouncement of The Color of The Year has been made, the hum begins. Everyone wants to know the reasoning that under-pins Pantone’s color selection process; in this case, of Emerald 1756-41. And why not?

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

We’re going to see allot of it in the color year to come so an explanation is in order, whether or not we love it. As you look at Pantone’s images as we go, see if you can identify the common thread of continuity to all these images – aside of the fact, yes, that they are all green! You won’t have to dive very deep, but I’ll save it for the end…

Laurie Pressman, VP of Pantone LLC presided over today’s webinar, entitled “The Power of Green”; a vision and visual allegory of the impetus behind Pantone’s choice of Emerald 1756-41 for the coveted color of the year slot. How is it done? Were there other color families in the running, was it a close contest? The latter was not revealed, but it’s safe to say that other color groups were on the table for discussion – as a matter of fact, it’s safe to say that all the color groups in the Fashion Trends Forecast have been on the table for discussion over the past couple of years. So why Emerald?

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

Pantone selections are always a reflection of the visual language of the age we are living in, and since the 1990′s green themes have been a prominent umbrella, covering our many justifiable concerns about the preservation of our planet and its rapidly changing climate.

As Pressman quipped, it was in the early 1970′s Kermit ushered in a decade still reeling from the social unrest of the ’60′s pronouncing “it isn’t easy being green” – and sadly we proved him right. Rising levels of VOC’s and Methane gas from products that underpinned our lifestyles and fueled by the fast-foods we loved to eat began contributing to the thinning of our atmosphere, setting the stage for climate changes that are becoming harder and harder to ignore.

image taken in the wake of Hurricane Sandy by National Geographic

Green has grown beyond any trend personified by a single color family to envelop the way that many of us are choosing to live. I am proud to say that the Design community has taken a front seat in this initiative, making LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) their paradigm for product selection across the trade – and interior designers are not alone in industries going green – it’s difficulty to identify an industry not actively opting to adopt more planet-friendly ways and means.

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

The green prerogative is not limited to industry – most of us are carrying green into healthier decisions about food and cosmetics as well – and those choices are mirrored in the packaging of those sought-after products that offer us responsible and feel-good life choices.

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

Psychologically, green can be attributed to assuaging stress; actually reducing both stress related hormones and the heart rate, by the mere presence of this health-evoking color family. In addition, green plants enrich and oxygenate the atmosphere and are even becoming the choices of building exteriors in the form of vertical gardens,

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

…whose popularity have spread exponentially over the past few years.

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

Interiors, and interior furnishings are incorporated foliage prints and colors, undoubtedly to capitalize on the feel-good psychological attributes of the color green.

Flora Ottoman from Joss & Main – Click to see it

As Pantone watched the green revolution, they began to narrow their lens to discover which green was best suited to serve as the flagship of 2013.  The team of global experts put their collective heads together, lead by Lautrice Eisman incorporating many of the great minds in color and polling individuals who spearhead designs reflected in sought-after brands that we look to, to help us differentiate our own individual styles and express the way we are feeling about color, form, finish and line in apparel in commercial and residential interiors,

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

tiles and stone,

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

the cars we dive, displays in stores, and so much more.

Emerald Toaster – image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

These and many other areas had glommed onto emerald green, riveting Pantone’s attention beginning several seasons ago. The polling process of trend-setters brings to bare the color choices that are key influences in their current collections, so that by the time that Emerald products roll out onto store shelves the pronouncement of color of the year is marks a seemingly intuitive introduction.

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

Emerald was also making appearances in those menus that makes so many people green with envy; the red carpet, films, designers bags and luggage…and of course, shoes, high-end jewelry,

Gold and Emerald jewelry image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

influential make-up brands,

Sephora eye Shadow – image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

and nail polishes.

Even Green hair has made its way into the trend foray;

image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

a fad not seen since the 1960′s – and hip-hop fashion, that prides itself on its edgy look,

though this Pantone image looked an awful lot like Meg Ryan wearing MC Hammer’s pants (which she had the good grace to avoid, even in the design-challenged 1990′s…).

Emerald is making its mark in the kitchen, housewares and table stories…

Chevy has offered up its new Emerald Camero as a 2013 alternative to the Jaguar’s ticket price that requires a whole different category of green – and may actually be the one Emerald check on my wish list for 2013…

The new Emerald Chevy Camero – image from Pantone’s “Power of Green” Webinar

In an initiative to rival a Dickensonian epiphany, Pantone polls the present, future, and yes – looks to color trends past to mine connect the dots of inspiration to dig for color-trend gold. Emerald has an illustrious past in the annals of color history…

Art Nuveau era diamond rings

Emeralds were the wealthy fathers’ choice bequest of choice to daughters of old, symbolic of chastity – and like the coincidental nature of most old wives tales, it sometimes went off as planned – or not, as Pressman joked, showing this painting. I had to laugh – not at Laurie Pressman, or the painting but at the universal misunderstanding – here’s a little known fact:

This Renaissance painting (below) by Dutch artist Jan Van Eyck is not a depiction of a pregnant woman. It’s believed amongst art historians to be the wedding portrait of wealthy Tuscan merchant Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini, and his wife Giovanna Cenami. The couple were not actually married until 13 years later, and when poor Giovanna died she was childless.  In the painting Giovanna is portrayed in a style of dress common amongst women of that era. Her gesture (with her left hand on her stomach) may be an expression of the couple’s wish to produce an heir – a little art history aside…back to Emerald…

The webinar offered lots of other emerald history -  Emerald was a favorite in the stylish and treacherous court of Henry VIII, worn (below) by Natale Portman in “The Other Boleyn Girl“; as accurately noted by Pressman, not quite a dead ringer in hue, but worn beautifully by Natale Portman in the same shimmering color family. Natalie is neither the first or the only lovely actress to don green velvet on a historical movie set – who could forget Scarlett O’Hara up-cycling those emerald green velvet drapes from the ruins of her beloved to strike a convincing pose to woo Rett in Gone With The Wind? Oh, Scarlet….

Scarlet strikes a pose in up-cycled emerald drapes in Gone with the Wind – image via Pantone Power of Green Webinar

The influence of emerald has waxed and waned throughout the 20th century, spanning influences from Faberge and Tiffany,

to cubist works of arts in the 20′s,

A Cubist Painting by Malevitch, with an emphasis on Emerald Green – image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

The path leading to Emerald City in the 1930′s release of the ground-breaking technicolor film version of The Wizard Of Oz,

Wizard of Oz images from Pantone’s Power of Green Webinar

and was resurrected in 2011 in emerald brilliance for Broadway’s “Wicked”.

The Set of Wicked via Colorstudioinc

Edward Hopper favored somber emerald hues in his the 1940′s paintings of common public spaces.

Paintings by Edward Hopper favoring Emerald tones – image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

The first wave of Indian influence swept design in the ’60′s, giving Emerald a more lively turn about the design forum.

Vintage ’60′s Indian inspired fabrics – image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

Pantone itself also levied its own brand of emerald influence on innovation-centric ’60′s design in the form of paper dresses – I want one! (Thanks God smoking is now taboo).

paper dresses – image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

Andy Warhol was yet another painter influenced by the richness of Emerald green, favoring emerald hues in several works.

image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

It was in the 1980′s as well, that Ralph Lauren tossed his hat into the design ring to resurrect emerald as a sought-after trend…

image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

In the 1990′s emerald morphed into more citrus-flavored greens.

But deeper greens began to resurface in the 2000′s, in the form of the 1980′s pine shades, lightening and morphing into jewel tones, which one again pushed emerald green into the lime-light of design. It was an emerald that Steve Jobs selected as the green member of his jewel tone showcase of apple G3 computers.

Apple ad – image shown during Pantone’s Power of Green webinar

Feeling a little green?

So having gone full circle at last, have you spotted the common feature to all these incarnation of emerald?

All the images featured are very dark. The best way to lighten up this lush if petulant shade is with, well – light.

Helene Lamp by Currey from MyHomeFaceLift

Don’t forget the light! If you’re using this color on walls, hit it with an array of recessed, track, floor and table lamps and throw in a chandelier! It’s a gorgeous color, but left in the dark, it becomes depressive pretty quickly. For other ways to tame this challenging hue, quick the article link below – and try on a little emerald for 2013!

Related articles

• New! Pantone Color of the Year 2013: PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (redoitdesign.com)
• Pantone Color of The Year 2013 – The Contenders! (redoitdesign.com)

Emerald Green Sliding Barn Door – image via TheDesignerPad.com

The Color of The Year for 2013 has arrived as the New Year in Color has yet to even begin – which gives us a chance to put our heads together on incorporating the somber yet lush jewel tone of Emerald into our room designs.

Due to its nearly equal distribution of green and blue, Emerald green as a wall paint sucks the light, and reflectivity from any space, visually moving walls in, or diminishing height when applied to ceilings. I would say that about 2% of people would be happy with Emerald Green as the 60% of a 60/30/10 color distribution in a room – but let’s not discount the potential for emerald quite yet.

image via srgambrelcom

Color Solutions begin with understanding – yes,  Pantone 17-5641 emerald is an interior color choice has a lot of mass in terms of visual weight. Yet it’s the parent color shared by Tangerine Tango and Emerald that offers some direction in refining its use. The Colors of the Year for 2012 and 2013 are step siblings, with a common parent color.

Cadmium Yellow image via guidetopainting.com

Cadmium Yellow, Light is not a reference that will help you at the paint store, but understanding a bit about the hands-on manipulation of color in the fine arts realms can be helpful in translating successful color use into interior applications.

Emerald green is Ultramarine Blue mixed with Cadmium Yellow Light; Tangerine Tango is Cadmium Red with a bit of the same. The presence of bright yellow makes the two colors very at ease with yellow – and for that matter, all secondary (colors resultant from primary parents; red, yellow and blue) and tertiary colors (secondary colors mixed)

as is demonstrated beautifully in the fabric below – I have been lusting after this chair for a few months…(if you are too, just click the link)

Li Bai Bergère Chair – One Kings Lane

It’s not just the color, but the separation of colors that makes a print or color scheme work. I sampled all this color (below) from the chair (above). Without the white back drop and black accent, it this color scheme is child-like – but the addition of white, French style, and black accent take this piece from daycare to urban loft.

chair colors

Designer Tobi Fairley’s take on an Emerald Green table story – image from At Home Magazine

White is not the only color that can be used as a common thread to create a unified color story. Why not Emerald green? You need only adjust the percentage; start by using pillows that feature your target color (in this case, emerald) in the least proportion in the pillow, to avoid a concentrated result.

(Click here to see Pillows at Joss and Main)

Emerald as a unifying element to tie accents together – images via Joss and Main

Once a story line is established, it’s easier to flesh out certain characters in your story because you have created harmony and continuity by establishing a common thread. The resultant look is a happy-chic vibe that doesn’t nail you to one particular style – choices are good!

Transparency is another way to minimize concentration and maintain an airy look even when utilizing large areas of intense base color.

Black Crow Studios owner Tracy Hines beams before her happy canvas wall coverings – image via blackcrowstudio’s blog

I love black crow studios as a color solution for walls! The transparency allows white to ring through all that color and sing its praises without drowning the light conduction in the room design…

image via black crow studios

The use of crisp white wainscoting and moldings sets the stage for transparent color use and neutral grounding.

The scaled back use on a screen (as blow) or an area framed with moldings are effective and beautiful ways of reigning in both color and your budget. Emerald, again as a player in all these color schemes with other bright transparent colors is showcased and uplifted by its fellows.

water color canvas applied to a brilliant paneled room screen – image via black crow studios

Before exhausting white as a solution, it is worth a mention that the use of white or black raise the text book solution of taking a strong color such as emerald, and tempering it with a range of greens.

image via creamylife blog

The addition of white or black as grounding neutral mortar to a grouping an analogous color family scheme always results in a smart, sophisticated and clean design.

table story from theFrenchTangerine.com

The key to successfully using any color that dampens light (ie, cool deep shades of blues, violets, greens and black) is in short, to break it up.

Oppose light dampening colors with brightening fields of white and / or color. Pushing very strong color to the back and using brighter shades and pattern that step forward functions to distribute color into organized fields, lending flow into your design.

image via Apartment Therapy blog

DON’T AVOID COLOR!

Just find your comfort zone – if less is more for you, then create a little color shrine that gives you some success with using brighter color. You can expand on this success or happily practice restraint – but don’t let fear exclude you or prevent your expression. Accents, unlike painted walls involve -0- commitment – if they don’t work return them and try again.

emerald vignette via Lonnyny blog

Try some Emerald Green for 2013!

(Click here to get the pear)

Emerald Art Glass pear from One Kings Lane

Related Articles:

Greens – Pantones and Beyond

]]> http://www.redoitdesign.com/2012/12/10/color-of-the-year-2013/feed/ 0