update on color trend: super baby pink

in late february, i wrote...


i think amy at the great new blog design dna is on to something: a color that she charmingly calls "super baby pink" as in "the super baby pink outdoor cushions are speaking to me." if you're looking for an alternate to the beautiful (yet already ubiquitous) bright citron colors of the season, you may want to consider it. (eg, as a ceiling color in an all-white room, say.)

(oh, and don't let its softness deceive you. nor should you be tempted to mistake it for the preppy irony of a jcrew pink. this is something else, a barely-there hue. maybe we should think of it as a subversive off-white.)




... will update you on this one!..

now here are some updates on this:

UPDATE! 4 april:

paperpony via d*s

UPDATE! 30 april:
Genifer Goodman's home (May '02, Lucky mag), via designer's library.

Martha Stewart's guest house on the cover of the May MS Living...
so I'd love to hear from you about this... is this a color for which you can see yourself developing a fondness? or is it too... well, too sugar-girly? myself, i'm definitely loving it, though haven't incorporated it yet into the house...

i am thinking, though, of painting all my wooden furniture a nude color, in high-gloss....

lighting: tripod-esque lamp from west elm

I picked up one of these over the weekend. From its over-sized shade, to its sweet dangly pulls, to its adjustable height, its multiple settings for brightness, and its architectural angularity, it's charmed me beyond all expectation.

dark-toned art on lemon walls: vintage oil paintings

I love the warmth of lemony walls, but sometimes they feel a little too peppy; the shadowy feeling of these dark still-life paintings tones down the pep and adds some depth and dimension, plus a little edgyness.


as we all know, Ebay is a great place to look for undiscovered (and hence affordable) artists. Check out this one by Lila Shelby, a mid-century Southern painter. Love!


(note: the clock is ticking on this piece...auction ends this afternoon.)

First image from Domino, May '06; the second from Martha Stewart Living Sept '04.

oxidized color: copper green in the tropics and at home

Basico, one of the "Design Hotels" in Mexico, has a gorgeous outdoor bar that would look just as beautiful in SoHo or in San Fransisco as it looks in Playa del Carmen.

...Two home accents with the same shock of color:



- love nick fraser's industrial "hall stand" with a sense of humor... via the italian product blog, pan-dan

- and jon goulder's gorgeous caned "George" chairs are a wonderful modern take on the colonial, tropical caned-furniture style; via pan-dan.

kitchen reno: we're on Smallest Coolest AT:Kitchen!

some fun news today! our kitchen is up on AT:kitchen! it would be so great to hear from you all, in comments and.. of course... votes!

here is the link to "Phoebe's Crisp Organic Kitchen"

... update later today with some more details and so on....
x,
P

what about: a crisp black and white room ... with accents of emerald ceramics?

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Click to enlarge.

(So much fun to create style trays for fantasy rooms, no??)


* * Black & white kitchen via marie claire maison. gorgeous ceramic tile, "Taste of Water," from Giaretta, via Boulenger.

* * From collage... garden stool from Mecox Gardens; lamp from Marie Christophe; carpet from Madeline Weinrib; "Vega" watch from Nixon; Varenne chair from Casamidy.

when the world is puddle-wonderful and mud-luscious

i just might have to buy this book, wildflower garden, even though i don't really know much about working with a needle and thread... i badly want to learn how to make such beautiful little stitched sprouts and herbs!



ps- might anyone know where to find a good selection of japanese crafts books in boston? xp

kitchen reno.

for those of you who remember the saga of our kitchen renovation, this shot might even look good to you.

today i'll be submitting the photos of our completed kitchen reno to the AT smallest coolest kitchen contest... looking forward to hearing your comments next week!

in the meantime, have a great weekend...

xxp

some new (to me) blogs, and a great pineapple pattern

frances, from one of my new favorite blogs, innumerable goods (an eclectic blog with an adventurous, organic aesthetic), found this great wallpaper pattern at walnut, designed by jenny wilkinson. i definitely support the idea of leaving the Paint-By-Numbers as they are-- looks hot. and it reminds me of my monkey rug, which, i recognize, not everyone might take as a compliment, even though i do mean it as one!

btw, speaking of new favorite blogs... two more:

browner brown
- great home DIY projects and vintage furniture & design inspiration from elizabeth, whose is always improving upon her own home!

elly yap
- a wonderful maximalist pattern blog by elly; leans towards natural history and neon, acid colors

just the tip of the iceberg! i am going to keep adding to this list....

indoor pegboard garden

a modern alternative to the windowsill garden.

how cool! how counterintuitive!

i think i might make the hardware a bit more subtle, and consider color alternatives to the white background. how about celadon green with ferns for an early summer look? or if you live in LA, a shock of hot pink with aloe, cacti, and other desert plants? fun to think about the possibilities, and easy to implement....

thanks to misstana's flickr page for the image and the idea!

washed-out citrons pt ii: remembering marni spring '05

i mean, seriously. does it get any better?

washed out citron graphics R zo zexy

**

top image, styled by zandra pappas. i love the combination of the monochrome sexy citron print, with the traditional, slightly macho dresser, with its strong contrasts of dark wood and white marble, and the grecian ceramic lamp. anglo-ethnic-pop shouldn't work, and yet it feels so right.

bottom image, from the boston studio of elisabeth (black pearl press). i adore the overscaled "cow parsley"/ queen anne's lace print in citron, again paired with natural wood, this time in rough textures, which counterbalances the sweetness of the floral.