Tickled pink?

Yesterday color authority Pantone announced it's color of the year 2011 to be an immense pink called "honeysuckle". The company predicts that we will see a lot of this color, appearing on everything from dresses to pillows, nail polish, sofas and appliances.

image

Image

Top image and this here.


A sherbety shade of pink, with a hint of red and orange zest, honeysuckle is seen by designers as a pick -me-up at a time when many people have had their fill of misfortune.
I quoted based on an article from yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

Jonathan Adler.

Harlequin Wallpaper.

Image
JA tray.

via Country living.

Interestingly enough many people do not necessarily associate honeysuckle with the color pink. The bush which grows on the corner of my deck blooms in a lovely shade of yellow....Apparently people associate the color with what they know from their childhood....Perhaps the honeysuckle you knew then was pink?

via google image.

Pink has been on the radar of many designers for a couple of years now and I guess the announcement to make it the color of the year 2011 culminates in it's final arrival at the mainstream households. I still remember the pink polo shirts I gave my husband and son two years ago and seeing my then 8 year old son being a little taken aback at first. Girly pink for him? But he eventually wore the shirt for many month and does now not object to pink in his wardrobe any more then to navy blue!

Image

I love pink as much as many other colors, my house is filled with reds and green, turquoise and blues and surely it will find it's way into it as accent on plates, pillows and outfits.
It's a summer color, reminding me of raspberries, little girl's dresses and lemonade.

Image

There is a sense of care free life when looking at pink. I am sure it made it's way into our current fashion for those reasons as well.

Image
To see on the bright side, away from worries and unemployment which must surely show itself in dull browns and muddy grays...
It's a good thing to celebrate life when the going is tough and to surround ourselves with an uplifting shade of pink is a wonderful way of maintaining optimism and a youthful spirit.
My dish washing will be stylish at last!!!

Image

Are you tickled pink yet?


xx
Victoria


Images as indicated.

Refresher course

I love to change things around a bit. Of course after 10 years of living in our house I feel I have tried almost any possible configuration, but somehow I squeeze in small changes. This time in our family room. The space is not large, a bit of an awkward shape. I have a desk there from where all my work is done and we have a library and our TV too. And a comfortable sofa with a leftover chair from our living room.

Before.

There has never been a great space for a coffee table, since my family is a utterly comfortable one and needs legs up while watching...a red ottoman belongs to that big red chair. What to do?
For a while I had a hand -me - down from a friend, but it is heavy and I am not in love with it... On the other hand I have a collection of smallish tables all over the place, rather homeless.
So I pushed and shuffled pieces around and came up with a solution. The table potpourri!


And since then all seem to be happy, having snack tables at the ready, easy to move out of the way when in need for floor space and cute enough to make a lovely display! The small white tray table is from CB2.


Looking at it from all angles I think I like it... for a while.




The heavy side table found a home under the window, now that the dinosaur of a wall air conditioner is finally removed.
A lamp, moved from the living room, casts a lovely light at night.



I found extra space to have my magazines sorted, without having them clutter the floor....


I sorted out the books...




And btw. this map of the United States has helped my middle schoolers greatly to improve their geography knowledge. No need to always run to the computer, we have little competitions right there!!! We've had it here for three years now. A world map hangs in our dining room...


Feels good now!

Do you move things around? It always satisfies my urge for a fresh look and I realize I can do this without spending extra bucks!!!
Because I will need them for Santa!!!

Happy weekend!
XX
Victoria


Pictures all by V.Zlotkowski

Chain link carpet

Finally I scored high and found not only an incredibly affordable, but also stylish carpet solution for my living room.
Looking through eBay I discovered a new PB navy wool chain carpet. For- get this - $299!
It ended my search and all I needed was to order it and put it in place...after convincing my better half that NOW was the perfect time to buy a carpet!!! As you can see, he was ready too.


I love the graphic element it brings to the room, counterbalances all the red from the leather sofa and chairs.
It is super soft and warm.
Please click on images to enlarge.




We were expecting delivery not before Dec 1, but got it a day before Thanksgiving...and I am so happy with it!
It adds so much to the room and right before the holidays it is an early gift!

To see my post at House & Living about it go here.

xx
Victoria

Rug love

Found here.

I am wild about rugs. All styles, Oriental, Turkish, modern. But my passion are Kilims. I adore them on the floor, but I love them even more on sofas, chairs, cushions or draped artfully over tables.


I spotted this today over at Belgian Pearls.
This always reminds me of classic paintings from a time where rugs where rare, expensive and a status symbol.
" During the 17th century the worldwide trading empires of the great Dutch merchants brought exotic luxuries from the East and Far East. Owning such curious rarities was a sign of wealth, national pride, and a declaration of alliance with the rational and scientific breeze blowing through Europe from the North. This homage to Dutch still life paintings In their Golden Age by the artist includes shells from the tropics and an antique rug from the Caucasus." Quote from below.

Image.

By Christian Berentz.

Seen at Tea and Carpets, a great and informative blog about, well: carpets.


Today this has changed to a point, of course carpets and rugs are widely available, but great ones are still expensive.
Much has been written about gorgeous carpets and I will not take on a history of rugs. But I have a passion for lovely colors, patterns and love to incorporate them in my design whenever possible.

I like kilims for their softer, easier to drape quality. They are also more vulnerable, since they have no pile.


By Holbein.

By Hans Memling.

The cover of one of last year's Veranda Magazine was graced with this incredible Aubusson carpet. Draped over a dining table.

Image via Cote de Texas.

I found wonderful examples of kilims for upholstery. An absolutely timeless and classic look.
This Victorian chaise reminds me of Oscar Wilde's extravagant style.



Via Tribal Home.



Georg Smith sofas and arm chair.


Via The state of things.

After I wrote this post today I pulled the latest House Beautiful from the mailbox. I had to smile since the new trends to watch for 2011 are atmospheric, traditional, artisanal, tribal, handmade, theatrical, glam, looking back for inspiration...
Kilims fit the bill beautifully!

As seen in...

A couple of month ago I connected with the website Liever loves Design from the Netherlands. Since then I regularly browse through their lovely inspiring site and pick here and there to show you current European design.
Some recent favorites of mine:













All images via Liever website.