All girls know how important their shades of makeup are, and what suits one, just won’t work for another; funny how that can be said of decor coloring.  The makeup industry is tied with fashion and home elements respectively and this is true in color trends as well.  So for some fresh design inspiration, take a nod from the companies who keep us looking our best, and focus intently on color. Black Cherry Chutney by OPI is part of their new India inspired line of lacquers, the deep purple would be an amazing accent wall color or splash of color in a room via cushions and grapes,....I mean drapes. Avon’s Glazewear Diamonds Eye Color in Turquoise Dream is a nice note for spring, in a spa like bath with all white everything else, or fun kids’ room color.  Did you know that some stores that sell paint can color-match pretty much anything you have that you’d like to replicate on your walls?

One of the great freedoms is freedom of expression.  I frequent the online photographic posts of the Sartorialist, he travels around the world posting images of people who through fashion are quite inspirational and unique.  I like to imagine some of his muses in their own homes, I sometimes wonder; how do they accessorize their living space, what are their dinner parties like, is their home a reflection of the person I see before me?  The joy of being an interior designer is not imposing my exact idea of design upon a client but finding their voice and translating that to their home in a pleasing way.  I will be selecting a few of Sart’s around the world personalities and translating their fashion and expressions to interiors. First impressions are lasting- are you wearing your Franco Sartos darlings?

Ever wonder how to place your furniture when the size of your great room is...well, great?  A backless sofa like the Jackson Studio Sofa or a large chaise can covert seamlessly to service the inner portion of the room, as well as the outer-skirts; this is a benefit especially when you host large gatherings for comfortable conversational groupings.  Tie a color from one end of the room to another (like the coral in this great room) by coordinating or complementing drapery, matting on your artwork, or upholstery; this will visually unite the entire area.  On that note, if you would like to “assign” a portion of the room to a different task, using different colors to designate an office space or reading nook can accomplish just that.

I am all for chocolate tones, deep and dark like an almost-black espresso, warm and rich like cocoa, or light creamy browns like freshly baked biscotti. Browns are great neutrals and denote stability, reliability, and approachability. It is the color of our earth and is associated with all things natural or organic. Perfect Brown Paint Colors for your home: Bittersweet Chocolate #2114-10*, Biscotti #CC-486*, Cedar Key OC-16*, Capilano Bridge #CC-440*.*Colors by Benjamin Moore. My all-time favorite brown color? That would be "Strong Esspresso" by Beautitone Paints.