the color lab blog — home furnishings

Your weekly links are here! Thinking of redecorating or just love home decor? You'll enjoy this list dedicated to colorful living at home!

• Tennis superstar, Serena Williams' home in Florida gives color a chance to blossom and shine. (Architectural Digest)

• These water-based interior paints are formulated without the toxic carbon-based solvents. The company was founded by an interior designer that has a unique try-before-you-buy process plus color palettes that are dreamy.

• I believe a stunning, strategically placed floor covering can change the dynamic of a room faster than any other design element. (The Color Lab Blog)

• You may not immediately think of your kitchen as one of the first rooms in your home that needs an uplift but some of these kitchen ideas may have you rethinking color as vibe changer. (Real Homes)

• This glass as fine art gives the everyday flower vase new and luxurious meaning.

• Just in time for Spring lunches and brunches, these tableware accessories will make your place settings warm, light and airy. (The MET Store)

• This stylish couch comes in more than 30 colors which makes it almost impossible to not find a shade you love for any room in your home. (Apt2B)

• It's not lost on me that this talented 9-year old wallpaper designer and I share a first name, albeit spelled a little differently. (House Beautiful)

• Sconces have never been a home decor/design element that I felt particularly moved by until I saw these bejeweled beauties.

• This is a magical house. (Elle Decor)

 

Until next time, may your life be filled with love and color!

 

 

 

 

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

 Your colorful links for this week are below:

• I was asked a couple of times about the colorful serving platter shown in last week's spicy recipe that I shared. Here it is. (Amazon)

• Miss Broadway? These streaming theatrical celebrations in honor of Black History Month should not be missed. (TheatreMania)

• This may be the perfect date night movie. (Vulture)

• My home color consulting clients are overwhelmingly loving this soothing color for their renovations. (Benjamin Moore)

• Last Summer, I got the bright idea to experiment with spirits, mixers and garnishes. My spin on a traditional Valentine's Day cocktail is certainly timely. (The Color Lab Blog)

• As if the color selection for these bed sheets wasn't enough, they are the softest I've ever owned that don't squeeze the life out of your wallet. (Amazon)

• I love these fun reading glasses in a retro shape. And they come with matching cases! (Amazon)

• What the legendary actress, Cicely Tyson (who passed away last month) had to say in this Master Class back in 2014 about ending racism is poignant. (Oprah.com)

• Here's some funny with James Corden (host of The Late, Late Show on CBS) and singer The Weeknd from the Super Bowl. (YouTube)

• Celebrate love with this classic book of poetry and passion. (Amazon)

 

Wishing you and yours a Happy Valentine's Day! Until next time, live life in love and color!

 

 

CLICK HERE to read the entire Color Collective series!

 

 

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

 

 

It's refresh season! Each new year always spurns the urge to cleanse our lives of all the yuckiness that pervaded our daily existence from the previous year. And I don't know about you but I'd like to wipe away as much of the 'ugh' of 2020 as I possibly can.

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

Besides burning sage to start the year with positive vibes, I'm looking to give a few rooms in my home some small, impactful shots of energy and life-affirming vibrations.

RUG RULES

Since your floors are a literal foundation and below your natural eye level when you enter any room, they aren't often considered as significant when it comes to decorating. But I believe a stunning, strategically placed floor covering can change the dynamic of a room faster than any other design element. Flat or fluffy pile? Synthetic or natural fibers? It depends on how your rug will be used. For high traffic areas like a foyer or family room, you might want to consider a low pile wool rug. Low traffic areas such as bedrooms do well with silk blends and mohair.

 

{image credit} Macy's 

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

The key to using a statement rug is making some key decisions before making a purchase. Do you want your floor covering to be the focal point of the room or do you prefer that it play a complimentary accessory role? Your decision will impact how bold or subtle you may want your rug to be. No matter what you decide, for a true energy shift, make it all about as much dynamic color as you can!

 

 

SIZE MATTERS

Larger rugs help to create a balanced room and placing the all of the furniture at least partially on the rug unifies all of your decor elements. But smaller rugs can be used to divide a larger room into distinct sections. For instance, a round rug can highlight a corner near bookcases and comfortable club chair to create a library/sitting area while a coordinating slim runner can be used in front of a couch to help define a family room section.

 

{image credit} Macy's 

 

COLOR PLAY

If you're just not sure about how much color your room can accomodate, a no-commitment way to explore is by playing the totally addicting game Design Home: House Renovation (available on iOS and Android) that allows you to express your inner interior decorator using real, high-end furniture and decor. You can design a room and experiment with color before you make an investment plus get exclusive savings on many of the home furnishings available!

Or you can contact me for more information on my Interior Color Styling services. I would be delighted to provide you with a virtual consultation on your home refresh project.

 

 

SHOPPING MADE EASY

So as it is my constant quest to find economical ways to make the biggest impact in your home, I visited (virtually) a few of my favorite home decor stores and brands for a look at what was new and exciting. Admittedly, most of the  rugs I curated in the collection below reflect a bolder aesthetic, but I believe that the power of a room refresh is only as good as our willingness to experiment. 

If you're into vibrant colors that pop or intensity in design, you can begin your quest for floor covering dominance with my Radiant Rugs board below:

1. Nourison Le Reve LER05 Area Rug | 2. Surya Forum FM-7203 Area Rug | 3. Bridgeport Home Aldrose Ald4 Light Green Area Rug | 4. Dalyn Rug Company Rubio RU1 Area Rug | 5. Rosedale Area Rug | 6. Mia Vibrance Area Rug (SOLD OUT) | 7. Yesenia Area Rug | 8. Bridgeport Home Pari Par1 Black Area Rug | 9. Bridgeport Home Lorem Lor1 Gold Area Rug | 10. Bridgeport Home Crisanta Crs4 Green Runner Area Rug | 11. Bridgeport Home Linport Lin6 Lilac Area Rug | 12. Rhoads Area Rug | 13. Safavieh x Martha Stewart Lily Pad Area Rug | 14. Global Rug Designs Jano JAN02 Ivory Round Area Rug | 15. Bridgeport Home Adah Ada1 Multi Area Rug | 16. Global Rug Designs Yorba YOR05 Black Area Rug

 

Until next time, may your life be filled with color!

 

  

I hope you love the products I recommend! While this blog post was not sponsored, it may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

Candles could be the most underrated items in the world of home decor. Not only do they create a certain ambiance when lit (THINK:  romantic, relaxing, refreshing), their scents, if desired, can evoke passion, a sense of calm or high energy. The same with using color in candles.

JulRe Designs Studio, South Orange, NJ

While white candles will always be readily available at all price points and will remain the standard because of their ease of placement within your home and their obvious versatility, there is something to be said about bringing them into full effect with the addition of color.

 

 

 

image: abc carpet & home, New York, NY

Over the years, I have found that decorating with pillows is one of the easiest ways to refresh your home and incorporate new patterns, textures, and colors into your decor. And as a PwPP (Person with a Pillow Passion), I exercise my right buy colorful cushy cushions whenever I can. One such shopping excursion took me to one of my fave pillow emporiums in New York City, abc carpet & home, where I found a plethora of pigment-rich pillows in incredible fabrics.

image: (top left, clockwise) Master Bedroom, Living Room, JulRe Designs Studio, Master Bathroom

There aren't many rooms in my home that haven't been touched by a pillow treatment or two, but that's not because I have an obsession. I mean, I do but that's not really relevant, is it? And though the standard square pillow will always be my go-to classic, other shapes such as bolsters and lumbars are the perfect way to add even more appealing optics to your pillow pastime.

I hope you love the products I recommend! While this blog post was not sponsored, it may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

Here are some tips on how to decorate with pillows of many shapes and sizes:

It's Hip to be a Square Pillow 

image: Missoni Home Pasadena Pillow

PILLOW TALK: While a good square pillow can hold its own, placed solo on a chair or stacked in multiples on a sofa, the shape coexists well with others. Use them as a foundation for a pillow arrangement: Place two squares with an striking lumbar or bolster pillow for a stylish, cohesive look.

 

Long and Lean: Lumbar Pillows

image: Yves Delorme Tonga Decorative Pillow - Bloomingdale's

Lumbar pillows are those chic rectangular shaped cushions you're not quite sure what to do with. Their name is derived from the support they offer to the lower back but they offer a unique design element to any room. You can find them in many sizes, from standard (around 14″ x 22″) to oversize (typically 60″ in length.)

PILLOW TALK: Lumbar pillows are typically used as a focal point—the pièce de résistance in the position of prominence of a pillow grouping. But this versatile style can do it all solo. Try using a pair as armrests at the ends of a couch for a contemporary look.

 

Raise the Chic Quotient: Bolster Pillows

image: Harbor House Crystal Beach Quilted Bolster Pillow - Macys

Long, cylindrical bolsters are similar to the lumbar pillow in that they come in a wide variety of sizes and can be used for both back support and decorative purposes. They are a bit more traditional due to their shape.

PILLOW TALK: As member of the lumbar family, the bolster is often seen as the on-the-bed rockstar, but I also love it alone on a quirky chair or at the ends of a dramatic daybed.

 

The Unorthodox: Uncommon Shapes

image: Cyprinus Carpio Creative Knot Throw Pillow - Amazon

From updated classics like cube and box pillows to quirkier designs such as spheres, stars, and animals, an offbeat pillow may be just the touch of whimsy your room needs.

PILLOW TALK: Use them anywhere you'd place a standard throw pillow! Mix and match with other comfy, loungy cushions for super coziness.

Want to try a new pillow or two? I've got 20 goodies so shop my 20 cushy cushion picks below:

 

FOR MORE HOME DECOR IDEAS, SHOP THE COLOR LAB SHOP