Some of my earliest memories are of a beach cottage near Llandanwyg in Wales; my family would go there for a few days every time my father went on “home leave” from whichever part of the globe we were living in – usually every two years, often in late autumn in the northern hemisphere. I loved what seemed to me to be a wild and woolly landscape, starkly beautiful mountains, crisp sand and grey sea, swept by chilly winds.

But my memories clearly do not reflect the true spirit Wales if the fresh, spring-like textiles from Elanbach are anything to go by!  Here you’ll find a bright and airy aesthetic, with designs and colors that range from nostalgically traditional to vibrantly modern, inspired by influences from all over the globe. Of course, this is not a look that will work for everyone or in every space. My guess is that it will fit most easily into coastal lifestyles (like Maine), and rural surroundings like those in the photographs of their catalog, some of which remind me of parts of New England, such as the bucolic Berkshires of western Massachusetts. (Yes, you’re right if you’re thinking that these two areas are where my studios are located…!)

The family who owns Elenbach has a commitment to “green” practices, using advanced digital printing technology on fabrics that are woven in the UK.  And a visit to their friendly website (http://www.elanbach.com) will not only allow you to browse the line, but will also extend an invitation to visit Llangoed Hall, an historic country house – now a fine hotel – that showcases the Elanbach line. 

And for the best part: the fabrics are now available here in the States! Please contact us if you’d like more info.

Happy spring!

If you’re looking for inspiration for a new floor, you might like to take a virtual tour of the UK-based Paris Ceramics website; or, better yet, go to one of their showrooms (they have several here in the USA, see Paris Ceramics USA).

Paris Ceramics offers an unparalleled supply of stone ranging from innovative applications to time-honored traditional artistry. Even if you plan on buying stone from a local vendor (always great to support them), you might find some additional “detailing” stone and ideas. I think the blue/cream limestone roundel is very elegant in its crisp simplicity, and love the extraordinary warmth and welcome in the antique Languedoc flagstones that look as though they have suffused the surroundings of generations of our forbears with their serene strength.

 

Oh, there are metal floors too! If you’re looking for something truly, eye-catchingly unusual, take a look at this “briquette” metal floor below with its silver patina, also available in gold or copper.

 

Stone need not, of course, be confined to the floor. Paris Ceramics are known for their stone carving, as evidenced in this fireplace surround, where a focal point has been kicked up a notch into pure fascination:

 

 

Most of the products are available in slabs too. A new addition to the line is Jura Green Limestone; with a honed or polished finish it would make a very handsome and unusual kitchen countertop. If you decide to go this route, please send photos – we’d love to see them!?

“The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live.”  – Albert Hadley.

 

The words of a renowned and redoubtable designer.

You can tell, can’t you, from just these two pictures, with what care he crafted these rooms to reflect their very different occupants? Then look how differently he interprets his own!

The most recent issue of Icon (ASID’s magazine) includes an interview with Shashi Caan, the current president of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers, and the founding principal of the eponymous Collective. Her ‘take’ on the meaning of design is summarized in this emphatic statement: “The promotion of human well-being is the end goal of design.” She elucidates: “I believe that this is not new but a clarification of the knowledge which distinguishes the expertise of the designer of interiors… It is about educated and artful decision making which shapes the intended human behavior and outcomes”. Ms. Caan has a great deal more insight than I’ve excerpted here, but I love how she explains and validates, all at once, both why one would hire a designer and why one would become one.

It’s no secret that the “built environment” design trades have been battered lately by all sorts of external forces – the Internet and the Great Recession probably being the most forceful – and there’s no doubt that all of us who practice architecture, interior design and interior decorating are reshaping how we work. However, the core premise of why we do this work, constantly challenging both the right and the left side of our brains, and why it might matter, and why our clients hire us (we hope!) is just that: a conviction that in the end, when we’re successful, our efforts promote well-being.

This is not intended as some sort of manifesto on my part, simply a train of thought triggered by those of a couple of the most inspired designers of our time. Sometimes it’s just helpful to reflect on why you’re doing what you’re doing.  Maybe it’s all triggered by the recent overhaul of our website (hooray!), with many thanks to our talented and patient neighbors, Pulp + Wire!

Please let us know what you think?  Best to you all.

For those of us for whom Valentine’s Day is a part of the culture, February is the month of love and passion, and since red is the color typically associated with affairs of the heart it’s fun to think about where and how to use it.

The perfect place to use red is your front door, according to Feng Shui experts, who cite its auspicious qualities in attracting wealth and good luck. (I always love the look of a front door in a saturated color, especially if it has a high gloss finish). This one might be as bright as Benjamin Moore’s neon red, but if you’d like something more muted, gypsy love is a more grayed hue that will still invite good chi, or energy.

 

Red is stimulating, exciting, increases enthusiasm, energy, your heartbeat, and your respiration. Maybe not a great choice for a bedroom if you have trouble sleeping…. think instead about incorporating a few accessories to add a splash of vibrancy (and of course, red roses are always an appropriate embellishment!)

 

 

 

Selecting a red for your dining room can encourage hearty appetite and lively conversation, but watch out for ultra-intense crimsons and scarlets…“I painted one dining room red and I must say, the conversation became very heated in that room.” – Amanda Pays.  A red with a gray or blue undertone can minimize overstimulation, or  you can go the other route and soften it into a more watermelon-y color…  (don’t you love the black against the warmth of the walls?)

Kitchens invite red too (energy, enthusiasm, appetite). Here we used it to good effect in the form of a dark, rich red cork floor. (BTW, cork flooring in a kitchen is especially inviting … warm, easy on the feet, things don’t break as easily – and it’s very easy to take care of. But more about that another time.)

So, think about red if you’re ready to liven up your home with drama, passion and maybe even intrigue. And as always, if Penelope Daborn Ltd. can be of any help, we’d love to hear from  you.

Warm wishes, and happy Valentine’s Day!

If you’re interested in the concept of “home” – like most of us who practice interior design are – the emotional, practical and historic connotations, Bill Bryson’s book “At Home | A Short History of Private Life” might be right up your alley!  Bryson’s writing (in my opinion) is always engaging and accessible,  and his latest book is no exception.

An American whose home is in England (somewhere in bucolic Norfolk), Bryson takes an objective, trans-Atlantic and, at times, global look at how and when the various functions of different rooms – and the ensuing comforts – have developed.  He takes us on a tour of his Old Rectory, entertaining us in each space with a disarming narrative of historical facts, with an emphasis on the mid-19th century onwards.  As he says, “We are so used …. to being clean, warm, and well fed … that we forget how recent most of that is. In fact, achieving these things took forever, and then they mostly came in a rush.”  His scope of research is huge (the bibliography is gaspingly long!), yet organized and orchestrated into a fascinating and digestible history of interesting and sometimes astonishing facts. Did you know that William Morris – yes, that one, the English designer we associate with the Arts and Crafts Movement – (as if he hadn’t done enough!) was one of the founders of the “Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings” in 1877?  Or that the very idea (and establishment) of Bank Holidays is attributable to one John Lubbock, of whom most people have never heard?  You’ll also learn more about entomology than you can imagine (it’s fascinating… really!), and much more besides. I’d love to hear from anyone else who’s read this book … did you enjoy it as much as I did?

Hope the year’s off to a fine start for everyone!  Penny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more photos of beautiful Norfolk, head to http://www.tournorfolk.co.uk/

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! I wish you all good health, lasting peace, and lots of love and laughter in 2012.

To kick off the year, Sherwin Williams (whose paint products and palettes I frequently recommend to my clients and friends), have published their 2012 color palette forecast, with 40 hues that “stick close to home with earth-inspired, color family groupings…”.

I think the promotional material is accurately descriptive: blues a “…soothing palette (that) celebrates a pair of functional and treasured blues: denim and water…”; reds include “…hues of brilliant flowers and glowing embers…”; greens “…an eclectic palette (that) focuses on greens that are lush, moody and complex…”; and neutrals “…a field of grain, a pile of pebbles, weathered wood and earthen clay… an understated yet refined palette…”   Yummy!

You can view the forecast at swcolor.com – and be sure to check out the beautifully-crafted videos that accompany each group.  You’ll find information about the newly-developed zero VOC primer to accompany the zero VOC paint (the ProMar 200 series) that became available earlier in 2011. There’s also a Color Visualizer on the site, and a smart ‘phone app for color-matching. Browsing lush paint colors feels a bit like finger-painting for grown-ups … enjoy! 

 

Ever since our fabulous rep, Stacy Waniga from The Martin Group showed us the new Cowtan & Tout and Colefax and Fowler lines a few weeks ago, it’s been hard to stop thinking about them. Each time we reach into the library, our hands seem to come out full of them. Maybe blogging about it will let us move on. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what is so captivating about their fabrics this season. It could be the soft, lustrous look of the linen blends, and weightlessness of the wool/cotton/linen challis. Maybe it’s the palette of soft grey-blues, muted greens and neutrals or strong reds and earth tones. Ethereal embroidered sheers pair with simple checks which fold beautifully into strong blanket stripes. Picture yourself sitting by a stream, with a soft breeze and soothing water, both moving over solid ground. It’s like that. And although it’s a line which could do fine all by itself, the fabrics play so wonderfully with others it’s hard to resist throwing in a bit of Scalamandre and Osborne and Little.

Looking for ideas for floor coverings the other day, I stumbled upon some dhurries in a local store and was reminded of how much I enjoy these versatile decorative pieces.

The humble dhurrie might have started out as a simple floor mat in the Indian subcontinent, but today it’s become something of a style statement for the Western home. The colors, the look and the practicality of the dhurrie make it an ideal complement to the kind of ‘casual elegance’ aesthetic that adapts so well to many American homes.

 

 

Perhaps the most popular style of dhurrie today is the simple stripe. The stripe often evokes the feeling of casual yet classy beach living; here, the designer of this room really plays up that “beach feeling” with informal cane chairs and a shell-adorned chandelier. There are more complex striped patterns too; you can find several of them at  http://www.indiandhurries.com

In softer shades of beige, ecru and oatmeal, dhurries readily adopt a role as another neutral in a calming palette of natural tones. See how the dhurrie here is an interesting contrast to the dark wood floor (which creates a space-defining border) while brightening and lightening the room? It is also remarkably hard-wearing and practical;  the flat weave responds well to vacuuming, and because dhurries are typically wool, they tend to wear well and repel staining if you tend to minor disasters quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just as neutral dhurries keep a palette light, colorful ones help to accentuate bright shades in a room… how about the cheerful orange and white dhurrie in this little dining room, with the multicolored seats and cushions?                                  Or the turquoise and pale mint stripes echoing the bed dressing?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, not all dhurries are striped. Port City Flooring here in Portland have some alternative patterns; something of this kind is especially useful in adding texture to a room with a more minimalist feel:

 

 

Perhaps the greatest indicator of their resurgence of popularity here is their representation in some of the best direct retail catalogs … I noticed some great ones in West Elm recently. You might want to check them out!

Having just returned from a long weekend in Nova Scotia (to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, naturally!), my thoughts linger on fond memories of the time there. Apart from the joys of family and thankfulness, one in particular springs to mind: the excitement of seeing a beautiful example of adaptive reuse of a handsome industrial building.

Or, to be more precise, a maritime building. What was once a dock and unloading facility for passengers and cargo from large ships is now the Halifax Farmers Market, a bustling hive of humanity in happy gathering and trading mode. The open structure, all girders and pipes on a big scale, encases huge open spaces flooded with natural light from expansive windows.

 

 

Built to accommodate the movement of thousands of people, large balconies on three sides offer more vendor spaces.

 

 

A “green” roof surrounding an open seating area (with a fabulous view) provides temperature control, while graceful wind turbines provide power for light and heat.

How rewarding to experience the results of thoughtful design and engineering: taking a building that might have fallen into disuse and creating a perfect venue for economic and cultural rejuvenation! Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. Bring lots of bags for yummy fresh veggies and flowers…

 

Did you happen to catch the article about Ralph Lauren’s new store in the February issue of Architectural Digest? Of course it is, as one might expect, beautiful, and a lovely example of a simple black/cream/white palette.

There seems to be something of a resurgence in the use of these primary neutrals, promoted by some fabulous new materials coming to market. I scrounged around my studio and found several that I think are both striking and versatile.

 

 

What I love about the black/cream combination is how different it is from the crispness of black and white. Substituting (or adding) a warm shade of ivory or cream creates warmth and subtlety; even though the look is just as dramatic, it is a sort of understated drama.  

 

Black and white together often lend a very contemporary air; I’m sure you’ve seen lots of stylish, minimalist rooms in this palette. But I think a black/cream and/or white combination can lend itself to a less modern setting. See how it works to give a traditional dining room a touch of elegant “edginess” that transforms it from the lovely-but-unnotable to the “wow”?

 

 

 

 

Then there’s this more casual dining room–from one of my favorite designers–with its edgy mix of traditional frames, contemporary chairs and eclectic photo display. Soft cream is the perfect foil to black in this space, creating a look that is welcoming and warm, rather than filled with sharp contrasts.

And going back to that Ralph Lauren store, with its French-inspired and totally elegant décor… did you notice how that dramatic animal print ottoman REALLY draws the eye in a room of soothing neutrals?