Red Flair

As an interior designer who's also a fashion fanatic, I love seeing colors trending in both industries and this time it's red that's making a scene. 

Maharani wallpaper from Osborne & Little, House Beautiful August 2013

I love the red bird cage light fixture Ashley Whittaker used in the design below.

Designed by Ashley Whittaker, House Beautiful July 2013

Glamour September 2013

Designed by Philip Gorrivan, House Beautiful August 2013

Pairing red with another vivid color like teal is my signature color-pop on a whole other level! Here are a few examples from my designs:

Antoinette console table by Pal + Smith, NY Spaces Jan./Feb. 2010

Akemi table by Pal + Smith

Another color combo I've spotted a lot in recent design and fashion magazines is pink and teal. More on that playful pair in next week's blog post! 

Viva la White! Part Two

Though technically not a color, white is probably my favorite color. I use it in most of my interiors because it allows for more flexibility with other colors incorporated in my designs.

Kitchen designed by Pal + Smith

Kitchen designed by Pal + Smith

White is versatile and can be used in any type of room, from a contemporary room to a more traditional space or somewhere in between, like this sitting area below. I love how nearly everything in this room is white!

Sitting area designed by Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts, Elle Decor, June 2013

Here are a few furniture pieces from our collection I'd use in an all-white design.

Paris Wing Chair by Pal + Smith

Zephyr Dining Table by Pal + Smith

An all-white room may be a bit difficult to maintain (especially with kids!), but if you like the simple and sophisticated look try incorporating a few dark pieces. This will also create subtle drama in the design, something I just can't resist!

Home of Fashion Designer Henrik Bus, Living Etc., June 2013

When I saw fashion designer Henrik Bus' dining room in Living Etc., the contrast between the dark brown table and white walls reminded me of a living room I designed.

Living room designed by Pal + Smith

Saturated colors pair beautifully with white as well.

Bathroom designed by Pal + Smith

My signature  color pop designs are all about the union between vibrant colors and simple whites. This combination creates stand-out rooms that are both sophisticated and fun.

Living room designed by Pal + Smith

If you would like to utilize my interior design services to bring more color and life into your home, please contact me through the Pal + Smith website, where you can see a small sampling of the interiors we have created for clients as well as our boutique furniture collection.

Viva la White!

As temperatures start to heat up, white has caught my eye. It's a color that will keep you cool and brings a sense of sophistication to a wardrobe and interior. Contrary to what many would say about white, the absence of a color can be the best color. 

Though this image features a different shade of white, Tiffany & Co. captures the true essence of simplicity and glamour. 

Tiffany & Co.

This dress from Alexander McQueen is amazing! This is texture at its finest.

Alexander McQueen

The textural quality of the Alexander McQueen gown reminds me of the grand custom chandelier Fuse designed for one of my residential projects. The irregular opalescent surface of the capiz shells adds textural depth to an otherwise all-white, interior. 

Fuse Custom Capiz Chandelier for Pal + Smith project

The black railing provides an outline for the stairway – like the leather trim on this Manolo Blahnik shoe. 

Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversations by Eric Boman

White is a color-pop enthusiast's best friend. It's a great foundation for any color palette and gives one the flexibility to use different colors, textures and to accent walls with wall coverings and art. 

Black and White (and a Bit in Between) by Celerie Kemble

The dark wooden floors paired with the crisp white walls in the below image makes this hallway clean and fresh. It's a simple design, yet it makes such a grand statement. 

Black and White (and a Bit in Between) by Celerie Kemble

The wall color looks similar to my favorite white paint from Sherwin Williams called Extra White. It's a true museum white that always works. For a more warmer white, I'd go with the Sherwin Williams Pearly White.

The hall shot by Celerie Kemble also points up how using white with another dark color like black or charcoal gray adds a little drama. I like the high contrast in the case of our Shoji Lamp shown below. We made this piece to have the lamp shade precisely match our Chelsea sofa for a client. The white lamp popped even more next to the sofa!

Shoji Lamp by Pal + Smith

Chelsea Sofa by Pal + Smith

Add some white doves for drama in an white-infused fashion ad and you've got yourself a memorable photograph!

 W Magazine, June/July issue

For next week's post, I'll share some of my favorite all-white interior designs including a selection of my very own designs!

Animal Fever

Making a bold statement in an interior, whether it's with a fluorescent color or an eye-popping print, goes a long way. It makes a lasting impression, especially if it's part of a more simple layout. Next to color pop, animal print pieces are my go-to favorites for a fun yet refined design.

Take for instance the basic leopard print. It has made its firm mark on fashion, transcending trends. Unlike other fashion faux pas, the leopard print has remained a fierce contender, making its way onto fashion magazine covers like Harper's Bazaar.

Harper's Bazaar, Spring Fashion Preview Issue, January 2011

I adore a little leopard as an accent on a clutch or a small handbag. It adds a sexy tone to even an ordinary look.

Departures, January/February 2013

This room shown in a recent Architectural Digest issue is simple in nature; uniformed frames, plain white walls, and subtle color blocks. What would have been an ordinary room suddenly has an air of wild, with the addition of the zebra rug.

Architectural Digest, May 2013

Animal prints add glamour and sophistication as well. I love this arm chair from Ralph Lauren. It can give an interior that refined look you can't get from any other print.

Indian Cove Lodge Fauteuil by Ralph Lauren

Imagine this bench in the middle of a room with dark walls and furniture silhouettes. Sexy!

Valentino Bench from Erika Brunson Couture Living Collection

The rug below is amazing. It combines one of my favorite colors for interiors, kelly green, with a life-size leopard shape. Two for one!

Climbing Leopard by Diane von Furstenberg for The Rug Company

Diane von Furstenberg can't resist animal prints, just like me!

Funky Zebra by Diane von Furstenberg for The Rug Company

Animal prints easily work in any room, whether a bedroom or even a dining room. They don't overpower the design; rather they add drama.

Dining room designed by Pal + Smith, featured in Living Etc. July 2010

Master bedroom designed by Pal + Smith

I will always enjoy using animal prints in my interiors. History has shown they'll never go out of style!

If you would like to utilize my interior design services to bring more color and life into your home, please contact me through the Pal + Smith website, where you can see a small sampling of the interiors we have created for clients as well as our boutique furniture collection.

Leather & Lace

Leather and lace, to me, are all about the masculine and feminine energies, and I love them both when it comes to fashion at home and fashion apparel.

When I see a picture I'm drawn to I immediately tear it out of a magazine or scan it from a book. Those pictures usually become catalysts for mood boards, like this picture of Marion Cotillard in the perfect lace dress. I love the vintage 1940s look this image exudes. 

Marion Cotillard in Vogue July 2010

The sofa she's sitting on reminds me of one that I designed based on a vintage piece. I like the channeling in the sofa back but you should only do that when planning to use a solid color fabric. I wanted to use an Osborne and Little damask with a lace pattern on my Harper sofa so I opted for a flat back to show off the lacy design.

Harper Sofa from Pal + Smith

Departures Magazine 

There is so much crossover in fabrics for fashion and for upholstery. I'm dying to use this lace Lacroix fabric that Designers Guild launched during Maison and Objet in 2012.

Macarena by Christian Lacroix on Designers Guild

Kyle Bunting uses the same positive negative space of a lace pattern in his Butterfly hide rug. 

Butterfly Rug by Kyle Bunting

Leather can give an interior a weightier, masculine feel. I like the woven leather stand of Bottega Veneta's first lighting collection introduced last year. At Bottega Veneta, 877-362-1715.

Departures Magazine

Desk Lamp from Bottega Veneta at Da Vinci Home

Kyle Bunting once again champions the male aesthetic in his amazing collections of leather rugs, pillows and upholstery. This pillow is fun and trendy. It's design by Geoffrey Bradfield.

 Louis in Extremis by Geoffrey Bradfield for Kyle Bunting

This is such a pretty room. Though on first look the room has a masculine vibe, the pattern in the rug reminds me of lace and the coffee table is delicate. It's definitely got both yin and yang -- and a lot of style. LOOK!

Kyle Bunting Interior

Next week, you'll get my view on animal prints!

Flower Power

Floral motifs have always been a favorite of mine in design, and they are really a trend in fashion this year. These Dior ads are particularly eye-catching.

Christian Dior, Spring Summer 2013

Christian Dior, Spring Summer 2013

A traditional designer whose sense of color I relate to, Katie Ridder, puts the flowers on the walls rather than in the upholstery. I like that the seating and even the rug is all solid colors. The decoration is in the wallpaper.

Katie Ridder Rooms by Heather Smith MacIsaac

This classic De Gournay wallpaper with birds on branches looks like a painting.

Luxe magazine, Winter 2013

I adore Designers Guild. The coloration is perfect. I'm a Southern California girl, and it's interesting that one of my favorite colorists, Tricia Guild, is British. 

 Pandora Peony cushion from Designers Guild

Tricia Guild's exaggerated sense of scale is so dramatic.

Pavonia Cobalt Cushion from Designers Guild

Here's a pillow I designed using Osborne & Little fabric with a floral design in the same large scale.

Akemi Decorative Pillow from Pal + Smith

Stylized floral patterns usually are what I gravitate to, but this traditional Designers Guild wallcovering really caught my eye. I love it with the black background just as much as the white, which usually is my preference.

Rugosa Garden wallcovering from Designers Guild

Rugosa Garden wallcovering from Designers Guild

Rugosa Large Scented Candle from Designers Guild

So you get that I like floral patterns that are larger than life? Well, look at this rug I designed. The flowers and leaves look big, right? Now look at the picture below it of the room where I placed the rug, and you can see how huge the flowers are. Pretty dramatic!

Azore rug from Pal + Smith

Pal + Smith interior design of a living room, with Azore rug, Akemi table, Shoji floor lamps and Chelsea sofa designed by Pal + Smith creative director Melissa Palazzo

If you would like to utilize my interior design services to bring more color and life into your home, please contact me through the Pal + Smith website, where you can see a small sampling of the interiors we have created for clients as well as our boutique furniture collection.