Color Blocking: Spring and Summer Trends

We’ve seen it on the runaways, clothing racks and make-up counters. “Color blocking.”  It’s the hottest trend of the year that involves the mix of solid colors in daring ways. Similar to mixing prints, the method combines two or more colors that include bright, complimentary and contrasting shades.  Orange, green, yellow, and blue are some of the most popular combinations.  If you’re daring enough to wear the combos, then you may find that the same mix will provide an artistic twist in your home as well.

Before you get started, keep these tips in mind.

·         Remember the rules of color. The color wheel is a perfect guide if you’re confused on what works. The rules are: colors directly next to each other (i.e. yellow-green); those that create a ninety- degree angle (i.e. green and orange); colors that form a “T” (think blue, orange and violet-red) and so on.

·         Try to stick to a maximum of four colors. The idea is to add bold touches, but you don’t want it to come across as being too wild and psychedelic.

·         Minimize the number of pieces in each room that display the method. Keep it simple.

Here are a few examples that you can use as inspiration.

KITCHEN

    Courtesy of Designernotes.modwalls.com

The kitchen is a great place to spice it up if you desire a modern look. The combination of yellow and orange on the walls complement the dark finish of the cabinets. If you have lighter color finishes, you can use more cool tone pallets such as mint green and light blue.

LIVING ROOM

      Courtesy of cococozy.com                   

Simple splashes of color on the walls can be a great complement to accent pillows on the sofa and other décor such as chairs and tables. Try to keep the color choices to a minimum of two on the actual walls, and mix and match throughout the room with simple touches as displayed in the picture above.

WINDOW TREATMENTS

      Courtesy of cocoonhome.com

Bright window treatments are a great way to temporarily add the trend in a room if you don’t want to go bold and paint the walls. You can mix up to three to four colors, but ensure that the colors complement the main pieces in the room such as the sofa and chairs.

You can also try the trend by adding color to a small section of the wall as a backdrop to a picture frame and painting dining room chairs using two different colors.

Color blocking is a fabulous way to add a modern twist when the trend is kept simple and chic. Remember to have fun and don’t be afraid!

Design the life you love. ™

Diamond in the rough: Have a piece of old furniture you are thinking of throwing out? Give it new life with these tips and tricks!

Maybe you have an old piece of furniture sitting in storage, maybe a family member or friend just got rid of a set and gave it to you but it doesn’t really go with anything in your place. Whether it is extremely dated or just not your style, there are a lot of different ways to revive a piece of furniture.

Here is an example of a basic dresser that was painted and had O'verlays applied to it. O'verlays are a great inexpensive product that you can apply to many different types of furniture that instantly add some unique style and personality to your furniture.

http://www.myoverlays.com/

Reupholstering furniture is another great way to update it. The dining chair image below shows a great before and after example of how to reupholster a dining chair. The frame was also painted.

There is a shop in Buenos Aires that refurbishes furniture. The chair below is just one example that shows how they reupholstered the cushions. While some pieces can be quite a task to reupholster, others are much simpler.

http://www.ravalwarehouse.com.ar/

The great thing about having old furniture that you have been thinking about throwing out, you can take a risk with a bold finish. Painting your furniture can be one of the most cost effective ways to revive a piece of furniture. This dresser below was painted with a beautiful cerulean blue color, and it looks like the edges were sanded down to give it a fresh but antique effect. Another great feature of this piece is that two different styles of hardware were used. This can definitely add more character to a dresser.

www.faceliftfurniture.com

Here is another example of how paint can transform your furniture. There are many different stencils that you can get to create artistic effects like the one below.

http://www.ravalwarehouse.com.ar/

www.coolknobsandpulls.com

www.coolknobsandpulls.com

Although small, don’t forget about the impact of unique hardware for your furniture. There are an endless number of styles, colors, and finishes to choose from. This can also completely change the look of your furniture so that you may not even recognize it after the transformation is complete.
 

Hopefully these tips and tricks will inspire you to take something you were thinking about throwing out, and turn it into your favorite piece of furniture in your home. Design the life you love!

Clothing Boutique- Uptown, Minneapolis

We had the excitement of turning over a commercial space in just two days!

The clothing boutique called upon Opulent Interiors' design style to prepare for a re-grand opening celebration, complete with a full reggae band.

There were many challenges with this project. One of the biggest challenges was time constrains; we needed to work during non store hours.

We creatively and very strategically spent a small budget on projects that would create a large impact. We took inspiration from the stores' business card and implemented the logo throughout the boutique.

I am very pleased with the large custom sign as I feel it amplifies the stores style aesthetic.

****UPDATE****

The Boutique owner and I recently spoke and he mentioned he has seen a noticeable increase in his sales since the re-design.