Archive for the ‘Blues’ Category

February 25th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: neutrals & blues/ personalizing with monograms, today a monogrammed mortgage button

This week we’ll explore the ways to personalize your home & celebrations with monograms. Today I thought I’d share with you something I did in my own home when we renovated. We needed to add a new staircase (since years ago the interior staircase had been removed to make two separate apartments) and while on a frequent trip to Nantucket I came upon these “mortgage buttons” made of ivory in the Nina Hellman antiques store. I had just read about these and was ecstatic to have found them! The legend is when a mortgage was paid off there was … Read more

February 7th, 2013 No Comments

paint unexpected pops of color to brighten up your home this spring

Sometimes you might love a color but don’t want to commit to an entire room or wall. Painting underneath a table, doors, inside drawers, a closet… these are all unexpected places where pops of color can personalize your home. I painted the inside of our hallway closet in Benjamin Moore’s Calypso Blue 727 and it makes me happy everyday we open it to get our coats and bags. I also added a very inexpensive little lantern that hangs from the ceiling vs. the standard unattractive flush mount light that you usually find in closets. Our color palette this week … Read more

January 25th, 2013 No Comments

shopping for blues, whites & woods for the home

I’ve been talking about blues, whites, neutrals with wood accents all week. Here are some shopping picks for the home in our color palette.  Andre Sofa, in Ink blue (this is a stock color!), $1,899, from Room & Board, wood bowls with bark edge, $75 and up from abc carpet & home, Parsons Tower shelf in white, $549, from West Elm, Indigo Velvet Pillow, $39.50 (free shipping), from Pottery Barn, Linden Blue Pillow, $32.95, from Crate and Barrel, Square Guest Counter Stool with mulled leather, from BDDW. Below is our color palette from this week inspired by … Read more

January 24th, 2013 No Comments

interiors: victoria hagan brings in blues to neutral spaces with rugs, art work & accessories

I really like the work of designer, Victoria Hagan. A lot of her spaces have neutral walls and then she layers in woods, textural fabrics, and many times adds color through rugs, art work and accessories. I selected a few examples of her work here today that use our color palette this week of blues and neutrals. I love perusing her book “Victoria Hagan Interior Portraits”.   Victoria has her own line of products including rugs, textiles and furniture. You might also check out Dash & Albert cotton rugs to achieve a similar look to the … Read more

January 23rd, 2013 2 Comments

weddings with liz banfield: a snowy winter wedding in jackson hole, wyoming

A winter wedding opens up so many ways to seasonally distinguish an event visually. From the flowers available that time of year, to the rich iconography (snowflakes! sweaters! candlelight!), a well-designed winter wedding will always stand out from the crowd. One of my favorite events was this wedding I shot in the ski heaven of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A palette of pewter, dusty greens, and white was the perfect way for this bride to embrace her January date with elegance. She also incorporated natural elements such as polished riverbed stones with long white pillar candles. And guests received keepsake blankets … Read more

January 22nd, 2013 No Comments

tabletop: try using cutting boards as a placemat at each setting for a casual atmosphere

To achieve the same color palette as our inspiration photo from yesterday with blues, neutrals and woods, try bringing in cutting boards to use as placemats. This usually works wonderfully for casual lunches or dinners. Each cutting board doesn’t have to be the same either to mix things up. Pictured above I have a cutting board that still has the bark on the edge which visually makes the place setting very textural. (I bought this one at abc carpet & home) I just used my plain white everyday white plates, vintage bakelite flatware and navy napkins. The place … Read more

January 21st, 2013 No Comments

Color Palette: Navy Blues and Mediterranean Blues Anchored with Neutrals

I try to keep a variety of colors in the color palettes I feature each week but lately I’ve been posting many shades of blues and neutrals. Seeing this photo from the Hermes Spring 2013 this weekend I just kept coming back to it again and again. It just feels so elegant, easy, crisp and understated. You can read the entire article “The Discreet Charm of Chistophe Lemaire” on online.wsj.com. I pulled out a few Benjamin Moore paint colors from this inspirational photo as a more useful tool if you love this palette for your home. You can … Read more

January 11th, 2013 No Comments

6 emerging trends in kitchen design

Most of the past decade has been filled with images of minimal kitchens with sleek white cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, but over the past several years new trends are slowly emerging into the market of kitchen design. Phrases like “having a soul”, “radiating warmth”, “textural”, “decorative diversity”, and “casual and lived in” may give you a preview of what’s on the horizon.  Here are six emerging trends I’ve pulled out for you. 1. Personalization. Consumers seem to finally want to add a bit of their own personality into their kitchen design and forgo the cookie cutter … Read more

January 10th, 2013 No Comments

interiors: an inspiring updated farmhouse

I’ve been following…. Garden & Gun magazine. Yep, that’s right…though I’m not making a political statement about guns today, I’m just loving the design features and recipes in this magazine. It’s pure southern style at it’s best. This renovated farmhouse that was featured caught my eye and I thought I’d share it with you this week in our blues, grays, whites and whitewashed palette. I think you’ll like some of the details, especially the rope staircase and barn wood details. Read the full article here. Architect Ken Pursley, owners Tim & Sarah Belk of Chester, South Carolina. … Read more

January 9th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with liz banfield: something blue, a wedding shoe!

“When I got married a dozen years ago, it was customary to select a pair of practical white pumps from the half dozen options at the bridal salon and have them dyed the exact shade of white/ivory as your gown. I felt like a renegade buying my shoes “off the rack” from a non-wedding retailer (though they were white). Wedding shoes, like so many things in the bridal industry, have come a long way in the meantime. Brides are looking at their footwear as another way to personalize their wedding and express their unique style. After all, as even Cinderella … Read more