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From the Runway to Your Walls

What happens when a fashion designer and former color consultant with her own line of paint team up? You get paint colors inspired by runway fashions. Fashion great Cynthia Rowley recently teamed up with Devine Color founder Gretchen Schauffer to create a paint palette based on her fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection. We love seeing how fashion translates into interior design and vice-versa, so we were thrilled when we came across the news of the pairing.

The palette of 10 paint colors, the “Devine Color Curated by Cynthia Rowley,” offers the same richness, decadence and luxury seen in her clothing.  Rowley used the palette to celebrate the timelessness and beauty of rich colors, feminine confidence and limitless self-expression. And although the palette took inspiration from Rowley’s fall line the mix of colors are perfect to use no matter the season. Take a look at a few examples from “Devine Color Curated by Cynthia Rowley,” would you take inspiration from the runway for the walls in your home?

Images from ShelterPop

Color Cues from Design Hotels

Are you currently thinking about changing the interior design of your home for the spring, but seem to be stuck in a winter rut? For inspiration on bringing color into the plans for your new interior design take color cues from design hotels. Aside from being a place to rest during traveling design hotels are fully loaded with inspiration. They feature the latest color combinations and furniture trends. Often people visit them solely to take in the interior design.

We found a few color palettes from design hotels on casasugar we hope will inspire you. Some of the palettes include maroon, gold and hot pink, eggplant and forest green, as well as red ocean blue and yellow. Get ready to take a color cues from design hotels…

Images from casasugar

Call The Decorative Touch when you are ready to take the next step in planning the color filled interior design of your home.

Kitchen of Diane Keaton

Cooking in Celebrity Kitchens

We all have a favorite celebrity, and we all wonder about the way they live outside of the public eye. We wonder how their bedroom is decorated, what direction their celebrity interior designer chose for the great room and what do their kitchens looks like. We know many celebrities have personal chefs , but are the designs of their kitchens the epitome of glamour? Are they contemporary or do they have an welcoming design? We found a few celebrity kitchens on Attic Mag and InStyle. Take a look and tell us what you think. Are they what you expected— over the top or nice and lived in?

Gianda de LaurentiisKitchenof Giada de Laurentiis

Diane KeatonKitchen of Diane Keaton

Kelsey GrammerKitchen of Kelsey Grammer

Kristen Bellkitchen of kristen bell

Ima GartenIna Garten

Ceiling Color

Look up. Literally. What do you see? When the majority of us look up we see plain, white, standard ceilings. When designing a room, the ceiling is often neglected, but they shouldn’t be. Painting the ceiling of your space enhances and completes your design.  Choose the dominant color in your room, or one that was used to accent and give your ceiling some color. Have fun with it by choosing a glossy paint, one that is pearlized or even lacquered. Call us today to help bring your ceiling color ideas to life.

Room with painted ceilingRoom with painted ceiling

Room with painted ceilingRoom with painted ceiling

Room with painted ceilingImages from Belle Maison

When Design Collides: West Elm & Patch NYC

If you don’t know Patch NYC, you really should check them out. They are these great New York City designers/artists who according to Apartment Therapy, recently partnered with West Elm. Their original art drawings will appear on West Elm’s new line of artwork, pillows, ceramics and totes. Aren’t these pillows so pretty?

Decorative Accents: Sunburst Mirrors

You have probably seen these mirrors everywhere. But did you know that sunburst mirrors have been around for centuries? In fact, Louis XIV is said to have started the trend. If you are looking for an interesting wall piece, a sunburst mirror might be just the right accent. Whether placed above the bed or a piece of furniture, they can add texture and interest to just about any space. Just check out a few examples below.

Photos: Z Gallery, This photographer’s life, Decor Pad,

Décor Double Take: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Another great movie and home Mr and Mrs Smith with our friends Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Who knew where they would go from here? But how about this house? Although the exterior seems very colonial and has southern charm,  when you open the door, a bit of the city and urban flair rings loud and clear.  I think the production crew did a great job reflecting the actors personality in this home.  It’s swanky and upscale. Just take a closer look at the living room and dining room. The light fixtures set the tone for a contemporary, transitional, risky performance–not always expected in such a true colonial, but they pulled it together beautifully. Just another movie where I had a hard time keeping my eyes off the wonderful “design” of the home.
If you are looking for more about the decor in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, also check out this post by Hooked on Houses.

Open House at Decorative Touch Saturday, May 1!

To celebrate Mother’s Day, everything is on sale! Stop by our new location on Saturday, May 1 from 10-3pm and receive 20% off all our designer samples and 50% off anything in the warehouse for this ONE day only. This is an event not to be missed!

New Location:
14111 W 95th St. Lenexa, Ks 66215
(just west of 95th and Pflumm in Lenexa right next to Pella Windows)

A few pics from the new store…

Making the Bedroom a Haven

Ah, the bedroom. It should be a place to regroup from a challenging day at work, a place that promotes sleep, and a place the exudes comfort. A haven. Is this how you would describe your bedroom? If not, what is getting in the way? Are you constantly stepping on the kids’ toys when you get out of bed in the morning? Is the laundry taking over your floors? Do you need to replace those scratchy linens? All of these things can be getting in the way of the bedroom of your dreams. If you are looking to take back your bedroom, here are a few tips that will help you transform your bedroom into the room you have always wanted:


Consider paint color: You know that color can affect your mood and it can also affect your sleep. While you may love bright colors, they can also stimulate your senses and aren’t very sleep friendly. Try choosing softer colors instead. A softer palette will make it much easier to unwind from the day.

Invest in some good linens: Throw out those scratchy and worn linens.  Instead, purchase soft linens with at a quality weave, typically 300-thread count or higher. Higher thread counts are not only more durable, but they also softer. The lovely bedding set in this picture is from Peacock Alley. Don’t they just make you want to climb into this bed with a good book?

Light it right: The right lighting can really make a huge difference in the bedroom. If you enjoy reading at night, a side lamp is a must. This way, you don’t have to get up to turn off the light. Also, purchase a dimmer, which can be found at most hardware stores. A dimmer is a inexpensive way to enhance the mood of the bedroom.

Decorative Touch Featured in Kansas City Home and Garden Magazine!

I am thrilled that I was recently featured in Kansas City Home and Garden Magazine’s March/April issue. Here is a copy of the published article: