Major News from the Color Authority Pantone

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Today designers everywhere are sifting through millions of new design and color palette ideas. Wondering why their creative wheels turning? Because Pantone released their color of the year last week. The color authority chose PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle as the 2011 Color of the Year. The reddish-pink hue replaces the much loved and widely used 2010 Color of the Year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise.

Honeysuckle can be described as vibrant, courageous and confident. Directors at Pantone’s color institute believe the bold color is uplifting and encouraging.

In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.

We are already envisioning rooms being lit with large doses or small pops of the lively color. What do you think about Honeysuckle, would you mind adding into the interior design of your home?

Pantone Color of the Year Honeysuckleroom decorated in pantone honeysuckleroom decorated in pantone honeysuckleroom decorated in pantone honeysuckleroom decorated in pantone honeysuckleImages from houzz and Elle Decor

Call The Decorative Touch at 913-219-7333 to begin planning how to use Honeysuckle into the decor of your home!

Coconut Grove

Tip of the Week #18: Norwalk Furniture 2011 Color Trends

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As the year is fast approaching its closing I am sure you all are wondering whats in store for 2011, well…

Norwalk Furniture, an American made upholstery line has just sent me their newest samples of color trends for 2011 and they are wonderful!!  I had the opportunity to visit the factory last Spring and wow did I learn some things about how hard the folks who make our fine furniture really do work. And not to mention the time and attention they put into every detail!
So yes, I do recommend Norwalk and I love that they are fabricating right here in the USA.

The new Collections for the coming year are:

  1. Brittany Cottage:  The appeal of the natural weaves of grayed-down base colors that conjure memories of simpler times.  Paired with sky blues, charcoals, and deep reds, all french inspired, the Brittany Cottage Collection creates a casual approach to carefree living!
  2. City Lights:  Imagine the views from your penthouse apartment–blue gray clouds, or “vapor” as Candice Olson calls it, coordinated with rich velvets, soft wools, and highly textured foundation cloths in nutty tones.  While dove grays play a complementary role, the addition of green-cast golds adds a subtle punch to this sophisticated pallet.
  3. Coconut Grove:  You will see just a bit more upscale with this tropical, yet sophisticated twist that would make it in almost any coastal environment.  While green shades of palm abound, colorful prints and bold stripes anchor this great look.
  4. Highlands Manor:  Inspired by the warm hues of the Scottish highlands, this collection is a lively mix of traditional and timeless menswear plaids, leathers, and rich velvets.  Stripes and feathers, paisleys, and hounds tooth all reflect the heritage of quality in this look.

Another thing I love about Norwalk Furniture is the interactive on-line catalog. You might like to take a peak and see what you can create, try it out at  www.norwalkfurniture.com.
Enjoy!  Janine

Norwalk Furniture Highlands Manor

Highlands Manor

Norwalk FUrniture City Lights

City Lights

Coconut Grove

Coconut Grove

Norwalk Furniture Brittany Cottage

Brittany Cottage

Alexander McQueen Dining Room Inspiration

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Have you ever spotted an amazing article of clothing that instantly made you want to decorate you home around it? Fashion and interior design intermingle more often than one would think. San Francisco designer John Bradfield recently created a table design that was inspired by the late, great fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Bradfield specifically mimicked his tablesetting after a dress in McQueen’s 2006 Fall/Winter runway show. To bring intimacy to the table and room he used a dark color palette throughout, which also brought about a mysterious and elegant feel.

Although luxurious, with just a hint of mystery Bradfield still found a way to incorporate the nature found in the accessories of McQueen’s runway show. The centerpiece was the main element inspired by McQueen. Bradfield used 350 carnations to replicate the look of McQueen’s dress. He also included a collection of butterflies at each place setting along with hand painted nature scenes on the ghost chairs. What do you think of the Alexander McQueen inspired tablesetting?

alexander mcqueen tablesettingalexander mcqueen tablesettingalexander mcqueen tablesettingalexander mcqueen tablesettingalexander mcqueen tablesettingImages from casasugar

Kind Words from Rockwood Builders

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decorativetouch7As the owner of Rockwood Builders I have known and worked with Janine for 12 years. She does all my selections after I’ve completed a project. She has carte blanche when picking paint colors, carpet, tiles, light fixtures as well as exterior colors. When it is time for us to furnish a model home Janine also does all the staging of the house. Each and every experience I’ve had with Janine has been a complete pleasure. Not only is she easy to work with, she has the personality to go with it.

She always goes beyond the call of duty to make sure everything is perfect. Janine has a unique talent as she can envision the finished product when she is just starting on a house. As a builder, I see the house finished at blueprint stage and she sees it completely decorated as an interior designer. Each of my customers that has worked with Janine always tells me how great of an experience it was. Her attention to detail is impeccable and I  can’t say enough good things about her as a person or as a professional.

Sincerely,

Richard Pfaff of Rockwood Builders

Interiors of Love and Other Drugs

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While you took time off to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family and friends did you have a chance to see any good movies? The romantic comedy Love and Other Drugs opened Wednesday and everyone is talking about the interior design. There is much buzz about Anne Hathaway’s character Maggie’s loft. The loft is the perfect representation of Maggie’s personality- she is a talented artist who is the ultimate free-spirit. The interior design is very raw and industrial. There seems to be mixture of a little bit of everything all tied together to create a very lived-in feel. The design is quite interesting because it perfectly conveyed the character through furniture, fabrics, accessories and an art studio. What do you think of the industrial look of Maggie’s apartment with everything in it? Love it or is it perfect for the movie because it’s not really your style?

love and other drugs interior designlove and other drugs interior designlove and other drugs interior designlove and other drugs interior designlove and other drugs interior designImages found on casasugar

thanksgiving tablescape

Happy Thanksgiving!

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We’re taking the day off just like everyone else to relax, eat some delicious food and enjoy family and friends. We would like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving this holiday season from The Decorative Touch!

Have you had a change to read our last past post?  If not you check it out here. Our favorite tablescape was  the one at the very bottom of the screen, tell us what you think!

thanksgiving tablescape

Tip of the Week #17: Thanksgiving Tablescapes

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To all of you can I just say THANK YOU! Yes, it is the season to give thanks, and without you my loyal customers, readers, and friends, I would be so much less.  I know you are the reason I am successful, and I am so very grateful! I do know you have a choice in your interior design specialist, and I hope I always exceed your expectations. It has always been my pleasure creating wonderful spaces with YOU!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU!

AND speaking of Thanksgiving, I have enclosed a few photos of some great tablescapes to inspire you before your guests arrive.  If you are anything like me, you are already thinking about the Christmas decor! But lets hold off just a little longer. There are still some wonderful Fall inspirations to allow you to let mother nature show off her best! If you can get your hands on some cut bittersweet vines or cranberry stems you will be able to see some beautiful bursts of color right now. Add a few candles, gorgeous glassware, and ta-da take a peek…

And again, thanks for being so loyal to me….Happy Turkey Day!

Sincerely,

Janine

Eddie Ross thanksgiving tablescapeEddie Ross

thanksgiving tablescapeImage from HGTV

thanksgiving tablescapeImage from HGTV

thanksgiving tablescapeImage from Country Living

Elle Decor’s First Showhouse

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One of our favorite go-to magazines for interior decor inspiration, Elle Decor, recently unveiled their very first interior design show house. The 5,000 square foot mansion was decorated by some of the most celebrated interior and landscape designers in the San Francisco area who were hand picked by Elle Decor’s senior staff. In addition to having beautiful designs, the showhouse is extremely technology savvy featuring sustainable insulation and heating, solar panels and a smart lighting system featuring LED lights.

Since the showhouse is the magazine’s first they wanted each design to flow, but retain its own personality. To keep the designers on the same page the magazine created a fictional, affluent client composed of a family of five who like to travel the world and entertain family and friends at home. Each room proves to fit the client, the decor is luxurious, chic, and practical. Take a look at some pictures from the Elle Decor showhouse and let us know your thoughts!

elle decor showhouseelle decor showhouseelle decor showhouseelle decor showhouseelle decor showhouseImages from casasugar

bedroom design by the decorative touch

Our Blog Has a New Design!

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bedroom design by the decorative touch

Bedroom design by The Decorative Touch

We’re fresh off our 100th post here at The Decorative Touch and we’d like to announce that we have a new layout design. If you’ve visited our blog within the last week then you may have a noticed a few differences. Just as you switch up the interior design in your home home for aesthetic and functional purposed we’ve done same on our blog. We’ve included some enhancements to make you experience reading about interior decor trends and updates a little more enjoyable. The new design of our blog includes:

  • New slider – there is now a smaller updated flash box at the top previewing our featured posts
  • Excerpts – you can now find additional briefs of  posts on the homepage which you can expand by clicking on the headline or read more
  • Facebook “like” and Twitter “tweet” – “like” and “tweet” buttons can be found at the top of each post allowing you easy access to your social media sites to quickly share what you like from our blog
  • You might also like — boxes at the bottom of each post that suggest similar content to that which you are currently reading

We updated the design of our blog with you, our readers in mind and we hope you enjoy the changes we made especially for you. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

kitchen interior design by the decorative touch

The Decorative Touch’s 100th Blog Post!

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kitchen interior design by the decorative touch

We have some great news, our blog has reached 100 blog posts and everyone here at The Decorative Touch is ecstatic! To celebrate we are going to share our top 10 most popular posts since the blog went live. Are you wondering how we know which posts are the most popular? Well, we looked to you, our readers. Our most popular posts are those that have received the most page views.

We would like to thank each and every one of you who visit our blog daily for interior design news and trends, tips, and information on local events. We hope you continue to read and enjoy our blog!

  1. Jennifer Anniston’s Stylish Platform Bed
  2. Decor Double Take: The Blind Side
  3. How to Create an Eclectic Decorating Scheme
  4. Nursery style alert: birds, owls, giraffes oh my
  5. Making a Room Seem Larger
  6. Houndstooth, modern and classic
  7. Decor Double Take: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
  8. Decor Double Take: Somethings Gotta Give
  9. In Style: Wood Wall Coverings
  10. Tips from Janine: Kitchen Remodeling

Didn’t see your favorite post listed? Leave a comment and let us know which one it is and why!