Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

Dear retailers and “to the trade” showrooms,

I have one, and only one, request of you this year.  Please make available more icy blue fabrics, wallpapers, paints, and trims.  You have done a great job of providing us designers with lots of blue-greens and gray-greens, but there seems to be a shortage in the gray-blue department.

Now I know this is a very specific colourway and it hasn’t spread like wildfire yet (like the turquoise has).  I also realize it is my fault for selecting something more forthcoming, but I beg of you, please save me from a shortage of fabric options to present my clients, and also save those clients from having to purchase these ridiculously expensive fabrics that I present,  just to be able to use this rare shade of blue.

And Target, if you are listening, please start carrying this icy blue hue too- because we all know, that once it trickles down to you, it’s just about everywhere else.

Sincerely (and desperately)

Emily Johnston

If you, like me, are looking for this rare hue, here is a list of fabrics that have helped me push through the icy blue famine-

Celerie Kimble- Hot House Flowers- Mineral (Schumacher)

Kravet Couture- Grace Horizon (Kravet)

Barbara Barry- Unity Glacier- Velvet (Kravet)

Kravet Smart Fabric

Highland Court trim- Jacquard Tape- (Duralee)

Aptos- Slate (Pindler and Pindler)

Crowning Glory- Ice (Robert Allen)

Last weekend I saw She’s Out of My League- which was a pretty hilarious rom-com, I must say!

How could you forget the infamous scene where Kirk meets Molly’s dog and family for the first time? (oy, oy oy- poor Kirk)

While the whole crowd was roaring in laughter at this encounter, I was busy gazing at the paint color and wallpaper in Molly’s apartment.  (oh, the visual distractions that come with being an interior designer!)

I couldn’t get enough of her large scale floral wallpaper that was used as an accent wall and I also fell in love with the taupey-gray paint color on the surrounding walls.

Her paint color got me thinking about some of my current projects, in which I’ve been specifying this color a lot lately (as a paint color and in upholstery/pillow fabrics)

This color is quite amazing in that it doesn’t go completely warm/brown, but it also doesn’t go completely gray, which can come across as cold and uninviting.  It really is the perfect happy medium and can be used in any type of space- more contemporary or more traditional.  It all depends on what you pair it with!

Right now I’m working on a residential office/guest room project that will primarily be used by a male.  We wanted to stay pretty masculine and modern with the fabrics in this room and decided to incorporate charcoal, white, icy blue, and that good ole taupey gray in his color scheme.

As luck would have it, Duralee had the perfect fabric to tie my whole color scheme together.  I’m using this Cobalt Sapphire fabric on large pillows on a charcoal sofa.

{Duralee- Cobalt- Sapphire}

Today my mission was to pick out the perfect taupey-gray upholstery fabric for the coordinating side chair.  I returned with about twenty fabrics (but immediately eliminated half of them).  Just like most neutrals, taupey-gray fabrics can be difficult to select since they can have all sorts of undertones  (and can look either more pink, gray, brown, or green) so it’s really important that you select the best match for the space.

{My taupey-gray fabric options- this is only the half of them!}

After much deliberation, the winner of my taupey gray challenge was Pindler and Pindler’s Marlow-Greystone!  (one of their new fabrics)  It really was the best match to the taupey-gray in the Duralee fabric.

Moral of the story- don’t get distressed.  The right fabric with the right undertone is out there somewhere!  As they always say, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince…I guess the same philosophy can apply to neutral fabrics! (just don’t experiment with too many frogs, or you’ll end up like me with a million fabrics to return to the design district!)

I’m currently designing a playroom for one of my clients (who has three young girls) and we want a stylish and fun paint color that can take the girls from elementary school to highschool.  We fell in love with the color scheme in Jill Zarin’s daughter’s room and I’m dying over the fact that I don’t know what paint color it is!

{Traditional Home}

I’m sure that if I ever did find out what color this was, I’d end up being completely surprised at its true hue.  Maybe it “really is a periwinkle” or “really is a navy”- some color that I completely didn’t expect.  That has happened to me before with an awesome Cole and Son wallpaper that I found in a magazine.  Woah, was it dark in person! Definitely wasn’t expecting that.  It’s so difficult to tell a true color just from a photographed image!

Anyone out there BFF’s with Jill and seen this color in person?

Would LOVE to know what is the true blue of this room!

When I say blue, you say brown.

When I say green, you say pink.

When I say gray, you say yellow.

When I say lavendar, you say…..orange?  Come again?

Who would have thought that pairing these two colors together would produce such fabulous results! (as seen in Elle Decor)

Or even red and turquoise?  Bunny Williams is one daring decorator!

How about red and pink?  Right in time for V Day…

A little brown and yellow perhaps?

What’s your most unique color pairing in your home?

Nancy, the winner of our Design Rules book giveaway, had asked this wonderful design question-

-Does one paint a dark room a light color or enhance the no light factor with paint?

And Elaine Griffin, the uber talented interior designer (and author of Design Rules), so kindly answered it!  And we, of course, had to share her very informative answer to this commonly asked decorating question.

Exxxxxcellent question!!!  As a designer, questions about paint colors are the number one topic I get asked!! (I did a whole “cheat sheet” chapter on color in Design Rules.)  And I understand– color can be intimidating, even if you’re a DIY veteran!

Here are some Insider Secrets about color to help demystify the whole enchilada:

–Does one paint a dark room a light color or enhance the no light factor with darker paint?

The answer is both!!! Here are three factors to take into consideration when choosing your wall color (beyond the most important one, of course, which is what colors please YOU the most in general!!!)

1) What time of day will you be using the room the most (day? night?)

2) How much natural light does the room get (southern exposure= loads of afternoon light; northern exposure= not so much, etc.)

and finally 3) How long will you spend in the room when you’re using it (powder room= 5 minutes; dining room= 2 hours, so let drama rule; den or family room= endless hours on end, for ions to come, so don’t LOSE YOUR MIND with bold, intense colors unless they Truly, Truly, speak to you (as they do to me!!!).

Dark colors can look breathtakingly stunning in the bright light of a south-facing room.  They also look great in any room at night, well-lit by soft puddles of lamplight (don’t forget a lamp in every corner, sugar, for your rooms to GLOW!!).  They can look a little forlorn in dim light, but then again, it just takes lamps to create instant glow (but do decide if that’s the mood you want in your north-facing room at 11:00 am, doll).

Rooms with little natural light can get an artificial glow (alas, you’ll still need to get your lamp game on 24/7 though) via wall color that mimics the sun: yellows, oranges, reds.

Tiny rooms that are Just Plain Tiny can become adorable jewel boxes when painted deep or bold colors.  Avoid painting mid-sized (i.e., just the other side of small) rooms the boldest sunny colors (bright red/yellow/orange) because the walls WILL seem to advance and the space will seem clausterphobic (Paler versions of these hues are fine).

At the end of the day, though, I always tell clients that it’s important to please yourself, first, no matter what trends, light or room size dictates.  If chocolate makes your heart sing (wheeeeeee!!!), then go for it!!! (And adjust your light accordingly.  TRADE SECRET: Darker colors “eat up”/absorb more light than paler ones so upgrade your wattage accordingly in darker rooms (unless you, like my husband, are a vampire who flourishes in dimly-lit spaces).)

–Will it look the same on the wall as it does on the paint chip???

YES! (Unless you have antique paint chips.) Although, you’ll be seeing a lot more of it, so nothing beats painting a Giant 3x 3 Swatch of Your Chosen Paint Color in the room it’ll be going in, and observing how it looks in the actual light of the space (at 10,000 different times of the day and/or night).  Here’s a secret: Even design pros make mistakes with color.  So don’t ever be disappointed should you happen to, too!  It can always be corrected with a couple of new coats of paint!

–How to tell what colors go together?

Pas de probleme, sweetie!!!  Nature’s palettes offer flawless color combinations everywhere we look.  If a color combination exists in a landscape, a flower or a fruit, it will work perfectly in your home.  Think colors of the beach (turquoise, beige, ivory, sunny yellow) of the fall forest (oranges, ochres, browns, greens), the sunrise or sunset, etc, and you’ll never go wrong.  Layer colors in a room the same way you do an outfit– think dominant color (suits/pants/jacket) + complementary colors (blouse, shoes) + citrus or sherbert accents (they’re the universal, go-anywhere hues, perfect for throw pillows)= accessories/jewelry.

Take care and good luck!

Smooches-

Elaine

Nancy from North Carolina won our Design Rules book giveaway!

Her question was- “Does one paint a dark room a light color or enhance the no light factor with darker paint?”

Stay tuned for the answer to this question AND all of your other fabulous questions once Elaine gets back from her book tour!

Thanks to everyone for your great comments and questions.  We will post the answers here soon!

Today I received an email from an MG reader wondering if I knew the paint color that was in Audrina Patridge’s bedroom?

Dear reader, unfortunately I do not…however, I am so glad you sent me the link to these photos from In Touch magazine of Audrina’s Hollywood Hills home.  I can’t tell you how long I have been looking for a glimpse into either Lauren’s, Heidi’s, Audrina’s, Lowe’s, Stephanie’s, or Kristen’s homes!

I have never been able to find any photos of the “real” homes of the Hills cast.  And with all of the talk about the show being scripted and fake, it makes you wonder if the homes are in fact staged and just part of the Hills’ set design!  But apparently these actors (excuse me, I mean these girls) really do live there.

What do you think of Audrin’a digs that her mom decorated? I personally love the rich plum paint color in her bedroom paired with her crisp white bedding and curtains…however, I think other parts of her house could have used a real decorator’s touch.  What do you think?

If anyone out there knows what brand of paint/color is used in Audrina’s bedroom, please leave a comment with the info!

To vote for Valorie’s Modern Creole room in the 5th annual Apartment Therapy Room for Color 2009 Contest.

Valorie, our friend over at the Visual Vamp blog, is definitely no stranger to color.  Her bold and vivacious home in New Orleans is filled with lots of colorful Southern charm.

Click here to vote!

Good luck Valorie- we are all rooting for ya!

Farrow, Farrow, Farrow and Ball- which are the trendy colors for fall?

Glitz and Glamour-

Industrial-

Aquatic-

Urban Decay-

I can honestly say I am the worst hostess/cook in the entire world.  I was once assigned to bringing a dessert to a pot luck dinner with my girlfriends and brought over a box of uncooked chocolate chip muffin mix instead (which are actually quite delicious!)  But needless to say, no one asks me to bring dessert anymore.  It has become the joke among our group of friends that I can’t cook at all, nor am I the best hostess.

But this week I was faced with a challenge- to host a small, casual dinner at my place for a group of girlfriends in celebration of this weekend’s big OU/TX game here in Dallas.  I was supposed to cook an edible meal (oh the horror!) and make my tablescape coincide with the Red River Shootout “scheme”.

Aside from the cooking part, my other challenge was that these girls are all Texas fans (and I went to OU).  In the end, I decided that burnt orange and a splash of turquoise was a more fun color scheme than inserting any crimson and cream…(OU people, don’t hate me) and as always, Tarjay came to the rescue with inexpensive and outdoor friendly plates.

I may be rooting for Texas’ color scheme, but I can’t say that I will be cheering for UT during the big game (much to my boyfriend’s disapproval).  Boomer Sooner!