The King of Colors

According to this month's edition of Traditional Homes, purple is the new "go to" color this year.  Every shade, from deep aubergine to sweet lavender, are making headlines this year. 

I've noticed that the designer fabric lines are bringing more purple into the showrooms, and clients are embracing the color as an accent and as a main player in the color palatte. 

Here are a few of my favorites.

Lugano Satin by Osbourne and Little

Fabrics aren't the only materials sporting the hues of purple.

Wallpaper, which is a hot trend itself, plays up all the rich shades

Suzy Hoodless for Osbourne and Little

Anna French

Fioretti in purple and gold

Flooring manufacturerers are even getting in on the fun.

The Rug Market

Tibetan - Dragon Border Brick

HNZ by Henzel

Would you prefer paint?

Farrow and Ball paints has a great line of trendy purples in their color lineup.

.....And who can forget the accessories??

Arabesque coffee table by Dakota Jackson

Brocade Home

Barn in Soft Light - Wolf Kahn

Century Furniture

Context is everything......

 
 

Can you find a place in your heart and home for King Purple? 

If you are interested in any of the products showcased here, email me at

sally@sallyjdesigns.com for more information.

Contact the team at Sally J. Designs here for all your design and decorating needs. We love making your dreams a reality!

Switching Gears

I have decided that I don't "vacation" well. 

Being able to focus is a really good thing, and I seem to be pretty good at paying attention to where I am at the moment.  So while I was gone for a week visiting my daughter's new family, I didn't think about work or blogging very much at all. 

The problem is that now I'm back in my REAL world, and switching gears has been a bit of a challenge.  The only problem with a vacation is that everything is laying in wait for you when you get back.

So while I'm back in the studio getting my act together, I hope you'll enjoy seeing some of my favorite things today.

Four Seasons Hotel, Florence Italy

I think this is a lovely room.  I love the two shades of green on the walls.  I love the soft white accents.  I love that the bedside tables don't match, and I love the silver and gray details in the accessories.

I love most that it's in Florence, Italy!

John Jacobs

I love this collection of stoneware and sea shells.

I love that they are mostly different, but in a same sort of way.

I love the scallops.  I love the layering.

sorry!  I dont know where I got this!

I love the whimsy of this zebra pillow.  I love the little tufts sticking out!

I love the orange gerber daisies, and I love that everything is balanced out with soft neutrals.....just love!

Highland Court - Marakesh

I love embroidered fabrics.  I love this whole collection of fabrics from Highland Court.  I love that it looks like summer to me.

I love my girls who took care of business while I was away.

Thanks Paula, Lynsey and Lani!

I love you!

Contact the team at Sally J. Designs here for all your design and decorating needs.  We love making your dreams a reality!

Dallas Blooms!

You know it's spring in Dallas when the Arboretum opens for Dallas Blooms.

The gates open wide on March 6, showcasing over 500,000 blooming bulbs ! This year a 12’ tall Ferdinand the Bull topiary will delight guests, bringing the classic children’s tale to life. Ferdinand will be “smelling the flowers” accompanied by a honey bee topiary amongst a bed of blooming spring flowers.

By now you have a sense of how my mind works.  Pictures of Ferdinand gloriously happy, smelling the flowers makes me think of all the new floral patterns, both traditional and contemporary, that have arrived at the studio in the last month .  The design houses come out with new products in January and February, and we are still basking in the abundance of beautiful fabrics we have to work with...and florals are making a comeback in new, fresh ways.

Duralee, Highland Court, Kravet, Lee Jofa, Fabricut and more....

Of course, now I'm seeing flowers everywhere.  I love the new line from French Bull.  This company makes high quality "Melamine" dishware, aprons, bags and other items that have so much pizzazz and whimsey.  I have a few sets of the graduated bowls with lids that I use to store leftovers.  My frige always looks so happy when I open it !

These are my bowls.

Just a few of their tableware designs.  I'll bet the kids would even eat their spinach off of these plates.....I regress.....back to the idea at hand.....florals!

When you're thinking of flowers,  you have to be reminded of the classic works of art that had floral themes.

Monet's  Water Lilies,

which was really a series of 250 paintings depicting Monet's gardens in Giverny during the last 30 years of his life.  He even did many of the paintings with cataracts in his eyes....maybe that's where the "fuzzy" aspect of his paintings comes from....probably not.

And fabulous works from Georgia O'Keefe, the American master of the large scale floral.   I've always wanted to be like her when I grew up.

She has inspired many to immulate her work.

These painted doors used as art work are from Guildmaster. 

They do great painted furniture!

Love the painted wicker.

This is the Woodlands credenza.  What a statement piece !

I can hear you now....no, it's not neutral...no, you may not love it forever, but oh, how you will love it while you do!

Painted furniture has been popular for centuries as evidenced by this 18th century Italian corner cabinet.

  I've painted lots of furniture in my day, and flowers are always a favorite theme...(I like fruit too, but I'll save that for another post.)

Wallpaper has been making a comeback for the last few years, and florals are a consistent theme....but there's a few twists.

 

Wallpaper made of organic materials like grass, cork, leaves and even enbedded with swarovski crystals....no, it's not your mother's wallpaper!

In this room by Candice Olsen, floral appliques grace an accent wall covered in grass cloth for a unique and graceful wall treatment.

There's a lot of thinking out of the box in wallpaper design today.

The flower theme can go on and on, and we'll never get tired of them as a design theme.  After a VERY long winter (ok, I know I'm in Texas, but it was long and cold for us ), it's really nice to enjoy a spring day, almost 70 degrees with clear skies.....oops, I'm reverting to being the weatherman! Rain is forcast for the opening day of Dallas Blooms but, if you're in Texas, close enough to be there, then you know if you don't like the weather right now, then just wait a minute!