so, honeysuckle it is.

Isn't she lovely!  1944 issue of Vogue found over at Carrie Leber

Those who know me will have noted my lack of enthusiasm for Pantones Colour of the Year 2011 (Fashion + Home). Although I don't pay colour trends a lot of attention mostly because they have very little to do with design and everything to do with marketing it is my duty, as a designer, to be up to date with what is going on around me. And that includes fashion, architecture, film, products, politics etc.  and so, you know, I got the memo.

This colour does nothing for me, I feel it's bland and mediocre, at best. It's not that I don't like pink, there are many pinks that please: luscious nude pink, ballet pump pink, fuchsia pink etc. can add a flash elegance to any room - in the right context. And so, I set myself the challenge to see whether I could find a way to love this colour, to find a context for it. I started here:

Thanks to a post by Dear Designers, I found this inspired piece on Honeysuckle by Mochatini and it began to make a little more sense. Honeysuckle and bubblegum pink? Maybe... But add Vermilion and you've got yourself a party! 

Carrie Leber

How one would celebrate Honeysuckle within interiors, I wondered? I found this image from NY Times magazine and you know, I think it works. I'm not sure I would last a week in this space without repainting the door frames but that's OK, this room is lovely and interesting and really, quite unique.

Thanks to Lori Sawaya over at Colorbudz and her fantastic post on the colour Navy, I have begun to give it a little more airtime and although the pink is not the exact shade of Honeysuckle, I think, with the olive, it is the Navy in the rug that affords this space a certain dignity. So, perhaps Honeysuckle is best used as an accent?

What do you think? What was your first reaction to Honeysuckle? Is this colour prettier on the flesh than it is on the sofa? I think it is.

And So To Bed

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                                      Bella Notte Linens

My latest blog crush ABCDesign (I think this one is going to be a long term deal), is one of the most beautiful blogs out there. Visually, I find her posts inspiring and her content top notch. This wonderful post on American bed linen retailer Bella Notte Linens knocks my socks off - why no UK retailer?

The styling on their site is superb and the layering of colours and textures are downright sexy - images 1 and 3 have me sold, what a gorgeous way to start and end each day, wouldn't you agree?

accessories to die for

                                         Damian Russell
Super quick post today: isn't photographer Damian Russell just crazy talented? I'd love to know who the stylist is on these shoots - clearly they're a match  made in heaven... I've seen his work both online and in top interior magazines, and a recent post by my very first 'blog love' Desire To Inspire refreshed my memory.

Is there no end to the talent out there? I keep thinking that I've seen the best of the best and then a new load of pretty pops into my inbox. I'm convinced that we're living in the best possible time in human history - wouldn't you agree?

antipodean perspective

A Paddington Perspective

Quilter St, E2

So I was flicking through some of the blogs that Jules from The Diversion Project follows (she has great taste) and I found a very intriguing blog called A Paddington Perspective (I like that name) and found these lovely images. Blogger Bree Oliver took a walk through her neighbourhood in Paddington, Sydney and photographed some of the houses. Aren't they gorgeous? Man alive, there are some powerful combinations going on there. I love it - as if I need yet another reason to get over to Sydney...

I popped in some images of the rather quaint British Front Door, as seen in various parts of London and the striking difference makes me want to laugh for some reason - I don't know why...

Now, which ones do you prefer?