Pantone's Emerald is a gem!

A few weeks ago we talked about Lemon Sorbet being the colour of the year for 2013... But the story doesn't end there. Of course, every colour-related company with authority wants to launch its own selection. For Pantone, the world-wide provider of colour systems and standards, the choice was a beautiful green: Emerald. It is described as "a color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony".

In colour theory, green is known to be the most universally accepted colour. Being "Nature's neutral", it's a colour that goes with everything, and it's an easy colour to live with.

There has been a tendency towards bluish-greens and yellow-greens in interior design during the last few years. Emerald is an example of the former. As you can see below, it combines especially well with other greens and blues, as well as with neutrals.

What shade of green is your favourite?

 

Red rooms for Valentine's



Red works wonderfully as an accent wall, as seen

in this crisp kitchen by Zero Energy Design.

Turn up the colour thermometer at home with eye-popping red! Dramatic and strong, red calls for attention and infuses a space with life and energy. But don't go overboard! Painting all the walls in a room this colour is often overwhelming. An accent wall and a few well-selected accessories are often enough to make a statement. Let these red interiors from Houzz be your inspiration for a lovely Valentine's Day!

 

Graphic artwork in red. Simple and effective.

Photo by Elliott Kaufman.

Red combined with its complementary colour

green creates a vibrant and happy corner in

this home.  Modern Living Room design by

Boston Interior Designer Kristen Rivoli Interior

Design.

The neutral backdrop in this dining room makes the

red chair and artwork stand out. The red warms up

the space and gives it a touch of drama. Traditional

Dining Room design by Orange County Design-build

Spinnaker Development.

 

Try red on your porch door! Contemporary Porch design

by Philadelphia Interior Designer Deborah Bettcher.

Red is an invigorating colour and best used sparingly

in a child's bedroom, where you want the little one to

sleep. For a playroom, though, it's another situation.

Red together with light blue or turquoise makes for

a charming combination. Contemporary Kids design

by Dallas Interior Designer Lilli Design.



The attraction of this kitchen is in the red stools

and red accessories. Design by TreHus Architects

and Interior Designers.




More red chairs around a kitchen island.

How do you like them with the rich green

walls? By Camilla Molders Design.

A romantic guestroom with a healthy dose of red.

Contemporary Bedroom design by Other Metro

Interior Designer Z3 Diseño.

 

An eye-popping colour such as red indicates
"this is the front door", and helps guests find
their way to your home. Modern entry
design by Los Angeles Architect Paul Davis
Architects PC.

Red is an enveloping, warm colour and can work

well on the walls in a reading room/library, a cozy

TV room or any other room that you want to keep

dark. Traditional Home Office design by San Francisco

Architect Gast Architects.

Cord management with a spin

Outlet cable organizer.  

"You've got to accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative." Do the words sound familiar? The lyrics from the song with the same name are also great guidelines when it comes to interior design.

If something is beautiful in our spaces, we want to enhance it (with lighting, colours, mirrors, frames).

If something is not so pretty, we will try to eliminate it, or at least camouflage the unsightly feature. 

Electrical cords definitely belong to the latter category, and it's hard to get away from the messy tangles they create. But with these clever cable organizers it's getting easier. Click the link for each item for more info.

Quirky Cordlets cable organizer.

Plug Hub Desk Power Cable Organizer.

TENSION white cable management system.

A $5 pegboard and zip ties keep cords and

seldom-used devices at check behind the

work desk. Out of sight, out of mind.