Going green in 2015

A vibrant, citrus-coloured chair "shakes up" this elegantly contained room,

featuring Guilford Green walls. Photo: Benjamin Moore.




















The future is green, at least if you're to believe Benjamin Moore's colour experts. And despite the white fluff that has fallen from the sky today. 

The paint company recently announced Guilford Green from its "Historic Collection" as the colour of the year for 2015. 

Described as a "neutral that's natural", the silvery green is part of Benjamin Moore's trend palette for next year.

Below are a few interiors featuring the colour. What do you think, is it for you? (All photos: Benjamin Moore).



 

 





 




Bright ideas for a cloudy day

With an airy and geometric frame, this fixture
looks more like a sculpture than a light source.
Photo: West Elm.

The weather might be dull, but inside it's sure luminous! Lighting is enjoying a revival today as one of the key ways to set a room's style and boost its personality. 

For contemporary lighting, the trend continues to be "less is more".

Geometric shapes are in focus, making many fixtures look more like sculptures than light sources.

The pared-back industrial style is also still making strides, featuring fixtures with little more than a bulb and a wire. Simple and efficient.

Too simple, you might say?

But easy is good, especially if you're into DIY. And DIY is great if you're on a budget but still want high style. 

 

Ready to challenge your creativity? Below are links to three awesome lighting projects to try on a cloudy day. As always when it comes to electrical work, leave the final installation to a certified electrician. Here we go:
 

1) These fashion-forward fixtures are made of drinking straws, pipe cleaners, spray paint, cord and light socket. You get the idea just by looking at the pictures of the site.

http://blogg.skonahem.com/mormorsglamour/gor-en-lampskarm-av-sugror/.

 

 



 











 

 

2) To complete the Lindsay Adelman's Hanging Pendant above, you buy a complete kit here ($57) and follow the instructions. Lindsay Adelman's DIY projects also include a chandelier, mobile, desk lamp and sconce. Photo: Remodelista. Here are the parts for the Hanging Pendant kit:

 



3) Finally, here's a link to making an industrial pipe floor lamp (below).

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.ca/2014/04/how-to-make-industrial-pipe-floor-lamp.html. Make sure to read all the comments regarding enhancing the safety of this lamp.

 

 

Turn up the heat with orange

 

The trees are on fire! I hope you had a chance to enjoy them, along with the summery temperatures last weekend. What a colour explosion!

And just as the intense fall palette injects energy and life outdoors, it has the same effect if we bring it inside. 

Of the typical fall hues, orange continues to be a popular accent colour for our homes. I previously wrote about that here. It's easy to understand why it's a favourite; orange feels fresh and cheery, and partners so well with greys and other neutrals. I used it recently to give some sparkle to a basement bar that I designed (below).

Below are some other interiors where orange plays a lead role. In some cases, the use of the colour is pretty non-binding, meaning that it can be easily changed. In other cases, the homeowners are in for a longer romance with orange.

Let's have a look:

Even though orange is used sparingly around the
perimeter of this kitchen, it very effectively gives
the space a spicy and dramatic boost. Extra bonus:
it's just paint on the walls, so the look can be changed
pretty easily. Photo: Houzz. Durham Architects & Building
Designers Ellen Cassilly Architect.

An orange exclamation mark in a white
kitchen! Here the homeowners are in for
a longer romance with the bright colour,
unless they plan to change their stove
soon, of course. Photo: Houzz. Edmonds

Interior Designers & Decorators Zinc

Art + Interiors.

 



Orange upholstery seems like a big commitment.
An orange slipcover not so much. Photo: Houzz.
Rizzoli New York.



This orange stove is not for the faint-hearted. It's definitely a commitment. See how well it plays with its complementary colour blue. Photo: Houzz. maison21.

 

 

 

A rusty-orange accent wall makes this open
concept space cozy and inviting. Photo: Houzz.
FORMA Design.

The easiest way to introduce orange: through

flowers and accessories. Photo: Houzz. maison21.