How green is my ... bedroom?

Amongst the precious stones, emeralds are my favourites. Good thing, I guess, since it is my birthstone. I have a beautiful baguette cut emerald dress ring and I hanker after a pair of candelabra earrings set with these green beauties.

I also think emerald green is a perfect colour choice for an evening gown. In fact, I chose emerald green for my own matric farewell dance dress. Why then was I less than excited when the colour gurus at Pantone announced that this hue was the colour of 2013, to be expected to crop up not only in apparel but home design as well? Somehow I just can't imagine living with emerald green - at least not indoors - in spite of Pantone describing it as a colour that enhances our sense of well-being, and bringing about balance and harmony. Maybe in very small doses, but not as a main colour.

 

A mix of pure ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow light, emerald is very vivid and the greenest of all greens. It will certainly take a brave person with a deft hand to pull off a successful interior colour scheme where this hue predominates.


I am intrigued by this room with its intense green wall, and think that its washed down complement offers the perfect counterfoil. The scale of this room certainly also helps to give balance to the weight of the green. Lovely to look at, but easy to live with?

Source:  pleasantlivinghome.blogspot

In most interiors I came across in my searches, vivid green was paired with lots and lots of bright white.

Source:decoist

Source: apartmenttherapy.com

Source: decoist.com

Some decorators opted to use plenty of grey or charcoal to dull down the intensity of the green:

Source: inthralld.com

Personally, I would still prefer to stick to accessories, like a quilt, scatter cushions or a lampshade to add that pop of emerald, rather than making a long term commitment - not to mention investment - such as curtains or headboards. Accessories can easily be removed when 2014 and the next trend colour rolls around!

Source: mydecoco.com

Source 1: charmhomedesign.com 2: blogshell-decor  3; pagazzi.com



Source: 1: gnginteriordesign.com  2: instyle.com

How are you going to use emerald in your bedroom?

Blackboard and chalk bedrooms

Today it's back to school for most kids in the Western Cape. Among the (very far off) memories of my own school years, I most vividly recall the eye candy of a box full of new rainbow-bright crayons and the delightful smell of brand new books,  my leather satchel ... and dusty white chalk!

And so to the bedroom ...

Using blackboard paint on a wall in a kiddies' bedroom is by no means a new idea, but still a great one. It is a practical way to allow the little budding artists to scribble and re-scribble to their hearts' content without their creative expressions doing any harm to bedroom walls. 

Source: 1. stylefiles 2: myhomerocks

Mum and dad might pitch in to create the wall art ...

Source: 1: seejaneblog 2: shelterness

But blackboard paint and chalk can be used to great effect in bedrooms other than the toddler's room. Black walls are perfect to offset bright, bold or multi-coloured bed linens, as is perfectly illustrated in this photo shoot for Anthropology.

Source: 1 and 2: Anthropolgie

Clearly, blackboard and chalk won't be at home in a setting intended to be formal, sophisticated or glamorous. However, it is a great way to give expression to one's creativity on a shoestring budget, adding an element of tongue-in-the-cheek fun. Perfect for the young and the young-at-heart. Cover an entire wall, or just a section and chalk away ...

Source: 1. cococozy.com  2. lili.fi

I love these poster-like creations! 

Source: 1. myhomerocks.com 2. myidealhome.tumblr.com

Source: shelterness.com

Here, chalkboards act as headboards.
Worried that the chalk dust will rub off and ruin your precious bed linens? Spray over with pastel fixative, and voila!

Source: houzz.com

Source: 1 and 2: homeedit.com 3: curbly.com

Even furniture can be adorned with blackboard paint

Source: 1 and 2: apartmentherapy.com

Source: homestoriesatoz.com

And although not in the bedroom, this one is my favourite. I love a mirror that tells me just what I want to hear!!

Source: shelterness.com

Bed and beach

Can't believe the long-awaited holidays have come and are all but gone again! I am trying to hold on to the very last bit for dear life...

79ideas

In stead of pining for the beach for the rest of the year, I thought I should try to bring that holiday feeling into my own bedroom, with some beach-inspired decor. Of course, a bedroom with the sea a mere glimpse away has instant holiday appeal, regardless of the decor.

1.coastalliving   2. houzz.com  3. coastalliving

But for those of us who are landlocked, it will naturally take some effort.

Uppermost in my mind, to create a beach-haven of a bedroom would be to use plenty of crisp, cool whites in soft fabrics that I could imagine blowing gently in a salty breeze.

coastalliving

White wooden panelling on the walls and white wooden beams overhead; shutters at the windows; slightly worn or whitewashed furniture - these spell "seaside holiday" to me. Keep the look casual and simple to match an attitude of letting-your-hair-down or putting-your-feet-up.

indeainteriors.com

abeachcottage.com

Bring the ocean inside with the shades of the sea: deep blue, pale blue, aquamarine, turquoise...

indeainteriors.com

inspirationforhome.blogspot.com

thetastefullife.com

Red, white and blue combined immediately say nautical.

besthomedecorators

I really like these toned-down versions of coral teamed with pale blue:

1. completelycoastal  2. beachhousecoastal   3. cottagehomedecorating.com

But of course, if you do not want to commit to an all-year-round beach-feel in your bedroom, how about just adding a few accessories to remind you of the good times .. . some shells, a pebble and just a hint of sea green.

nauticalcottageblog

Off to Denmark

My whiz kid son flies off to Denmark tonight to present a paper at an IT conference in Copenhagen about his work. This mother's heart is beating proudly. An oh, how I wish I could go with him!!

No, no, not to babysit him! It's just that I am green with envy, as I have never been to Denmark or any of the Scandinavian countries, for that matter. Pity, as I am a huge fan of Scandinavian style.

I really admire the way they design rooms - so clean and unfussy, making even small spaces feel airy and spacious. And while the rooms often are pure white and uncluttered, they never feel austere or precious.   

 

 

 

The large expanses of white create such a feeling of space and of serenity, don't you think?

 

This bedroom set is typically Danish with its sraight lined, simple design and focus on functionality.




Danish bed linen designer Rosenberg produces gorgeous, must-have bedding:

And who can talk about Nordic designs without mentioning Finnish brand Marimekko with their unmistakable bold, bright and joyful fabric.

Bed of roses

Today is my wedding anniversary. The 32nd one!

Yes, we are still together after almost three decades, and happily so, I am glad to report! And my very romantic husband spoilt me with an enormous bunch of deep red roses - one for every year of wedded bliss!  Apparently it took my dedicated florist-neighbour Marida from Paradiso an entire week to source them, as September is not exactly rose-season in the Cape yet! So I am doubly grateful to have them light up the house!

Naturally, my bedroom inspiration for the week is (red) roses!


I love an all-white bedroom, adding just flowers for a touch of colour.


Source: bedding.ie

 

If you like an all-over rosy design, the queens of floral bed linens, Laura Ashley and Cath Kidston, as well as Cabbages and Roses, have several options:

Source:    Left: Cath Kidston      Top: Cabbages and Roses     Bottom: LauraAshley

  

 

Here is a more modern take on rosy bedding:

Left: Lulu Guinness bedding       Right: lieutenantpriceinspector

 

If you visit the luxury hotel, Maison Hotel Moshino in Italy, you can sleep in a bed covered in velvet rose petals. Mmm .. not so sure about that? I guess it's fun for a romantic night or two, but how on earth does one wash this?

Too much?  Go for rose-accessories like a scatter cushion, a deep-red chair or perhaps a zany lamp or light fitting?

 

 

 

 

 

Left: dreamstime.com    Top:globalmarkets     Bottom: exportbay.com



 

Namakwa dreaming

Last weekend, hubby and I drove up along the West Coast on a flower-watching expedition. Thanks to this season's unusually cold and wet weather, the spring time wild flower extravanganza is particularly spectacular this year. Fields of flowers as far as the eye can see, delight you around every corner.

I was very thankful for digital photography, as I became quite trigger happy and took literally hundreds of photos of every colourful expanse, and equally many close-ups of the small, often minute, little blooms that make up this joyous canvas.

Here's how you can bring the floral splendour of the West Coast and Namakwaland into a bedroom any time of the year:

Source: 1: My own 2: yolocolorhouse

Source: 1: homeinteriorblogspot   2: My own   3: digsdigs.com  4: houzz

Source: 1: My own 2: digs.digs.com 3: housetohome 

 

 

Source: 1: My own 2: 

 

Source: 1:My own   2:etsy.com   3:decorpad

 

Source: 1: My own  2:jbrulee 3: etsy.com