Think about Color

 

Riverstone Stacking Platters

The terms "base", "tone", and "accent" color may not be familiar to you. I think they are a more British way to talk about the different attributes of color, but when Ann Grafton, in her book, "Interior Transformations" used those terms, they made sense to me. I thought you might enjoy hearing what she had to say.

• Base - the color in your room or home that you use the most. This is usually the wall color, and is often chosen to provide a canvas on which to "paint" (add) the other colors.
• Tone - this is the lightness or darkness of the color. If two different colors exhibit the same tone (lightness or darkness) they can be happy together and work well, even if they are not a traditional color combination.  For example, a soft aqua, a dove gray and a powder pink can be very happy together...but change the pink to "Bubblegum" pink and you have added a contrast (accent) color. If you want your room to feel more harmonious, keep the tones of most colors the same.
• Accent - these are the colors, in contrasting shades that are used in small amounts to give your room a "jolt" of color. Use textiles, ceramics, lamps, objects and flowers to add the accents to your room. You can try out fashionable colors easily and change later without a big headache. This is why I love to use artificial fruits or veggies for accents. They are oh-so-easy to change!

First, choose your large expanses of color - walls, floors, windows. It is easy to live in a basic scheme of calm, blended tones, with only subtle differences in color. Pay attention, too, to the smaller items in your room. Often there is nothing linking the large and small together. You don't want to create chaos or confusion for the eye, but you want to lead the eye around the room, from one accent to another. This is why a large painting often provides the colors for the accents, while it still relates to the walls, windows or floor.
I like this picture of Riverstone Dinnerware from Willow House. It consists of 3 soft neutrals, with the gray a deeper tone. It is accented with the cut figs, flowers and veggies to create a serene but interesting still life. It feels to me like I could design a room using these colors. I can also imagine just changing the accents...possibly to slices of lemons, oranges and limes for a refreshing summer vibe!

Is Pink the color of October?

     In our Midwest, when the Maples begin to turn their amazing colors, and "pop" against the perfectly blue October sky, I think October's colors are red, yellow and orange. But, when October brings cataclysmic drops in the stock market, and news programs frantic with bad news, and Halloween symbols everywhere, I think October's color is black. But, when October is surrounded by the  improbable color of Pink, I know something special is going on.
      Pink no longer just defines Bubblegum or Barbie, but it now stands for one big topic - Breast Cancer, and our determination to spread Awareness, offer Support and find a Cure! I actually love that freedom to talk about something so personal - the "big C-word" whose nasty surprise can sneak up on anyone while they are busy just living their lives. I've heard that most families have been touched in some way by Breast Cancer - so most of us are sympathetic toward the campaign against it.
     I love seeing pink on baseball players, buildings and product packaging. It means we are all on-board to do something about this mean disease...so, most certainly, I believe we will! At Furniture Gourmet, we are celebrating Pink with new Pink items - which make great ways to celebrate our own victories, and to give encouragement to our pink sisters who are going through the fight. If you're looking for something in pink, check out Furniture Gourmet's "Pink Rules" category 

Lemons on Vacation

The vacation season is here and we want to see where you're going. This might be a little crazy, but we thought it would be fun for you to take a piece of fruit from us on vacation with you. Take a picture of you and your fruit and send it to us. We'll feature you and your vacation on our blog! One of our very own tried this and had a great time. She said:
Last weekend my daughter and I took lemons to Eureka Springs for a get away! Pretty soon, our weekend's theme became "Lemons on Vacation" and we laughed every time we said it.

The lemons piled in their basket, looked right at home on an antique dresser in the Palace Hotel. Then, we took them to a beautiful, cooling grotto nearby, which surrounded a natural spring. Their bright yellow color really glowed against the deep green foliage and the red flowers. The natural spring splashed and gurgled into its pool on the way down the hill, and the pleasant sound completed our feeling of taking a little break, with our lemons by our side.
Later, I just tucked one lemon in my purse, and pulled it out at the restaurant when we asked our waitress to take our picture. She acted as if it were perfectly natural for me to hold up a lemon in our picture!

We think the lemons enjoyed their little vacation-we certainly did!

Classic Combination 1: Lemons & Limes

There is something about having a bowl of fruit in your home that creates the perfect finishing touch. It adds a touch of color and a breath of fresh air. But how do you know what to pick? What is right for your room? Or you might be putting together a flower arrangement and need a something you can't quite put your finger on. Each month we intend to bring you a "classic combination". We want you to see something ordinary in a new light, or make you think of a new color combo that could be just what you need.

Our lemons and limes are our most timeless combination. They are by far the most popular item. They are the perfect summer accessory for your home. The yellow and green in a white or glass container is a simple and clean way to add some summer color. We think you'll love them as much as we do.