Design inspired by the movies: Out of Africa

The other day, a friend asked me to list my top 5 favorite movies. As I started listing them, I saw a pattern. Can you tell what it is? Here they are: Out of Africa, A Good Year, Somethings Gotta Give, Julie & Julia, You've Got Mail.... these were just off the top of my head (I am sure that there are more that may bump a few off the top five). See the pattern? They all have great set design! I swear, I watch movies as much for the design~ setting, interior and exterior design, and fashion as I do for the story! I know I am not alone. If you love looking at movie & tv houses go to Julia's blog Hooked on Houses. She has the best collection.

      I thought it would be fun to do some posts on design inspired by movies! I already did one about my favorite tv show Downton Abbey. So today I am showing you some elements of design that can be used in ceating an atmosphere similar to the set of my favorite movie, Out of Africa. In case you haven't seen it (you've got to see it!) it's about the author Karen Blixen (whose pen name was Isak Dinesen) and her years living in Africa during the early part of the 20th century. Meryl Streep and Robert Redford starred in this wonderfully sad, beautifully photographed love story...which makes me cry every time I watch it. The house where Karen lived has been turned into a museum. After her death, her property was sold and divided several times over the years. It was turned into a residential development and the town was named Karen. My dream is to one day travel to Karen to see her home and to look out over the Ngong Hills, just as she did almost one hundred years ago.

Karen Blixen Museum

This is a picture of Karen Blixen's house as it looks today.The house's architecture is typical of late 19th century bungalows, including big rooms, horizontal layout, large porches, tile roof and stone construction.

     The interior design in this movie is called British Colonial. As the British were colonizing parts of Africa,  India, Australia and the islands in the 1800s they brought along their own furnishings. However, the hot humid climates of some of the regions made the soft woods warp. Local craftsman began making replicas of the British designs using native hard woods such as rattan, wicker, bamboo, ebony and teak. Often, local designs were incorporated into the British style furniture. fabrics with tropical designs, pineapples, monkeys, animal prints were all popular.  Suitcases, used to move the English to their new colonies served multi-purposes as end tables and storage. Some furnishings were created specifically for travel. Called campaign furniture, these pieces often folded up into trunks or broke down into pieces to be easily packed and moved.


Tracey Steyns Designs

furnitureanddesignideas.com




Ralph Lauren

 







   

Cottage Caboodle

  In bedrooms, canopy beds were common and mosquito netting was often used for obvious reasons.  Tropical plants were used inside as decor. Wooden blinds and shutters on windows were common. Rugs were made of natural materials such as sisal. Ceiling fans were also popular.

This is a picture of a room in the Karen Blixen Museum

Hollister and Porter Hover via Design Sponge



Architectural Digest




  Karen Blixen

Karen's Study via Hooked on Houses

Hope you have been inspired by  British Colonial decor and design.
If you haven't seen Out of Africa, go watch it on Netflix!

New old couch and new decorating challenges!

My husband told me last week that he was getting a couch from a friend, which would replace our old one that was falling apart. He told me it was in great condition and was tan and would work well with my proposed  SW Sea Salt or Rainwashed wall color. So last night the old couch goes out and the 'new' one comes in. NOT what I expected. First of all, I was planning on buying a couch that looked like this:

or maybe this:

But definitely not this:

OK, nothing looks good with the ugly pink carpet. In this picture the sofa actually looks brown/gray. In real life it looks dark olive green. It is actually in great condition. There are two things that are driving me crazy. The first is the color~ it clashes with many of the light aqua colors I have been drooling over. Second, notice there is no arm on the right end of the sofa. I like symmetry and balance. This will drive me insane. Also, my husband LOVES it. So do the kids..and the dachshunds. I am clearly outnumbered and need to make it work (until I can save up enough to buy a new one).
     I got out my beloved paint chips and fabric swatches and put them on the sofa. It isn't as bad as my mind imagined, but it is going to take some creativity to make it work.

The big bottom paint chip is Restoration Hardware Silver Sage. This looked too cool gray on my wall. It didn't show any of the beautiful subtle blue/green colors like it did in Beth's kitchen. Above that is SW Sea Salt, which is the direction I am  was heading in. It has a little bit more color to it, but enough gray to be neutral.Click here to see it in Beth's sunroom . Beth obviously is very talented! Her blog is called Unskinny Boppy. Go visit.

This strip is from Sherwin Williams.  left to right: Topsail, Tradewind, Rain, Interesting Aqua.
I decide to look at colors that are more blue than green. Green seems to clash with the brown/olive of the couch. (I know, this is getting ridiculous, it will be 2013 before I even choose a wall color!).

Well, after all is said and done, I STILL like SW Sea Salt. Now, I have to convince my husband to help me rip up the pink carpet...stay tuned....

Restoration Hardware's Deconstructed Mess

I just got Restoration Hardware's new catalog in the mail today. Wow. Interesting in a weird way. Some things I love and are very unique and cutting edge. Others are just over the edge into the zone of "What were they thinking?"  For this post I will stick to the design concept which I find bizarre. They are calling it "Deconstructed" "Meticulously handcrafted to reveal the old world artistry of its inner workings..." Really? It simply looks unfinished, partially upholstered and ready for the junk heap (where a crafty blogger will find it and turn it into something beautiful by painting and reupholstering!). So look at these pictures from the catalog and tell me what you think. Would you buy one of these for your house? Oh, and they cost between  $1995- $2195!

My Grandfather would be so upset at the attempt to make these unfinished chairs into a design trend. He was a very talented and well respected furniture designer and maker during the first half of the 20th century. He even taught furniture restoration at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. Someday I will show you some of his work. Oh, and his chairs are beautifully upholstered!

A colorful designer~ Kelly Proxmire

I haven't been focused on interior design this past week, as my other life as kept me busy. Yesterday, I won reelection to the School Board, and one of my proposals (full day kindergarten) was approved by the voters! It has been a roller coaster ride, as extremists have retired to our community and do not believe that they should have to educate other people's children. They have become a powerful voting block...until yesterday, when every one of their groupies was voted out or not voted in. Hopefully we have returned some sanity back into our community! Anywho, back to my favorite topic, interior design!

Today, I am featuring a designer I stumbled upon while I was reading Traditional Home. Her name is Kelly Proxmire and she lives in the Washington DC area. From her website:

"In her 20-year career Proxmire has developed a matchless eye for crafting what she describes as “tailored traditional” interiors. Her projects suffuse warmth and hospitality while maintaining excellent balance, proportion and scale. Her love of color is combined with an appreciation for the fresh sophistication of white and the daring elegance of black. Adept at mixing traditional pieces with unexpected finds, Proxmire creates environments that are attuned to the client’s world and faithful to the architecture and setting of a home. "

She definitely is a traditional designer and since I lean toward tradition in design, I was attracted to her work, but what really wowed me is her use of color. She is definitely not afraid of color! I find her work fresh and inspirational. Her use of black is unusual, especially in coastal design, yet gives a definite classic vibe to the rooms. Here are examples of her work:



Kelly Proxmire

All her rooms are vibrant! Which is your favorite? I am in love with the striped yellow walls! You don't see bright yellow used much in traditional rooms anymore. Time to bring it back and be fearless with color. These rooms just brim with happiness!        

 To see more of Kelly's work, visit Kelly Interior Design.



Original artwork inspiration

Years ago I painted a pastel landscape, which was inspired by a work of Monet.  Pastels seem to have gone off-trend during the first decade of the 21 century, but they now are making a comeback! So I dragged my old painting out of the closet and hung it in my bedroom, against my wall painted Benjamin Moore Ocean Air. What do you think? (Its not a good picture, I am using my crappy Kodak point and shoot)



Syndi White

The last picture is color-enhanced in Photoshop elements. I like the bright colors.

I get excited when I find an inspiration piece and I think I have found one in my own artwork! Have you found an inspiration piece lately? Tell us about it!

I'm linking this post to My Romantic Home linky party!

Sharing Easter Traditions

    

                                                                

                                                                  Decorating the trees!

                                                                        Easter Baskets

Our basket traditions include a book, a video, a stuffed animal,  some other little trinkets..and candy!

My mother always used to hide the baskets throughout the house, and like an egg hunt, we ran around the house trying to find all the baskets. For my kids, I always put the baskets someplace outside. Sometimes at the back door, sometimes in the yard. Loved seeing them run to the door in anticipation!

                             I love rabbits! Easter gives me an excuse to collect and display them.
And of course, what would Easter be without Easter Bonnets!.........Here are some family photos from the Ghost of Easters past:

 

Every year my mother would let me choose a new Easter hat and outfit. At church, I loved looking at all the fancy outfits and Easter hats, all covered with different types of artificial flowers! Oh, that's me in the black & white picture,  proudly wearing my new yellow coat and white hat with flowers on it, carrying a matching purse (of course!)

Hope you have a wonderful Easter full of your own special traditions and memories!.

Deciding between Sherwin Williams Rainwashed and Sea Salt

I have narrowed the field down to 2 colors: Sherwin Williams Rainwashed and Sea Salt. Here are some pictures of the colors in different rooms (with widely different results based on lighting).

First up is Rainwashed. You must go visit Helen at A Brit of Happiness  and see the before and after of her family room, as pictured in the two pictures below. Beautiful work!

The next picture is from an amazing house called Blue River Cottage featured at Home Stories A to Z

Looking at these two homes with beautiful, light blue Rainwashed rooms, I would definitely pick this color for my living room. BUT....after I looked at these rooms below painted with the exact same color, a big red flag went up. Remember how Palladian Blue looks in my room?  I started to think that maybe Rainwashed would also look bright seafoam green in there too! Look at the different looks of Rainwashed below and compare them to the two pictures above. Incredible difference! The top pics look so pale and calming and read light blue aqua. The pics below look brighter and greener. I like them, I just don't think Rainwashed is neutral enough for my room.

A Mod Vintage Life

My Home Ideas

So my next choice was Sea Salt. At first, I thought this would just be too gray in my room. However, I plan to balance it by painting the stairway and upper level (which is really part of the living room) in a much bolder teal. I like how Sea Salt  works as a neutral and looks good against many colors. When turquoise accesories are put next to a Sea Salt wall, the beatiful blue/green comes out to play.

Anything Pretty

Unskinny Boppy



Southern Hospitality



Apartment Therapy

So there you have it. I am on my way to the Sherwin Williams store to buy a quart of Sea Salt. I will be back soon to let you all know how it looks. Wish me luck!