In love with Amy Butler Designs!

AmyButlerDesign.com

I love fabric. It's no secret. I could spend hours in a fabric store, just looking.  For me, it is like an art gallery. My fabric obsession is just as bad good as my paint chip obsession! Artists create the most beautiful designs, and I have found an artist whose fabrics are inspirational. Amy Butler has been creating fabrics with her husband David since 1992. She lives in the midwest and is a true renaissance woman. She cares about the environment, local craftspeople, sustainability, and giving back to the community. She draws inspiration from her world travels and her own backyard. What drew me to her work was her unabashed use of bold colors and patterns. Some of her prints have a very bohemian feel, others look like they came from the arts and crafts movement , while others look like they were plucked from a lush english garden! This womnan is not afraid of color and has inspired me to inch ever so slightly out of my pale, neutral comfort zone. I discovered her while searching for fabrics for my big living room project. I will be doing lots of reupholstering and sewing drapes and pillows, so I need lots of  fabric! She has a product line that includes bedding, towels, wallpaper, handbags and a bunch of other wonderfully colorful stuff. Check out her website, Amy Butler Design!

Look at these beautiful handmade, handcarved rugs. I can't afford one, but I can dream!

I am happy to report that I can afford this fabric I found at Fabric.com!! All of these fabrics can be found there for only $8.98/yard. Definitely an affordable way to bring beauty into your home!

 I have ordered samples of my three favorite :

#1

#2



#3

 Here are a few more Amy Butler fabrics you can find at Fabric.com  :

 

 

Hope you enjoyed looking at these beautiful designs as much I as have. Visit Amy Butler Design to see her entire collection and Fabric.com for some great bargains on beautiful Fabrics.( Just for the record, I didn't get any compensation for raving about one of my favorite fabric designers, just wanted to share the love!)

Charles & Ray Eames~ Iconic 20th century design

Charles & Ray Eames

I get netflix online, and while they don't have a big selection, they do have lots of movies that I never would have thought of seeing if they hadn't shown up in my netflix suggestion list. Last weekend I found a little gem, a documentary called  Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and The Painter. I knew that the Eames chair was an iconic piece of mid-20th century design which had withstood the test of time, but knew nothing about the designers. Wow, was I happy I took the time to watch this movie. Charles & Ray were a charming, brilliant, creative, quirky couple.  She was an painter, and he was architect (though he left college after only two years because he advocated for Frank Lloyd Wright and they considered him too modern). They married in 1941 and began designing molded wooden splints and stretchers for the Navy during WWII. They were experimenting with bending plywood, and came up with a design for a chair. In the process of designing they tested out the forms on people of all shapes and sizes so they could make something that was a universal fit, comfortable for most people to sit on. In 1946, Evans Products began producing the Eameses' molded plywood furniture. Soon production was taken over by Herman Miller, Inc., who continues to produce the furniture in the United States to this day. 

They also produced molded plastic chairs and metal chairs. They designed furniture that would be durable and used in industrial design. In the 1960s & 70s they were everywhere, in schools, airports, hospitals, you could not escape them! The couple designed a variety of whimsical toys and furniture pieces specifically for children, including coat racks, molded plywood animals, small-scale chairs and tables, elaborate cardboard-and-paper masks, and brightly colored building blocks.They also loved to collect toys and their office was filled with all sorts of whimsical toys and trinkets.

     Ray was also an influential artist, her designs are easily recognizable as being important aspects of the mid-century interior design. She also designed fabric.

via Eames Foundation

Charles and Ray Eames collected numerous objects from their travels.  The figure of a black wooden bird has stood in the centre of their living room for over fifty years.  The bird is also seen in many of the Eameses’ photographs. It's interesting to note that birds are trending right now along with mid-century design. Wonder if Ray's bird has anything to do with it!

These photos can be found at http://eamesfoundation.org/

The photos of the Eames chairs chairs are via http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/side-chairs/eames-molded-plywood-chairs.html

  http://www.circa50.com/eames_pillows.html   

"To whom does design address itself: to the greatest number, to the specialist of an enlightened matter, to a privileged social class? Design addresses itself to the need. "  Charles Eames

 

I was so impressed by this couple and their views on design and life. There is so much to them than I have written here, so if you are looking for a good movie to watch, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and The Painter can be viewed online!

Lovely Pink Rooms!

In honor of Valentine's Day I am sharing pink rooms. I love some of the pale salmon pink rooms, though  I would never paint my living room pink. I am still living with that ugly pink rug, oh, don't get me started on that again! Anyway, some of these rooms look lovely in pink, don't you think ?

Katie Lydon via Elle Decor

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

via Home Stories at Oz

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Corea Sotropa Interior Design

Hope you have a magically wonderful romantic Valentine's day!

Sherwin Williams' Tidewater, Sea Salt & Comfort Gray paint colors!

I am continuing in the never-ending search for the perfect paint colors for my home If you have been reading the blog, you know that I love light blue-green paint mixed with a hint of  gray to produce a subtle neutral, similar to beach glass or the color you see when looking at clear water at a river's edge.I also like shades with a more vibrant blue-green to use as accent color. I have looked at several Benjamin Moore colors and have posted pictures of rooms painted Palladian Blue, Wythe Blue and Stratton Blue, all from the same color strip, and another post on Wedgewood Gray and Woodlawn Blue.
Today I am switching to Sherwin Williams paint colors and looking at Tidewater, Sea Salt and Comfort Gray. First up is Tidewater. What a beautiful color! of these 3 colors, I think Tidewater looks like the strongest blue-green, yet very light and airy.

                                                                       TIDEWATER

                                                                     Pawley Island Posh
You have to check out the before and after pictures of this room. Simply amazing. This blogger is talented!

One Lucky Couple



In Studio Design & Co. via Decor Pad


SEA SALT          

Next up is Sea Salt., whic is paler than tidewater.  This color can appear as almost an off white with an aqua tinge in some lights, but in others it is a very soft aqua and you can definitely see the color.



Southern Hospitality



TMS Architects via House of Turquoise







Apartment Therapy


COMFORT GRAY

Comfort Gray  is next down on the color strip from Sea Salt, and as you can see. it is a more grey version!



Nesting Place

swoon style home



Buzzings of a Queen Bee



So there you have it, three more contenders for my living room. Sherwin Williams has a beautiful collection of colors and I am especially fond of their blues and greens. In this post I showcased TIDEWATER, SEA SALT & COMFORT GRAY. What is your favorite paint color? Give me some ideas to include in my next color inspiration post!