Rich, velvety, cool, vintage, yet so of-the-moment, I have completely fallen in love with peacock blue. In homage to my last blog about Couture Interiors by Marnie Fogg, I picked up the latest issue of Vogue at the post office today, gasped when I saw Nicole Kidman’s dress on the cover, and knew that I had to write about the way this hue can (and should) be incorporated into your interiors.

A stunning Nicole Kidman is swathed in a custom-designed frothy silk gown with swirls of different shades of peacock blue, a hue once popular during the Art Nouveau era (approximately 1890-1905), but today is experiencing a massive renaissance in both fashion and interior design. Later in the feature she is shown in a form-fitting jacket and skirt combination, the perfect blend of cream and strut-your-stuff blue (above).

The popularity of this hue, in both fashion and interior design, has surged in the last couple of years, and continues to appear in both disciplines, whether in the spring/summer or fall/winter seasons. It is so versatile that you can use it to create a feminine vibe, imbue a more masculine ambiance, or a family-friendly tone depending on the pattern, color palette and room in which it is used.

This shade is bold and sophisticated, yet versatile enough to complement tobacco brown, burnt orange, black, white, cream, or other hues of blue, such as turquoise and navy. When paired with lighter colors this blue is more tranquil and casual. When fused with a darker palette it provides an ambience of grand hotels and turn-of-the-century libraries.

For example, in the photos, featured here in a 2008 issue of Domino magazine, a brighter version of this blue is used as an accent next to black and white interiors. This combination imbues the rooms with a family-friendly vibe.

In the living room photo from Southern Living (above), the color is featured in a more chic, traditional interior with a peacock blue silk wallcovering that creates a bold contrast to the bone-colored bookcases. The result is strong and sophisticated that is softened with pale, feminine pinks.

If you want to go all out with a deep hue, try painting a powder room with one of the colors above: Galapagos Turquiose by Benjamin Moore, 2. Oceanside by Sherwin-Williams, 3. Blue Lagoon by Ralph Lauren

Or, if your taste gravitates more towards an East-Coast nutical vibe, try the color in a striped pattern, such as in the photo below.

No matter what you decide to do with peacock blue, you can’t go wrong with a jolt of it here or there in your home. My apartment is currently swathed in a palette of browns, deep oranges, and various shades of green, but a pop of this exciting hue may be just the thing to update it for the coming months.

What will you do to update your rooms? Let me know so I can help you put together a home that is a perfect reflection of you and what you love.

Technorati Tags: peacock blue, new blues for interior design, hot design colors, Vogue, Nicole Kidman, Southern Living, Domino magazine, art nouveau, art nouveau blue, new color combinations

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We all have our addictions. My mother (an art quilter) has collected thousands of fabric swatches. My best friend, hundreds of pairs of shoes. My personal addiction is books–seemingly harmless, but terribly unfortunate when it is time to pack up and move apartments.

On this week’s Saturday-morning jaunt to my favorite bookstore (latte firmly in hand) I came across a compelling interior design book by Marnie Fogg, a lecturer in fashion and culture at the University of Nottingham in England. Couture Interiors , $35.00, Amazon.com, examines the relationship between catwalk fashion and architecture, interiors and home design products.

Fogg reveals how the fusion between fashion and interiors is the result of several modern constructs, including the speed of manufacture, consumers who are increasingly more literate in design vernacular, and the dissemination of ideas via magazines and the Internet. Today, trends in interiors change as quickly as the fashions that roll down the catwalks each season.

So what does all of this mean to you and me? Well, take a look in your closet, then look at your home. Do you see a common thread? If you favor a casual, preppy, East Coast vibe, are your interiors decked in dark, clean-lined modernist pieces? If so, consider throwing in a few more bright, classic accessories, you might discover that you feel more comfortable in your rooms.

Or, perhaps your wardrobe is filled with edgy, contemporary pieces in blacks, grays and neutrals. If your home has more flower prints than a Laura Ashley catalog, it might be time to rethink those pink, floral draperies.

In short, it is important that your home directly reflect your personality and lifestyle. If not then you might as well be a guest in someone else’s house. The expression of your personal aesthetic is important, because if you don’t feel at comfortable in your rooms, then you will never feel relaxed. And, after all, what is home for other than maintaining a genuine reflection of happiness?

–By Kate Bailey

Technorati Tags: Couture Interiors by Marnie Fogg, interior design books, fashion and interior design, fashionable interiors, new interior design books, fashion and interior design, fashion design

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Before I moved to New York, a friend gave me some good advice: don’t waste too much time traveling up and down or east and west; plan your day according to neighborhood. So, in the spirit of good time management, I always look forward to my bi-monthly hair appointment. It’s not because I love the pampering, but because it takes me to Midtown and that means a little escape next door to Rizzoli
Bookstore. Now, Manhattan has a lot of fabulous bookstores (I’m a sucker for every one!), but Rizzoli’s is really something special. I could spend hours browsing through their three floors of pure heaven.

On my most recent trip, I picked up two new re-releases from the London publisher Thames & Hudson: English Style and Decoration and French Style and Decoration, both by the well-known design expert Stafford Cliff. Originally published about a decade ago, these small gems are a design junkie’s dream. Tagged A Sourcebook of Original Designs, each volume contains over 600 designs and patterns from company archives and pattern books. You’ll flip page after page of gorgeous textile designs, sketches of glassware and ceramics, furniture renderings, room schematics, pattern book recordings of everything from toast racks to iron fence designs, and so much more. You really will want to study each and every page. These books are good resources for a brief history overview of English and French design, but, mostly they are visual treats of beautifully designed everyday decorative arts.

So, set aside a Sunday afternoon, make a pot of tea, crack open one of these beauties, and toast the designers that make even everyday items pieces of art. Enjoy!

Visit Rizzoli Bookstore at 31 West 57th Street or at www.rizzoliusa.com.

Both books are available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

–Jennifer Kopf

Technorati Tags: books, new releases, French design, English design, decorative arts, antiques, Rizzoli Bookstore, Stafford Cliff, French style, English style

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I have discovered a favorite new website. Funky, fresh, crazy, groovy, weird, strange, and tchotchke-filled hiandlomodern.com has to be the best modern vintage places to shop in Cyber Space. Filled with some of the coolest, iconic designs from the 20th century, the site features ceramics, glass, metal, furnishings, art, fashion, gadgets, books…and so much more.

And, believe it or not, almost everything is affordable, and each item can be viewed at nearly full-page size so you don’t have to worry whether you are buying a damaged piece.
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There are too many favorites to name just one, but I know that you will find something unique and covetable for your home.

Happy Shopping!
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–By Kate Bailey

Technorati Tags: modern design, inexpensive vintage modern design, 20th century design, 20th century furnishings, vintage modern furnishings, vintage modern

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Whenever I travel, I always like to visit the local farmers’ market. I go not for all the yummy fruits and vegetables, although they are tempting, but for the other local fare: the work of local artists. Public markets are a great place to pick up little one-of-a-kind souvenirs of your trip. I love that when I look around my apartment, a blue and white plate reminds me of a trip to California, a framed postcard takes me back to Paris, and a naive painting reminds me of travels in Connecticut. And now, with the help of a pretty 5-cent cherry blossom postage stamp, I’ll remember my past weekend in Washington D.C.

On Saturday, my friends and I visited the Eastern Market in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. A continuously operating public market since 1873, Eastern Market serves as a community gathering place and a source for all kinds of local foods and goods. On the weekends, the market hosts its Market 5 Gallery Arts & Crafts Fair and The Capitol Hill Flea Market.

While filled with a lot of expected pottery and jewelry, there were a few booths worth a stop.

The first was where I bought my little trinket. Fifteen-year-old D’Elia Chandler collects and frames vintage postage stamps. From Audrey Hepburn to Gee’s Bend Quilts, she gives these small works of art a charming new life. And at $7, what a bargain! She doesn’t sell online, but can be contacted at ptmdelia@hotmail.com. Let her work inspire you to frame something memorable, such as postcards, theater and concert tickets, and even matchbooks.

Framed vintage maps of places you have lived, traveled, or dreamed of exploring make great wall art. The Map Man has stacks and stacks of maps to peruse—the hunt is half the fun!

My favorite discovery was Erika Rubel and her Had Matter collection. Erika crafts whimsical key holders, shelves, and clocks with pieces of recycled and vintage materials. Each one is so clever and really makes you smile. These are definite conversation starters and a great way to add that fun factor to your home. I really loved the hula skirt!

Most of her pieces are under $100. You can see more on her website.

By Jennifer Kopf

Technorati Tags: Washington D.C., Eastern Market, farmers’ market, arts & crafts, maps, postage stamps, D’Elia Chandler, The Map Man, Erika Rubel, Had Matter, recycle, vintage, hula

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