Decorative Painting with Spirit

I recently learned about a painting technique called Lazure. Here is a description of the the technique from www.lazure.com.

What is Lazure?
"....An unusual, more spiritually oriented painting technique, separate from sponging, ragging and typical glazing is the Lazure technique. Color is a vital consideration in 'tuning' a room for its intended use...the white surface behind lazure color reflects light back through the layers of glaze making the colors appear to be 'in the space' rather than simply on the wall ... The combined colors in the lazure method weave an enlivening variety for the human eye and Spirit. Never intruding, always inviting, the colors interplay with the subtle nuances of Nature, creating a depth not normally present on most interior walls."
From Home Design from the Inside Out
by Robin Lennon

There is something about this finish that I'm really drawn to. Here is further explanation from Danielle at Living Spaces.

"Lazure was developed by Rudolf Steiner for the purpose of not only bringing beautiful color into the room but to bring nourishment to the human spirit. The Lazurist must be able to bring a meditation stillness to the painting process. When this is achieved the walls will be imbued with beauty and a tremendous good feeling."



I think this is a great finish for childrens rooms and yoga/meditation rooms. True Lazure has to be done with at least 2 people using pure pigments and rhythmical movements. With some help from my friends, I'm going to give this technique a try on a wall in my son's room. We'll see how it goes!! ; )

Vetrazzo Recycled Glass Tile

Who knew your last bottle of Guiness could look so good? Vetrazzo glass tiles are made from all sorts of recycled glass and the color palettes are really, really nice. The tile also comes with a story so when you buy the tile you receive a certificate of transformation which tells you just where the glass in your tile came from. so clever.

Above the beautiful blue glass from discarded bottles of Skyy Vodka. Below the warm colors of Alehouse amber and I love the simplicity of the Hollywood Sage.

Check out Vetrazzo.com for more info.

Red Hot

I just LOVE red, it's a fabulous color that gets your attention and even speeds up your pulse. Red has many different meanings across the world but the main keywords for this color are energy, stimulation, power, action and excitement. I like a little something red in every room if even just for a small pop of color like in the pictures below. The red kitchen above is so dramatic and probabaly a bit too much for most of us in day to day living, but I do like it!!





This darling house sitting by a river is charming, almost sentimental, in a story book kind of way.



A red painted door is said to bring good luck. In early america when people traveled by horse and carriage they had to stop often and a red door was a sign of welcome meaning they could stop there for the night. In Ireland a red door means you've paid off your mortgage! In Feng Shui red belongs to the element of fire and is the most auspicious of colors. The door into the home is where all good energy enters and so it is painted red to attract postive energy and prosperity.


more on red coming up

Creating a sexy bedroom

If you want to raise the temperature in your bedroom, read on for some great tips and tricks. Creating a bedroom with sex appeal is easy to do using the right lighting, texture and color. Simple additions and proper placement of accessories can make all the difference. Color is important and though peace promoting shades of blue are a popular choice for creating tranquil environments, such as a bedroom, they do little for flattering your skin tone. However, mood enhancing ambient lighting, texture and color can pull it all together.




As for color on the walls, you can work with most any color however, warmer neutrals and more saturated colors like apricot, salmon, gold and stimulating reds add the heat factor. Purples and fuschias are passionate and magical. Sizzling red is dramatic and sexy aglow with candle light. If you want to create a sensual environment, stick with warm colors. The bedroom above in rich brown is sophisticateded and sultry. (picture from la.apartmenttherpt.com)

Good lighting is essential. High voltage lighting is a mood killer and lighting with a dimmer switch is a great choice. Bed side lighting with low wattage is a must as is keeping the clutter at bay. Delighting the senses with texture, whether its tactile velvets, cool and delicious silks or sumptuously soft knitted blankets, add to the bedroom experience. Scented candles and music are great mood enhancers so be sure and have some of your favorite cd's handy.




Sweet Dreams!

It's been ages!

and yes, I'm still around but summer kept my son and I quite busy with wonderfully long days at the beach and a few road trips to fun CA spots. With fall upon us, I'll be more available to update this blog and bring you some more great information about color!

Above is one of my latest additions, 'family brown' , a good kick off for autumn!

I've been working on a post all about the color red, that coming up soon. And also have a couple of announcemnets coming about some new and exciting products I'll be working with here in the Bay area so please stay tuned!!

Retail Color Therapy!

When I need a little mood lift I know I can always count on a trip to Anthropolgie to deliver my spirits to a higher level! This is real color therapy in a retail setting. Full of exciting and energetic colors, this store is sure to treat your eyes to some colorful candy that will have you feeling more than just a little tempted to splurge.

During my visit today I picked out a few items to add to my own wishlist. I love the above chairs and any one of them would be welcome additions in my home!

The sparkle of the flourish mirror below adds a a lot of glam and would be great for reflecting light and color. Also below, a festive lampshade and some cheerful monogram tiles. Monograms, of almost any sort, make a great gift item and are a nice way of personalizing your space.





And finally, some lively kitchen linens that will make your kitchen soooooo happy!!

White CAN Excite!!

Painting the walls white can give you a wonderful blank canvas for which you can dress up as much or as little as you want with artwork and accessories. Pure, cool white need not depress you if you're in a rental and aren't allowed to paint new colors. But why create more work then is necessary when your white rooms can look like these! The above white dining room looks dramatic yet clean and simple. The green bowl on the table and the blue chandelier give just the right touch of color without complicating the room. Also above, the large white wall affords plenty of space for showing off colorful artwork, yet the space is still fresh.


In the all white bedroom below, the wide plank floors add plenty of warmth and the single shelf above the bed offers mini color bursts with the photos on board. The minimal living room with lovely red flowers is streamlined, modern and sleek.

White is an exciting option and is extremely versatile.

Color in the Kitchen

I just wrote a short article for Susan Serra, of Kitchen Interiors in Long Island, NY about Color in the Kitchen. You can read the article here. Susan is a well known,very talented kitchen designer and also an excellent writer. Her blog, , which I thoroughly enjoy, is packed with information and inspirational photos. I especially love her weekly posts on Scandinavian kitchens!! Go take a look! ; )

Working with Rich Browns

Like shaved chocolate afloat a frothy cappuccino, browns are sumptuous and comforting. Colors of the earth, warm and rich browns are a pleasure to work with and are very versatile. Deep chocolatey browns add a touch of sophistication and elegance to a space. Browns also suggest reliabilty, approachability and groundedness. The currently popular chocolate browns work well with so many colors. Brown with Robins Egg blue is a great pairing and deep browns also look fabulous with greens and green blues such as teal. Above see Benjamins Moore's Chocolate Sundae 2113 paired with Sunlit Coral 2170, a warm and tempting combination.

A new color trend for baby girls is rich brown coupled with pink and for boys brown with apple green. The color combinations are modern and yet still so sweet!

Anthony Marschak

This chair is just amazing and so very clever! This sustainably designed,bamboo chair can be found over at Design Public-one of my favorite online stores!

Green-the new neutral

Green is a popular color right now and I'm so glad! Green is youthful, fresh, energetic and it can be soothing. Sage green has been consistently used in creating the cottage look. Now avocado green is prevalent as is lime green. Hunter green has long been associated with wealth and paired with gold it is indeed very rich.

Green has recently been touted as the "New Neutral" and why not? In nature we see green everywhere and it's glorius. Right now in the San Francisco Bay area the hillsides are lush and sooo very green, it's beautiful and refreshing. Take a look at some of these pictures. We see green paired with black which is strong, dramatic and bold. We see avocado green in a boy's forest themed bedroom which is soothing and natural. Lime green with pink has always been a great and playful pair for girls of all ages. Green with red needn't only be for Christmas.

Before and After; Home Staging Job

I just completed a staging job for a home for sale in Point Reyes, CA.

As you see from the before pictures, the place was all white and not very inviting. I chose a rich mid tone chocolate brown color for the kitchen and lower 1/2 of the loft wall. The milk chocolate color adds richness and sophistication. It also makes the cabinetry pop. The lighter color is called ferncliff from Kelly Moore. The 2 colors add warmth, a touch of class and yet are still very neutral.

The red runner rug in the kitchen goes perfectly with the brown and gold tones on the walls. The dining table with the 4 wrought iron chairs has a rustic, country feel which compliments the style of this cozy summer house. The papasan chair and ottoman were the perfect additions to the casual reading nook. Since the owners wanted to use their existing teal colored sofa, my color scheme included browns, golds, reds and of course more teal.

This was a partial staging so the furnishings and accessories were kept minimal yet I think there is enough to make it feel as though you could just move right in. I certainly wanted to stay!! And that is the goal of staging; to emphasize the positives and create an inviting atmosphere the buyer will fall in love with. This home is small but functional and thanks to some great staging it is now warm and inviting!; )

This house just went onto the MLS today and is listed for $825,000. It includes 4 acres and space to build a larger family home.

Many thanks to my helpers who helped pull this together in under a week- Joe Anne, Peter, Sean and of course my little guy Matthew. He's only 4 1/2 but terrific at running the vac and sweeping. ; )

Yellow is your friend!

I've posted on yellow before but wanted to add a little more because yellow is such fabulously friendly and cheerful color. It brightens any room and adds a bit of "happy"! I love yellow. When I was growing up, my mom was very generous about painting my room and letting me choose colors. We (she) must have painted my room a couple dozen times while I was between the ages of 8 and 18! Out of all those colors, yellow was my most favorite and the color I remember most. Yellow is great for just about any room and has enjoyed great popularity in the kitchen.

Next time you want to give a room a warm and happy vibe then consider the family of yellows. From golden harvest hues, mouth watering citrus yellow to smooth, buttery yellows the choices are many and very inviting. One word of caution is that when choosing a yellow, don't over do it. The yellow you see on the small paint chip will look much stronger on a large scaled wall. Go paler and work to a stronger shade, if desired, rather then having it become too bold and bright and needing to tone it down. If you encounter the problem of having a painted a yellow that is too strong, you can tone it down using a specific glaze that will work with your particular color.

More on yellow coming up.

Bold Yellows in Marketing and Advertising

Yellow can create a friendly and warm atmosphere but it can also be used to create an action oriented, high energy space. In marketing and advertising, we see numerous examples of using bright yellows to stimulate and activate humans. It's no coincidence that fast food giants such as Mc Donalds, In N Out, Wendy's and Burger King use a red and yellow color scheme. Red and yellow are both stimulating, activating colors. The combination is a call to action and movement. It is *fast food*, you're not supposed to linger and you won't want to when you're surrounded with such energetic colors. Yellow gets attention, such as the case with caution lights, construction signs and warning signs. Your brain sees yellow and gets the message to pay attention and be prepared to react.

Bright, bold yellow is a good choice for any environment where you want to add energy, such as in a health club, a home exercise room or a service oriented business that touts speedy service as a major benefit.

This is not to say that if you use yellow in your home that it will end up looking like a fast food restaurant! There are some wonderfully delicious and yummy yellows for use in the home that will make your home sunny, warm and happy. Look above for some inspiration and color schemes you might just fall in love with!