ArchDaily

Imagine that you are walking through this bright and white hallway, and you look up and see this split and spindly tree in all its beautiful and stark glory.  That would be a good day.

Thanks so much for sticking with me all week on this blog.  This is the first week I’ve posted five times in I don’t even know how long.  It was hard, since I still had a full schedule with outside design work, but I feel accomplished and satisfied that I worked hard and was present.  This little blog is a creative outlet for me that lets me explore different ideas and yes, even show off my own little vignettes and holiday bits and pieces.  It brings me joy.

Have a great weekend!

I honestly never thought that I would write about this.  Neon has sort of always struck me as one of those tacky color intensities… but I found myself being drawn to more and more interiors with either a little neon, or in some cases even a lot of it.  There are ways to keep it tasteful, though — let’s not get crazy here and paint every wall a neon hue.  You will not learn that from this blog.  😉

Furniture Accents — One Stand-Out Piece

Architectural Digest

Think of this piece as the star of your room.  This is a great opportunity to select something both wild in color and in shape.  By going bold with this, tone down the rest of the room to accommodate.

Grounding Black + White

Architectural Digest

In most cases black is the grounding factor in a room; but I think that with a small dose of neon, the effect is reversed and the bold color actually grounds the space.  Especially with lots of pattern to be found, like this little kitchen dining area.

Tile

Original Source Unknown

HGTV

Have fun with your tile and introduce a little neon with your kitchen backsplash and bathroom hard surfaces.  I wouldn’t say that this is a timeless look, but if you’re wanting to showcase personality and whimsy, neon is a great way to go.

Architectural Accents

Home Adore

Highlight those architectural elements with an accent of neon.  The perfect little pop of color — think shelves, moldings, doors, etc.  Anywhere you can get just that little edge.

Your Fifth Wall

Houzz

This is me harpin’ on how I don’t want you to forget your fifth wall!  😉  Your ceiling is the perfect spot for a splash of neon.  Keep other colors much less saturated, but don’t be afraid to still have a mix of color, pattern, and texture.  Accent your neon vibes with a piece of jewelry for your ceiling.

Lighting

House Beautiful

When in doubt, neon lighting is a safe way to play it.  Table lamps, pendants, sconces, little chandeliers (or big ones!) — this is a very easy way to implement this element without spending a lot of money or making a huge statement with a more or less permanent design fixture.

Distribution of Color

Christine Hughes Interior Design

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

Veranda

Color distribution is a topic we’ll talk more about another day, but basically I’m referencing evenly distributing color around a space so that it is pleasing to the eye.  Whether you use different neon colors or the bright yellow we all think of, this is a beautiful way to showcase this trend.

 I’m not the biggest wine-drinker there ever was.  But that definitely doesn’t mean that I don’t love looking at pretty wine storage!  I think that if there is one room that I would design for myself in my dream house that would be almost entirely unnecessary, it would be a wine room.  Like, I would have it just to have it.  My taste in decorating for myself renders more traditional, but today I thought it would be fun to look at modern wine storage.

Home Bunch

First and foremost — a wine room can be anything.  It can be a room where you sit down and enjoy your glass (or two).  It can be a room just for storing the goods.  Heck, it can be a closet.

The Woodlands Lifestyles & Homes

The Wine Room

For a modern wine room, you’re going to want to pay very closet attention to your materials that make up the details of your design.  Think sleek metals, like shiny brass and silver, glass shelving, and large glass doors or encasements.

Home Bunch

Another thing — lighting!  Use spotlights or wall lights to highlight textures, or a great chandelier or pendant light to add a little jewelry to your fifth wall.

Home Bunch

A word about wood — darker wood tones generally lend well to a contemporary-modern style, while textural or colored laminates and woods swing toward the sexy-mod vibe.  It all depends on the look you’re going for.  Darker wood tones can be transitional, too.  Mix and match your materials and finishes — don’t be matchy-matchy.

Papro Wine Cellars & Consulting

Wine Cellar Innovations

Think outside the box — storage for cigars, a flooring design made entirely out of wine corks…  Modern wine storage = a place to have some fun.  It’s a bonus room!  Give it some personality.

As far as my relationship with European design goes, we’re basically BFFs.  There were so many subjects that I loved while I was going to school for interior design; but my most favorite times were when we discussed European design influences.  Enter: Chinoiserie.

The word ‘chinoiserie’ is ridiculously fun to say, and almost as chic as its shortened version, ‘Chinois,’ which means ‘Chinese.’  Yes, we’re talking Europe’s take on the classic elements of Chinese design, architecture, and even literature and performing arts.  It seems the Europeans were intent on copying this style, with their own flair for the drama, of course.

The elements are considered to be feminine, and in my experience people either love or hate the style altogether.  Chances are if you are a fan of French design and especially the Rococo period, you love Chinois (almost) as much as I do. 😉

Ways to Implement Chinoiserie (AKA…now we look at some pretty pictures)

Murals

Architectural Digest

One Kings Lane

Obviously not for the faint of heart, this has huge impact and requires a big commitment.  But if you’re Chinoiserie’s Number Two Fan (I’m Number One, heh), then this will not seem scary to you — only the epitome of style!

Repetitive Wall Coverings

Original Source Unknown

de Gournay

MyDomaine

Using a wallpaper with one consistent pattern is a little bit busier for the eye, but invokes a feeling rather than a story.  The great thing about Chinoiserie is that it is a pretty neutral design element — it can swing from traditional to ultra-contemporary depending on what you pair it with in a space.  It’s a very specific but also very versatile pattern.

Furniture and Soft Goods/Accents

Veranda

There’s nothing more beautiful than this secretary.  I’m sorry, there’s just not.  This is literally my DREAM piece of furniture.  Try Chinoiserie on for size with gorgeous statements like this, or with soft goods and accents like pillows or draperies.  Textiles are your friend.

Framed Wallpaper Sections

Elements of Style

If you don’t have the $$ to buy a full wall of paper, just add a little statement by framing a pretty section of Chinois wallpaper.  Erin from Elements of Style has done this expertly in her bedroom.  You still get that feminine feeling for a fraction of the cost.

Jars, Vases, Canisters, etc.

Original Source Unknown

Anna Burke Interiors

Traditional Home

Probably the simplest and most accessible way to add Chinoiserie vibes to your space is with ceramics.  Create a grouping for a collected-over-time look, or just accent with one piece — the effect is classic and beautiful, even to a modern space!