Trend Alert: Colorful Ceilings

Canadian House & Home, January 2010

There's a lot of talk in the design world about the dangers inherent in ignoring the "fifth wall", but honestly, I'd say 90% of the time a white ceiling is perfectly acceptable, even preferable. But if you're looking for some extra credit, then upping the ante by decorating your ceiling can really take your room to the next level.

This month's issue of Canadian House & Home focuses on design trends for 2010. Generally speaking, 2010 (at least as far as H&H is concerned) looks much the same as 2009, which is unsurprising since design trends tend to evolve at a slower pace than fashion. One of H&H's big trends though for this upcoming year is wallpapered ceilings and I think I really like the idea, especially if your house has high ceilings or you're looking to create architectural interest where there is none. Not only is wallpapering just the ceiling more cost-effective than doing the walls, but I find it more appealing than the single accent wall (which often just looks unfinished, in my opinion). To avoid visually shrinking your room, I'd stick with lighter colors or metallics. And, to keep the edges crisp and to visually frame the pattern, I'd recommend doing this in a room with crown molding.

domino, November 2008

But of course for every "rule" in design, there's inevitably a great exception. I'm not sure if the yellow and white stripes are done using paint or wallpaper, but I love the effect they create in Jenna Lyons' nursery (crown molding or no). I'm also struck how this room, despite being several years old now, feels incredibly current, but then again I'd argue that Jenna's home was incredibly trendsetting, from its black walls, judicious use of yellow (2009's "it" color) and cool grays, to its decorative ceiling.

Meg Braff

While I'm not a big fan of paneled walls, I love the look of natural wood on a ceiling. In this Palm Beach sun room designed by Meg Braff the look is mimicked with faux painting and I love the laid back, island effect. It brings some age to what is probably a brand new home.

Stephen Shubel

I've noticed an increasing movement towards painting the ceiling the same color as the walls. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of this as I find the effect a bit claustrophobic, but I do think this works well in bedrooms or media rooms as these are two rooms where the cocoon-effect can be a positive rather than a negative.

Brown Design

In this den, Ryan Brown paints the ceiling in the same soft sage green as carpet, and I think it's a great way to bring in more color while still keeping your four walls neutral (here, Ryan lined the walls in grass cloth). And I just have to mention again how much I adore those built-ins. Pure perfection.

Jeffers Design

While not for the faint of heart, designers will sometimes extend the pattern on the walls up to the ceilings. While this has a similar effect to painting the ceiling the same color as the walls as the boundaries between wall and ceiling visually disappear, it's obviously going to pack a much bigger (and bolder) punch. I especially like this technique when the ceilings are slanted as the effect can be quite striking and even a little bit Alice in Wonderland-esque (in the best possible way). Sure, not something you may want in your bedroom, but it could be loads of fun in a powder room. To wit, a few great examples of "tented" bathrooms from domino:

I particularly love Stephen Shubel's crisp black and white striped bath. I'd throw in a few kelly green accents though in homage to Miles Redd's fantastic green, black and white kitchen.

Sara Story

This is a room that's been in my inspiration files for a long time. I love how the purple ceiling highlights the high ceilings, drawing the eye upwards and keeping the focus away from the narrowness of the room. Subtle hits of purple accessories brings the color down, tying the ceiling into the rest of the otherwise neutral room.

Amanda Nisbet

If you're new to the world of decorative ceilings, you really can't go wrong with a very light blue (especially if your walls are white). The effect is subtle, but stunning. This is also a classic ceiling color for a porch as the light blue mimics the sky.

Kelley Interior Design

As one of the many devotees of Turquoise in the design world, I love how Kelley Proxmire has pulled the color out of the upholstery and used it on the ceiling (albeit in a less intense tone). The soft turquoise ceiling highlights the high ceilings and only serves to intensify the hue on the accessories and soft furnishings.

Kishani Perera

I'm so glad purple is "in" again in design -- it's such a rich hue and a great alternative to red. In this bedroom, Kishani brilliantly uses three versions of the same purple on the walls, starting with a deep, intense aubergine below the chair rail and finishing with a light and subtle lavender for the ceiling. Keeping the darkest shade on bottom is a great way to ground your room and make your ceilings look higher. To get the tones right, I'd simply select two or three shades from the same color strip at your local paint store; that way, you're sure to get a perfect match. I'm thinking of stealing this idea myself and have my ceiling in my study painted in a pale lavender, to highlight the moldings and coordinate with the aubergine walls.

So what do you think? Are ceilings the new frontier in design?

Virtual Vacation: Mexico

As much of the country settles in for a bitterly cold weekend, I can't help but daydream a bit about being somewhere (anywhere!) else. Some place warm, sunny, beautiful and near the water is just the ticket to chasing away the winter blues. Besides, after limping my way through my first week back after a 10 day vacation, I'll admit that I (quite unjustifiably) feel that I'm due for another break already. After all, there's nothing like going on vacation to make you crave more time off.

This Mexican beach house was designed by Chicago-based Kara Mann. Featured in Western Interiors' October/November 2008 edition, this house eschews stereotypical hacienda-style in favor of a modern-rustic sensibility. Dark wood beams and trim are strong counterpoints to the soft white walls and create architectural interest, but are more streamlined and polished than the large, rough-hewed beams typically featured in Mexican interiors.

Perhaps the thing I respect Kara Mann most for is her clean, uncluttered style. Each piece of furniture, each accessory is chosen with extreme care and it shows: they're all pretty darn special, even if they're more understated in nature. There aren't a dozen pillows crammed on the sofa, but the two throw pillows that are there really make a statement. The larger pillow fabric is Donghia's suzani print in pink passion and it's one of my all-time favorite prints. The coffee table is the brickmaker's table from Restoration Hardware and I love the age that it brings to the space.

The floor-to-ceiling fireplace surround is both rustic and minimal. Two mismatched (but quite stunning) side chairs invite cozy after-dinner conversations around the fire. The chartreuse chair is just about the only colorful piece of furniture in the space, but it picks up nicely on the colors in the patterned rugs and suzani-print pillows. The wingback chair's bold and architectural take on a classic shape is quite modern and reminds me of the Rand wingback that I have in my own living room.

I love how all the track doors can be opened up to create a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces. And with a view like that, all you need are some simple white curtains to frame the ocean.

Doesn't that bench out on the covered porch look like the perfect spot for an afternoon siesta?

The perfect spot for outdoor dining at dusk. Kara shows that there's no reason to forgo comfort and style with standard-issue patio furniture. Instead, why not opt for indoor furniture that can stand up to the elements?

Again, the transition from indoor to outdoor is seamless. I wish Kara's portfolio had a shot of the exterior of the house, which I can only imagine must be stunning given the location, deep porches and stone facade.

A great spot to escape the intense afternoon sun while still enjoying the view.

The first of three bedrooms. I love the mix here of modern and traditional. The navy blue sidetable is a great touch and really pulls out the blues in the photographs above it and the rug underneath. The wire-framed Louis XV-style chair is also an interesting, if unexpected, choice but perfectly suits the small space.

I featured this room recently on my post about canopy beds and I think this might be my favorite of the three bedrooms, primarily because of the arched windows and trim. The spareness of the wrought iron bed is also lovely and frames the bed just as the narrow dark crown molding does. The pink accents in the pillows pick up on the fuschia cushions in the living room and, together with the predominance of white and dark brown, create a sense of cohesion throughout the house.

I love, love, love this bathroom. There's just something so Old World about it, but with all the luxuries of the 21st century. The traditional tiles and antiqued vanity are gorgeous, but what really makes this space for me are those screened shutters and how the arc of the window echoes the arch separating the bathtub from the rest of the room.

I can never get enough of a big, dramatic headboard and this one really delivers. I can't help but think though that if the wallcolor were a bit darker (maybe a nice rust or chocolate?) then the headboard was shine all the more. I know though that a darker paint color goes against the open and airy feel of the house, but I think a dark, cool bedroom works just about everytime.

These two mirrors are gorgeous -- anyone know where they were sourced? The floor tile and backsplash are also a great nod to classic Spanish style. Perfecto!

Crystal Renn: A New Kind of {Role} Model

For most Americans, the start of a new year heralds the start of yet another diet and/or exercise regime. And I'm no different. Indeed, losing weight has been at the top of my annual resolutions' list for much of my adult life. While I manage to lose (and then gain) the same 15 pounds that I've struggled against since high school, I've never managed to keep said pounds off for more than a year or so at a time. So we beat on, boats against the current....

But I'm not hear to discourage you from your fitness goals, whatever they may be. In fact, I'm here to offer you a new and different kind of role model, one who might help you put your goals in perspective, focus you on being healthy (and not merely skinny) and, above all, inspire you to work with what you've got. If you're looking for that sort of role model, then you may find her (as I did) in Crystal Renn, the current "It Girl" of plus-sized modeling. In the "One Size Fits All" fashion spread in the January issue of V magazine, Crystal goes head-to-head against a "regular" model and proves firsthand that you needn't be a size 0 (or 2 or 4 or even 6...) to be a top model. In case there was any doubt, Crystal is the model who appears on the right in all of these photos by famed fashion photographer Terry Richardson.

In September Crystal published an autobiography called Hungry, which chronicles the story of her modeling career, first as a size-0 model battling anorexia and a flagging career and later as a size-12 "plus-sized" model experiencing unprecedented editorial success. I don't typically read biographies of popular figures, much less self-help or body image books, but after seeing Crystal's spread in V magazine, I had to pick it up for my holiday reading.

I'll also admit that I was initially attracted to this book for personal reasons as well. While I have never battled an eating disorder, I've nevertheless had ongoing battles with my body image (as I suspect most women do). I am, unarguably, a big woman: I stand just over six feet tall and wear a size 14. And you wouldn't believe how many years it's taken me to acknowledge the simple fact that I am "big". I remember in 9th grade how distraught I was after a male friend indelicately referred to me as "big" in passing conversation. In retrospect, I think he might have actually meant it as a compliment.

As women we are conditioned to equate "small" with "good" and "big" with "bad" (and, even worse, "fat"...or what my father years ago termed the "f-word"). But since leaving college, I have learned that the terms "big" and "small" are just adjectives to describe one physical mass in relation to other masses. Big is not a pejorative. I have also learned that being big has its advantages: I am strong, powerful and easy to find in a crowd. And yet, like most women, I waste countless hours bemoaning the size of my waist, thighs, real (and imagined) back fat...and well, just about all the rest of me. I am embarrassed to admit how often I've confused being skinny with being worthy....worthy of love, a relationship, success...everything. In short, I really identify with the pressures that made Crystal initially succumb to anorexia and really respect her ultimate refusal to keep playing the game.

Crystal's book -- and indeed her modeling work -- is a wonderful reminder of how much we stand to gain when we cast aside society's notions of what we should look like and instead embrace our own version of beauty. When Crystal finally stopped starving herself, she gained much more than 70 additional pounds; she gained the confidence and poise necessary to be a model (and a role model). I find it incredibly inspiring that Crystal's career has only taken off once she found the confidence to say "enough". While the writing is uneven in places (particularly in the beginning as Crystal recounts her childhood), the book is nevertheless an engaging and inspiring reminder that weight ain't nothin' but a number -- a number we shouldn't let run our lives or dictate or self worth. Crystal touches on some sociological and gender issues that I would have liked to see her flesh out a bit more, but ultimately this is not that kind of book. It's meant to inspire, not preach.

{Crystal in Jean Paul Gaultier's Prêt-à-porter Spring 2006 show}

Ultimately, like Crystal, I wish that both Hollywood and the fashion industry would embrace the ideal of "healthy" rather than "skinny" and the wider spectrum of ages, ethnicities, and dress sizes that go along with that paradigm shift. Crystal's success represents a great step forward in that direction, and I hope that in 2010 we continue to see more plus-sized (aka regular-sized) models on the runways as we work our way back from the super-skinny ideal that has completely dominated the industry in the past 15 years. And of course, if more designers started selling their clothes in sizes larger than a size 10, that'd be great, too.

{Elle Canada, January 2010}

And so this year, while I'd like to hit the gym a little bit more frequently, continue to play tennis and incorporate more fresh veggies into my diet, my resolution is above all to stop focusing on the scale and stop chasing some imagined ideal of what women are supposed to look like. I resolve to be healthy and, above all, to be happy with just being "me".

Happy Birthday to Odi et Amo!

Amy Atlas Events

I began this little blog exactly one year ago today. At the time, I started Odi et Amo as a way to combat some intense boredom at work (last winter my company was in serious turmoil and we were all but shut down). Little did I know how big a part of my life blogging would become over the course of 2009. Not only has Odi et Amo's readership grown well beyond my circle of friends and acquaintances (and, quite frankly, my wildest imagination), but it has introduced me to a vibrant online design community that has been both welcoming and supportive in my blogging and decorating endeavors.

I'd love to offer everyone some cake and ice cream, but since today's celebration is virtual, I thought I'd mark the occasion by pulling together a short list of my favorite posts over the past year with one major caveat: I've intentionally omitted posts relating to decorating (and then selling) my old house as well as those on building (and then decorating) my new house as they're serial in nature and, as a result, rather difficult to follow out of context. In reading back through my earlier entries, I was struck that, while there's been a gradual move away from fashion in favor of design (at the outset, this blog was pretty 50/50), my voice and style has been pretty consistent from the beginning. I'll admit though that my HTML skills have vastly improved! When I started this blog last January, my readership consisted of my mom, aunt and husband (and Dave read the blog only under intense pressure from me!), and so many of these posts may be new to most of y'all. If that's the case for you, then please consider this an opportunity to catch up a bit on your reading. Enjoy!

Getting Inspired (January 5) -- the post that started it all

Color Trend: Yellow and Gray (January 8)

R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. (February 18)

Get Courtney Giles' Style (March 13)

Amanda Nisbet's Back Porch (June 1)

Virtual Vacation: Palm Springs (August 18)

Flipping Out for Brown Design (September 3)

An Ode to Zig Zags (September 23)

Colorful Backdrops (October 8) and Colorful Backdrops, Part 2 (November 4)

Turquoise is a Neutral (October 14)

Guest Rooms in Blue, Pink...and Yellow! (November 6)

My Husband loves Kelly Wearstler... (December 7)

I hope you'll see at least a few posts here that you may have missed along the way, but if you're all caught up, I appreciate your indulging my little trip down memory lane. And finally, I'd like to thank a number of blogs for their support over the past year:

A 'Lil Welsh Rarebit

Annechovie

Aspirations of a Southern Housewife

Chinoiserie Chic

Comfort & Luxury

Couture Carrie

Department of the Interior

Dumbwit Tellher

Isabella & Max Rooms

It's Great to Be Home

JourneyChic
Kitty's Shindigs & Soirees

My Little Happy Place

La Dolce Vita

Living in the Moment

Simplified Bee
Style Redux

Real Estate Style

Room Remix

Sanity Fair

Things That Inspire

Without the enthusiasm and encouragement of the ladies behind these wonderful blogs, I'm not sure I'd still be doing this. Without the support of you, the readers, I know I wouldn't still be doing this. Blogging for me is about creating a dialogue among and a connection with fellow design enthusiasts. It's not about me getting on my soapbox. Without your comments, questions and e-mails, I would not have been able to make that connection, to get that sense of community and I'm sure I would have quit in frustration months ago. So thank you all for a wonderful first year for this blog. My goals for this coming year are to build on the successes of the last 12 months, strengthen my voice as a blogger and design amateur, and (this is my single greatest desire) inspire you on a regular basis. And as always, if there's anything in particular you'd like to talk about or like help with, please feel free to email me and let me know.

Gratias vobis ago!

Kristen Hutchins' Den

A few weeks ago I came across the work of California-based designer Kristen Hutchins, who recently launched her own design company after working for both Ruthie Sommers and Kelly Wearstler. Once you've had the opportunity to browse Kristen's entire portfolio, I think you'll agree with me that this girl has some serious talent. Her rooms are inventive, colorful and pulled together, but also incredibly livable. I'd describe her style as Hollywood Regency meets beach house, with a good helping of global eclecticism thrown in -- in short, it's incredibly of the moment. But, while her particular style may be trendy right now, her rooms also possess that distinctly California vibe of casual sophistication. And that's a feeling that absolutely never goes out of style.

Of all of Kristen's rooms, my favorite is this yellow and blue den in the Hollywood Hills. While the furniture layout and even color palette is very traditional, Kristen keep the feeling of the space young with trendy ethnic prints and streamlined furniture.

Yellow and blue is a cheery and classic color combination that will never go out of style. Depending on other design elements in the room, the colors can read as beachy and casual or as traditional and sophisticated. Kristen's den successfully walks a delicate balance between these two extremes by including more casual and funky accents (the sheepskin pillow, pieces of coral, bright ikat print) with traditional and tailored furniture. The dark wood and brown rug ground the pale yellow walls, white trim and bright fabrics.

I'm a big fan of using an ottoman in lieu of a coffee table, particularly in a more casual space. An ottoman just says "come on in and put your feet up" and in a pinch it can double as additional seating for parties. And, should you need to rest a drink (or your Lean Cuisine) on it, a tray quickly transforms an ottoman into a coffee table. Kristen did a great job of styling this ottoman for the shoot; it's a great lesson in using a few larger objects in lieu of a lot of little pieces. The overall effect is far more modern, and far less cluttered. Kristen also shows off several popular trends in decorative accessories from 2009 (namely mercury glass, white ceramic animals and lacquer trays) that will continue to be popular into 2010. I also like how Kristen elected to keep the large bay window free of any sort of window treatments, allowing in plenty of light and showcasing the window seat.

What I probably love most about this room is Kristen's choice of fabrics (and I think fabric is, more often than not, what separates a designer room from the the rest of the pack). Zigzags, ikat, ethnic-inspired prints, and more subtle and textural silks and plaids all work together beautifully to give the room texture, visual interest and great style. There's no great secret to Kristen's success though: the key to mixing and matching prints is to keep the color palette tight (here Kristen uses a rich chocolate brown, sunny yellow and porcelain blue) and while not all the fabrics need to contain all the colors used throughout the space, it is important to have one or two fabrics that contain the entire palette.

I'll admit that I'm not the most adept at setting up "vignettes" and "mantlescapes"...and I'll also confess that I find both terms to be a tad pretentious. That said though, I do understand the importance of getting those last little accessories just right -- especially when you're styling a room for a photo shoot. The arrangement on the mantle is asymmetric but still ordered. The soft green of the vase works beautifully with the loose arrangement of wildflowers in the mercury glass vases. I also adore the vintage sconce, which has a lovely bronze finish that nicely contrasts with the antiqued silver of the mercury glass.

If I were going to recreate the look and feel of this room, I would focus on a few key elements: the blue and yellow color palette (which I'd have to kick up just a notch in intensity to suit my own taste), the gorgeous mix of bronze and silver metals, the mix of patterns, and the more traditional, British colonial furniture. For a wall color, I'd go with Benjamin Moore's Hawthorne Yellow, which is a gorgeous shade of yellow that eschews both bananas and corn in favor of pure and sunny sophistication. Think "Four Seasons" yellow. I've also selected four inexpensive fabrics (three of which are available through Calico Corners) as my primary fabric choices. I'd use the "duet dijon", a lovely yellow, white and blue paisley to recover Pottery Barn's Belmont armchair. While Kristen successfully upholstered one of the two sofas in two contrasting fabrics (one of which is a rather bold print), I'm generally loathe to do a sofa in another other than a single solid, relatively neutral fabric -- there's just too great a risk the sofa will look dated long before you're prepared to reinvest in reupholstering it. Accordingly, I'd keep the sofa light and neutral, but use the remaining three fabrics for throw pillows.

Source list (clockwise, from top left): 1. Spencer Sofa (Pottery Barn; $1995 as shown). 2. Bronze Ceramic Table Lamp (West Elm; $149). 3. Metro Lattice End Table (High Fashion Home; $449). 4. Belmont Arm Chair (Pottery Barn; $899 as shown). 5. Sevilla Rug (Ballard Designs; $489 for 6’ x 9’). 6. Fabrics (right to left): kimono (Calico Corners; $15.99/yd); Kalah blue (Calico Corners; $23.99/yd); Duet Dijon (Calico Corners; $14.99/yd); and Blue ikat (Decorative Things; $20/yd). 7. Ceramic Imperial Horse (ZGallerie; $79). 8. Chinese Garden Stool (Wisteria; $149). 9. Stratford Ottoman (Ballard Designs; $249 + cost of fabric). 10. Mongolian Lamb Pillow (West Elm; $129). 11. Mercury Glass Trophy Urns (Ballard Designs; $14.99-$29.99). 12. A Pier on Loch Lomand (Art.com; $144.99).

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone capped off 2009 with a wonderful and festive evening. I'm signing off for the weekend, but I'll be back next week, refreshed and renewed for what I can only hope will be a great 2010. This year, I toyed with the idea of dispensing with New Year's resolutions altogether; after all, why set myself up for failure with a slew of resolutions that I'll just break before January is over? But, ultimately I decided a bit of aspirational thinking never hurt anyone and, to quote C. S. Lewis, "you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream".

So what are my goals and dreams for 2010? Many of you have encouraged me to pursue a career in design and -- while I'm immensely flattered -- I actually really enjoy my day job. So, above all, I dream of stability at work in 2010. Since February 2008 I have been through two jobs, three employers and five (yes, five) bosses. After some bouncing around and a lot of luck, I've managed to land a job I really enjoy and a boss that I both admire and like. Continued stability at my current job will (finally) give me an opportunity to build a reputation and achieve some career growth. But that's not to say that decorating and blogging don't figure into my goals for the coming year; there are plenty of design projects I have up my sleeve for the new house (more on that to come) and I'd love to continue to build on the successes that I've had blogging over the past 12 months. As corollaries to those hobbies, I'd add pushing the boundaries of, and continuing to develop, my own sense of style as goals for this coming year as well.

And what about you? What are your New Year's resolutions?

Graphic is a part of the Keep Calm and Carry On Printable Spoof Calendar from Little Brown Pen.