Displaying posts labeled "Red"

Patrick Flynn is a designer/project manager at envelopeA+D, an architecture and design firm based in Oakland, California and he emailed us thinking we’d be interested in a project the firm recently completed (it was featured in the NY Times yesterday). Interested??? I almost passed out when I saw the photos. This home is so unbelieveably cool and funky and creative and plucked right out of my dreams. I am completely smitten with it. The Victorian duplex is located in San Francisco, and is owned by Claire Bigbie (an interior designer who now designs for the firm) and her skateboarder boyfriend Jay Shapiro. It was renovated to house a creative studio for Claire on the main floor and the living quarters upstairs. I adore absolutely everything about this home, including the incredible blue-black exterior (used to downplay the Victorian embellishments). Thanks so much Patrick for sharing this with us! Every photo below is going in my inspiration folder, and I imagine in many of our readers’ folders too.

Sorry for the rather murderous analogy but it will all become clear soon I hope. I’m in a retro kind of mood today. It must be due to the lack of retro posts lately. I’ve also been inspired by Tessa’s design dilemma. When Kim bewailed the fact that no one paints a room burgundy my immediate thought was “they used to”. The light bulb went on in my head and one name was there – David Hicks. I’ve paid homage to Hicks before but I realised he was part of the solution. These are his lush rich rooms, not always burgundy but brave in their dark hues.

Imagine that Buddha vignette in a burgundy room! Or that yellow and white abstract canvas.

Tessa leans toward super bright hues (oranges, yellows, apple greens, etc.), Kim had some great ideas and with David Hicks’ help I’m going to suggest a few more. White, white, white. Tone it down with white. White furniture – think sleigh bed in white gloss, white sheers and fabric that uses white. Chocolate and white, navy and white, pink and white, black and white and even certain greens with white. Treat your burgundy walls as a deep dark neutral.

Bright colours? Why not! All these fabrics were pulled from Lee Jofa’s Groundworks Collection. Many are by David Hicks. Bright colours particularly orange and yellow and pink and green are all happy with burgundy. You don’t have to buy these fabrics but they give you an idea. Maybe florals are more your thing Tessa. I suggest a trip to the paint store. Gather together as many burgundy paint chips and every possible accent colour and play to your heart’s content. My second suggestion is dark wood with an ethnic twist, suzanis and kilims in rich reds, pinks, oranges and black. Layers and layers of pattern. Cocoon yourself in the mysterious dark. OK now I have retro rooms and Tessa’s burgundy dilemma out of my system. Two birds – not bad!

Election results are in for Australia and all I can say is I love red. I have ever since my daddy told me my family stories. No political grandstanding. Time for a celebration of red!

Barclay Fryery	Katrin Cargill
Stanic Harding	Applegate Tran
Lotta Agaton	Michael Mundy
Paul Costello	Derek Swalwell
Anson Smart	Scott Weston
Zeynep Fadillioglu	John Gruen

Yes we’re in the middle of a protracted election campaign in Australia. Still 2 weeks until election day. I don’t want to show political bias so I thought I’d do a post that combined both major parties, the Liberals (right wing) blue and the Labour Party (left wing) red. So without further ado the red and blue room post!

Alexandra Rowley	Roger Davies
John Gruen	Michael Grimm
Roger Davies	Quentin Bacon
Barbel Miebach	Tria Giovan
Daniel Farmer	Sandra Lane
Eve Robinson	Oliver Burns Interiors

And mustn’t forget the Greens who will probably hold the balance of power in the Senate.

Anson Smart

Take the time to check out these super talented photographers’ sites. I’ll be singing their praises in detail soon.

Jo has posted over at Mark Cutler’s blog about Marion Hall Best, Australia’s most influential and inspirational interior designer. I have to say that it’s a must-read.