Last night I joined designers, store owners and bloggers alike at
The New York City Design Center for an evening of champagne, fine cheeses, fruit, sushi, more champagne, these really yummy little spinach thingys and oh yea, informative speakers forecasting what is new in design. I had an amazing time scouring the showrooms, writing down pieces to fall in love with and discovering new designers. The theme throughout was a reach towards more modern lines; even the uber traditional houses were showing more modern shapes with subtle country nods. That's all I'm at liberty to discuss, but be on the lookout for these great new additions at
The Well Appointed House!
One of the most interesting seminars I attended that evening was given by
House Beautiful's Style Director
Newell Turner and
Benjamin Moore's Senior Designer Sonu Mathews. Billed as a talk on finding the color you can't get sick of, Turner was upfront saying he didn't have that
exact color per se since color is subjective. What he was able to give listeners was an interesting way to find the color that is right for you. When Mr. Turner suggested Numerology I checked my program to make sure I wasn't in some sort of dating seminar. I was spectacle at first... numerology is something I play around with in cheesy chick magazines, not in 113 year-old publication like
House Beautiful, but at the same time Turner
is the style director of a 113 year-old publication and I just turned the tassel on my cap, so I played along and I suggest you do the same! To find the color that is right for you here is how you play...
1. Write down your full name (no middle name). I left enough room between letters to add numbers. No space needed between first and last name.
EX: G A B R I E L L E K A T Z
2. Now for each letter there is a corresponding number (see chart below).
3. Add the numbers together to get a two digit number. Add the two numbers together until you get a single digit. That single digit corresponds with the color above.
1. Red: The most dominant personality. A visionary and risk-taker: energetic, passionate, tenacious, flamboyant, and courageous.
2. Orange: Balanced both mentally and physically. Happy, loyal, takes each day as it comes.
3. Yellow: Cheerful, charming, magnetic, intelligent, confident, and creative. Somewhat psychic, and enigmatic. A good leader and negotiator.
4. Green: The perfect balance between the physical and mental. Grounded, logical, not easily influenced, rarely judgmental. An intensely loyal friend — and has lots of them.
5. Blue: Optimistic, empathetic, flexible, idealistic, tranquil, patient, devoted. A natural mother.
6. Indigo: A brilliant old soul who is intuitive, sensitive, impulsive, curious, and ambitious, with a great lust for life.
7. Violet: Also an old soul. Intense, cerebral, wise, loving, generous, sentimental, and artistic.
8. Rose: Main qualities are strength, love, and leadership. Turns visions into realities.
9. Gold: Radiates love, joy, compassion, and understanding.
(Thanks House Beautiful!)
My color was green, which actually fits pretty well since my gaggle of friends will say I'm pretty mental. But all kidding aside it does work: I do tend to go for some bright green pieces in my wardrobe for some pop, grew up with Kelly green walls and do like me them margaritas! It is a good indication of my personality (minus the rarely judgmental part). It seemed to work for the people around me too, so try it out. It might just help you find the color you should be decorating with.
Turner also had some great tips, once you pick your color of course. When going to talk to the professionals it's important to know the lingo. Here's your abridged Dictionary,
HUE: pure and unadulterated color!
SHADE: Any color mixed with black
TINT: Any color mixed with white
After you go to your paint store and pick a tint or shade of your personal hue it's important to test that sample before going to town on your walls, but what Turner suggested, which I thought was pretty smart was to paint the sample on something portable and move it around the room to see how it picks up the light in different spots.
Sonu Mathews said "color is more than a hue- its a visceral force in design..." She gave an expert presentation on the history of color, studies done by the people at
Benjamin Moore. Mathews and her team found that on even numbered decades trends leaned towards cooler tints and on odd numbered decades people were more apt to dip their paint brush in darker, warmer colors. If this theory holds true, in one more year we will be looking at a lot more warmer shades and according to Mathews that is just where we are going. The new hot color for 2010 is hunter green!
The Well Appointed House couldn't agree with Mathews more when she says inspiration for color can come from anywhere. Her top sources for inspiration are mood, fashion, trends and of course nostalgia. You may have loved the smells coming from your Grandmother's kitchen, but her wall paper... that's a whole other story. Still, when drawing upon nostalgia as inspiration for your next space see how a piece or color affects you.
Okay, so I am slave to my
blackberry, but when I heard about this new application, I began to seriously considering switching over to the
I-Phone. Benjamin Moore teamed up with
Apple to create this
AMAZING application for your
I-Phone. Okay, say you are walking around and see this great color from someone's shopping bag or some billboard somewhere, well, snap a picture using the app and "Ben" will try its best to find the perfect color match. Need to get it that second? There is also a GPS incorporated in the app so you can find your nearest paint store. Oh yea, it's free. I foresee a lot of impulse buying!
If you don't know the overly arrogant obsessive compulsive designer/house flipper Jeff Lewis, I highly suggest you tune in tonight to Bravo's Flipping Out.
Things come to a head when Jeff and his once Partner in love, now partner in business, Ryan argue over bragging and property rights to their Valley Oak flip. I write this show off as work related viewing, but its hard not to feel yourself rooting for Jeff despite his tyrannical demands. His love for those who work for him, like his assistant/best-friend/future roommate in the retirement home Jenny and his cougar maid Zoila.
