Pantone Color of the Year 2014

Pantone's color for 2014 is Radiant Orchid.

Or as I like to call it, the color of my upstairs bathroom.

Which I painted 2 1/2 years ago.

Am I the only one who doesn't see Pantone as setting the trends but capitalizing on them? Honeysuckle Pink was the last one that seemed real. Tangerine Tango was an obvious grab at product placement, complete with Sephora tie-ins. It felt really forced, like they picked this color just because it would make a good lipstick. Did they get a new CEO or something? And then with 2013's color, it was so obvious - emerald was already popping up all over the place towards the end of 2012.

So yeah, not surprised at all that 2014's color is purple. It's the hot color right now and I LOVE it in my bathroom (makes my eyes look so green!), but purple isn't exactly new. House Beautiful has been featuring purple for years now. Apartment Therapy picked up on that back in 2009. And this year, many designers are realizing that they do actually like purple after all.  Two of my favorite blogs, Bossy Color and Centsational Girl, both did posts on purple this year.

Next year, I hope Pantone steps it up and picks a color that will start a trend, not copy one. Otherwise, they're basically just Andy from The Devil Wears Prada.

a fun fridge

I love the tumblr Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table and I agree with it so much.

Crooked song lyrics in a non-working fireplace? Hate.

Overuse of antlers? Spare me. (click here for full pictures - I'll spare you)

What kills me is that most of these pictures seem like they're done by people who are trying too hard. Their antlers are ironic, not that they actually like antlers. The art often seems like stuff to fill up space (or to look cute for your Apartment Therapy house tour like the fireplace above) rather than because they actually like it.

I'm not a big fan of blank walls that stay blank forever. But I'm also not a fan of stuff for stuff's sake. I get itchy when I see a bookcase that has more tchotchkes than books (why not a curio cabinet instead?).

Some stuff is cool. A coworker once did a painting to fill up his blank wall by copying his striped area rug. Something you didn't even notice at first, but when you did, it was fresh and fun, not twee. And this was years before blogs so definitely his own idea.

And some stuff that FYNCT hates I love. Like this "fun fridge."

I mean, are you kidding me? My favorite David Hicks pattern on a fridge? And all the honeycomb lines line up? I want this. Bad.

My fridge works just fine. But it's white and I have it covered in magnets, which I kind of hate. But I have white walls in there and no real desire to paint them (I actually like white walls in a kitchen) so I think a white fridge would just be too boring.

Hmmm - removable wallpaper stuff is supposedly like contact paper. And Spoonflower lets you create your own design. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Crate & Barrel and John Robshaw

How excited was I when I got the latest Crate & Barrel catalog and saw the Verano chair slipcovered in John Robshaw fabric?

I love, love, love John Robshaw's patterns, which is why I recognized it immediately, even though the designer is not identified. They're just perfect. I tried really hard to figure out how to get this fabric into my developing living room scheme and was so sad when it wasn't working out. But there are other rooms and other projects.

Back to these chairs.

They have a full selection of fabrics so if you're like me and blue and brown isn't your favorite, no worries.

And the couch also comes in the same fabrics. So pretty!

I really hope it's successful as that could lead to more options for patterned couches. I'm not a fan of the belief that one should get a neutral couch because then you can change out the accessories. You know where that leads me? With a pillow graveyard in my attic. There's definitely something to be said for not having a lot of options.

my New Year's resolution

No more white walls!

At least not for inspiration pictures. It's not like I'm trying to inspire anyone else. I don't blog much anymore and am just trying to slog through the remainder of my house (yes, slog is how I feel about this stage of decorating - the ideas aren't fresh anymore but I still like them so I just need to apply myself to geterdone. I hate applying myself).

I am drawn to white walls. They're so pretty in all those magazines and blogs and Pinterest.

Look at how all the pretty accessories pop! All the pops of color!

And how it showcases the pretty rugs!

And random bits of art in a gallery wall!

But wait - I don't like the term "pop of color."

And I don't really like having rugs (not to mention not having room for a vacuum cleaner).

And I kinda hate it when rooms look like someone stamped pieces of color all over the place.

Even when it's done by Miles Redd

(yeah, those are striped walls, but they read white!)

Or Kathryn M. Ireland

Or even Jonathan Adler

And in my own house, I like having a flow of color from the walls to the furniture to the floor (brown wood IS a color).

And the light doesn't stream in except for one hour in the morning (when I'm usually not home)

and then it's more dappled as it peers through all of the trees. Definitely doesn't make everything glow so white walls in my house would end up looking more like this sad room:

I mean, sure, my bedroom walls are still white and I don't hate them, but my bedroom is also the least decorated room in my house (besides my kitchen, which is completely undecorated). As soon as I gird myself for some more painting, my bedroom will no longer be white (though I'm no longer sure what color it will be).

The only exception is my powder room. My wallpapered ceiling is the perfect exception to not liking white walls in my house and I only discovered that because painting the walls would have been such a pain.

So unless there's another large graphic element in the room like tile halfway up the wall,

or a purposefully black & white kitchen (though the wood counters DO add some color!),

my resolution is to not save any more white-walled rooms in my inspiration files or on Pinterest. It will be all color,

all the time,

everywhere,

and anywhere.

 

And not just bold colors!

Oh, no.

I like them soft, too

And pretty

And even neutral.

Just not white.

Not for me.