Christine Schwalm Design

I started paging through this month's House Beautiful over lunch today and stopped 4 pages in when I saw this ad from Lee Jofa. It features their "Nolita" collection from the Groundworks division.  Groundworks is the more contemporary fabric offering from Lee Jofa.  A few things drew me in to this ad.  First off, a delicious medley of fantastic colors--I love orange and purple together.  Second, can we talk about the velvet?  I won't lie, I'm a big fan.  Not as bad as George Costanza, wanting "to drape myself in velvet," but a fan all the same.  Nothing says autumn quite like it. 

Third is the great mix of pattern.  There's a large scale floral, a geometric, a mini print and some solids.  The largest print has the entire color palatte and all of the supporting fabrics relate to it.  Notice, too, the way the curve of the headboard repeats the curve of the floral motif.  I would love to have seen more of the geometric pattern, perhaps on a larger pillow, to balance out the floral pattern a bit more.  Geometrics and stripes have more staying power because they're easier for the eye to read.  Still, this ad is absolutely getting posted on my inspiration board.  Right next to my picture of Tim Gunn reminding me to "make it work."

I snapped this picture walking down a residential street in the Federal Hill section of Baltimore.  Actually, I took the picture the second time I passed this townhouse.  My friends watched me as I took a picture of what to them was some random house in a neighborhood I don't live in.  I tend to do this. 

Something about the scene was so appealing, or maybe it was a combination of everything: the brick, the ivy, the blue trim.  I love how the little garden is thoughtfully tended with all of the elements working so nicely together.  The red flowers pick up the brick tones, the blue pots repeat the trim and door color and the additional greenery adds interesting texture.  There is no one thing that stands out.  Instead, everything works together to create a lovely front entry.

One of my favorite colors tends to get a bad rap.  Yes, not everyone can appreciate the beauty of orange.  I get it.  Sometimes a "punch of color" can feel like a smack in the face; but there's no need to avoid orange.  Especially when it has the ability to add so much life to a room.  And, for you trendsetters, it's going to be a very popular color come fall.

Let's start with some things to avoid.  Orange really does not play nicely with black--except on Halloween.  A better alternative is brown or grey.  With brown, don't go adding too much gold to the palatte or you run the risk of having a very "Harvest-y" look.  You don't want Halloween every day, but you don't want Thanksgiving either.  The grey is bit more unexpected but a charcoal grey sofa with a few orange pillows (like the ones here from Room and Board) would look fantastic.

Another thing to watch out for: orange with other bright colors.  It's fun and playful, but it can also read a little harsh.  Know that if you pair bright colors like this with white, it's better to do it mostly in solids or cleaner patterns (like a stripe).  A combination of bright color + busy pattern grows old very quickly. 

Orange also pairs really well with navy, cream, and tan.  A bathroom with simple tan or cream tiles "wakes up" with just a couple of additions on orange--hand towels, tray to corral soaps, etc.  I've included a few other other fun orange accents to inspire you below.