You would think that there’s nothing a decorative painter can do with White but you’d be ohhhhh-so-wrong…

Let's open the door and see some more beauties...

Hotel des Tailles

Architectural Digest

Via Decor8

Love the white plaster on the walls...

The inspiration to write this post came when I spied the seriously gorgeous pics in Fairytales Come True, a blog post by Desire to Inspire.  The above is just one of the images – I left the better ones for you to discover in the post.

Very cool canvases, no?

Coastal Living (Photographed by Lisa Romerein)

White with a Shot of Color. Wish there was a view of the tabletop!

Plain White

I leave you with a sample — isn’t this a beautiful finish? I spied it on Facebook — it’s from the White Wonders class from Sheri Zeman at the Faux Design Studio.  Love it so much.  Have a wonderful day!

I’ve related this story before in another post…

At a restaurant, we were led to a table a few over from the windows and I immediately recognized feeling more uplifted. Trying to find the source, I started noticing the interior design and the colors were extremely pleasing, yes, but the best part was that the wood slats in the ceiling were painted roughly the same color of the sky but a shade that didn’t demand attention at all. I realized it was painted that way to give the (subconscious) illusion that there was no break between the outside and inside — the blue skies were subtly brought inside. A deliberate and brilliant decision by the designer.

There are those who agree and agree and then even more so.  In fact, porches in the South were painted variations of Haint Blue, a historic shade that has a very interesting legend.

Via Architectural Digest

Found these two via House of Turquoise — Erin showcases other lovelies, too.  The anaglypta ceiling on the left (click to see it closer) is via Design Sponge and the nook on the right is via Traditional Home. I like how different blues still work so nicely.

Blue tile is also wonderful… (Via Architectural Digest)

There’s nothing like color making the senses feel as if you are experiencing a gorgeous sunny day.  Of course…

…you can always add a little ornamental work.

(above) Image found via Canty Shanty. Wish I knew the artist – her work is beautiful! (below) The incredible work of Miami-based Master Leonard Pardon.

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Don’t you feel more uplifted seeing these?  Years ago, we did an anaglypta ceiling in sky blue.  It was lovely and I wish I had taken pics.  Let me know if you have painted a ceiling in a variation of blue.  How did it come out?  I’d love to hear about the results!

P.S. A total aside.  If you have been looking for sky inspirations, Lynne Rutter has written an excellent article on Baroque Skies for Artisphere magazine. Just passing that along. 

I’ve always loved red shoes. In fact, in the pic below, I’m three years old and wearing the first pair in a long line of red shoes.

These shoes are the reason my Mom said that she knew I would develop a creative eye.  Apparently, I saw them in a store and WANTED them. My mother, single and working hard, saved up enough money to buy them for me.  What did my appreciative self do? I threw a hissy fit because they were the wrong shade of red. She had bought the dark red ones and not the bright red ones and I wasn’t having it.  I told her they wouldn’t work.  She did go back to exchange them and I then wore the “right” ones everywhere.  [My Mom tells this story -- I don't remember at all.  Needless to say, I'm horrified by my behavior. I would NOT have been as kind and tolerant as she was to such a bratty child. I've asked her why she gave in to me and she said "I just wanted to make you happy"...]

Anyhoo, the Color Red.  It induces strange behavior in people I think.  Even though I did a red post recently, I’ve found some more to share.  Hope that’s not a bad thing.

Who doesn’t love seeing something like this?  This one comes from a newly discovered blog I’m loving: The Red Door.  The have doors in other colors, pinky swear.

Mural created to surround the chef’s table in a restaurant in Phulay Bay, a Ritz Carlton Reserve Hotel in Thailand.  According to Architectural Digest, the scene is painted in the Northern Thai Lanna tradition depicting the preparation of a feast.

A tapestry to inspire... Love the distressed furniture, too.

Ohhhh, lacquer red...how I love thee.

Red doesn’t even need to be dominant. Here, brick red adds spice to a fairly neutral palette. Gorgeous texture above found via the blog, San Francisco Girl by the Bay.

Can’t leave patterns behind! On the left, a truly inspired use in a fireplace and on the right, a patchwork ceiling featured in Architectural Digest. Click to see details.

Yeah. Who wouldn’t want to end up in Woburn Abbey Gardens? And so we do.

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What do you think?  Better off Red?  Or, does another color excite your senses and quicken your pulse?  Do tell.

Royal Stencil Crèmes

We had a fantastic Giveaway by Royal Design Studio during our Deets post on their beautiful new Royal Stencil Crèmes.  Readers were asked to comment on the post about their three favorite colors (and their plans for them) and one was picked via Random to receive a set of three crèmes.  Without further ado, the Winner is…

Autumn Rujiraviriyapinyo!

Autumn Rujiraviriyapinyo is a wife and homeschooling mama of 4 who, when not reading Home Interior and Decorative Painting blogs while nursing a baby, loves “slapping paint on furniture and creating and living in a beautiful home”.  She was over the moon about winning and revealed that she has a curvy French-legged chest that would be perfect for the crèmes.  Though hard for her to choose, her favorite colors are Renaissance Red, Patina Green and Bronze Age. They sound delicious — do keep us posted, Autumn!

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I did want to say “Thank You!” to all who left a wonderful comment on the post and also to Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio and Modello Designs for the wonderful Giveaway.  She also has a beautiful Design Amour blog that you might want to check out.  There will be more opportunities to win products and other great giveaways so be on the lookout — have a wonderful evening!

Orange is one of my fave colors — or any variation of it such as tangerine, marigold, pumpkin, persimmon, summer squash, terracotta…   I think it’s really an underdog since it’s always unexpected and yet so effective when done well.  It can be earthy, elegant and fresh — very few colors can claim all those adjectives, no?  They say people who choose Orange for their homes are very self-confident and extroverted.  It is a powerful color and can create an arrival. Let’s take a gander…

This gorgeous room has several handpainted elements by decorative artist Heather Jeltes-Davis. She is American-born but resides in the Netherlands. You’ll love her site.

I do love horizontal stripes. On the left is Villa Feltrinelli, located in Northern Italy. On the right is a room featured in Elle Decor and designed by Muriel Brandolini.

I love the mood in the image above. The wall is incredible, particularly the veining. Below is a fantastic plaster (left) featured in Using Natural Finishes and a Phillip Jeffries wallcovering (right). Love the pattern and the crisp orange and white duo.

Although the above is only paint, I love the effect so much. Imagine the depth it would have if it was a Venetian plaster! (via Architectural Digest)

A collage of great finishes from plasters to glazes to solid paint colors.

A fave. I adore the height, placement and finish of the border along with the shape and feel of the patinated mirror. Even the crown molding has a pattern. Nice!

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It is said that Orange has the passion and fire of Red, but with a gentler, more creative spirit.  Would you agree? Tomorrow: a wonderful Portrait of an Artist. See you then!

The Deets is a series that takes a product out on the market and provides fast details: What It Is, What It Does and Where to Get It. Today we talk about the newly released Royal Stencil Crèmes. They are the first-ever signature line of stencil paint from Melanie Royals, owner and founder of Royal Design Studio and Modello Designs. Today, we find out all about the introductory series, the Metallic Color Collection. Also, be sure to read on to the end for details on our Giveaway!

Royal Stencil Crèmes

What It Is: Inspired by the beauty and opacity of oil-based stencil paints, Melanie Royals sought to find a water-based formula that provided just as much reflective quality as the oil paints, but with a smooth working flow and easier cleanup.  The Metallic Color Collection, the introductory series, has ten beautiful colors to choose from.  Each features a velvety, gel-based formula that works on all sheens as well as on both smooth and textured surfaces. The colors can be intermixed for even more options.

What It Does: Heavily loaded with color and shimmer, the crèmes are meant to cover opaquely in one coat and yet be versatile enough to produce a translucent effect with less pressure. They blend easily and dry to a durable, hard finish.  Along with a comfortable “glide” while stenciling, the crèmes have minimal build-up on the brush so the formula resists seepage underneath the stencil — giving a crisp, clean edge to your work.  A great guide, How to Use Royal Stencil Crème Paints, was created to provide complete information.

Where To Get It: The crèmes are available through the Royal Design Studio website. Each pot is a 2 oz. container which, when using the dry brush method, can cover an estimated 10′ x 10′ room. Each pot is $8.95 and the set of 10 is $79.95. Please note that a hand painted color card is available free with every order (make sure you click on that tab!) so that you can have it as a quick resource at anytime.

Royal Stencil Crème Color Card

Extra Tip: In a recent post on Melanie’s Design Amour blog, a fantastic step-by-step DIY Stenciled Jewelry Corkboard was featured.  It’s very cool and I love the instant-gratification digital format, too!

G I V E A W A Y

One lucky Reader will receive a set of three Royal Stencil Crèmes and a Color Card!  For your chance to win, please leave a comment on this post sharing your three favorite metallic colors and you’ll automatically be entered to win!  Do let us know what you think of the stèncil cremes and your creative plans for them — I always love to read the inspired ideas!  The Giveaway is open to everyone and one (1) Winner will be chosen at random from the comments.  The deadline is Monday, May 23, 2011. Imagine how cool it would be to win your three fave colors — Good Luck!

I know I write a blog and all but one of my fave things is to read other blogs.  I love the variation of topics, seeing images that make my heart go all aflutter and of course, reading all the wonderful personalities.  I think if you write a blog and never take the time to visit others, you might as well be someone who only talks and never listens.  Do you agree?  I might have that wrong (goodness knows I’ve been wrong before) but that’s how I feel personally.

Which brings me to the point of our chat today. I found such a cool post over on Apartment Therapy that I not only shared in on our Facebook page last night, I actually decided to move today’s scheduled post into next week and instead share this one with you today.  It’s kind of a “What’s Hot Now” so I didn’t want you to miss it in case you didn’t catch it on Facebook.  Anyhoo — you know the trend of Color coming into cabinets? It’s seeping into staircases, too…

Martha Stewart Living

I seriously cannot express to you how much I love the Ombre look on these balusters.  I wish I had stairs in my home. I might have to move.

They also featured two great staircases painted by my fellow blogger and friend Carol Leonesio of Painter Girl.  She used Royal Design Studio stencils which inspired their being featured in a beautiful post by Melanie Royals for her blog, Design Amour.  The images have traveled all over the World Wide Web.  Happiness…

Artist: Carol Leonesio

The post has more great images of stencils, lettering and lovely colors. (Hot.Pink.Handrail!)

Photographer: Bruno Suet

Maybe a client of yours would like one of these ideas?

P.S.  BTW, I’m just throwing this in here.  In case you ever wanted to throw your knowledge around of staircase parts, here’s a handy dandy guide. (Via Artisan Home Solutions)