Charming Checks

 

I have loved checks since I first started decorating and "country" was the look of the day.  And it seems as if checks have "grown up" along with me, and today's styles!  Timeless and versatile, checks work well alone, or as companions to other patterns like florals or toiles.  Like a chamelon, they can appear casual and cozy or formal and elegant, depending on what they're used beside.......and they are available in almost every color!  See some of my favorite rooms using checks shown below.........

Casual and cool, the above two rooms could well be from lake houses or beach cottages, where checks are just the right thing to set a comfortable, casual tone.

I love this library-dining room.  Since we often use our dining rooms rather rarely, having them serve a dual purpose makes lots of sense.  Checks here go a long way to warm up what can often be a too-formal dining room!

Blue and white checks are just the thing to complement all the blue and white transferware owned by this collector.  Don't you love the emerald green tabletop as an accent color?

Large pink checks over a small pink windowpane check create lots of interest on this skirted table.

An eclectic room by Charles Faudree ---- a consistent user of wonderful Buffalo checks!

The formality of this room is toned down with checked draperies.

How sunny and bright this room becomes with the addition of sunflower-yellow checked  window treatments!

A great example of how formal a checked drapery can look in the right setting!

I've never tired of the yellow checked sofa in my own living room, which allows me to change the rug and pillows from winter to summer to create an entirely different look.

      

Checks used on several pieces of furniture is a fool-proof way to create a cohesive, casual look.

I love the little child's high chair holding books by this club chair!

These checked slipcovers covering what may have been very formal chairs certainly give the room an updated and fun look, don't they?

What a darling little powder room, with it's red, black and white color scheme, and a combination of checks used with red and white toile wallpaper!

We have lots of great checks in our library of fabrics ---- where in your home could you add a charming check??

As Simple As Black & White!

Although I am definitely a "color person", I seem to be drawn to pictures lately of rooms done in the simple color scheme of black and white.  Clean and crisp, black and white is often used in contemporary rooms, but works just as well in traditional schemes.  A white sofa often anchors this color scheme in living room settings, with one or more patterns in black and white as accents.  Not only does it work well in living rooms, but also in bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms!  And if you get bored with the lack of "color", adding any accent color (in pillows, artwork, flowers) can change the entire look in minutes. Add a touch of bright yellow or green for spring, cool blue for summer, maybe rust or chocolate for fall, or a rich red for the Christmas season....and your black and white room will take on an entirely different personality!  Check out the rooms below for some examples of black and white at its best.

(And be sure to read to the end of the post to see upcoming shop news!)

 

 

 

We are receiving wonderful new merchandise every day now from my recent trip to the Atlanta Gift and Accessory Show.  And in less than three weeks, we will be hosting our Spring Fling event, with the shop entirely re-arranged for spring with lots of new furniture and accessories. Be sure and mark your calendar for Saturday, February 16 to attend our Third Annual Spring Fling----from 10:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.  Enjoy punch (with champagne added after 1:00!) and spring treats, register for a $100.00 gift card to be given away, and check out everything that's new.  We can't guarantee what the weather will look like outside, but inside Interiors Etc. it will definitely be Spring!

Introducing Emerald --- 2013 Color of the Year!

I have always been a lover of the color green --- in fact, I think I could say it is my favorite color.  There are so many shades, each creating different moods, and yet they can all be mixed, as they appear in nature.  Just think of the many shades of green in the grass, leaves, plants, and moss......and how Mother Nature blends them all to make a soothing, cool palette!  This year the Pantone Institute has named Emerald Green the color of the year, and although it has been a shade we have not seen for a while in decorating, it can be the beginning of a stunning room, either as its primary color or an accent.  Here are some pictures I've found of beautiful rooms featuring emerald green.

I love the picture gallery wall in the picture above, and how they're grouped!

The fretwork-type pattern of the wallpaper above always makes a lovely background, and simulates a trellis from the outdoor world. This coupled with the fern-patterned lamp shade brings a touch of nature to the bedroom.

Accents of other colors create interest in this emerald painted room.

Emerald coupled with black and white create a crisp color scheme for this table-setting.  Don't you love the black and white striped tablecloth?!

Plates grouped together form a graphic piece of art to set off the emerald green furniture.  I wonder how they cut some of the plates for the straight edges??

Again, black and white with emerald green makes a stunning room in the three pictures here of different corners of the same room.

Not quite emerald green, but still in the family, this room would be a cheery one to wake up to.

The main theme here seems to be black and white mixed with emerald, but I can also imagine using yellow or navy as accents.  Or a wonderful coral could be a fun secondary color.  Almost any color mixes well with the "color of nature"!   If you're planning to re-do a room this year, consider emerald as the "jewel" of your color scheme!

Shop notes:   We will continue to have the Christmas items at 50% off for one more week, so if you haven't had a chance to browse these bargains, stop in soon. Also, I am off to Atlanta this week to buy for Spring, everyday, and Christmas 2013!  So expect lots of new merchandise beginning to arrive in approximately 2-3 weeks.  Don't forget to look at the Calendar of Events along the side of this blog to check out the upcoming "happenings" at Interiors Etc.  See you soon!