Dark Walls Put Your Furniture In the Light

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into a room and see walls that are painted in a dark color... whether it's blue, brown, deep red, purple or even black... that your furniture just seems to pop? That is what I like about dark paint. It makes your zebra floor rug, your glass end table and your pictures on the wall stand out. Here are some of my favorite pictures of dark rooms...

old and new

I love antiques mixed with contemporary fabrics, paint colors and art. It's interesting. It says "I appreciate the past but I'm a forward-thinking king of gal". Just study these pictures for instance. They come from a 2008 edition of Elle Decor. See the contemporary geographic art placed above the gilded gold chair? Or the mod white leather chair sitting opposite of the french antique desk? It's a balanced mix of old and new, in a neutral color palette, that makes these rooms look so good.

Orange Paint? Are you kidding me?

My House Beautiful magazine came in the mail this past week. What caught my eye and, admittedly, surprised me a bit, was the designer's recommending the color orange for paint. I am a neutral-colored-wall-type person. (The craziest I've gotten is hot pink in my daughter's bedroom.)

Orange never crossed my mind until a few years ago when my New Jersey cousin showed me her kitchen which was painted in "pumpkin". Hmm. Never thought of that.

As I glanced through the pictures and I read what the designers were saying, I've got to admit... I'm even thinking about painting a soft hue of orange in our foyer! Here's what one designer said about the color:

"I wanted a warm, dusty apricot for the walls. Orange can be romantic and sexy. It makes you feel like you've just come in from the beach and your skin is glowing. It looks almost like a sunset in there. And at night, with the sconces and the lantern lit, it's even more dreamy." -STEPHEN SHUBEL

On page 24 of this month's House Beautiful, Charle Pavarini used a deep, rich orange on a wall to "frame" a painting. (He did this because the picture seemed small and lost on the big bare white wall.) He used Venetian plaster in an eye-poppin persimmon color and created a large solid graphic square of this tinted plaster and centered his picture in the middle. It transformed the room!

Just the other day I was in my favorite home store, William Sonoma Home, and I saw cashmere throws, pillows, and dinnerware all in this beautiful tangarine color. Nice!

The Anti-Minimalist

In the Style Section of December 19, 2009 Wall Street Journal, there was an interior design article that caught my eye. It profiled a young designer with no formal training who has decorated many homes, including the actor James Franco on General Hospital. I don't know whether it was his lack of schooling or his taste in design that impressed me so.

He likes every table to be covered with ashtrays, bronze and metal objects, cascading orchids, stacks of books and candlesticks. He doesn't let the small size of a room deter him from finding things to fill it with.

This designer sees his lack of training as an asset because it frees him from the group-thinking that can stymie creativity. His personal view, "I like people to walk into a space and feel like they're entering a time period that hasn't existed yet."

Holiday Spirit

Here are pictures of my home, decorated for the holidays. I choose a new theme for our tree this year, pinecones and silver. I love the use of something natural with something sophisticated and shiny. Missing the snow here in Miami, I gave our artificial tree a touch of snow on the needles with a can of spray snow I bought at Michael's. The theme is even carried into the wrapping of the presents beneath the tree. I used brown paper and brown grograin ribbon and embellished the presents with brass jingle bells.

As for other areas of the house, red poinsettas bring lots of Christmas spirit to my everyday flowers. I just add them into the current mix and it transforms the entire arrangement for the holidays. I also like to hang wreaths on mirrors, as I did with our foyer mirror. Just use transparent fishing line and string it through the wreath and attached it to the top of the mirror frame with a small nail.

20 Ways To Perk Up Your Home For Cheap

Want to get practical, inexpensive advice on how to freshen the design in your home? Check out the Miami Herald's 12/2/09 article on "20 Ways to Perk Up Your Home For Cheap".

Here are some further suggestions I have based on this article:

1. If you have an outdated sink or a builder's grade option in your home, make it look upscale and fashionable just by replacing the faucet. You can give your kitchen or your bathroom a sleek look with a smooth, nickle-plated goose-neck faucet or you can give it an antique look with a bronze fixture that replicates a Victorian look.

2. Go to Old Time Pottery or Garden Ridge and collect some various size outdoor pots. Find an expert at a local nursery to point you to a variety of plants with lots of colored flowers (you can find these for 99 cents to $2.99 each). Position these pots by your front door in collections of three or four different sizes. Your house will look warm, welcoming and like a taste of a European garden.

3. Paint the front door. I like the look of a dark red glossy door. Only do this if you have a neutral color brick, siding or stucco. The red really adds pop.

4. Stack books in small piles on end tables and nightstands. Put a vase of flowers or a picture frame on top. Not only does this give more interest to the table, it gives height which makes things look more in proportion to the tall lamp next to it.

5. Change out decorative pillows on your couch each season. Don't forget to do the same for your throws as well. I love mixing a faux fur animal print throw with a solid print silk pillow. Those weave textured pillows are nice accents too.

J Crew's Jenna Lyon's home

Okay. I'm a big fan of JCrew fashion. That's why it's no surprise to me that JCrew's own Jenna Lyon has some of the best interior design fashion I've seen in her own home! (Pictures by Melanie Avecedo for Domino Magazine.)

I like how she's taken three colors and made them work in both her living room and the nursery. Grey walls. Black furniture. Yellow accents.

It's fresh, hip and inspiring. Thank you Jenna for sharing your home with us!