Welcome to Fireside Friday. Cosy chats, reflections and musings by the fireside, for a calm start to the weekend. And today, colours to feast your eyes on.
I am a Bright Winter. I look best in cool, crisp colours with high contrast and maximum saturation.
I do not decorate my home in those colours, it would seriously freak me out if I had to have white walls a steely grey sofa with bright red and black cushions, even though I would happily dress in an outfit of black, white or grey with accents of red.
In my home, I go for not what I look best in, but what I FEEL best in.
I like colours.
An all white minimalist interior is not for me. If I have to put on sunglasses to sit down in the sofa when the sun shines through the window reflecting off a bright white glossy table top, I’m not a happy camper.
I love being surrounded by natural materials and snuggle down in an easy chair or sofa in warm colours. I want my interior to be filled with books, plants, and in the dark season, cosy lamps and candles.
Back to colours. Let’s talk about yellow.
Lately, I’m fascinated by yellow. There is something about yellow in the interior that draws in sunshine, even on dreich days when the fog is skirting the treetops and the misty rain gives everything outside a grey cast.
Here are some yellow interiors that have been on my mind lately.
Elliot’s in Edinburgh. The softest yellow that isn’t exactly grey but has a muted tone. I keep coming back to their website to wallow in this yellow on their walls and I have made a plan to visit Elliot’s when I am in Edinburgh.
Then there is this image, with a slightly yellower yellow.
Moving on to an intense yellow, but reserved to one or two details, and makes me very happy to look at. I could move in here, this room has books, plants and a touch of yellow. I could add a reading lamp and a little cosy lamp in the window and snuggle down for the evening.
This interior also has green, another interesting colour.
In traditional Norwegian farmhouses we have studied, a lovely green is often used:
But from another angle in another light, the same walls in the same room look like more teal green.
A modern version can be a little like this:
More blue teal than green teal, but still….
Not sure if I’m ready for a mustard yellow sofa in my life yet, but there is something intriguing with this photo.
Come to think of it, this might be more me (but not the white walls and shelves):
I’m fairly sure that my future home will at least have some light muted yellow and some rich green.
Or, maybe a happy bright yellow colour reading lamp? Like the one below, from One Brick At A Time. Even though I said I won’t have bright colour in the house……
What are your favourite colours in interior, and would you decorate your home in the same colours as you like to use in clothing? Or are you like me, and pick wildly different colours to live in?
My house is a mix of seasons. They all evoke different moods for me. While there is a lot of autumn in my house, I also love some spring, some winter, and some summer. I wouldn't want my entire house to be Dark Autumn. It would get so boring.
The bathroom is winter black and white tile with deep cherry blossom pink-red, coral, or teal towels (basically spring colors). I love the vintage vibe, and how clean it feels.
The living room is mostly autumn, including burnt orange, dark autumn's Smurf blue, deep bronzed chocolate, and touches of olive and fiery red-orange. A cool heavy tweed charcoal ouch contrasts all the warmth. Lots of kitschy details, including a 1940s inspired airplane prop ceiling fan. It's a huge mix of textures: lots of industrial patinaed metal, warm wood, and textured fabrics.
Master bedroom is a mix of light summer grey bedding, warm autumn chocolate and soft summer plum for the throw blanket and pillows, The furniture is antique Art Deco pieces in both very heavy figured wood (reminds me of dark autumn tortoise shell) and warm stainless steel. There is also a dark autumn deep orchid pink pillow in the mix for fun. The walls and ceiling are all knotty pine, in a heavily veneered orangey shade. (The pine paneling came with the house and I both love and hate them. It's a LOT of wood.)
Kitchen is still being renovated. It will be a mix of very warm black, muted coral, copper, and cream or dirty yellow when all is finished. So I suppose another autumn room.
It probably sounds like a mess of seasons lol!
The only rooms in my house that are in the summer colors that suit me are my bedroom and bathroom because I find these colors to be very calming. The furnishings of our living and dining rooms are in predominantly dark and neutral to warm colors. The walls are a neutral stone gray. There are pops of deep red in lamps and carpets and lots of framed photographs (husband is a photographer) and artwork we have collected over the years. This artwork mainly features natural colors and textures that complement the rest of the decor. Our furniture is made of wood (mostly walnut) and dark leathers. Our kitchen has deep red walls and the attached breakfast room that the kitchen and dining room flow into has dark chocolate brown walls with many windows and white lace curtains. The warmth and depth of colors in these rooms feels very cozy to me. I’ve experienced autumn envy throughout my life, so this makes sense color wise. I’ll never forget being 11 years old and having a bedroom makeover. I chose to paint a rainbow on the wall in orange, red, and golden yellow. My bedding and curtains were a buttercup yellow gingham and my new furniture had a warm oak stain. I LOVED that room (although the fact that it was the first time I didn’t have to share a room was huge)!