You may remember that last year’s color of the year was Mimosa, a warm sunny shade of yellow.  At IBB, we love color.  There’s nothing better than seeing neutrals come alive with beautiful pops of color.  Yellow can instantly make a home feel bright & welcoming.

The color combo of yellow paired with the very chic neutral gray is quickly catching on as one of the most sought after color palettes.  Our model team executed the gorgeous duo on a recent project in Houston, led by IBB designer Susan Neff.  Take a peek inside the family room…

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The tufted ottoman coffee table is by Aidan Gray.  I love the shelf at the bottom that allows for extra storage for books, magazines, or a basket to hide your remotes.  Pillows with yellow & gray prints make a splash on the sofa & wing chairs.

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The neutral stone gray wing back chairs are by Century.   The art over the fireplace may be my absolute favorite part of the room.  It brings so much life & color to the space & really draws your eye up.

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We used a lively yellow & gray print from Duralee on the drapery panels which were designed by our drapery designer Gilda Wood.  The breakfast table is also by Aidan Gray.

In honor of the 4th of July, let’s talk about some  All-American colors!  Friday on Good Morning Texas, I showed you different ways you could incorporate the classic red, white & blue color palette into your home.  Whether you choose a neutral base & add doses of red, white & blue thru your accessories or you use the fresh colors in larger amounts on your bigger pieces, these colors will help you create a design that will make you feel happy.

Here are a few more of my favorite red, white & blue decor ideas for your home:

Stars & Stripes fabric by Perennials.

I LOVE this room by Suzanne Kasler.  If I owned a lakehouse, I would definitely have a room like this.  It feels so fresh & welcoming.

This is a great example of how you can introduce color to a neutral palette.  The furnishings are all a soft painted white with the exception of a worn blue bench a the end of the bed.  Vintage blue & red are introduced thru the linens on the bed.  I think the striped sheet on the box spring offers a playful touch to the bed.

images from Perennials, Suzanne Kasler & Google Images

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!

The kiddos will soon be out of school & begging to play in the pool all day everyday to beat the heat.  If you’re looking for inspiration for your home’s color palette, why not consider a few sizzling summer colors?  Last week on GMT, we chatted about one of my all time favorite color combinations ~ Turquoise & Tangerine.  It sounds so chic just rolling off your tongue, but when you combine the two hues with crisp whites or other neutrals it instantly satisfies your need for exceptional eye candy.  Whenever I’m around the powerful color duo, I dream of sitting on a beach in the Caribbean drinking a Hibiscus Martini.

Watch the segment here to get a few ideas on incorporating these summer inspired colors into your home.

You read it right!  Gray does not have to mean boring, drab or dreary!  Gray is actually quite the glamorous neutral.  It serves as a wonderful back drop for colors that pop like a sunny yellow or feminine lavender.  I also loves shades of blue like aqua with gray.  Picture it with Hermes orange.  I’m using that color combination for a client in Dallas right now.

I featured a swanky sitting area of gray & yellow on GMT last Friday & created quite a buzz about the hot neutral.  Watch the video here.

Make no mistake, gray is certainly hot on the scene right now, but it’s a timeless neutral that has been used in interior design for generations.  It’s always been a favorite especially amongst those who love the look of Hollywood Glamor.

Benjamin Moore makes two of my favorite shades of gray to use.  Wickham Gray will lightly wash your walls with a subtle yet fresh gray.  Dior Gray,  on the other hand, will give you instant drama with a rich blue undertone.  It’s simply stunning.  I actually walked into my friend Shelly’s house recently only to discover that her master bedroom is painted in this stylish gray.  I’ve also specified it for an upcoming project for a client’s office.

So, my fellow design devotees, I encourage you to embrace this neutral color & get glamorous!

Almost every day I see an item or fabulous home furnishing that arrives at IBB & my mind starts rolling on where & how to use it.  So, I’m creating a new section on the blog called “Scene Stealers”.  Let it serve as inspiration to you for your home or interior project.  I’ll start with one uber-fabulous piece that steals the show & give you my “suggested pairings” to create a sensational interior around it.

Today’s scene stealer starts with a sensuous sofa.   I have literally been drooling over this stunning leather sofa by Hancock & Moore ever since I saw their ad featuring it.  Isn’t it just delicious?  I’m not sure what sends my heart racing more; the fabulous shade of teal that gives it an edge or the tufting that gives it a classic feel.   This sexy sofa is what all other sofas should aspire to be ~ a real statement piece.

Suggested Pairings:

How about pillows or even a pair of chairs out of this botanical fabric by Schumacher?  You’ve just kicked your color palette into high gear!  From tangerine to canary, we now have  lots of room to play!

Time to add a casegood.  This French Key secretary by Global Views adds style & workspace to your room.  This piece is perfect for your great room or formal living area.  Depending on how your room is laid out, this could go on a wall opposite the sofa or even angled in a corner.

Brass Fleur de lis wall sconce by Global Views.  Yes!  Brass is back & in a beautiful way!  These sconces are stunning and at 42.5″ tall they have a great large scale.  I’d place one on each side of the secretary in this room.  Or, how about one on either side of a fabulous piece of art above the sofa?

Let’s add a fun chair to sit with the secretary.  This is one of my absolute favorites.  It’s the Alexandra chair from Hickory Chair.  I don’t mind mixing finishes, so I think the chippy white finish would work great.  However, if you want to go darker use a similar dark oak finish to that of the secretary.  If you want to play with one of my favorite color combinations, I suggest using one of Kravet’s fabrics for the chair back & cushion.  The top linen fabric is 27591 – 12.  The bottom Damask pattern is 24205.24.

Voila!  Now, you have a few key pieces to begin to make your room into something quite remarkable.

I hope you all are celebrating in style this St. Patrick’s Day!  As promised, here’s some more fabulous green design inspiration…

Green walls set the tone for this soothing kitchen.

Add a splash of green with a fun lamp like this!

What a showstopper!  This bathroom has the WOW factor due to the green glass mosaic wall.

Shades of gray are so hot in the neutral department right now.  Liven up the gray by pairing green accents with it like on the pillows & walls in this room.

The green sofa makes a luxurious statement in this room.

Liven up your laundry room with this fun washer & dryer!  Kelly Ripa is there spokeswoman & we all know that cutie patootie has style!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I hope you all are enjoying this day with your sweeties.  My gift to you today is some eye candy featuring the classic Valentine’s Day color palette of red & pink.

If you’re considering using either of these colors in your home, you may be interested in knowing the meaning behind each color.

Red:
The color of love, passion & beauty.  It is also the most emotionally intense of all of the colors.   Red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing.  It’s also said to cause appetite stimulation.

Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower,  leadership, and courage.

Pink:
Pink, a pale shade of red,  is said to be the most romantic of all of the colors.  It’s tranquilizing and compassionate.  Pink is youthful and exciting.  Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.

Popular pinks:  hot pink, baby pink, bubblegum pink, carnation pink, shocking pink.

Hot pink walls & sleek sofa make a real WOW statement!

The British flag as an accent  is a huge trend right now.

Hot pink walls liven up a neutral white sofa & flooring.

Classic red from the pages of Elle Decor.  My fave is the window treatments in this photo!

A rather neutral room is brought to life with one hot pink accent wall.

Bright white is accented with with red accessories.

How fabulous is this bathroom?  I love every inch of it!  Perfect for the girls who just wanna have fun!

Up close detailing of the bathroom cabinet drawers.

Another neutral beauty livened up by the pop of a red chandelier.

A kitchen transformed into a colorful chef’s dream!

Retro take on classic red creates a fun kitchen.

It’s time for a make-over!  It’s a mini project for me.  I’ve finally had it!   My office at IBB is in major need of some TLC.  You see, we’ve been at our current location for more than five years now.  I was pregnant with my daughter & super busy at the time of the move, so I decided to put the task of “officially” designing my office space off for a later date.  Well, five years later, things are still super busy around here (Praise God!)  & my walls are still bare (with the exception of a print of the new studios I was given when I started at Good Morning Texas).  My desk chair is oh-so-comfy, but a MAJOR eye sore!  My guest chairs for clients & other business guests are pretty, but they’re just not me.

Last weekend while I was up here working on a client project, I finally reached my boiling point.  Part of creating inspiring interiors, I believe, is surrounding ourselves with things we find inspiring.  My office, where I spend a great deal of time each day, falls very short of awe inspiring.

I whipped out some fabric books & my Benjamin Moore paint deck & picked out some fabulosity for my new digs.  I wanted something fun, girly, young & hip.  I will be using hints of fuschia (because I love pink & I think my fiance would kill me if I ever tried to use pink in the home we’ll soon be sharing!)  I’ll be re-covering my desk chair & the guest chairs, painting the walls, adding some art & lighting & switching out the big bulky armoire for a sleek mirrored console.  I’ll be keeping my desk unit (even though I probably should eventually update that too) because I love it’s functionality & quite frankly I just don’t want to spend the money right now.  I’ll be tackling this in stages (in my spare time:  note to self; find spare time! ~ LOL!) so I will post the after pictures when it’s complete.  For now,  check out the color palette as well as some before photos below.

These are the fabrics I’ve selected.  Since you haven’t heard me shut up about my excitement that turquoise is the 2010 color of the year, are you even surprised that I’d be using it in my own surroundings?  I’m contrasting it with the rich midnight blue velvet.  I’ll be pulling in hints of my favorite color pink through the fuchsia in the stripe fabric as well as some accessories.  I”ll show you & explain where everything is going in the After post when the room is complete.  Gotta let the reveal be a surprise…

Desk Unit before

Desk chair before
I know, I know.  Hideous, right?  I use that cozy turquoise throw everyday ( It’s always so dang cold in my office! ), but it actually helps disguise my ugly desk chair too ~ LOL!

My chunky clunky armoire is getting the boot.  It’s really just serving as a storage unit for JUNK!  Hasta la vista baby!

This shows off the wall color before.  I’ll be changing it to a bright white for a cheery update and to bring some life into my office.  I have no windows in here, so I’m ready for a light bright feel.  As of now, I’ve selected Benjamin Moore white dove.  I’ll be painting a test sample this weekend.

I’ll be recovering these chairs & adding some cool detailing to give them a fun playful update.

If I’m feeling a little frisky, I will probably chronicle this makeover via twitter, so make sure you follow me here.

Yesterday, I introduced you to my fabulous friend & our first guest blogger, Shelly Rosenberg.  Today, she shares her fresh take on the 2010 color of the year featuring our good friend & jewelry designer, Elizabeth Showers.  Enjoy!

Fresh is the new fix in an economy that has us feeling deep blue. Take it up a notch with a hue to good to be true! Who says? Pantone, the Oz of the color wheel, gives Turquoise the title: Color of the Year, 2010! We need vibrant, chin-to-the-sun fun. Let’s walk like Egyptians and embrace this historic tint they honored for it’s restorative and healing power.

Energy is not all it’s got- fashion says it’s hip and haute. Dive into your favorite mags and notice it in the most delicate of porcelain, sleek urban furnishings, punchy textiles and the most exquisite bijoux!

Bling is the thing for our beloved local designer, Elizabeth Showers. Her designs celebrate the most refined version of this gem. Her work has been featured in O Magazine, Town & Country and Vogue and is treasured by A-list celebs. In a word, her art is simply stunning. This designer aims to “empower all women to feel beautiful.” Aligned with her trademark logo, The Hope Star, her affair with turquoise offers inspiration to us and integrity to a stone often overlooked.

A sampling of some of the magnificent turquoise jewelry by Elizabeth Showers.

So taken was she that her new ride is now all the rage. Years ahead of the curve, London’s Mini Cooper is fashion forward…In her limited edition, Elizabeth cruises in style. Here, the plucky partner to our featured shade is brown- in yummy shades of chocolate and toffee! Pleasure and sophistication coexist with Elizabeth at the helm.

Check out Elizabeth’s fab jewelry up against the chocolate brown interior with turquoise stitching of her tres chic Mini Cooper!  Can you say hot???!!!

Elizabeth Showers showing off the super cool interior of her Mini Cooper!  This is a girl on top of her trends!

Detailing of the turquoise stitching on her leather interior.

Check out Elizabeth’s blog here.

You’ve probably heard by now that turquoise is the color of the year for 2010.  Do you love it?  I do!  I’m a huge fan of turquoise!  Get inpsired & find out how to incorporate this fabulous color into your home decor.  Click here to watch & learn!