I had a bit of a green period in the early 1970s. I painted one wall of a small bathroom something between emerald and viridian gloss with pale peppermint on the others. Coordinating curtains with a splash of yellow in them jollied the whole thing up and rescued it from looking like a municipal bath house. I did blush at the memory of it in later years however.
But now that award-winning interior designer Tobi Fairley (see her blog) has used bright green in her own sitting room with fantastic elan, I decided to revisit that earlier era to see where I got my own inspiration from. In my bookcase, in what might be called the 'quaint' section is the Good Housekeeping complete book of Decorating by Mary Kraft published in 1971. You may smirk at some of the design solutions here but they are kind of wonderful, n'est ce pas?
Oh dear, who put that wrought iron chandelier there? Try to imagine this without it.
The white chair makes this look work
Coordinating carpet a spot unneccessary here?
The beamed ceiling doesn't do this room any favours
Imagine the conversation round these faux lime tables!
Pretty gorgeous
It's interesting how the element of white is what pops in almost each of these rooms - the white chair with the green walls, the white lamp & pillow with the couch, the white (and black) couch with the green carpet. In my family room I have turquoise and gilt Louis XV style (early 18th C reproductions) canapé and chairs. I would have never chosen this color - in fact, I bought the set at a price so ridiculously low that I thought it was worth the cost of recovering them someday, but when I got the set home and paired them with my IKEA white "Parson's" styled table and chairs - they WORKED. I added in some fuchsia throw pillows, black lampshades and the room looks surprisingly mod - or bohemian - in my otherwise traditionally styled home. But it's the WHITE that makes everything work!
ReplyDeleteNice post.
Toma
you're right about the white. It gives it that toothpaste-fresh look! Seriously, I hadn't noticed how every room needs it.
ReplyDeleteTurquoise Louis XV style chairs - I'm envious. And turquoise is gorgeous with some of these greens. Tres 1960s.