You wouldn't exactly describe me as a wall flower. I do not blend into the background and fade away. Likewise, while I have a strong presence, I am not the "life of the party" who is always in the spotlight. I like to entertain. I like to be entertained. I also like to sit back, to listen and to take it all in. There is so much in life that needs to be observed, people, conversations, the beauty of the outdoors, the beauty behind closed doors. I don't want to miss any of it. I like personality and color - in people, in fashion and in my home. I suppose you could use those two terms to describe me - one wouldn't be far off by describing me as having a colorful personality. Color in my home is important to me. Only once I have ever lived anywhere with white walls. Only once. I was in a rental just out of college. Those white walls I found to be boring and depressing. I would stare at them and get sad. Artwork could not cover up their blandness.
When I grew up my apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side was bursting with color. It was such a happy place. It was a place where I felt alive. A place that made me feel as though anything could happen... that I could create and dream and that it could come true. Our Kitchen and Butler's Pantry was green and the inside the cabinets and cupboards were all painted a watermelon pink. We had a grey dining room, white trim and lavender ceiling. My father's office was a deep, handsome burgundy. The front entryway that greeted you when you got off the elevator was wrapped in an elegant wallpaper filled with Victorian characters. It was a grand entry (in appearance, not in size) and when I stood there waiting for the elevator I felt as though I was on stage and these were all the spectators. As a child I would dance and sing to them until the Elevator Man stopped at our floor, opened the door and the brass gate. I would then step inside the elevator and bid my people adieu! When we entered the foyer, the elegant Waverly-like black and white striped paper let guests know that they were entering an exquisite apartment. If I recall properly, there was a large back lacquered dresser for hats, scarves and gloves across a rattan bench on which I would sit to take off my shoes or boots to toss into my front closet. The ceiling, a bright orange, stared down on me with her cheerful smile. A world of color is so important to a child. I am still enchanted by it all!
My childhood bedroom was dreamlike. Southern exposure meant that my room was bright bright and cheery no matter what time of day or evening. It was like living in a dollhouse... each wall was a different color. I had a yellow, pink, green and lavender wall, each pastel. A pale blue ceiling overhead and a pale green shag rug made me imagine my room to be outside in a garden. My bedding was checkered. Big checks each coordinated with the colors of the walls. I had a wicker settee and coffee table. Nothing was ever out of place of out of order. Mother was a stickler with tidiness. (My closets, however, told a very different story!)
As you can see, when you look at the following images, I like bright, bold, cheerful and colorful! So many of the following rooms inspire me for the energy and feelings they evoke. Whether something simple, like a mirror, or an inspiration board to something more complex as brightly painted or papered walls, a simple space can take on a whole new meaning, energy and feel by simply adding some color to the walls. I am looking forward to decorating my next home and am starting to gather up ideas. The following pictures have all been gathered from Pinterest. Click on them and they should take you to the original sources.
Such fabulous ideas... not sure which I love the most or where I will begin!
Happy Monday! XOXO
When I grew up my apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side was bursting with color. It was such a happy place. It was a place where I felt alive. A place that made me feel as though anything could happen... that I could create and dream and that it could come true. Our Kitchen and Butler's Pantry was green and the inside the cabinets and cupboards were all painted a watermelon pink. We had a grey dining room, white trim and lavender ceiling. My father's office was a deep, handsome burgundy. The front entryway that greeted you when you got off the elevator was wrapped in an elegant wallpaper filled with Victorian characters. It was a grand entry (in appearance, not in size) and when I stood there waiting for the elevator I felt as though I was on stage and these were all the spectators. As a child I would dance and sing to them until the Elevator Man stopped at our floor, opened the door and the brass gate. I would then step inside the elevator and bid my people adieu! When we entered the foyer, the elegant Waverly-like black and white striped paper let guests know that they were entering an exquisite apartment. If I recall properly, there was a large back lacquered dresser for hats, scarves and gloves across a rattan bench on which I would sit to take off my shoes or boots to toss into my front closet. The ceiling, a bright orange, stared down on me with her cheerful smile. A world of color is so important to a child. I am still enchanted by it all!
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| How I wish I had more pictures of our apartment... especially the walls with the Victorian characters! |
My childhood bedroom was dreamlike. Southern exposure meant that my room was bright bright and cheery no matter what time of day or evening. It was like living in a dollhouse... each wall was a different color. I had a yellow, pink, green and lavender wall, each pastel. A pale blue ceiling overhead and a pale green shag rug made me imagine my room to be outside in a garden. My bedding was checkered. Big checks each coordinated with the colors of the walls. I had a wicker settee and coffee table. Nothing was ever out of place of out of order. Mother was a stickler with tidiness. (My closets, however, told a very different story!)
As you can see, when you look at the following images, I like bright, bold, cheerful and colorful! So many of the following rooms inspire me for the energy and feelings they evoke. Whether something simple, like a mirror, or an inspiration board to something more complex as brightly painted or papered walls, a simple space can take on a whole new meaning, energy and feel by simply adding some color to the walls. I am looking forward to decorating my next home and am starting to gather up ideas. The following pictures have all been gathered from Pinterest. Click on them and they should take you to the original sources.
Such fabulous ideas... not sure which I love the most or where I will begin!
Happy Monday! XOXO