All About Blue..Applied Pattern & Print, and Glossy Paint

From a recent e-newsletter I subscribed to I was struck by - what else - one of my fave hues - Blue and all the beautiful patterns & prints that American Interior designer Anne Wolf used in one of her client's homes in Houston Texas. Here you can see these gorgeous sumptuous rooms decorating with pattern, strong colors, imaginative paint application and glossy paint, that is both practical and divine - giving the home a young and fresh feel at the same time!

I really love the effect this combination of hues and patterns gives - who says blue & green should never be seen - when you match them to the right tonal value you've got a winner!

Enjoy,

Formal Dining Room - Bright green walls in a custom color by Fine Paints of Europe give a formal Houston dining room a fresh, young feeling with major impact. Designer Ann Wolf covered chairs in a rich blue, Malabar's Pasha, because "green and blue is my favorite color combination — one complements the other." A mahogany table inherited from the owner's grandmother was stripped and bleached for a new look. A Tibetan jute rug from Creative Flooring echoes the cool feel of the natural ash ceiling. Light Drizzle chandelier from Ochre. Painting by Claudia Zemborain.

Formal Living Room - Wolf pulled her blue-and-cream living room color palette from the rug by Beauvais Carpets. The velvet on the love seats, Nancy Corzine's Corsica, "is great because it feels already worn-in," she says. Slipper chairs are covered in Hinson's Connelly Chenille. Curtains are Holland & Sherry's Shetland. Room & Board stool.

 

Patterned Blues - Dark blues in the family room are "sippy-cup-proof," Wolf says. The print is Schumacher's Samarkand Ikat.

Breakfast Space - The house's main staircase isn't off the entry — it's off the breakfast area. "It leads to the private rooms, so why should it make a public statement?" Wolf says.

Painted Ceiling - The home-owners wanted a cozy place to read in every room," she says. "It's the ultimate luxury to have a sofa and chairs in the kitchen!" The blue ceiling adds even more coziness. Wolf chose a Saarinen table for the French bistro chairs: "It's a modern classic that's great for a traditional house."

Wolf quieted down colors in the master bedroom, painting the walls Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl. "It's a soft gray, with a little blue in it," she says. "We wanted a warm gray because of the ceiling height. So many colors stand out against it. Just look at how pretty the yellow daffodils look, and even the green in the L.L.Bean bag." The skirted table, in Claremont's Grouse Eau de Nil, has a flap on the bed side that flips up to reveal a hidden bookshelf. A custom-made bench sits on a Stark Hallmark carpet



images & sub text via house beautiful

Outdoor room - A huge fieldstone fireplace makes the screened porch an inviting outdoor room even on the coldest days. Cushions on the Janus et Cie Marrakesh chairs are in durable Sunbrella; throw pillows in Flores II by China Seas.