Tuesday 28 April 2015

A boost of colour



"...trying to make the colors intense, and not a harmony of greys." - Vincent Van Gogh

Nothing says 'welcome Spring' more than yellows and blues! 

As much as I love colour I'm normally asked to keep palettes neutral and can only add hints of colour in accents. But then I came upon a fabulous carpet that beckoned to be used, in a bursting palette - hand in hand with a client that urged me to go wild with colour... It was the creative colour boost I longed for!


The assignment was to refresh a well used but forlorn lobby in Yorkville's premier senior's residence. I began by looking for fabrics worthy of sitting atop of the beautiful carpet that was to be. It needed to be classic but updated since the palette was bold and the pattern modern. I came upon this ideal Robert Allen Crypton fabric featuring an updated damask in a Citron colour on a field of Taupe. To give the space energy I paired it with its complimentary colour - a brilliant blue velvet, again from Robert Allen's contract line of fabrics - it's a stunning shade and feels so luxurious, you'd never know it was a contract fabric.

Residents regularly use the lobby as a waiting area three times a day as they await the opening of the dining room, so we needed to accommodate a lot of seating. There were also a few pockets off of the main lobby space that we tied into this scheme, to give the main floor a cohesive look.

I updated the fireplace by designing a modern surround and mantel and covered it in a wood similar to what was already in the lobby. The fireplace is now the focal point of the space, as it should have been... Some residents didn't even realize there was a fireplace prior!

I decided to place a custom glass art piece above the fireplace and had local artisans create pieces matching the colour palette. I gave them artistic freedom with the installment  - my only direction and inspiration was Chihuly's ruffles - and it came out beautifully! It's light and playful but sophisticated and bold. The space definitely needed some bright accents to reflect the radiance of the residents. 



And I'm still loving the flare of colours in the space!