Art Nouveau, you know?

Here are some inspirational images from the art period of writhing vines and whiplashed curves known as Art Nouveau.


art nouveau by jcraver

I heart polyvore...

Color Scheme by jcraver

Ok, so they will probably lock me up in the looney bin before I commit to paint colors for my apartment but this is the "pallete" that is currently inspiring me. If they do send me away maybe they will teach me how to weave baskets and I can sell them in Charlotte Moss' store, just kidding it closed, just kidding there are like 5 pictures of it in my polyvore, just kidding it really did... (please tell me you've seen Kristen Wiig's nervous Judy Grimes on SNL?)

Love (these) Birds

I love the color combinations in these Victorian bird prints. I want to incorporate these colors/the multicolor vibe... without making my apartment look like a carribean themed restaurant.

Oh, who was I kidding???

I've decided to go with green for my kitchen... happy, sharp, acidy, lovely, new life greeeeeen. I was having way too much trouble deciding on a color so I decided to just go with what I love. I'm not too concerned with all of my kitchen stuff being green because I've picked a lighter shade for the walls, and I actually really love monochromatic schemes. Anyway, I plan on painting this weekend so here's hoping I made a good decision. That's the color in the upper left.

Skwerl

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled into my kitchen this morning and found myself face to face with a thieving squirrel. I must have left my kitchen window open last night and squirrely here was lookin for a snack. I really wasn't that surprised considering this little dude used to steal from Maya's kitchen (godiva chocolates no less) before she got a screen. Anyway, he picked the wrong apartment as I have, in terms of edible food, exactly two bulbs of garlic. And yes, he was doing that little dance...

Chris from Three Graces suggested incorporating some squirrel imagery into the decor for my kitchen, which I think is an excellent idea. Besides, I've always loved this squirrel money box from Generate Design... house warming gift?

Baby Loves Persimmon!

So I finally went to the bossman with my peach tile conundrum and he suggested I paint the walls a deeper more vibrant shade of the peach tile... so a persimmon or deep coral color. Actually, he thought I should paper the kitchen in this gorgeous custom wallpaper but I'm not sure how I would afford that idea. I'm not too surprised with his color suggestion as coral/salmon is one of the boss's "go to" colors. I personally don't normally gravitate towards red but the idea started to grow on me and I realized that I actually really love that beautiful soft shade of red that has a lot of orange in it. I think it would make for a very cozy, warm kitchen. Anyway, here are some pictures to illustrate the color I have in mind.



A William Morris fabric. The coral acanthus leaf is amazing with the black background and look! it's paired with that pale peach too.
I'm in love with this juicy chair that is in our showroom. So so pretty.

Put it on the line...

I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful view of the clotheslines hung from the back windows of my building. They can actually be quite lovely or ridiculous depending on what people string up.

Modern Marvel!

Look! I painted my kitchen! gotcha... I still can't make a freaking decision, so when my lovely neighbor Maya Judd suggested I download the "Personal Color Viewer" from the Benjamin Moore website I thought "what the hell?" It looks kind of fakey, especially any of the greens for some reason, but maybe it will help me get a sense of the direction I should go in. Thoughts?










I'm kind of digging the pink matched to the tile and then I can do tons of green accents... like two of these amazing chairs from Modernica that I LOVE in front of each window with a little cafe table inbetween.

The Selby

You guys have to check out this website, The Selby, that Larissa sent me. It's an inside look at different people's apartments. Click on the photos to see more/read interviews with the inhabitants. I'm addicted!

The Golden Age...

I am completely transfixed by the artwork from “The Golden Age of Illustration, which was a period of “unprecedented excellence in book and magazine illustration.” The amazing dreamlike creations of illustrators like Arthur Rackham, Aubrey Beardsley, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen are always an inspiration. Not to mention they are beautiful and creepy which is a combination I adore. I’m particularly in awe of the color combinations in Edmund Dulac’s illustrations. I would love to somehow translate these color pallets into my décor.

My Eyes Are Green 'Cause I Eat A Lot of Vegetables...

I forgot to add that I’m a green addict, so all of the kitchen accessories are leaf green. Seriously, it's an illness. I see green and I have to have it. I have Max to thank for the lovely Le Creuset set. Thanks, babe! However, the leaf green does further complicate the color issue with the rose beige tile. Lily Pulitzer kitchen anyone?

My first little piece of Vaseline Glass which I adore. It gets it's glow from the actual uranium in it so I like to keep it close to my vital organs.
I mean come on... look at the darling fruit basket. $7 at Pearl River Mart.

Witch's Kitchen

There are four main rooms in my apartment. You enter through the Kitchen so I’ve decided to start there, besides the kitchen is really the heart and soul of any home, and I can’t start cooking delicious meals for you guys until it is set up. I REALLY want it to be spectacular. Unfortunately, my landlord decided to tile the bottom half of one entire wall, and the sink niche with rose beige tile. Actually, rose beige is too kind…. If it were a paint chip it would have a name like “corpse tongue.” So I’m left to find a paint color to compliment the devil tile… or do I embrace it and match the walls to the tile? Thoughts?

Brooklyn Railroad

Finally, my own apartment! A few months ago, I moved out of a lovely (yet dilapidated) brownstone in the West Village of Manhattan that I shared with three amazing girls and into a one bedroom railroad apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. As someone in the interior design profession, but still relatively new to it, I thought it would be fun to chronicle the exciting yet sometimes frustrating process of decorating an apartment. I also want to share inspirational images and I hope that you will send me images and links to websites that inspire all of you too. A shout out to Chris Pastor who inspired me to start this blog after reading the lovely http://threegracesofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/. Thanks, Chris!