Guest Post ~ Chic Color Duos

I thought it would be fun to mix things up around here and start doing a few guest posts! Inspired by my color series, Susi from Design Shuffle is here today to show you some unique color combinations. I love the pictures she selected, and I hope they inspire you too!

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Susi here, from Design Shuffle, the social media site that promotes interior designers and their work from around the world. One of the things I find inspiring is visiting great design blogs like Estilo Home. When I was asked to guest blog here about the chicest color duos I turned to fashion for inspiration.  Interior design is closely tied with fashion trends. What we see on the runway, we'll probably see in our homes.  Hope you feel inspired by these chic color duos. Enjoy!

Red is a fantastic color for interiors.  I love it paired with robin's egg blue or aqua for a chic color duo. A very classic color combination.

Love the aqua and smoky purple paired together in this dining room.  Moody and atmospheric, these two colors make a very chic color duo.

Robin's egg blue and mustardy yellow are another chic color duo. Both colors have a lot of gray in them so they work together as complementary colors without having too much contrast.

Teals and yellow are another great color combination that is oh so chic in interiors.  These carpet squares so the range of teals and yellows that work together.

As illustrated by this stylish bedroom design, yellow and gray is a gorgeous color combination. This chic color duo is a balance between calm and energetic, bright and subdued.

Creamy white and camel or tan is a chic color combination for fall fashion that translates into a chic color duo for home dÈcor.  Natural woods paired with pearl whites and creams make a lovely tonal palette.

Navy and gold are a classic chic duo in fashion and interior designs. Love this nearly black navy paired with the gold tones of brass accents. So chic!

Brown and warm metallics, like brass or bronze, is another fashion inspired color duo. It looks chic in home decor with brown furniture and brass or bronze accents, or lighting.

You can find even more great color duos on Design Shuffle, an interior design social media site where talented designers including Los Angeles interior designers and New York interior designers showcase their work and inspire others.

Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

From the Inspiration Folder

I just came across this image from the DC edition of Apartment Therapy, and fell in love. The color scheme manages to be so cheery and soothing at the same time.

Southern Living

One of my favorite features is the wallpaper covering the doors on either side of the fireplace. Isn't it such a nice touch?

Have a great week!

Color Series ~ Charcoal & Purple

The color series is back this week, and today I am mixing charcoal with a deep, moody purple. When the right hue is used (such as a dark eggplant,) purple can look so sophisticated. It has long been one of my favorite colors. 

This combination creates a dark, sort of sultry atmosphere, making it a great color scheme for a bedroom. Here is a beautiful example of this:

I decided to do a bedroom as well for this week's mood board:

What do you think of this color combination? Would you ever decorate a room with it?

Moodboard sources:
Wallpaper - Jonathan Adler
Bed - Crate and Barrel
Curtain - JCPenney
Side Table - Home Decorators
Lamp - Decor-Home
Dresser/nightstand - Bungalow 5
Jewelry Box - Target

Sheet Set - John Robshaw
Fabrics - Fabric.com, Duralee

Color Schemes ~ Charcoal & Orange

This week on the series I am going for a vibrant look, mixing charcoal with a bold orange!

This scheme is not for the shy, and tends to work best where you'd want your energy to be high. For example, a home office where you need to be productive, or maybe a kids playroom. However, if you love the color, you can make it work anywhere, such as this beautiful sitting area:

Or this gorgeous living room:

Lonny Mag

I wanted to create an office with this color scheme for this week's moodboard:

What do you think of this color combination? Would you use it anywhere in your home?

Moodboard Sources:
Desk - Z Gallerie
Chair - Jonathan Adler
Trellis Fabric - FSchumacher
Rug - Madeline Weinrib
Wastebasket - Bed Bath & Beyond
Bookcase - Wholesale Furniture Brokers
Lamp - Bobby Berk Home
Bulletin Board - Kayscrafts on Etsy
Boxes - Napa Home
Pencil Cup - Momastore
Computer - Apple

Color Series ~ Charcoal & Peachy Pink

Our latest color to explore different combinations with is charcoal. Today, I am mixing it with a soft peachy-pink!

This has to be one of my favorite color schemes. While this combination leans on the feminine side, I love that the gray helps to toughen the pink. Take a look at some examples:

Tony Hutchinson

Wish Magazine

An Angel at My Table

I decided to keep the feminine vibe going for this week's moodboard. What do you think?

Moodboard sources:

Sofa - West Elm

Bookcase - Ikea

Sconces - West Elm

Rug - CSN Stores

Coffee Table - CB2

Pink Pillow - The Home Centric on Etsy

Gray Pillow - Clayton Gray Home

Throw/Scarf - Scarf World 

Floor Lamp - Oly

Vases - Wisteria

Color Series ~ Charcoal & Yellow

So far, I have shown you a few color schemes using the classic navy. Now I am moving on to another ultra-versatile color, charcoal gray. There are endless color combinations that will look good with this neutral, but I am starting with sunny yellow!

You may remember this image from domino, which featured this cheerful color scheme. The choice in tailored furnishings and a mustard-y yellow kept the room looking crisp and elegant:

domino

This scheme could work well for many rooms, but I particularly love this color scheme for kitchens! For me, a kitchen should be a bright, happy space, the heart of one's home. I once lived in an apartment with a kitchen that had white cabinets, gray countertops and one accent wall painted the perfect shade of yellow, and it was my all-time favorite kitchen (even though it was pretty small.)

With that in mind, I thought I would re-create a sunny kitchen for this week's mood board:

If you like it, where would you use this color scheme?

Moodboard sources:
White cabinet - Alpine Cabinet
Carrerra marble backsplash -  via Contemporary Interior Designs
Granite countertops - Discount Flooring
Yellow Rug - West Elm
Stools - DWR
Dish Towels - Dwell for Target
Owl Pitcher - via Kaboodle
Keep Calm Poster - Keepcalmandcarryonposter.co.uk
Mixer - Kitchen Aid

Color Schemes ~ Navy, White & a Hint of Red

Hello everyone! In honor of the Independence Day coming up, I thought this week for the color series I'd work navy in with white and a touch of red. It is such a classic combination that you can't really go wrong (well, unless you take the theme to heart and put U.S. flags everywhere!)

 I thought the example from House Beautiful below was a great one of the scheme done just right:

(Ok, so I can't really tell if it's navy or black, but it would work well either way!)

source

And here is a moodboard for a living room with this color scheme:

This concludes the series with navy! Starting next week, I will work with various colors paired with a personal favorite, charcoal gray.

It is going to be a little quiet here for the rest of the week, as I am off to Lake Tahoe for a few days over the 4th of July holiday. I am so happy to be taking some time away from work and responsibilities! I will try to pop in if I can, but I am not sure how my internet set-up will be like.

For those in the U.S., have a great holiday!

Moodboard sources:
White sofa & curtains - Ikea
Blue side chair, coffee table, artwork & mirror - Ballard Designs
Red side table - Crate and Barrel
Blue table lamp - Robert Abbey
Floor lamp - Neenas
Rug - Surface Threads
Bird bowl - Jonathan Adler
Red pillow - Sea Cloth
Chevron pillow - Twinkle Living/CSN Stores

Color Schemes ~ Navy & Coral

Continuing with the color series, this week I am combining the navy with a vibrant coral.

I am surprised not to see this combination used more often, but you can see one example here, where designer Amanda Nisbet combined it with a hint of chartreuse for a very colorful scheme:

source

The dark navy helps to ground the bright coral, but the scheme is still vibrant enough to work well in a high-energy space such as a kids' playroom or outdoors. I went with an outdoor space for this week's mood board:

What do you think? Would you use this color scheme anywhere?

Moodboard Sources:
Double chaise lounger, lanterns, rug - WS Home
Coral Pillow - Thomas Paul at Layla Grace
Blue Pillow - Dransfield and Ross
Table with umbrella and chairs - All Things Cedar
Paper lanterns - Luna Bazaar

Color Schemes ~ Navy & Seafoam Green

To continue with our color series, I'm taking navy and exploring it mixed with seafoam green. As blue and green are analogous colors (adjacent on the color wheel,) the combination produces a really soothing atmosphere.

  

 Of course it is nothing new to see blue and green paired together, but I hadn't taken much notice until seeing this nursery on Design*Sponge a few months back, which combined deep navy and a soft seafoam or minty green:

Design*Sponge, more pictures here

I just love those shelves! Since seeing this picture, I've saved it to my inspiration file and hope to be able to decorate with these colors one day. For the time being, I created a mood board inspired by this scheme:

After seeing those curtains, the board took on a beachy vibe, making this scheme perfect for a sunroom or a casual sitting room. What do you think?

Join me every Wednesday for another color scheme! I'll continue to explore navy for the next couple of weeks, next time with coral!

Moodboard Sources:
- Sette and throw: Nate Berkus for HSN
- Curtains: Anthropologie
- Lamp and rug: West Elm
- Table: Horchow
- Sunburst mirror: V and M
- Clam shell: Z Gallerie

Color Schemes ~ Navy & Lilac (New Series!)

So I got back from Miami a couple of days ago and I am still having a hard time getting back to routine. I didn't get to explore too many art deco interiors in the short time I was there, apart from the gorgeous Delano Hotel, but I had a great time. Vacations are the best, aren't they?

While I was away, my little blog turned one!! I wanted to take a moment to thank all of my dear readers for always coming back to see what I am up to and leaving sweet comments. You have no idea how much I appreciate each and everyone of you!

With that, I thought I would introduce a new series, where I explore one color combined with various other expected and unexpected hues. In the first of the series, I am working with navy. It is such a great color in part because it helps to ground other colors. I actually used navy for my own wedding, when my husband was really against my peachy-pink color choice. We ended up combining both colors, and the result was classic and sophisticated, if I say so myself :)

Combined with soft lilac, it creates a cool color scheme that feels so soothing but not somber:

This combination was inspired by a bedroom I randomly came across in Self Magazine. I instantly fell in love with the combination, which is one I don't see too often. The navy keeps the lilac from looking too sweet, making it a nice color choice for adult and kids rooms alike. 

Self, scanned by me

Inspired by this combination, I put together a mood board to help you recreate a look with this color scheme at home:

What do you think? Have you ever used these two colors together?

In my next post, I will explore navy with seafoam green, so stay tuned!

Moodboard sources:
- Bed and drum side table: Target
- Rug: Madeline Weinrib
- Lilac Throw: Gracious Home
- Curtains: Ikea (ribbon trim added)
- Sheets: Blissliving
- Clock: Walmart
- Lamp: Petit Tresor
- Paint Color: Petit Tresor
- Navy Fabric: Calico Corners
- Lilac Pillow: Beautiful Pillows & Home